Hercules: The Legendary Journeys TCG

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys TCG is the companion release to Wizards of the Coast's Xena TCG, adapting the Kevin Sorbo syndication hit that was the tentpole of Renaissance Pictures' late-90s cinematic universe.

The game

Released in 1998 by Wizards of the Coast, Hercules TCG uses the same engine as the Xena TCG, so decks from both games can (officially) be played against each other. Each player pilots Hercules, Iolaus, or a mythological rival (Ares, Callisto, Autolycus) through Adventure cards, resolving combat with Power and Strategy cards while triggering signature show moments like the Twelve Labours.

The context

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was the highest-rated syndicated show in the world for much of the mid-1990s, and Wizards of the Coast treated the TCG as one leg of a pair that would shelf alongside Xena on the same hobby-store fixture. Photography for the cards came largely from Renaissance Pictures publicity stills, which is why the card look is dominated by Sorbo and Michael Hurst hero shots.

The collector angle

The base set and the small Roman Empire expansion are the main waves; a third cross-show expansion linking Xena and Hercules cards was planned but never published. Foil hologram character cards of Hercules, Iolaus and Ares from case-break rates are the visible chase. The 1998 GenCon giveaway foil of Kevin Sorbo as Hercules, signed with an authentic autograph by Sorbo at a handful of appearances, is the trophy pull and the hardest to authenticate cleanly because of loose signing standards at the time.