Colchester Castle Takeover
Learn to play Pokémon inside Colchester Castle — free — then collect a free deck from ACE Comics.
Colchester Castle · Date to be announced · Free
Play! Pokémon sanctioned organiser · Run by Professors Lee & Jo · Venues: Dice & A Slice · ACE Comics
Trade → lee@kanto.ukKanto × ACE Comics · Pokémon Lab
We're taking the Pokémon Lab out of the café and into Colchester Castle. A full day of learning to play the Trading Card Game under a thousand-year-old Norman keep — free, all ages, and absolutely built for people who have never played before. Learn at the Castle, then walk your voucher round to ACE Comics and collect a free 60-card deck to take home.
Date to be announced
Timed sessions, ticketed free
Colchester Castle
Castle Park, Colchester
Free
Ticketed by time slot · ages 6+
Book a time
Free, but ticketed by time slot so the hall never gets overwhelmed and every table has a Professor on it. Pick the slot that suits you.
Learn at the Castle
Turn up at Colchester Castle and play. Around an hour, three gentle stages, everything provided — you bring nothing but yourself.
Collect your deck at ACE
Finish the Lab and you leave with a voucher. Walk it round to ACE Comics and swap it for a full 60-card deck, free, yours to keep.
The Lab is the official Play! Pokémon way to learn the Trading Card Game — a gentle three-stage on-ramp, taken at your own pace. Each stage adds a little more of the real game, so it never feels like a lot at once. About an hour, start to finish.
Poké Catch
The gentle start. Catch Pokémon by matching the right Energy — no battling yet, just getting a feel for the cards and the types.
Catch & Attack
Now it gets going. Attack, deal damage, knock out your opponent's Pokémon. The heart of the game, one step at a time.
30-Card Game
A proper game with a real deck — Prize cards, a Bench, evolving your Pokémon. Close to the full Trading Card Game.
Free at the Takeover
A FREE 60-card deck to keep
Everyone who takes part earns a voucher for a full 60-card Pokémon deck, collected from ACE Comics — a proper deck to carry on playing with.
Free at the Takeover
Free to attend
The whole thing costs nothing. Tickets exist to spread people across the day, not to charge for them.
All ages, total beginners
Never touched a Pokémon card? Perfect. No experience needed and nothing to bring — cards, Energy and guidance are all provided.
Certified Professors on every table
Our Play! Pokémon Professors run the room, so there's always someone to walk you through it and answer the questions parents have too.
Run with
ACE Comics has been Colchester's comic and card shop for decades, and it's one of our two home venues. The Castle is where you learn; ACE is where your free deck is waiting. Finish the Lab, take your voucher round to the shop, and swap it for a full 60-card deck — and have a proper look round while you're there.
ACE Comics · Colchester CO1 1LE · a few minutes' walk from the Castle
The date isn't locked in yet. Leave your email and you'll get the time slots before they're announced anywhere else — they're free, they're limited, and this one will move fast.
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