Starting today, area wrestling fans can battle "Ring of Honor" style with the release of a new playing card set by Filsinger Games.
Tom Filsinger, owner of Filsinger Games, teamed up with wrestling promotion "Ring of Honor" to release 26 full-color playing cards featuring wrestling stars such as Kevin Steen and El Generico.
"Wrestlers, to me, are like comic book superheroes because they are larger than life figures," said Filsinger, of Jamestown. "So, wrestling is a comic book fight reduced to the fight. When you have a comic or movie where Thor fights The Hulk you have a lot of character development leading to that, but you want to see who wins the fight to see who is the strongest. Well, that's what wrestling comes down to; it's even more focused on the fight itself and the actual battle between the two people."
Article Photos
Filsinger Games features wrestler El Generico in the new “Ring of Honor” playing card game.
That's the philosophy that Filsinger uses to create playing card games such as "Champions of the Galaxy," which was released in 1987, and he did the same with the "Ring of Honor." He wanted to provide wrestling fans with "the best possible games with exciting, fast-paced matches," he said.
"Ring of Honor is the third largest wrestling federation in the United States, and we had already been working with Chikara, which is probably the fourth," said Filsinger. "So, Ring of Honor was eager to get involved with us too. These wrestlers are guys you see on television. First you've got El Generico who is an amazing Mexican wrestler, and then you've got Kevin Steen who is like their hardcore guy. And, Steen is currently the world champion of Ring of Honor."
The "Ring of Honor" game is played tabletop style with cards, dice and charts. Using their imagination each player builds their own federation out of the 26 wrestlers to create a unique experience of their own. The front side of each card features comic book representations of the wrestlers by Werner Mueck. And, the back side includes detailed lists of offensive and defensive moves. Players roll dice to make moves with the goal of pinning their opponent. The cards feature realistic stats, and each wrestler's real moves are listed so that the wrestlers who are stronger make for a better cards. Plus, expansion packs are set to be released in 2013. So, if a new guy enters Ring of Honor and makes a big impact a new card will follow shortly after.
"You've got your chance to book and run your own Ring of Honor federation," said Filsinger. "A fan always asks themselves, 'How would I do this different?' And that's the beauty of this game, creating your own unique story. So, you could have a tournament for the world championship belt with the guys you would consider the top of the federation. Then you'd crown your champion with an authentic cutout Ring of Honor championship belt."
Mueck, the artist who created the comic book representations of the wrestlers for the card covers, is a guy who started as a fan and worked his way up through the ranks, said Filsinger.
"We had him do the Chikara game, and his style worked perfectly for that," said Filsinger. "So, he was a natural to bring in for 'Ring of Honor.' I love what he has done with the action cards, tag teams and the cards that go together such as 'American Wolf' Davey Richards' feud against 'Die Hard' Eddie Edwards."
The "Ring of Honor" intro set includes 26 full-color playing cards, game charts, an instruction book, dice, cutout championship belts and a handbook with wrestler bios. In addition to the release of "Ring of Honor," Filsinger also worked with two area residents, Johnathan Bell and Paul Schermerhorn, to update Filsingergames.com. According to Filsinger, fans will find the new website easier to navigate, enjoy an improved online shopping experience and an active message board that facilitates a wrestling card game fan community. So, players can connect through the message board to set up matches or tournaments on their own. Plus, fans will have a chance to win a contest for a free "Ring of Honor" game until 11 p.m. tonight by visiting rohworld.com.