Highlander: The Card Game CCG

Highlander: The Card Game adapts the film-and-TV universe of immortal sword-fighters vying for the Prize, and it is one of the most mechanically distinctive 90s CCGs: each match is literally a duel, because the source material is literally a duel.

The game

Published in 1995 by Thunder Castle Games, Highlander CCG pits two Immortal characters against each other in a head-to-head swordfight. Each player chooses an Immortal (Connor MacLeod, Duncan MacLeod, Methos, the Kurgan, etc.), shuffles an event and attack deck, and resolves combat through alternating sword strokes, parries, and Quickening energy attacks. The game ends when one player loses all their Body points, which also means the other collects the Quickening.

The context

The Highlander TV series with Adrian Paul was in its Season 3-4 peak when the CCG shipped, and the card pool covers both the movies and the series. Art is a mix of film and TV stills plus commissioned painting. The exclusive focus on one-on-one duelling made it a genuinely fast game to teach, which helped its life at conventions.

The collector angle

The base set plus the Movie Edition and a handful of supplemental small packs (Promotional Promos, SoulEdge) complete the line. Thunder Castle went out of business around 2000 without a final planned expansion, and the last Thunder Castle stock was sold through hobby distributors at clearance for years. The Kurgan promo card from the 1995 Gen Con and the signed Adrian Paul card from the 1996 convention circuit are the trophy pulls. The Japanese Highlander TV-series cards are print-distinct from the English and turn up in Japanese RPG-shop estate sales.