droolicious : trading card games

Earth Day Giveaway: Win a Xeko Pals 'Hairy' Lemur Doll (ends 4/22)

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Considering its Earth-friendly angle -- think Pokémon with a green-centric purpose -- we're thrilled to be working with trading-card game Xeko on an Earth Day giveaway, the prize for which is this adorable "Hairy" Xeko Pals doll.

A hairy-eared dwarf lemur from Madagascar, Hairy is life-sized (around the size of a softball, to be exact) and made from a soy-based fabric and filled with soy stuffing. Like its fellow Xeko Pals, Hairy also comes with a mission code, which gives you unlimited play of the "Hairy the Nibbler" game at xeko.com.

To enter, simply email your name, address and daytime phone number to babblecontest@gmail.com. One lucky winner will be selected at random from the pool of entries on Earth Day, which is next Wed., April 22.

Even if you don't score a free Hairy of your own, you can still save with this exclusive coupon code for Babble readers: Enter "gogreen" at the Xeko Store to save 15% off your entire order between now and Oct. 31, 2009. (The code can be used more than once, so keep it handy.)

Check out our past coverage of Xeko to help you get in the mood for Earth Day '09 -- and good luck!

Bakugan Battle Brawlers Shaping Up As the Season's Hottest Boy Toy

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:04:00 GMT

As late as October, Bakugan Battle Brawlers were flying off North American shelves at a rate of one every 2.5 seconds, so if your little one seems to have the anime-inspired, Pokemon-on-steroids line on the brain this season, it's not just coincidental.

Like Pokemon, Digimon and seemingly every other trading-card game originating in Japan, Bakugan emphasizes collecting, trading and battling, but the game's real hook for kids is the way it literally jumps off the playing surface. You roll the Bakugan marble toward a metal card, and the magnet inside the Bakugan causes it to open up, morphing your marble into a Bakugan warrior. That's the basic idea, at least: Kicking butt at Bakugan requires a bit more advanced strategy and spinning skills, as everything from the placement of your cards to the way you roll your morphing marble (hint: spin it like a top) affects the outcome of each battle.

Budget-minded parents (is there any other kind this year?) may also dig Bakugan, at least initially -- booster packs can run as low as $4.99, although since three Bakugan are required to have a game, your best bet is to hunt down the $12.99 starter pack (three marbles and three cards) pictured above.

Unfortunately, given the way the things are selling -- Amazon, Target.com, ToysRUs.com, and Wal-Mart.com, for instance, are fast running out of reasonably priced Bakugan -- your best bet is to hit stores in person or watch eBay to nab some of the better sets. Once your kids start hoarding, though, you can expect a bigger drain on your wallet -- or at least a lot of begging.

In the meantime, download the Bakugan rules (PDF) to brush up in time for the holidays, and you won't look quite so out of touch when the kids start dropping terms like "Gate cards," "G-Power" and "Field-Open!"

7 Days of Indoor Toys: Xeko, the Eco Trading-Card Game

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:00 GMT

Even though it plays a lot like Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering, Xeko trumps other trading-card games by having a social conscience beneath its surface. That's not to say kids will be turned off by Xeko's attempts at turning its players into activists. One look at the packaging -- a (sustainably farmed!) wood shipping crate with a "secret mission" inside -- and they'll be too jazzed about breaking into Xeko to question its makers' m.o.

And that's where Xeko is really clever: It uses a style of gaming with which kids are already familiar to school them on serious environmental issues. The objective, in ultra-simplified terms, is to build the strongest "Xeko-system" in one of several real-world ecological hotspots. You face off against opponents in the standard draw-and-battle style of Pokemon (demo here) and win by amassing the most "Eco-points" in your environment. The beautifully illustrated cards also teach you about the rare and endangered species you're saving.

Priced at $30, with 4% of proceeds going to Conservation International, Xeko starter sets include 40 booster cards, a rulebook, larger learn-to-play cards, and an oversized play mat/map. Kids can also send back the cards' wrappers for recycling and in exchange earn "green points" redeemable for landfill-sparing junk like screensavers and wallpapers. And, not only is Xeko's packaging made from recycled/recyclable materials, but if you order online from the company, you're likely to receive your game packed in a box that's been reused from a previous order.