Just want to make sure I have this correct . . . for the $41 dollars I get the entire 110 card set, right?

Just want to make sure I have this correct . . . for the $41 dollars I get the entire 110 card set, right?

Sorry. You get 10 packs of 11 random cards - 1 armor, 2 weapons, 2 potions, 1 scroll, 1 wand, 1 ring or rod/staff, 2 wonderous items, and 1 foil that can be any of the above. You WILL NOT get a complete set of cards as there will be repeats of several. And actually, the "random" of Hero's Hoard was pretty uneven so theres a bunch of stuff you won't get and others you'll get triples of. All cool cards that you can find a way to use when role-playing, but not the best way to get a complete set.

If you're starting from scratch, get a boost to get a bunch of cards, then buy/trade to get the ones you're missing. There a guy named Derek who posts on these board who sells and trades a lot (he helped me complete both my HH and RW sets - thanks Derek!). Here's his website:

http://itemcards.blogspot.com

There are also a couple of trade threads here at Paizo. They're a little slow these days but I had good luck there in the past. Finally, there is at least one web-store selling individual cards for around a buck. Here is their website:

http://store.usacomicbooks.com/pazio.html

Last but not least, there are 5 or 6 cards that are almost impossible to find - studded leather, tower shield, spiked chain, warhammer, and one of the staves, IIRC. Good luck on those.

Hope this helps,
Mosaic

Wow, you'd think studded leather would have been one of the most commonly printed cards...

Hey, what are you guys using the foil cards for?
I already have a few and when I give these out my players are going "Ahhh!" and are a little disappointed when I tell them that these are in no way special or different from the other cards.
And I agree with my players that these should be more special than the items on the normal cards.
I thought about representing artifacts with these foil cards, but I have about twenty of these and I'll wrack my campaign when I'm beginning to issue artifacts regulary...:)

So, anybody came up with a nice idea?

Not all magic items glow to normal sight. Maybe the foil cards are the glowy ones.

Foils will be magic item versions of that item IMC, and even non-foils, if I don't happen to have a foil to represent.

Foils will be magic item versions of that item IMC, and even non-foils, if I don't happen to have a foil to represent.

Well, I'd suspect that most potions are going to be magic, Varl. Only something like 1-in-11 potions card will be foils.

Foils will be magic item versions of that item IMC, and even non-foils, if I don't happen to have a foil to represent.

I started with this idea, but 1) I couldn't get enough foils for common magic items like potions, 2) I couldn't figure out what to do with non-foil - and thus non-magical - potions, and 3) none of the new packs have foils, and I just couldn't bear to have all those fun cards be non-magical!

Now I'm thinking artifacts or maybe intelligent items. [I know, I know ... intelligent potions!?!]

Yes, intelligent items may be an option too! Cool idea! Thanks!
Well, what had the Paizo people in mind when they designed the foiled cards in the first place?
Is it only created as a collector's goodie?

Use the foils for cursed items.

Well, I'd suspect that most potions are going to be magic, Varl. Only something like 1-in-11 potions card will be foils.

Good point, Chris. I like bubbagump's idea on using them as cursed items. Problem with that is after the first foil you hand a player, they'll automatically will know they've just found a cursed item.

Chris Mortika wrote:

Well, I'd suspect that most potions are going to be magic, Varl. Only something like 1-in-11 potions card will be foils.

Good point, Chris. I like bubbagump's idea on using them as cursed items. Problem with that is after the first foil you hand a player, they'll automatically will know they've just found a cursed item.

Nah, if you're careful they'll never notice. Unless you're handing out cursed items right and left.

Here's how I pull it off: I have a big box full of item cards that I bring to the game. I put the cards I think will likely be acquired in the front of the box. When the players find an item, I reach in the box and find the appropriate card and hand it to the player. If you don't make a big deal about deliberately searching for a foil card, they won't catch on that there's something special about it. By this method, they have no reason to think you're looking for a foil - it just happens to be at the front of the box.

Well, what had the Paizo people in mind when they designed the foiled cards in the first place?

Is it only created as a collector's goodie?

We didn't have any hard and fast ideas when we made the foil cards. We just thought that they would be cool. :)

That said, what I personally use them for is the more expensive and impressive magic items. Every player as they rise in levels has one or two cool items that the foils are perfect to represent. And it makes the player feel like they have something cool.

-Lisa

I just had the idea to represent weapons of legacy with foiled cards.

Here's how I pull it off: I have a big box full of item cards that I bring to the game. I put the cards I think will likely be acquired in the front of the box. When the players find an item, I reach in the box and find the appropriate card and hand it to the player. If you don't make a big deal about deliberately searching for a foil card, they won't catch on that there's something special about it. By this method, they have no reason to think you're looking for a foil - it just happens to be at the front of the box.

Yeah, that could work, but probably not with my players. To give you an example of how savvy my players are, I tried my best to describe in eerily-obsessive detail the floating dwarven skeleton inside the Gelatinous Cube in Crown of the Kobold King, and it took them a grand total of 10 seconds to snap to the conclusion that it was a Gelatinous Cube with someoone inside it dead. I couldn't believe it.

There's very little they haven't seen or heard of (and they don't even own any books!), so while shuffling cards around might work, I think I'll need to be much more savvy myself.

A Villainous Sidekick wrote:

Just want to make sure I have this correct . . . for the $41 dollars I get the entire 110 card set, right?

Sorry. You get 10 packs of 11 random cards - 1 armor, 2 weapons, 2 potions, 1 scroll, 1 wand, 1 ring or rod/staff, 2 wonderous items, and 1 foil that can be any of the above. You WILL NOT get a complete set of cards as there will be repeats of several. And actually, the "random" of Hero's Hoard was pretty uneven so theres a bunch of stuff you won't get and others you'll get triples of. All cool cards that you can find a way to use when role-playing, but not the best way to get a complete set.

If you're starting from scratch, get a boost to get a bunch of cards, then buy/trade to get the ones you're missing. There a guy named Derek who posts on these board who sells and trades a lot (he helped me complete both my HH and RW sets - thanks Derek!). Here's his website:

http://itemcards.blogspot.com

There are also a couple of trade threads here at Paizo. They're a little slow these days but I had good luck there in the past. Finally, there is at least one web-store selling individual cards for around a buck. Here is their website:

http://store.usacomicbooks.com/pazio.html

Last but not least, there are 5 or 6 cards that are almost impossible to find - studded leather, tower shield, spiked chain, warhammer, and one of the staves, IIRC. Good luck on those.

Hope this helps,
Mosaic

Last but not least, there are 5 or 6 cards that are almost impossible to find - studded leather, tower shield, spiked chain, warhammer, and one of the staves, IIRC. Good luck on those.

Out of these I just got all of them except the Tower Shield

A way to represent magical items is

get some clear deck protector sleeves
get some clear pearl spray paint, like Tamiya pearl clear
spray the sleeve so it "shimmers"
then insert card into sleeve

ala magic item

Hey, what are you guys using the foil cards for?

I already have a few and when I give these out my players are going "Ahhh!" and are a little disappointed when I tell them that these are in no way special or different from the other cards.
And I agree with my players that these should be more special than the items on the normal cards.
I thought about representing artifacts with these foil cards, but I have about twenty of these and I'll wrack my campaign when I'm beginning to issue artifacts regulary...:)

So, anybody came up with a nice idea?

Well I just got my first pack as a free gift with an order. Great, now I will have to buy more... Your marketing trick worked Paizo :) darn it anyway.

I was thinking the foil cards don't have to be artifacts but could be more interesting than just a +1 longsword. I was thinking these could be items of legend- though not necessarily artifacts. For example the foil longsword is the +1 Longsword used by Casmius, a legendary hero who outwitted a great sphinx that was terrorizing a village. Or you can add some more uncommon features to it without making it an artifact. I find ability enhancements are unusual for weapons, so perhaps a +1 longsword with +1 Dex. Certainly not artifact level, but better than a plain +1 longsword.

I think the key is to make these stand out with a story than in power.

[Well I just got my first pack as a free gift with an order. Great, now I will have to buy more... Your marketing trick worked Paizo :) darn it anyway.

Me to, great trick, but my order was a box of item cards so a bonus pack was perfect for me.

I was thinking the foil cards don't have to be artifacts but could be more interesting than just a +1 longsword. I was thinking these could be items of legend- though not necessarily artifacts. For example the foil longsword is the +1 Longsword used by Casmius, a legendary hero who outwitted a great sphinx that was terrorizing a village. Or you can add some more uncommon features to it without making it an artifact. I find ability enhancements are unusual for weapons, so perhaps a +1 longsword with +1 Dex. Certainly not artifact level, but better than a plain +1 longsword.

I think the key is to make these stand out with a story than in power.

This is a fantastic idea Krome. It is way to easy to just pile on the powers, but this is an excellent idea. My foil is a scroll, not sure yet how to special that up, but it does look really cool.

Krome wrote:

[Well I just got my first pack as a free gift with an order. Great, now I will have to buy more... Your marketing trick worked Paizo :) darn it anyway.

Me to, great trick, but my order was a box of item cards so a bonus pack was perfect for me.

I had been thinking about getting item cards then I got one of these boosters in an order and that cemented it. I got a second booster with my order of 4 decks of cards and a third booster with my most recent subscription shipment. I wouldn't be inclined to buy the boosters on their own, but they work great to get me to buy more decks and it's nice to tear one open and think "What did I get this time?"

So while I'm glad the booster method isn't being used anymore for the new sets, I do have to say it's still helping Paizo get my money. :-)

Seems like a decent idea, and I could find plenty of uses for them, but a bit pricy.

I wonder if Paizo know that some of these early cards use the logo of the German band Einstürzende Neubauten (see Wikipedia entry). As an example look at #04 Half-Plate or #48 Potion or #58 Ring or #65 Scroll. The symbol is distinctive, so I don't think it's a coincidence. I guess the artist is a fan. :)

I wonder if Paizo know that some of these early cards use the logo of the German band Einstürzende Neubauten (see Wikipedia entry). As an example look at #04 Half-Plate or #48 Potion or #58 Ring or #65 Scroll. The symbol is distinctive, so I don't think it's a coincidence. I guess the artist is a fan. :)

Could be... but even that Wikipedia page you linked to says "It was not created by or for the band, but is a cave drawing of probably toltec origin."

Will I be able to purchase a display box at Gen Con? (Assuming I'm there @ Thursday morning...)

Will I be able to purchase a display box at Gen Con? (Assuming I'm there @ Thursday morning...)

We'll bring some!

Kyle Baird wrote:

Will I be able to purchase a display box at Gen Con? (Assuming I'm there @ Thursday morning...)

We'll bring some!

Thanks! (Didn't want to take your entire stash of them first thing in the morning on the first day!)

For what it's worth, what I really want are more cards with the "human petroglyph" on them. It's a cult thing.. in game of course!

"That guy had another one of those rings with that stick figure on them.. They must be connected!"

Vic Wertz wrote:

Kyle Baird wrote:

Will I be able to purchase a display box at Gen Con? (Assuming I'm there @ Thursday morning...)

We'll bring some!

Thanks! (Didn't want to take your entire stash of them first thing in the morning on the first day!)

For what it's worth, what I really want are more cards with the "human petroglyph" on them. It's a cult thing.. in game of course!

"That guy had another one of those rings with that stick figure on them.. They must be connected!"

That's an awesome idea. I might have to look and see how many of those I have already and work that into a future game.

I use the ones with the human stick figure on them to represent healing spells or protective items (in the case of the ring with the stick figure).

Those are the ones I want more of too.

Hey all,

After getting 8 display boxes I am still a tad short on a complete set.

So was hoping to be able to trade or set up a way to trade with others that might be in the same boat.

Plus I have somthing like 88 of the foil cards that I am willing to trade away or sell.

If interested post here or email me. thenorthman <at> mac <dot> com

Sean

Hey all,

After getting 8 display boxes I am still a tad short on a complete set.

So was hoping to be able to trade or set up a way to trade with others that might be in the same boat.

Plus I have somthing like 88 of the foil cards that I am willing to trade away or sell.

If interested post here or email me. thenorthman <at> mac <dot> com

Sean

Check out this thread - it's where most trades seem to happen. And, yes, there is still plenty of trading going on.

I placed an order instantly when I saw the sale on these packs and displays. When I calculated how many cards I got for such a low amount of money (12 boosters for $12) I nearly fainted.

I love these item cards. They are not meant to represent EVERY item a character carries but help to point out the more 'special' items in one's backpack. Often when going through your inventory (scribbled page) you look over the useful things because it gets too chaotic after a while. Holding cards these stick out every time.

Great product.