The Friendly Manual

Around three weeks ago, when I received a starter deck of the Pokémon TCG for use in local matches, I had said that I lost the quick start guide after someone took it and it became misplaced. Since then, I have gained a new quick start guide through another outlet, but the incident remains regrettable to some extent. And that's a shame, because quick start guides and the related greater body of user (instruction) manuals for games, are indispensable as well as interesting in a way. And Pokémon is not excepted.

When I purchased my first Pokémon game cartridge, which is the Blue version (as I've detailed near the very beginning of this blog), it also came with a 30-page instruction manual, which also acts like an abridged and limited strategy guide for the first few moments of the game. It's a helpful starter for any Trainer on their adventure, as it contains the basic information to get things going. I probably would have reconsidered going through the game had I not read through it. Certainly, it's a valuable and key resource for the game, and in consideration of its position, a piece of Pokémon history as well.

And then there's that TCG quick start guide, as a more recent example of things. As I've described it, it comes in the form of a single sheet, but it's a very descriptive single sheet. One side has the explanation of the requirements and contents, and the other has the explanation of the gameplay, including preliminaries, actions, and conditions. For someone whose memory seems to be becoming dull, it becomes rather important, which is why I was surprised when it suddenly left my sight and went to someone else, before being completely lost and misplaced. It is a definitely recommended read for anyone starting out or to just quickly review certain parts.

Someone once said that a man can conquer any machine in the world... as long as he has read the manual first. With that in mind, an game could be likened to machinery in that all the parts work together to result in different things, and one has to understand it to make it so. The case for Pokémon games is not much different, in that an instruction manual definitely sheds light for anyone starting to play or even in the middle to review, in order to make things just work. In that sense, the instruction manual is friendly - as the saying goes, Read the Friendly Manual.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 9/20/2018
Two years ago: Meeting, Parting with, and Missing Friends