games & rewards
If you're looking for game ideas and schedules, suggested rewards for specific game types, or just wondering which games would be best as biweekly/monthly rather than weekly, this is the place!
You've probably noticed that most TCGs break down the games that are updated on a schedule into several sets. These are usually weekly, biweekly, and monthly, and sometimes weekly games are split into two sections.
Naturally, there are also ongoing games such as doubles trade that are updated as needed, but those types are more like services than games. This page will focus on the scheduled games.
weekly games & rewards
Weekly games, of course, will be updated most often, so it's very important that you choose games that are easy to update and that can go on for a long time. It's also important to give out enough rewards to keep your game engaging, but not so many that the members level up too quickly and grow bored with the TCG.
Keep your TCG's content and needs in mind when reviewing this list. For example, an mp3 guessing game is a good idea for a multi-series anime TCG, but for a single-series anime TCG, you may run out of mp3s after several months.
key to reward values
- EASY = card value of 1-2
- MEDIUM = card value of 2-3 OR card value of 1-2 plus a special card or currency item
- HARD = card value of 3-4 OR card value of 2-3 plus a special card or currency item
Naturally, this isn't a complete list of games. And if your game tends to be harder or easier than the average, adjust reward values accordingly.
| game suggestion | reward value |
| puzzle (50 pieces or less) | EASY |
| character profile | EASY |
| warped/blurred image | EASY |
| identify character by clothing/eyes/etc | EASY |
| memory/matching | EASY |
| freebies | EASY |
| lucky match (member rewarded for owning specific cards) | EASY or MEDIUM |
| identify creature/mascot/pet | EASY or MEDIUM |
| puzzle (over 50 pieces) | MEDIUM or HARD |
| warped card | MEDIUM or HARD |
| identify quote | MEDIUM or HARD |
| identify scene/episode | MEDIUM or HARD |
| identify voice actor (anime) | MEDIUM or HARD |
| identify artist (manga) | MEDIUM or HARD |
| trivia question | MEDIUM or HARD |
| find missing item/person somewhere on site | HARD |
| logic puzzle/question | HARD |
| guess the mp3 (give song title/singer/etc) | HARD |
biweekly and monthly games & rewards
Biweekly games are usually more difficult to update or require the owner or staff member to send rewards to members. Or they could just be games that the owner wants to have in the TCG, but doesn't want to update very often because she doesn't like the game!
And, of course, there are monthly games which are the most time consuming for both the owner and the members to complete. If your game is updated once a month, consider giving larger card rewards (add 1-2 points of card value) than what I've suggested below.
key to reward values
- EASY = card value of 1-2
- MEDIUM = card value of 2-3 OR card value of 1-2 plus a special card or currency item
- HARD = card value of 3-4 OR card value of 2-3 plus a special card or currency item
| game suggestion | reward value |
| pick a color/card/number | EASY |
| lottery | MEDIUM to HARD |
| bingo | MEDIUM to HARD |
| series of puzzles (five or more) | HARD |
| sudoku or kakuro | HARD |
| complex logic puzzle/question | HARD |
| hidden links | HARD |
other games
There's plenty of other scheduled games to play as well, but these don't involve instant rewards. Try:
group collect
Choose a card set for the TCG members to collect together. Allow members to donate cards from that deck to the collective deck and give small rewards for each donation. Once the deck is complete, give a larger reward to all participants.
card swap
Set up a pool of 15-25 TCG cards and allow members to swap unwanted cards for cards in the pool. Add interest and difficulty by adding restrictions: cards swapped must be of the same color/number/value, only one card from the same deck allowed in the pool at any time, etc.
card claim
Keep track of cards left behind by members who quit, and allow active members to claim 1-3 cards per week/month/round until all of the lost cards are gone.
special shop
If your TCG uses currency, consider having a shop with limited stock that renews every week or every two weeks to prevent the richest members from buying their way to the top of the member list! Impose limits of "one per customer" rather than "only five available" so all members have a chance to shop.