Pokémon Trading Figure Game

Pokémon Trading Figure Game

Pokémon Trading Figure Game logo
Designer(s)	Kaiyodo (Figure design and creation) Tsunekaz Ishihara (Game design)
Publisher(s)	Pokémon USA Inc.
Players	2
Setup time	Very short
Playing time	Short
Random chance	Medium (Spinning, luck)
Skill(s) required	Counting Social skills

The Pokémon Trading Figure Game (also referred to as the Pokémon TFG) is a collectible miniatures game similar to HeroClix. It is designed by Pokémon USA and based on Satoshi Tajiri's Pokémon media franchise.

It was released in Australia in August 2006, followed by releases in Europe and Southeast Asia later that year. The trading figures have been released in the United States and were released in Japan sometime in 2007. As of March 18, 2008 Mike Liesik announced that the Pokémon TFG will be included in Pokémon Trading Card Leagues so players can earn their rewards in new ways. The first set released is called "Next Quest". The game seems to be played in a luck/strategy format that resembles the boardgame Risk with most actions being controlled by a spin mechanism on the figures. The figures are larger than most other figure games, highly detailed, and meant to introduce this type of game to younger players while holding the interest of older fans of the Pokémon series.

Though released on the announced September 19 date, initial distribution has been slow, and is taking some time to reach full stock levels at many retail outlets.

The upcoming 10th anniversary United Kingdom mall tour will feature an introduction of this new Pokémon line.

If you've played the different Pokémon games, you'll see a strong correlation amongst every part of the Pokémon experience. There will be slight differences—Move Points don't exist in the videogame, but they show up in the TFG as part of its game mechanics, for instance. Our goal is to maintain the spirit of the Pokémon through all the properties—Charizard is still a powerhouse but can be defeated with a solid plan or good luck!

The Pokémon Trading Figure Game was designed by Tsunekaz Ishihara, a general producer for Pokémon and one of the designers of the trading card game, with Kouichi Ooyama and Mr. Masayuki Miura. They spent several years preparing the game's look and feel to ensure the best possible trading figure game. They aimed at maintaining the spirit of the Pokémon through all the properties, but realized there would be some differences. The figures are designed and created by Kaiyodo, with help from the game designers.