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Pokemon Board Games

Pokemon was created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996 as a Japanese role playing game for the Gameboy, titled "Pocket Monsters Aka and Midori." When it came to the U.S. in 1998, it was renamed "Pokemon Red and Blue." This game has spawned a series of games, an anime and a huge range of Pokemon merchandise. Even though Pokemon began as a video game, there have been board games to carry the Pokemon name, whether these are original Pokemon products or a twist on a classic game.

Pokemon Master Trainer
- Released in 1999, this board game pits two to six players against each other. Players battle using cards and collect Pokemon as they travel around the board to get to indigo Plateau first. A player uses cards to battle the current Pokemon Champion, who is not a player in the game. In the 2001 sequel Master Trainer II, Pokemon in the same evolution set can combine attacks and each individual battle improves a Pokemon's strength. The game ends when all of gym bosses on Johto Island are defeated; the player with the most badge points and Pokemon powers is the winner. The 2005 third installment, Master Trainer III, is won by the player with the most chips at the end.
Monopoly: Pokemon
- The classic board game Monopoly is also available with a Pokemon twist. The streets are replaced with different Pokemon to collect. House and hotels are swapped for Poke' Marts and Poke' Centers, which increase the strength of your Pokemon. Chance and Community Chest are transformed into Ash cards and Professor Elm Cards. The original Monopoly: Pokemon was released in 1999; the sequel, Monopoly: Pokemon Gold and Silver was released in 2001 and uses Pokemon from the Johto World. Both of these editions are for two to six players.
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Poke Ball Flip Game
- This 2007 game is a two- to five-player game. Players take turns to look at a card from their stack, the first player to get a higher number on their card than the "Number to Beat" wins all the cards played previously. When the timer ends, the player with the most cards wins. There is also an in-game challenge to earn more cards, where a player must use the Pokeball paddle to flip a card in one of three attempts.
Trading Cards
- Pokemon trading cards came out in 1997. Two players draw a seven-card hand from a deck of 60 and choose one Pokemon card to battle with. Whoever wins gets to take one of the remaining six cards from the other player's hand. The game ends when someone has had all six prize cards stolen.

Board Games