I still watch Saturday morning cartoons… religiously. Ever since I was a child I would wake up earlier than any sane human being should just so I could catch a glimpse of what new SatAM goodness was going to be on the airwaves. Recently in my Saturday morning escapades, I came across Chaotic, a 4kids entertainment cartoon based on a Danish trading card game (no not a card game about trading danishes, a card game from denmark). I gave it a shot, and I'll admit, it was amusing enough to be yet another immature guilty pleasure of mine. The weird thing though was that Chaotic the show came to our TVs before Chaotic the game came to our tabletops, so I didn't have a whole lot of background on the whole Chaotic world. Now, the original Chaotic card game has finally been brought to America, and hoards of addicted fans everywhere are clamoring to get their hands on their first booster pack. Even more so, fans are waiting to see just what makes up the Chaotic TCG experience. After all, Chaotic was apparently so good it had a TV show created about it before it even came overseas, so it has some pretty high expectations to live up to.
The game manages to combine a solid system with a little something for everyone, and that's really what most new TCGs that come onto the market want. Chaotic not only createa an immersive environment for gameplay through the use of the TV show, but also through the use of several other ways to play the game, including Online play and Phone play. Chaotic is doing a LOT for a new TCG and that is impressive, but it does tend to be a little all over the place, which can give it a bit of schizophrenic feel. Don't get me wrong, schizophrenic does not mean bad. I have to admit that 4kids knows how to make a quality product that sells like hotcakes, and Chaotic is no different. What I mean by schizophrenic is that Chaotic feels like it is trying to be many different things at once, and this works both for and against it. Chaotic can be best described as a kids game, a hardcore game, a board game, a card game, an online game, a strategy game, and much more.
But I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's start at the beginning. Chaotic is a game that's marketed to kids. The basic story of the game involves people collecting “codes” which trap creatures, places, and things in them. They then “scan” these codes and bring them to life to do battle. Then the power of friendship prevails or something… like it does in most Saturday morning cartoons.
The cards themselves represent the things trapped in these codes and their flavor is geared toward a younger audience. For example, one of the monsters has big ears and is called “H'earring.” Another has poison breath and is called “Toxis.” Yet another, a psychic monkey, is called “Psimion” and those are some of the better examples. Cool mystic powers in the Chaotic world are called “Mugic” and people who use it are called “Mugicians” and neither of those were a typo.
Fortunately, as kidsy as it sounds this sort of Saturday morning cartoon faire is a gigantic hit with children, and with adults it's just so bad that it's good! I can't tell you how much fun I had shouting out in an epic voice “I ATTACK YOUR KLASP WITH MY MANDIBLOR! BWAHAHA!” Seriously, once you get over the initial cringing, fighting in the ancient city of giants “Gigantempopolis” with two monsters riding “Mowercycles” is actually just really funny and enjoyable.
It's MAXXOR!
For a game marketed to children, Chaotic's rules system is surprisingly complex. For example, when you build a “deck” in Chaotic, you aren't building just one deck, you are actually building 5. The first thing you have to do is choose a deck size of either 1, 3, 6, or 10 creatures. Decks can only battle against decks of similar sizes so it's generally a good idea to either build one of each size, or build one 10 creature deck and cut down the excess when you need to. After you build a creature deck, you need to build a battlegear (cards that improve the stats of your creatures) and a mugic (one shot effects) deck of the same size.
But wait, you still aren't done! You now need to make a 10 card location deck. Locations don't only have permanent effects that alter everything in play, but they also decide who goes first in battle so you need to be sure your location deck meshes with your first three decks. Then, when you finally finish building your location deck… you need to build another deck! This time you need to build a deck of 20 attack cards. Hold on, there is another rule too! Each attack card in Chaotic has a build point number in the upper left hand corner. Weak attacks cost 0 build points, average attacks cost 1, and strong attacks as far as I have seen cost 2-5 build points. The total build point cost of your attack deck cannot exceed 20 points. Then once you finally have a creature, battlegear, mugic, location, and attack deck built, you are FINALLY ready to play chaotic.
To play a game of Chaotic, you and your opponent start by laying out your creature decks in two pyramids with the bases of each touching. You then place one battlegear card underneath each creature face down, and place a number of mugic counters on each creature equal to its mugic rating. At any time during the game, you can cast a Mugic spell by removing a number of Mugic counters from your creatures equal to the Mugic cost of the spell. You have two hands of cards in Chaotic, your Mugic hand and your attack hand. You start the game with your entire Mugic deck in your Mugic hand, and you draw 2 cards from your attack deck to create your attack hand. Now setup is over and you are finally ready to play your first game.
There are three steps to a turn in chaotic: the Location, Action, and End steps. In the Location step, the active player plays the top card of his location deck. This will be where all the action takes place this turn, and all abilities printed on the location immediately come into effect. Then, in the action step, players can move as many creatures as they like around the game board, although they are required to move at least one creature per turn. Normally, creatures can only move one space and cannot co-occupy spaces but several creatures have abilities that change that. Players can move their creatures into a space occupied by an opposing creature once a turn, and when they do combat is initiated. If combat hasn't occurred by the end of someone's Action phase both players must choose any one creature on the field and have it face off one on one against the creature of the opponents choosing, so every turn SOMEONE is going to get their head bashed in, whether they like it or not.
Combat is a whole other story, and continues to be a gigantic load of TCG complication. Luckily though, this is one of those rare instances where a system becomes so complicated it actually enhances the game. There are so many ways combat can go in Chaotic that it keeps each game feeling very fresh and that's an aspect of the game that is very welcoming, even if there is a lot to keep track of.
To explain combat in Chaotic, I first have to explain a bit more about creatures. Creatures have a LOT of stuff listed on their card including the characters Tribe, Type, and Mugic Rating, as well as what elements (between fire, earth, air, and water) the creature can utilize, the creature's rating in 4 stats (Courage, Speed, Wisdom, and Power), and the creatures Energy or Life total. What's crazier is that none of these stats besides Mugic and Energy do ANYTHING on their own! Their sole purpose is to interact with Location and Attack cards.
Each location has an “initiative” category, and that determines what creature attacks first in combat. If it is a “True or False” sort of trait like element or tribe (i.e. can this creature use fire or is this creature a member of the overworld tribe) the creature that has that trait goes first. If it is a numbered stat like wisdom or courage, the creature with the higher rated stat goes first. If it is a tie, the active player goes first.
To start combat, players first reveal all face down battllegear cards involved in the combat. Effects on the revealed battlegear immediately come into play. The player that won initiative then draws from his attack deck and plays an attack from his attack hand. Attack cards all have a base damage score, but then they all have a bunch of conditional scores as well. Examples of conditional damage are “If this creature has greater than 40 power, deal 10 damage” or “if this creature is fire-elemental deal five damage” or “if this creature has 10 more power than the opposing creature deal 15 damage” and so on. The attack resolves and the opposing creature takes the total of all applicable damage scores on the attack card. Then the opposing creature gets to attack repeating the same process. Attacks switch back and forth like this until one of the creatures takes damage equal to or greater than its energy and dies.
After that players proceed to the end step, which is fairly simple and basically involves cleanup. All damaged creatures heal to full and the active location card is discarded. Then the next player begins his turn. Players continue like this until one player loses all his creatures, and with them, the game.
Complicated enough for you? It should be. Chaotic is one of the few TCGs that runs off a very complicated system without being so complicated it gets boring. On the contrary Chaotic is very engaging. Everyone in my gaming group received it very positively, and I for one believe it was one of the more interesting game systems I have played in a while. The game is extremely addicting and no two games play out the same way. Also tons of options open up merely due to the fact that you need to build several decks to play in the first place. The interactions between your Mugic, Battlegear, Creature, Attack, and Location decks are nearly infinite. With so much flexibility in deck construction, it is rare to find any two decks that are exactly alike, and that's refreshing in a world of TCGs that evolve to have one deck constantly rule the metagame.
If there was one thing that I disliked about Chaotic, its that there is no format for multiplayer play; it's a duel only game. I tried to come up with a workable multiplayer format but the dependency on the pyramid layout of cards simply makes it far too hard to think of anything. This brings me to my next point, Chaotic is really hard to house rule, so don't expect to be doing anything like, wacky Saturday night special formats, or even limited play; Chaotic is a constructed only zone.
Overall though, I would have to say this really doesn't matter. The system is just so complete you won't need or want to house rule anything. I can't stress enough how many ways there are to have cards interact. There are so many archetypes, from Mugic victories, to big dumpy pump decks, to mini creature blitz decks, to location based decks, to one shot kill attack decks with high build costs, and many many more. Seriously, if you house ruled Chaotic, it would only become more complex and I think that would be crossing the line. I think that as the rules stand, experienced card game players will be foaming at the mouth at all the deck building possibilities and the gameplay strategies that lay before them.
But the bottom line is Chaotic is still a game that is supposed to be marketed to kids, and I honestly don't see any child having an easy time understanding the complex and involved deck construction and gameplay rules I just walked you through. Parents, if your child wants to get into chaotic be ready to provide a lot of assistance in the gameplay and the great deal of math work involved therein. Of course I guess you could say Chaotic does force children to work on their math and organizational skills… Overall, I would recommend Chaotic as a game for your child, but just be sure to go into it knowing they will need a little help. Think of it as a bonding experience.
But hold on, the voices in my head tell me there is yet more to the game and they are right! Chaotic isn't just a tabletop card game, but an online game too. Each Chaotic game card has a 12 letter/number “power code” on the bottom, and no two cards have the same code. You can log on to Chaotic's official website and enter these codes to start building your own online databse. You can then download the “Chaotic Pad” to use your cards in fully graphic 3d battles over the internet!
This is by far one of Chaotic's biggest draws. The interface is absolutely beautiful and seeing your cards come to life on your computer is a TCG players dream. Players can trade with other players online, manage their decks, join communities and guilds, and much much more. In addition, online chaotic has a few things that paper chaotic does not. Every so often codes will be given out via Chaotic Newsletters or heck even through watching the Chaotic TV show. These codes can be turned in to obtain promo cards you may not be able to get simply by buying cardboard booster packs. It has also been advertised that online specific cards can evolve and grow through the use of certain codes, something that card board cards obviously cannot do.
The Chaotic TV Cast
Though the online capabilities are cool, there are some problems, most of which come into play when you consider the secondary market. When you buy a chaotic booster pack from the store, you know you are getting both the cardboard and digital cards, but when you trade, you most likely won't be able to acquire the digital card as well, as codes can only be turned in once. Therefore, any trade, purchase, or other acquisition of used cards, generally amounts to acquiring only half a product, with the online half most likely already redeemed and thus out of your reach.
There are a few other things worth mentioning before you dive into your Chaotic online experience as well. First of all, because there is a MASSIVE online community for chaotic, which is a gigantic plus, there are more people trying to hose you, which is a gigantic minus. Scams are everywhere on chaotic online, with tons of people asking you to trade them your collection, or your master code for a rare card or a better code at a later date, so beware. Also, although starter decks come with master codes that instantly input all 48 cards in the pre-con deck, booster packs do not, and it gets REALLY annoying having to enter individual 12 character unique codes for EACH card in your collection after a while. Although, Chaotic has attempted to solve this by selling card scanners to greatly speed up the process.
Truthfully, it's almost better to consider offline chaotic and online chaotic two separate games, because they really end up playing that way. After a bit of trading, your online and offline collection will start to differ greatly. Online exclusive cards will most likely make a big difference in the online metagame, while they remain non-existent in the cardboard metagame.
Unfortunately, for people who want to specialize in Chaotic Online, it's impossible to buy a digital only booster pack. So while you might be getting instant gratification from other online TCG's, in Chaotic, even if you are the most active online player, you still have to buy a physical booster to add to your collection. No one wants to buy a booster box, open up every booster, and painstakingly enter code after code when you could have just bought a digital booster box online and be done with it.
To wrap up my article I… what? I'm not done? Oh right! I forgot to say that Chaotic is not only a Card game, an Online game, and a TV show which adds to the online game, but its also a mobile phone game as well! Yes, your chaotic pad can be downloaded to your cell phone. This allows you to trade and manage your collection remotely, as well as chat with your chaotic buddies and apparently even watch online matches and make online game challenges as well. This also allows you to enter codes as soon as you get them by entering them as a phone number.
Ok… did I cover everything, good. Chaotic is best not viewed as a TCG, or an Online Game, or anything else. Instead it is best viewed as an entity. Chaotic is not just a game, it is a machine that is bleeding itself out into all aspects of media, and as creepy as it is that one day you may not be able to turn a corner without seeing the new Chaotic booster set advertisement, this really makes for an immersive experience. In fact, the experience is so immersive, that certain gamers have started to follow chaotic as something of a gaming religion. You can already see it in the fan pages all around the internet. Chaotic fans are rabid and are hellbent on converting each and every trading card player to the goodness that is the chaotic world. On one hand… it's a little disturbing… but on the other it proves that the game is quality as it is catching on quick and communities are building faster than you could possibly believe.
Right now, Chaotic as a whole is above average in its phenomenal presentation from many different angles. However, unlike other games that started with a big bomb and then slowly fizzled to a smoldering ember, Chaotic has not only a massive player base, but a gigantic amount of funding pushed behind its marketing plans to give it momentum. In short, Chaotic is all about potential. It's not imperative that you go out and buy a starter deck to have the chaotic experience right this instant, but I would say it is important that you borrow a deck from your friend and learn how to play anyway. If Chaotic continues at the speed it has been going at now it is going to take off like a rocket, and you don't want to be left behind when it does. Just make sure you are old enough to understand how to play in the first place, and everything should be fine.
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Presentation Rating = 8.5
Chaotic really needs to choose an audience to appeal to first and foremost and that's where the majority of points came off in this category. I can't argue with its secondary presentation though. I mean a TV show, and a cell phone game, and the online game, and heck you can find t-shirts and lunchboxes and backpacks in every store. Chaotic is everywhere. You will be assimilated.
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Gameplay Rating = 7.8
The game is playable, its fun, and its well constructed, but there's nothing in chaotic that will make you go WOW. A player with a bit of experience can pick it up quickly and have a fun time with it. There are no glaring flaws that take the fun out of it, which is good, but there is no multiplayer. In the end it all sort of balances out into a solid game.
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Support Rating = 8.3
Once again above average in this category as well. The only thing I have to complain about is that halfway through my Chaotic online experience I got an error that prevented it from starting up. I e-mailed customer support, but to this date I never got an answer back. But beyond that, the community is extremely large and events are always happening for the die hard chaotic fan. Heck just watching the TV show will net you an advantage in the card game no one else will have.
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Innovation Rating = 7.9
You would think that this category would be higher… but I covered the many different positive aspects of Chaotic when I rated Presentation. Chaotic isn't the first game to be online and offline, its not the first game to have many separate decks, its no the first game to use a movement system, and its not the first game to have cell-phone games or TV shows associated with it. It's just the first game to do ALL of this at once.
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