Making a Card Game Prototype

Recently I wanted to try quickly prototyping a few card game ideas, but I couldn’t find much information on how to actually do it. After a few iterations I figured I’d jot down what I ended up doing.

My first attempt was pretty laborious. The process went something like this:

  • Create a sheet of card frames in PaintBrush.
  • Paste in clipart and text.
  • Print about 5-10 copies of the sheet.
  • Cut along the outer borders.
  • Shove the paper into card sleeves.
  • Throw Magic: the Gathering cards in the sleeves for support.
Iteration 1, Card Sheet
Iteration 1, Card Samples

Well, this worked, but it had a lot of problems. Any change in the card frame meant redoing all the cards. The text was really hard to align. I used actual scissors instead of a cutting board, so the edges were sloppy and my hands got super tired. Sleeving everything took forever.

But! After years and years of drafting Magic: the Gathering, I’ve got boxes and boxes of cards sitting in the closet. The vast majority are either jank (too weak to use even in casual decks), or duplicates of very common cards. I’d feel bad throwing them out, but all they do is take up space.

Enter Avery Adhesive Name Badges. It turns out these are 2.33×3.38in – Magic cards are 2.5×3.43in. These stickers fit cleanly within the black border of modern Magic cards! Now it’s just a matter of killing two birds with one stone: printing the prototype cards and using up worthless Magic cards in the process.

The first thing I did was ditch PaintBrush for Adobe InDesign. I don’t know much about graphic design, but it’s not too hard to use. I made a simple card frame template for each card type (sample below). This one has five blank areas: Title in the upper-left, Cost in the upper-right, Image at the top, Rules Text at the bottom, and Points at the bottom-left.
Iteration 2, Card Layout

The next step is generating a CSV file with the card designs on them. InDesign will use this file to generate a finished card for each row. For example:

Title,Cost,Points,@Image,Text
"Hamburger",5,+3,"C:\cards\hamburger.png","Hamburger is delicious."
"Yams",3,+2,"C:\cards\yams.jpg","If you currently smell yams, you get an extra 2 points."

Next, InDesign’s “Data Merge” tool comes in. This lets you associate each CSV column with a container in the document. After doing that, and clicking the Merge icon, we get finished cards:

Iteration 2, Merging Cards
Iteration 2, Merged Cards

Now that we’ve got cards, the next step is actually getting them to the printer. So far I’ve toyed with a few ways of doing this, but the fastest approach I’ve got is to use InDesign’s Data Merge feature again. Avery doesn’t provide an InDesign template for their sticker sheets, so I got out a ruler and measured out my own. It’s not perfect but it’s accurate enough for prototyping. I then export the card images, and make a new CSV file. This time each column represents a slot on the sticker sheet. Since I’ve only got two cards, the sheet will have duplicates:

@Slot1,@Slot2,@Slot3,@Slot4,@Slot5,@Slot6,@Slot7,@Slot8
"C:\cards\card-1.png","C:\cards\card-1.png","C:\cards\card-1.png","C:\cards\card-1.png","C:\cards\card-2.png","C:\cards\card-2.png","C:\cards\card-2.png","C:\cards\card-2.png"

Before the data merge, and after:

Iteration 2, Merging Card Sheet
Iteration 2, Merging Card Sheet

Now the document can be directly printed onto the sticker sheet. Since the sheets aren’t very cheap, I do a sample run first and make sure they line up. If it looks good… print and apply! Magic jank card pictured below, and the final product. The cards are only slightly thicker than Magic cards. The stickers withstand shuffling, though they have more friction than the Magic card surfaces.

Stickering cards up.
Final product.

This process works very well for proxying actual Magic cards too, or making your own Magic cards. I’m reluctant to show actual images of this – despite it being obviously not a counterfeiting attempt (you can tell there’s a huge sticker applied), I don’t want Wizards of the Coast suing me. But with some coding, my friend and I were able to build a draft set for Limited Edition Beta. Two sheets gets you 16 cards, so we stuck 1 rare, 3 uncommons, and 9 uncommons, randomly chosen, onto two sheets at a time. Apply the stickers onto other Magic cards, and you’ve got a booster pack of proxies for drafting cards that for all intents and purposes are unobtainable. We haven’t done the actual draft yet – but I’m guessing it’ll be pretty rough compared to modern sets.

How did the actual prototyped game turn out? Tragically, it didn’t involve hamburgers or yams. More importantly, I forgot to include a win condition. Eventually we realized there was no way to end the game so we stopped playing. But hey, that’s what playtesting is for.

70 thoughts on “Making a Card Game Prototype”

  1. SolarMovies

    How about we return to my live show. It is so cool and as of recently I can’t overlook my inclination about it. Do you regularly to go live shows? What sort of music do you like tuning in to? Who is your preferred artist?

  2. movierulz

    You’re in reality a good webmaster. The web site loading pace is amazing. It kind of feels that you are doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve done a great task on this topic!

  3. discover more

    I’ve recently shared your write up with a bunch of coworkers and everyone who read it seem to love it. My aunts trying to learn more on this topic. It’s a strange thing I use to believe I was an expert on this topic before reading your blog but I guess I’m still a student. How many articles do you usually produce in any given year?

  4. Althea Kapichok

    I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks, I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?

  5. Vern Whitmarsh

    I do consider all of the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They’re really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very quick for starters. May you please prolong them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.

  8. studnie głębinowe bielsko biała

    Jesteś taki fajny! Nie przypuszczam, że wcześniej czytałem coś takiego. Miło jest znaleźć kogoś z kilkoma oryginalnymi przemyśleniami na ten temat. naprawdę dziękuję za rozpoczęcie tego. ta strona jest czymś, co jest potrzebne w sieci, ktoś z odrobiną oryginalności. użyteczna praca przynosząc coś nowego do internetu!

  13. depoxito

    The best in class, Depoxito come up with the money for you high-end experience
    that adopt the see and quality of true VIP
    standarts, we find the money for you the best charming to
    high-level experience of VIPs expect in any summit stop
    casino, grand bring to life casino royale come up with the money for you the additional studio design element including the grand blackjack, offering our VIP Customer the best experience of a Salon privee
    table.
    New style table along with feature across the room following grand roulette upgraded upon our provider playtechs mini prestige roulette which
    delivering more interesting and richer playing experience.
    The further experience contains a sum of seven tables including five
    blackjack tables, one roulette table and one baccarat
    table. Grand enliven casino royale has been tall hand-engineered to fit the needs of our customer to using it,
    and contains unique elements that is specially expected to maximize the impact value we got
    from our customers and diversify it to the existing network.

    Soon, Depoxito will fabricate an greater than before veracity technology on flesh and
    blood casino for our VIP member, these most enlightened technology ever seen in stir
    casino including this augmented reality. Which allow
    players to experience products upon an entire additional level
    which is never seen since literally leaping out
    of the game and taking the blackjack, baccarat, roulette and
    other game into the total entire level.
    Depoxito VIP Baccarat, we have enough money you the certainly
    exclusive liven up VIP Baccarat that is played taking into account
    in the works to 7 players at the similar table and our highly trained beautiful live baccarat dealer.
    And of course our VIP zealot will quality as if they were in reality sitting at one of the summit casino baccarat table.
    This immersive gaming experience creates a hugely risk-taking declare that our VIP players will locate
    difficult to surpass.
    Here is the list of rouse casino game that depoxito provide, we meet the expense of the widest
    range of liven up casino games on the shout from the rooftops including
    : blackjack unlimited, blackjack prestige, roulette, baccarat,
    poker, hi-lo, sic bo, and grand alive casino royale
    such as Grand Baccarat, Grand Blackjack and Grand Roulette for our VIP member.
    And of course as a devotee of Depoxito you can enjoy all the games that we allow
    to you, all you infatuation to reach is just visit our site depoxito and register it lonesome takes up
    to 3 minutes and next youre agreeable to con any game that you want.

    Be our VIP, subconscious our VIP aficionado of course decided
    you the best help you can get from us all you need to be a VIP aficionada
    is extremely easy. all you craving is just keep playing on our
    site, deposit and feat past a VIP following the
    amount that our company had written, keep playing and our customer foster will gate
    you that you are promoted to become a VIP zealot on our site.

  14. usernesia

    Usernesia Alternative Link
    By means of online gambling games, you may get income since well
    as enjoyment without having in order to leave your
    comfort and ease at home. Any of these sites that provides the best gambling online games in Indonesia is Usernesia.

    Through this site, you can find a number
    of00 interesting plus popular gambling video games like soccer betting, online slots, online casino,
    lottery, on-line poker, arcade video games and so upon.

    Unlike other wagering sites that you could find on the web, Usernesia gives an individual
    various conveniences within online gambling video games. As a new member, you will end up provided a lot regarding
    convenience in registering, getting lucrative bonuses,
    including an option Usernesia link that you can entry without needing to experience difficulties
    being blocked or even having to use a new VPN.

    Quite Useful Account Registration Via Usernesia
    For those of you that can’t wait to join and be in the best and many
    trusted gambling online game in Usernesia, the particular method is very
    practical. All you want to do is usually go
    to the official website at http://www.userbolavip.net or the Usernesia alternative link which you may quickly access with the
    over. We will constantly update if the link from typically the button above are
    unable to be accessed by our members / prospective members.

Comments are closed.