PKMN TF Cards
Cards from the (definitely fake)
Pokémon Transformation game!
PKMNTF is a collection of art inspired by the world of Pokémon, with a transformative twist!
More than 60 artists have been brought together and created scores of cards, all themed as a playable Trading Card Game.This (very much fake) card game is built on players applying transformations to "slots:" Head, Torso, Arms, Legs, or Tail.Each card represents a Pokémon and one of those slots.
Apply Raichu Head and be left with the electric ears and cheeks.
Apply Noivern Arms and now your character can soar!Fill all five of your slots with the same element and claim victory!
But watch out: Your opponents can also apply transformations to you!This is not meant to be a playable game!
This project is just a vehicle to get a bunch of transformation artists to have fun and make Pokémon-inspired TFs.With artist permission, cards will be printed and sold with proceeds going to the artists.
Transformation Parts
[¹] Alternate art by CalliEchoTF will be used for sale versions of the cards.
Item Cards
Drawing Guidelines
There are three guidelines:
Draw a human with a part of a Pokémon or mid-TF
Most cards focus on one slot: Head, Torso, Arms, Legs, or Tail.
Some cards can apply to two slots (ex: Goodra Legs is both Legs and Tail), often based on what the art depicts.
The transformation itself should be contained to only that Slot; maybe to two Slots at most. For example: a Goodra Legs card whose art shows the Legs and Tail transformed; a Buizel Head whose art shows Head and Arms.
Art for transformation Parts must be of a human with only the relevant Pokémon transformations. Item cards are more flexible, allowing objects, chimeras, and mixed-TFs.
With some exceptions for styles, please only submit drawings with a solid grasp on the human figure! Proportions and balance, form and pose -- typical figure drawing.
Illustrations should be 1800px * 3000px
That works out to 3" * 5" @ 600dpi, the standardized "tarot" card size (with a bit of overflow, just in case).
Horizontal cards are also allowed, in case your drawing won't quite work vertically! Same resolution, just rotated 90º (3000px * 1800px).
Item cards have smaller images at 1350px * 1740px.
Be Safe-for-Work
No nudity, sexual content, the works.
Card Suggestion List
A list of ideas for potential cards has been assembled!
It also lists the cards that have been made and the cards that have been claimed:
http://bit.ly/PKMNTFCardList
Feel free to do anything not on the list!
Message me on Twitter @PKMNTF and I can add it to the list!
Templates
Templates for cards are available upon request!
Shoot me a message on Twitter @PKMNTF and I'll be happy to send them to you~
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will this be playable? When will the game be released?
A: This never was meant to be a playable game!
There is no planned release, no planned completion point, no planned card count, no "expansions..." The whole PKMNTF concept is just a vehicle for artists to make cards with a running theme.
Q: Okay, so it's not playable. But... what are the rules, anyway?
A: Okay, you're really twisting my arm with this FAQ that I myself wrote! Jeez!
You should check out the Rules tab for the "official" gameplay rules!
Q: Can I buy actual physical cards?
A: Sorry, but no. There were once plans to sell the cards, but the logistics simply didn't work out.
Q: What cards are going to be drawn?
A: The cards that are going to be made... are the cards that get made!
Yeah, that's a bit of a non-answer. But it's true! There isn't a pre-made list of cards that need to be created, there's no real goals to hit, there's not really a plan!
Each artist is asked to pick a card that they will enjoy making the art for. From our experience, artists make their best work when they're able to manifest a vision of their own. They're instructed to pick a character (or themselves), pick a Pokémon, and pick a Slot to draw for. After that they have free rein!
That's why the card numbering seems a bit disjointed -- they're numbered in the order that the art is finished, not by some predetermined grouping.
Q: There's a card/character I want to be made, but I'm not an artist! What can I do?
A: If you'd like, you can commission an artist (or get by request, if they're very generous) to create the art for a card! Get ahold of @PKMNTF on Twitter and we'll provide you and/or the artist with any information you need! We'll also happily add the card graphics and text to any drawing that meets the Guidelines, as long as the artist has given their permission!
Q: I've drawn art for a card! Do I have to wait until the actual card is posted before I can share my art?
A: Of course not! Anything you draw, even if it's commissioned, is YOUR creation! You are free to share it whenever and wherever you'd like~
(Though, tagging @PKMNTF when you share it would be appreciated!)
Store
Oh yeah, this is happening.
You can buy actual physical PKMNTF Cards.
Just, not yet; I'm still figuring that out.
Stay tuned!
Q: Wait! You can't just leave it there, tell me more!
A: The plan is to offer cards individually for $5 USD, 5 cards for $20, and a full deck of the 118 cards from 2021 for around $280 (which also includes a small rule book).
Shipping & Handling looks like it'll be around $6 inside the US, and varying rates internationally.
Q: Holy heck, that seems kind of expensive??
A: Yeah, a bit! But here's the thing: For every card sold, a portion is going to the artist who drew it. That's true for the individual cards, that's true if you buy 5, that's true if you buy a full deck; the artists are getting a chunk of that money.
It's expensive, but it's for a good cause!
How to Play
Setup
2 – 4 Players
The deck is shared by all players.
Pick a player to go first; play moves clockwise.
At the start of the game, each player draws 5 cards for their hand.Victory
All players have 5 Slots to fill:
Head Torso Arms
Legs Tail
When all Slots on one player are the same elemental type, that player wins!Phases
At the start of each Phase, all players discard the remainder of their hands and re-draw to 5 cards (unless an effect says otherwise).
Players take turns clockwise, playing from their hands until all players have Passed – then a new Phase begins.Actions
Plays can perform 2 Actions on their turn:
• Apply to Self
• Apply to Opponent
• Play Item
• Pass
You may only perform one of each Action per turn.
Actions have a “Base Cost,” which is paid by discarding a card from your hand.Apply to Self
Take one Part from your hand and play it to a Slot on yourself.
If the Slot is empty, the Base Cost is 0.
If there is a Part in that Slot, the Base Cost is 1. This is called “Replacing” the Slot.Apply to Opponent
Take one Part from your hand and play it to a Slot on an opponent.
The Base Cost is 1.
You cannot play on an opponent's empty Slot.
When a Part is applied to an opponent, the effect on that card activates for that opponent.
For example: If Ashley applies a card to Barry, Barry reads the card and follows its instructions.Play Item
Items do not have a Base Cost to play.
Item typically modify applied Parts and are often played alongside those Slots, unless the card’s effect specifies otherwise.Pass
If you are not able to (or choose to not to) perform any actions on your turn, you must Pass.
After Passing, you cannot perform any actions until the next Phase begins (except when playing a card out-of-turn, if the card’s effect allows.)Phases
The Phase ends when all players have Passed. All players discard all cards in their hands.
If the deck is empty (or looks like it won’t have enough cards for all players to draw 5), the discard pile is shuffled. Unused cards from the deck (if any) are placed on top of the shuffled cards; this becomes the new deck that all players draw from.
At the start of a new Phase, the next player to Act first is the player to the left of the player to Act first in the last Phase.
Example of Gameplay
Ashley, Barry, and Charlie are playing.At the start of the game all players draw 5 cards.Ashley will play first. For her 2 actions, she plays a Head Part to her own Head Slot (the Head Slot is empty, so she does not discard any cards from her hand to play the Part), and she plays an Item on herself. Ashley’s turn ends; she still has 3 cards in her hand.Barry plays next. He discards one card from his hand to apply an Arm Part to his own Arm Slot (his first action), then discards one card to apply a new Head Part to Ashley. The card that Ashley had applied to herself is discarded (this is called “Replacing” the Slot). Barry’s turn ends; he still has 1 card in his hand.Charlie plays third. They don’t have any parts in their hand – only Items, and none of them have effects that allow them to be played (they didn’t believe in the heart of the cards, it seems)! They can’t perform any actions, so they Pass. Charlie’s turn ends; they still have 5 cards in their hand. However, they won’t be able to take any actions for the rest of the phase since they Passed.Back to Ashley. She discards one card in order to apply a Torso part to Charlie. Surprise! Charlie has an Item Card whose effect states that it can be played when a Part is applied to them! Charlie plays this card (even though they had Passed, because playing out-of-turn is not an action). Ashley’s turn ends, with 1 card left in her hand.On to Barry. The last card in his hand is a Tail Part, so he applies it to himself. He has no cards left in his hand, so for his second action he Passes.Charlie has already Passed, so they cannot perform any actions.Ashley’s last card is a Head Part. She cannot pay the Base Cost to apply it to herself (replacing her already-filled Slot) or to apply it to an opponent (Base Cost of 1), so she Passes with 1 card left in her hand.All three players have now Passed, so a new Phase begins. Ashley and Charlie discard the remaining cards in their hands (Barry’s hand was empty), and all players draw 5 cards. Ashley played first in the last Phase, so now Barry plays first.The game continues until one player has applied Parts with the same elemental type to all five of their Slots!Have fun~!