For many people the jury is still out on the issue of whether or not card games are a type of role-playing game. In any case the point is probably moot because many role-players also enjoy playing card games (and visa-versa) and role-playing game publishers publish most card games.

Card games are played with packs of special game cards, a player normally starts by purchasing a "starter" pack but can supplement their pack by purchasing "booster" packs. After that cards are exchanged between players either as the result of a trade or by winning them in play.

The cards themselves have various parameters, which are roughly analogous to the suites and face values of a normal card deck. However instead of the suites being Harts, Diamonds and so on, they might be Fire, Water, etc.

The rules of play are just as numerous and complex as the rules for normal card games and so I will not attempt to describe them here, other than to say that level of thought and tactics required are roughly the same as need for Canasta.