[information] :: [introduction]
. ABOUT .
The TCG Exchange is a project started by the rather masochistic stupid robotic insane neonclover, who tends to take on too many projects at any given time.
The idea behind the community isn't very different from any other TCGs out there - in fact, it was very much inspired by anime_lj_tcg, which was in turn started by tsunderes. However, the way it works is a little different from most online TCGs you will find.
Normally, in TCGs, you play games to earn cards. However, TCG Exchange does not have any games for its members to play. Instead, members can earn cards by actively participating in the communities affiliated with the game. For instance - if you are a participating member at xxxholic_still, you can earn cards for your collection simply by submitting icons every round, or voting. Keep in mind that guidelines may vary greatly from community to community, and the number of cards received should be proportionate to the contribution you give. If, for instance, you cast a vote at an icontest that doesn't ask for critiques, you will earn less cards than you would in an icontest that does, and so on.
That's all there is to it - it's a pixel card collecting game, and you earn cards by participating in the communities affiliated with us.
. THE GAME .
In order to play the game, you need to first sign up for it. On sign up, you will be given a couple of cards to start playing.
These "cards" are nothing more than 55x70 pixel (or greater, for special cards) graphics, displaying pictures of a variety of characters. Each character has their own deck, and each deck has 20 cards. Once you've collected all 20 cards for a deck, you earn a mastery badge for that deck and a few bonus cards.
As said above, the way to earn cards is through participation in affiliated communities, plain and simple. Many of these communities run on a weekly basis, so it shouldn't be too different from the weekly games found in other TCGs!
If you have cards you don't need, you can trade them for different cards with other members. If no members have anything you need, you can still exchange them for random cards at the card exchange, or you can request them at the card shop if they are stocked.
Everyone starts at level 1. Once you've earned yourself a fair number of cards, you will go up in level! When you level up, you'll earn yourself a new level badge, and a couple of other nice bonuses.
. THE AFFILIATES .
Originally, this community was intended to affiliate with icontests and be both a way to help boost participation and reward the active members (provided that they like TCGs, that is!). In spite of that, this community is open for affiliation with other community types, such as rating/stamping communities, certain kinds of sharing communities - as long as there is a plausible way for members to contribute, we will gladly accept affiliation.
Regardless, it's expected for the majority of affiliates to be icontests! Even if you can't icon at all, you can still help out by casting votes, for instance. So don't be discouraged by that!
In order to prevent abuse of the contribution system, it is up to the moderators of affiliated communities to determine what kind of contribution they need. In turn, it is up to the moderators of tcg_exchange to determine the number of cards earned for those contributions - that way, both meaningless contributions and offering unfair amounts of cards should be minimized.
Also, keep in mind that while tcg_exchange has its own rules, by participating in the affiliated communities' activities, you are responsible for reading and following their own set of rules as well. tcg_exchange can't be held responsible for its members failing to comply with rules, but we can take action if a member is an offender, in the form of card fines, or bans in more extreme cases.
If you'd like to affiliate with us, please see the affiliation page for more details!