In collectible card games, digital collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to add to a player's collection. A box of multiple booster packs is referred to as a booster box.
Booster packs contain a small number of randomly assorted items (8–15 for cards;[1][2][3] 3–8 for figurines). Booster packs are the smaller, cheaper counterparts of starter decks, though many expansion sets are sold only as booster packs. While booster packs are cheaper than starter packs, the price per item is typically higher. Booster packs are generally priced to serve as good impulse purchases, with prices comparable to a comic book and somewhat lower than those of most magazines, paperback books, and similar items.
In many games, there is a fixed distribution based on rarity, while others use truly random assortments. When the distribution is based on rarity, booster packs usually contain one or two rares, depending on the game, while the remainder are of lesser rarity.[4]
- ^ Brown, Timothy (1999), Official Price Guide to Collectible Card Games, p. 5
- ^ Miller, John Jackson (2003), Scrye Collectible Card Game Checklist & Price Guide, Second Edition, p. 14.
- ^ Owens, Thomas S.; Helmer, Diana Star (1996), Inside Collectible Card Games, pp. 13, 69.
- ^ Ham, Ethan (April 2010). "Rarity and Power: Balance in Collectible Object Games". Game Studies. 10 (1). Retrieved 2017-12-21.