We've known for a while now that the Sony Online Entertainment studio in Denver has been hard at work developing a collectible card game to coincide with the launch of Free Realms. SOE and Topps have partnered to create and distribute the Free Realms Trading Card Game which will hit store shelves this week. The Free Realms Trading Card Game bridges the gap between a physical card game and the MMO with virtual rewards like pets, clothing, and 'special character effects'. There will be over 180 game cards, with 50 virtual reward cards that can be redeemed for in-game items. In fact, each pack sold will have a virtual reward card. In addition, there will be 16 cards with codes that unlock their corresponding card in the game.

Free Realms players interested in checking out the trading card game can pick up the 'Passport to Free Realms Starter Pack', at $10, which includes a 40 card deck with virtual benefits in the MMO: a card that unlocks a Black Lab, a t-shirt for your character, three jumbo health potions, a virtual 'Cardie Racer', and one month of full (subscriber) access to Free Realms. Booster packs will also be available at $4 each. Booster packs will include 10 game cards, one virtual reward card, and 50 Station Cash.

We first mentioned the Free Realms trading card game when it was announced by SOE back in November of last year, but now we get treated to even more exclusive artwork from the game as it approaches official launch. This TCG will be available in both online and in-store versions where you can battle your friends in the MMO or face-to-face, courtesy of cards made by Topps.

So check out the exclusive new pieces straight from SOE's Denver studio, in our gallery below. It includes the full hi-res artwork itself, as well as the final cards as they'll look in the stores. Also be sure to check out the Free Realms website for complete info on these cards, in both online and offline versions.

What do bounty hunters and trade federation droids have in common? They're both rewards for playing through the upcoming Star Wars Galaxies trading card game scenario, "Destroy All Droids!"

Yes, you too can bask in the glory of a rare card featuring bounty hunter Bane Malar and a nice piece of Star Wars Galaxies in-game loot for your house. All you have to do is simply complete the upcoming card game scenario, which will be released on April 15th. That's it!

When you complete the small little storyline, the game will reward you with your card and a trade federation droid vendor for your house. If you beat it again with a new deck that has a different archetype you'll get another copy of the Bane Malar card, but you can only have up to four copies. So, if you're a Star Wars Galaxies player, you might want to check this out even if you aren't a rabid follower of the card game. Free stuff is free stuff!

Sony Online Entertainment surprised us recently with the announcement that they'd acquired Octopi -- creators of the collectible strategy game PoxNora -- and that the studio would now be known as SOE Tucson. We had some questions about what this acquisition might mean for SOE moving into the future, as well as what changes are on the horizon for PoxNora.

Massively caught up with the former president of Octopi, Dan Kopycienski, who is now Director of Development at SOE Tucson. Although SOE Tucson is still very much a studio in transition, he was kind enough to speak with us about where PoxNora is today, and what it may become with the newfound backing of Sony Online Entertainment.

There have been quite a few releases for magic-themed game Wizard101 of late as well as the preview of the first expansion. Enough so that WhatTheyPlay has posted an overview aimed at parents to explain the basis of the game and what they can expect if their kids play it.

In a nutshell, Wizard101 is a world where players are students of magic. Combat relies on a trading card system and is turn-based. No one ever "dies" in the game. It's free to play in much the same way that Runescape is - meaning that many areas and quests are only available to paid accounts. The options are numerous in terms of membership levels depending upon what the players (or their parents) want to be able to do. For those parents worried about the community, they do discuss the limitations on communication and the average age of players (about 12). Then again, with family plan pricing available, parents could join their kids in the game and find out for themselves what it's all about.

Early last week Star Wars Galaxies players and TCG fans received a holiday treat: the launch of the first expansion for Champions of the Force, the in-game card game for SOE's Star Wars MMO. The expansion is entitled Squadrons Over Corellia, and was just announced late in November. The new card set has added a number of novel game elements to the card-based title, not least of which is new cards featuring Han Solo and the Emperor.

New design elements include starship battle components, additional avatar races, new loot, and much more. The card game has also been revamped card event scenarios and one-on-one events, for players who want to pit their TCG decks one against the other. And, of course, the whole thing is wrapped up in a brand-new storyline centered in the Correllia system during the Galactic war. A recent 'Friday feature' on the official game site has numerous insights into the new loot cards and fun elements added to the game. For full details on the expansion check out the official site, read into our card gallery below, or click through below the cut for the official press release.

Earlier this week SOE announced a brand-new expansion to the Star Wars Galaxies TCG, Champions of the Force. That trading card game, released back in August of this year, puts players of the contentious Star Wars MMO into their favorite setting in a wholly different way. From what we've heard, it's been fairly well received by the players - well received enough to warrant an entirely new expansion to to the game. Squadrons Over Corellia will offer the usual level of quality we've come to expect from SOE Denver expansions - some 250 new cards, incredible artwork, and a heaping helping of all-new loot cards to boot.

Players will be able to create Rodian and Wookie avatar cards for the first time, make use of powerful iconic characters like the Emperor and Han Solo in their deck builds, and engage in space-based gameplay new to the Champions of the Force card game. You can see all the details on the official website, or get a big taste of the expansion's potential in the official annoucnement below the cut.

One of the biggest names in the trading card industry is Upper Deck Entertainment. Given the success of their World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, they've released a follow-up game this week: The World of Warcraft Miniatures Game.

The World of Warcraft Miniatures Game went on sale worldwide as of Tuesday, November 11th. There are 70 different miniatures, including Warchief Thrall, Varimathras, and yes... even Leeroy Jenkins. There's a bonus for your actual WoW characters as well -- miniatures booster packs come with sample packs from the WoW Trading Card Game which might include Loot cards. Essentially, they're unlocks for "cosmetic in-game upgrades for their online World of Warcraft characters". Check out the Upper Deck launch announcement for their World of Warcraft Miniatures Game for the full details.

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	One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

There exists a very close relationship between MMOs and table-top games.

Yesterday saw the launch of Ethernauts, the fifth expansion to EverQuest-related collectible trading card game Legends of Norrath. LoN is digital, but gameplay-wise, it's totally a table-top game. World of Warcraft has an entirely material trading card game. Warhammer Online is of course based on the Warhammer miniatures game, and WoW is getting a miniatures game of its own. And of course, the RPG genre originated on the table-top with Dungeons & Dragons.

We're wondering: how much crossover is there between digital and table-top games? How many of our readers play them? Tell us! What do you think of table-top games?

Today marks the release of the fifth expansion to the Legends of Norrath digital trading card game -- Ethernauts. More than 280 cards join the existing arsenal, including four avatar cards, two new unit races, and 20 loot cards. They all play into a story that sets the stage for EverQuest II's upcoming The Shadow Odyssey expansion. In fact, there are even some scenarios based on never-before-seen TSO content.

In an attempt to give would-be newbies an incentive to buy in, SOE has also introduced the Legendary Starter Pack at the price of $19.99. If you're a vet, though, you can pick up Ethernauts booster packs for $2.99 each. Current EverQuest or EQ2 subscribers will get a free starter deck, 'cause, y'know -- you're not hooked on Norrath enough already, right?

Oh, and there are a bunch of special events all weekend celebrating the launch.

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	Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

We've been walking through some previews of the Legends of Norrath cards over the last two weeks, and now SOE has some more 'fun stuff' to show off. We have three brand-new loot cards to show off. Two are transformations for your EverQuest II character, and the third is a brand-new pet for your EverQuest character. Check out Allakhazam for even more EQ2 and EQ loot card hijinks!. Plus, keep your eyes on Massively for more loot card information soon, and another preview card through next week!

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	Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Last week we began our latest preview series for the upcoming expansion to the TCG Legends of Norrath: Ethernauts. Vicious Assault, last week's card, introduced the 'card counter' mechanic that is taking a bow in this newest expansion. This week's preview card, Geotic Rune, utilizes that same mechanic to provide an all-new level of power to a very traditional Mage deck build.

Another early-to-midgame card, Geotic Rune will increase the power level of all those 'pet decks' out there. It sounds in general like pet fans will be getting a few treats in Ethernauts, a topic touched on in this week's designer analysis. SOE-Denver's Evan Lorentz joins us once again to discuss how Geotic Rune fits into the new expansion to Legends of Norrath, and where you might end up using it in your decks.

Read on below the cut for full details.

We announced the upcoming expansion to Legends of Norrath just a little less than two weeks ago. Already the release date for the new card set is approaching, and for the next few weeks we'll be offering up a preview-card-a-week to familiarize you with the expansion's new game elements. The art for the new set meets the standard set by previous expansions, and this time around we'll be trying to include comments from card designers along with the actual art itself.

Today we're previewing 'Vicious Assault', an early-to-midgame ability that starts an avatar-on-avatar combat. SOE Denver's Evan Lorentz walks us through the card and its use; despite the ability itself being fairly straightforward, the new set offers up some different takes on tried-and-true LoN strategies.

Read on below the cut for the full card art and Lorentz's take.

The folks at Sony Online Entertainment passed us word that a brand-new expansion to their fantasy-themed TCG Legends of Norrath is coming very soon. Called simply Ethernauts, it will be the fifth expansion to the game since the game launched at the end of summer last year. It follows close on the heels of the Oathbreaker expansion, which came out in June of this year. While there are a lot of similarities with past expansions (280 new cards, 20 new loot cards, etc.) Ethernauts looks to be adding a few new bits of flavour to the pot.

Most intriguing is its deep tie-in to the upcoming Shadow Odyssey expansion to EverQuest 2. That connection was hinted at in our interview with LoN developers Kyle Heuer and Tom Lischke in June of this year. Players will take on the roles of ancient heroes, fighting against the darkness of The Void in the far distant past of Norrath. New gameplay elements will also be introduced, with all-new options for starter decks and deck building. We have the full release formatted below the cut, if you're interested. Look to this space in the near future for our typical art previews and promo art from the new expansion.