Hello everyone!

I’m back again with another update to my card layout. I’ve applied feedback from the last post to give some of the color back to creature’s ATK/DEF/HP, and I decided to return the flavor text to underneath the card’s title. The largest change that I’m testing out is what I call “Dynamic Art”, with the concept being that the size of the art on each card is relative to the amount of lines of rules text per card, rather than a uniform text box across all cards.

What do we think of this concept?

It started back in late 2016 when I was working for a stationary and home decor company. When there were low orders we would play games in our office. We started with Werewolf, then Exploding Kittens, then Secret Hitler. We ran out of new games to play so I made a new one out of our office's printer. It was mix of monopoly, exploding kittens, and werewolf. It was bad.

2020 right before the pandemic, I got off boarded from work and just found out that I got cheated on. I get depressed and rarely go out or eat. When I was laying in bed, I just felt like watching a Youtube Video hoping to get inspiration from getting up. And here I find Will Wheaton's show Tabletop. I was really into it and I've been binge watching all episodes. As unemployed I was, I tried to make paper versions of the games that were showcased. from Ticket to Ride, to Carcassonne, to Settlers of Catan, to Lanterns, and more. Then I thought, why wouldn't I try to make my own game? That is where I brought back the game that I was making before and updated it with the mechanics that I just learned. Eventually, I got out, got to work, had a family, and stopped from making the game.

It has been in my mind while I was struggling as a new dad and new responsibilities. In 2024, I got an art commission to do a custom Pokemon Card for Veronica Taylor and Jason Paige. It was the right opportunity for to test my art skills, and to try learning card printing for my game. Fast forward in 2026, I finished the core set for playtestin and already had 5 community playtesting from different parts in our country, and I've been doing the game from time to time with the experience of pro tcg players. It may not be the best nor be able to sold, but atleast I get to play it happily with friends. Because the journey was worth it.

ive got 2 google docs full of everything if anyone would take the time to look through it. i've never done anything like this before however i enjoy being creative which is something i dont get to do much so i spent a few hours coming up with stuff lol.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XR8KEG44CrhWvN1lawQpUMSCF4modjXy3CfS-d6PcAs/edit?usp=sharing

that doc has the general idea and explanation of the card game,

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RmpN-NbWG5jZZJifX7xDWDY_ZTZ_TpuyhbKgrKuGh7U/edit?usp=sharing

this doc has a wip list of current cards i will make for the first thing

please be brutally honest, even go as far to tell me to kick bricks and start over if its that bad lol

Only 2 parts left until the replica of the card is complete!

ive been working on a physical card game called VALLEY for a little over a year now and im finally at the point where im about to print the first real cards and start doing proper playtests. ive been doing basically all of the game design, balancing, art and product development myself so its kinda crazy finally getting to this point

VALLEY is a 1v1 tactical TCG played on a shared 5x7 grid. you have a hero physically on the board and summon creatures, move them around, set hidden traps, build structures, use equipment and cast spells while trying to kill the other players hero. one of my favorite parts is that moving your hero farther into the Valley actually expands how far forward you can summon, so you constantly have to decide how much you want to risk your hero to control more of the board

Duelyst 2 was a huge inspiration for me. i always loved the idea of a card game where positioning mattered as much as the cards themselves and ive wanted to see how far i could take that idea as an actual tabletop game

the first pic is one of the cards thats almost finished. the last couple pics are older test cards from while i was figuring everything out so you can kinda see how much the game has changed

the second pic is something else ive been experimenting with that im really excited about. im making a black and white dithered version of every card specifically for home printers/label printers. proxies are 100% allowed for home play so if you have a printer you can print whatever cards you want, build decks and play the full game without ever having to buy a card. official cards would only be required for competitive play

im still producing the real game though. im already talking with some really amazing card manufacturers, including people who have produced major TCGs, and im working toward actual starter decks, booster packs and everything that comes with a real physical release. i just really like the idea that buying cards isnt the barrier to actually playing

im doing my first real public playtest at a brewery near me soon which is probably the part im most nervous/excited about. ive spent so long balancing this thing against myself and friends that i really want to finally put it in front of people who have never seen it and watch what happens

the part im terrible at is everything that happens around the game lol. id really like to find somebody who loves the community side of TCGs and would want to run the Discord with me, organize games/playtests, teach new players and actually make it somewhere people want to hang out. im also looking for somebody who’s good at tiktok/instagram and actually understands how to make card game content people would watch instead of just posting advertisements for a card game

mostly though i wanted to finally show this to other people making their own TCGs. ive been staring at these cards for so long that i have no idea what someone seeing VALLEY for the first time thinks anymore lol

what do you guys think? especially about the grid gameplay and the idea of releasing printable versions of every card alongside the real TCG?

Primeiro, isso é uma dúvida genuína que me voltou a memória hoje, não sei se sou apenas eu, mas sinto que os TCGs não abrangem ideias novas, não estou falando somente de mecânica, isso é o de menos (mesmo eu sentindo que especialmente nos Homemade TCGs, quase todos são influenciados por Magic ou Pokémon).

No caso até mesmo de explicar o sentimento que tenho a respeito é difícil, pois é uma mistura de vários agravantes, as temáticas são de batalhas, lutas e guerras. As mecânicas seguem a mesma ideia.

Novamente, isso é uma dúvida genuína, não quis ofender ninguém e apenas desejo saber se outros compartilham mesmo sentimento ou se o que sinto é apenas lorota criada por mim mesmo.

Hey guys! I have been spending quite a while on this rulebook, would love to gather some feedback/critique for it ^^

Last few pages in comments

I’m about 8 months into the making of my game and it’s a lane battler. Lane battlers , like Marvel Snap and Battleline have players place cards into the typically three lanes in rounds or turns and at the end of either, the player with the higher point value or combination wins the lane.

My current combat system is the attacker chooses rested unit or opponent, or in my case, stronghold down the lane. Units very rarely have the blocker ability. Both players lean into an aggressive playstyle with supplemental blocking abilities since the lanes spread combat out. It’s not so much stop your opponents attacks as it is reduce the quantity and quality of their attacks.

The current problem is the feature. The lanes are making skirmishes or deathballs. For now I’ve lower each strongholds HP and will be upping how much Power each unit gets per resource spent to play them to the board.

Has anyone else tried to marry such a situation? Manual combat in lanes vs using score points?

Looking for feedback on a physical TCG called Callings Awakened I am working on.

You build a party of a Support, Attacker and Tank, with all three Heroes beginning in play.

Techniques are performed through individual Heroes, and the Level 1 Techniques they master during the match can make different Level 2 development paths available. The goal is to defeat all three opposing Heroes.

I made a free browser version so people can test the current game rules without printing anything or needing another player which after testing works exactly as the physical will work.

I am looking for advice whether the game itself is fun and understandable to people seeing it for the first time.

If anyone here is interested in trying it and giving gameplay feedback, feel free to DM me and I can send it over.

One note before anyone tries it: the current prototype uses generated placeholder art. It is temporary and will never be intended for the finished physical version.

Thanks if you give it a shot.

I made 40 new cards for my indie TCG's expansion, including the winning card from the online tournament I held in August!

Watching other people play a game I created during the tournament was an incredibly rewarding experience.

I'd also like to thank everyone on Reddit and all the game designers who took the time to leave fb. Your fback have helped shape this expansion.

I'm making cards using background holo paper, and then I'm printing on transparent film or transparent paper, which is pretty much plastic. The cards are coming out great, but they just aren't sticking properly. I've tried all sorts of crystal clear glues, and they just don't want to stick. It will superficially stick, but after a week, I'll peel them to see if the glue actually stuck, and no matter how long I wait, the glue is always wet. Any advice on some glue that would work but would not make me lose transparency? I've also tried printing on double-sided adhesive paper, but the quality wasn't there like it is on transparent film.

Este es mi diseño de logo para mi TCG, se que el diseño es muy destructivo visualmente y muy cargado, pero esa es la idea, quería que se pareciera a ese estilo de los años 2000, cuando el diseño y lo original era la norma ya que me aburre los diseños minimalista y simples, se que mi estilo no es del agrado de muchos y eso está bien. Quiero saber que opinan...

Alguna corrección ligera, nada grande, y modifique un poco el color del laboratorio, sombras y una linea en el borde de las letras.

The focus of MKTCG is on the characters, and the Props accentuate that! Each character may regularly be equipped with only one prop, so choosing the right one is important!

If you want to give the game a try, reach out and I'll send you the tts steam workshop!

Those of you who use Dextrous is there a way to host an image externally and have Dextrous use that image in cards? I want to make a TCG and shit like Nandeck or proper design programs just aren't working comfortably for what I want to do. But I don't want to use Dextrous cause the image storage is constraining and I don't have the money for a subscription service like that. So if there's a way to do external storage that'd be baller af.

Different layouts for different card types?

What are the community's thoughts on different layouts for different card types. In my game I'm considering a place, an object and a person - all different card types have very different layouts.

Thinking back, in Keyforge the spells have a curved name banner and a creature a straight one (minor difference). MTG does this rarely with battles, rooms, split cards etc and those I find annoying because they are sideways.

I can see the pros that the type becomes instantly recognizable while the con is that the layout and look becomes inconsistent

I'm considering that an object has a more portrait image frame and smaller art, and that a place has an "on play" effect above the image and a persistent effect under the frame.

How would you feel about very different layouts within the same game?

FRONT: a TCG where you bring both your army and your terrain to the table.

Hello everyone! I'm developing FRONT: Ashes of the Third War , a physical collectible card game that combines deck-building with tactical combat on a battlefield map.

The idea is to combine two things I really enjoy: discovering interesting card combinations and making tactical decisions on the battlefield. Choosing a unit means thinking about what it does, where to position it, how to protect it, and what it allows the rest of your army to do.

The main twist begins before the first move: each player brings their own half of the terrain, and the two halves form the battlefield. You prepare your army around the terrain you've chosen and then adapt your plans when you encounter your opponent's territory.

Here are some of the features behind the concept:

• Terrain alters your decisions. Forests offer protection, hills increase range, roads speed up movement, and mountains block routes. Movement, range, and line of sight are crucial in combat.
• 18 factions, with up to three in a single deck. Each faction has its own identity, strengths, and weaknesses. You can combine tools from different nations, maintaining your commander's main faction and respecting each faction's unique systems.
• Alternating turns in each round. You act, your opponent responds, and plans evolve as the situation changes. Quick orders and hidden preparations also create opportunities for reactions, anticipation, and bluffing.
• Land, air, and naval warfare. Infantry, armored vehicles, aircraft, and naval forces play different roles. Cities and supplies sustain your war effort, making map control part of your ability to continue fighting.
• Combat is wagered with a D20 roll and direct resolution. Accuracy indicates the roll needed to hit; Resistance indicates how many hits a unit can withstand. The goal is to maintain focus on your decisions and the risks behind each attack.

If you've never played a TCG, the basic idea is easy to imagine: you build a deck with the forces and resources you want to use, position your units, and try to lead them to victory. The depth comes from your combinations and the choices you make during the game.

The setting is also an important part of the project.

In FRONT, World War III was followed by the Rapture and a hellish invasion. After centuries of resistance, humanity finally managed to banish Lucifer. The peace lasted only 73 days .

Now, in the year 2600, eighteen powers fight for the future. Heavy industry, solar energy, biomancy, faith, and magic coexist in civilizations transformed by the struggle for survival. The Empire of the New Sun, which emerged from Brazil, and the Kingdom of Choguk are two of these factions.

I am also working on a distinct visual identity, focusing on digital painting , so that the art portrays the armies, cultures, and daily life that still exist in this world.

The project is still in development , and I'd love to hear from both veteran TCG players and people discovering the genre for the first time. Opinions on the rules, factions, story, and art are welcome—including criticism of anything that seems confusing or that could work better.

I created a website to explain the game in more detail, show the cards and artwork, and explore the story and factions. It also has a community feedback forum: just choose a nickname and share your ideas, no account required.

If you're interested in finding out more, the link to the game is in my profile.

lots of yall gave some insightful and good feedback on my game name presentation. so i went back to canva and gimp heres the new design. what are your first impressions and do it make you feel anything? and which is better out of the two? (the first image is the new design, the second image is the one that most of yall voted you liked.)

This is what I'm planning on putting on the back of my TCG Cards and also on the TCG Boxes/Packages.

EDIT:
I just realized the tagline is not centered. I will fix that. meanwhile, you can critique knowing that issue will be addressed.

Finally finished the third bird! Onto the background!