Director of Games
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Hey there Everybody,
We are kicking the idea around our office of doing some blank item cards for you to customize yourself, but we have some questions and would like feedback from you.
1. If we did blank cards, would you buy them? If so, how many blank cards do you think you would need for your campaign?
2. If we did blank cards, would you prefer a generic boarder and background, or would you prefer to see the specific boarders and backgrounds in an assortment of cards?
Feel free to throw in any other comments you might have.
Jason Bulmahn
Item Card Lead Designer
Hey there Everybody,
We are kicking the idea around our office of doing some blank item cards for you to customize yourself, but we have some questions and would like feedback from you.
1. If we did blank cards, would you buy them? If so, how many blank cards do you think you would need for your campaign?
2. If we did blank cards, would you prefer a generic boarder and background, or would you prefer to see the specific boarders and backgrounds in an assortment of cards?
Feel free to throw in any other comments you might have.
Jason Bulmahn
Item Card Lead Designer
I have a few questions myself.
0. What inspired the idea?1. What's not on them exactly?
2. What would make it better than an index card?
3. Is there a possibility of an image but no text description?
4. Would you consider a printable PDF instead of packs of printed blank cards?
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Director of Games
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I have a few questions myself.
0. What inspired the idea?
1. What's not on them exactly?
2. What would make it better than an index card?
3. Is there a possibility of an image but no text description?
4. Would you consider a printable PDF instead of packs of printed blank cards?
No fair... answering questions with questions, but that is ok, I am game.
0. We have been kicking around the concept for a while and have heard some requests from the fans. Mind you, we have not decided to do this product. We are just thinking about it right now.
1. There would be no image on the front, and no text on the back. You would then place an image on the card (cut out, taped on as one example) and add whatever text you want to the back.
2. It would fit into a 9 pocket sleeve and look just as nice as all the other cards you have.
3. Doubtful but anything is possible
4. Probably not at this time.
Now I have one question for you. Why did you start your numbering with 0? :)
Jason Bulmahn
Item Card Lead Designer
No fair... answering questions with questions, but that is ok, I am game.
0. We have been kicking around the concept for a while and have heard some requests from the fans. Mind you, we have not decided to do this product. We are just thinking about it right now.
1. There would be no image on the front, and no text on the back. You would then place an image on the card (cut out, taped on as one example) and add whatever text you want to the back.
2. It would fit into a 9 pocket sleeve and look just as nice as all the other cards you have.
3. Doubtful but anything is possible
4. Probably not at this time.Now I have one question for you. Why did you start your numbering with 0? :)
Jason Bulmahn
Item Card Lead Designer
Personally, I don't think the blank cards are worth it, but I don't know the price per unit either. Paying money for pretty blank cards just doesn't seem justifiable unless it's really cheap.
I started with 1 and had written out all of my questions, but then I wanted to add a preceding question asking how the idea came about in the first place, which could affect my opinion.
I chose 0 for several reasons:
1. It was easier to add 0 instead of renumbering them all.
2. Seemed appropriate since it's the root question to ask so that we could better understand the intention of the idea.
3. Everyone knows the first index in an array is 0. :)
I think these would have potential, but not without some additional support. For instance, i just gave one of my PCs (Sunday, actually) a +1 Scorpion Blade Gauntlet; clearly not an item for which you have made a card ;) I had to scan a B&W pic of one onto a label and cut it out and stick it and a description on the back and I have to admit... it looks awful! If you could get a web-based program made that allows for the selection of a border and the insertion of a pic and the addition of text, so that we could make good-looking cards by printing onto an Avery-style label, then I'd buy 100 in a heartbeat. But if I still had to stick my crappy-looking pics onto blank cards, I'd probablly just keep using my extras for that reason.
The web program might seem a bit daunting at first, but there are all kinds of examples of similar programs such as the Star Wars Minis card generator a friend of mine made, as well as a neat DIYS inspirational poster generator I've been using for game ads. Without being too tech savvy, I don't think it would be too much hassle to have it set up.
After passing out some cards during last night's game, I had a few thoughts about the Blank Item Cards.
1. The idea would have been handy to accomodate cards I'm missing. If I need that withered hand and haven't obtained it through Item Cards 3: Relics of War booster packs, I can create my own.
2. Not having the great artwork sort of defeats one of the main purposes of the cards, which is to provide a vivid image of the items the characters are carrying and giving the players something tangible for easy management.
3. Printing color images grabbed from various sources or created by hand, cutting them out, and sticking them to the card using Scotch brand double-sided removable tape (actual product that I use for various gaming purposes) could work well enough. I think in that case, I would buy a pack of reusable blank cards. However I'm sure the artwork wouldn't compare.
4. Blank cards might detract from the purchasing of booster packs. Why take a chance when I can create exactly what I need. Conversely, I would hope that the booster packs, while potentially less profitable because of blank cards, would still be available for purchase.
5. I still encourage the availability of a complete set of each series of Item Cards as a single pack made available concurrently with random booster packs designed for padding a collection of cards.
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I think blank cards are a great idea! It would take item cards for me from the realm of "neat but it won't work for my campaign" to "what a great product! I'll buy 5 copies!".
I think the blank cards should be non-glossy on both sides, and sold in decks, and yes they should be inexpensive. The only other option I could see is doubling the size of the boosters and making 50% of the cards blank.
Nothing on the front, nothing on the back, generic border, and away we go!
1. If we did blank cards, would you buy them? If so, how many blank cards do you think you would need for your campaign?
2. If we did blank cards, would you prefer a generic boarder and background, or would you prefer to see the specific boarders and backgrounds in an assortment of cards?
1. I would definitely use blank item cards. As it is, there is a dichotomy between equipment I have cards for and equipment I don't have cards for.
2. Hrm. I'm really not inclined to have a preference. I'm leaning towards generic, but I wouldn't pitch a fit if they had the specific borders and backgrounds on them.
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Contributor
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And keep in mind, those of you who play Modern games, that blank cards would be perfect for filling in all those holes of modern equipment not accounted for in the regular line. That's what makes me salivate for this product, since I'm pretty sure we're never going to see an AK-47 in the Item Cards. ;)
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I've been leaning back and forth with these for a couple of days, but have decided that they wouldn't really be useful at all to me. If I wanted to add clipart or cutouts to blank cards myself, I'd just use regular card stock.
As long as you keep releasing cards with great artwork, I'll stick with those instead.
I just have to agree with this one. Blank cards or card stock through my printer? I'd easily go card stock.
In fact I bought the first Item Pack and was very disappointed. While the art was nice, the back had so little space for writing that they are not very useful to me. Unless I somehow manifest tiny clear handwriting, I just can't use them. More open space on the back for writing would be nice.
...the back had so little space for writing that they are not very useful to me. Unless I somehow manifest tiny clear handwriting, I just can't use them. More open space on the back for writing would be nice.
What're you writing a novel back there? I find plenty of room back there for me.
Being maybe the loudest poster about this idea I'm happy to hear it is being talked about by the great ones. But I have to say I have some fears with the delivery.
1. I'd feel slightly foolish buying a package of cards for $9.99 that have no picture on them, and the FLGS may have even more trouble selling them to new potential buyers. (Though I could be way wrong)
2. If you go the same way as the rest of your item cards with background that matches that item type (This I really hope you do). Then the same problem that occurs in normal decks is there would not be enough for one person or another of a certain kind.
3. I am extremely horrible about removing tape from anything. Even the tape that is easily removed from paper I still am able to ruin the item.
4. Uniform, this would be a big draw back to the items cards for me. One reason I love Gamemastery's Item cards over all other similar products out there is they have a uniform to them. Even different packs look like they all came from the same printing.
Honestly the idea is great but I don't think a hard product is feasible for this. But I'm confident that the great think tank that is Paizo can figure something out.
I'd have a hard time coming up with a price for such an effort by itself, but it would probably be a compelling feature of an online subscription.
I'd buy in for the opportunity to make my own cards.
I'd buy them if they came in sheets I could run through my home printer.
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My absolute preference would be for a piece of software with associated print-ready perforated pages that allowed me to print item cards on my printer with clip art I find on the internet.
That's probably a pipe dream. While I would certainly pay $50 for such a program, and probably pay $10 for a pack of 10 9-up sheets, I'd never buy an item card deck again.
If Paizo releases blank cards, I will probably buy one deck, as I can't imagine needing more than twenty or thirty of them, and I assume a deck would be at least 50 cards. I would be less likely to buy them if they were coated with a glossy coating that made it impossible to draw directly on the card.
ETA: ACK, I just noticed this thread started in 2006. Damn thread necromancers!
the only problem that i have with the current cards, and it would prolly roll over to blank cards, is that once you write on them, they are done. you cant erase them, if you use some sort of non-permenat pen, it doesnt come off, pencil gouges them, so they are marked forever.
i realaize that this is years and years and years old. and they arent thinking of this.
i have purchased quite a few decks, but i would not purchase this one. sorry.
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Like Others I would Purchase blank pages of non glossy Card Stock. Especially with a Border and Category Printed.
And I also Agree that Clip-art for Printing the Cards would be Fantastic. I have Printmaster for doing cards with. And Someone started a Word File which you can do different cards with at the same time.
we have been doing Cards for a While in our group on Business cards and handing them out.
Easy to track stuff
I would love to see a card editing program for these similar to the Magic card editor.
Fakey, Magic Set Editor (which I assume you're talking about because I introduced you to it earlier today) has the capability for supporting custom templates, so if you put in the effect, you could use it.
This is something I would definitely be more interested in as a PDF product. If you could get your hands on some of those perforated card sheets I've seen around the net, it would be a winning combination. Otherwise, I wouldn't be too interested in buying the blank cards as a printed product.
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I would love to see a card editing program for these similar to the Magic card editor.Fakey, Magic Set Editor (which I assume you're talking about because I introduced you to it earlier today) has the capability for supporting custom templates, so if you put in the effect, you could use it.
Really! Cool. I will have to try to do such but I need to get familiar with it more, and yes, that was what I was talking about.
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I would love to see a card editing program for these similar to the Magic card editor.Fakey, Magic Set Editor (which I assume you're talking about because I introduced you to it earlier today) has the capability for supporting custom templates, so if you put in the effect, you could use it.
Having just found the Magic Set Editor, which is beautiful, I'm now wanting to use that program with a set of templates for the Game Mastery cards. Not that that's likely to happen, but it's what I'm wanting.
I have to admit that I'm too much of a collector to want to draw on the beautiful cards. I've got two sets right now--Elements of Power, which came with my Treasure Chest set, and Curse of the Crimson Throne, which I got in my swag bag at Paizocon--and while I cheerily hand them around for treasure hoards the adventurers find, etc. I collect them all afterward and put them back in their box rather than have them paperclipped to character sheets that walk out of the house after the game.
Having a PDF you could fill out and twiddle around with would probably be ideal, with some way to purchase the artwork for the various sets. For example, if all of the characters in my game are disguised with CotCT doctor's masks, I would ideally like to hand each of them a card of that item so they could clip it to their character and keep it with them. If I have six players, I'm certainly not going to buy six CotCT decks at $9.99 each so I can give them each a single card. But if there were some PDF I could purchase so I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of scanning the card myself and running it through the Magic Set Editor? Oh yes, I'd like that.
I'd really like that if the artwork PDFs were part of the item card subscription.
For format, taking CotCT as an example, which has 54 cards, having the PDF having 6 sheets with 9 cards each in order would be good, but then there should also be 54 sheets with each card printed on it multiple times--9 doctor masks, for example--and likely a few pages with likely combinations of items. For example, CotCT has three different scrolls. It would be most useful to have a single page PDF with three copies of each of those scrolls on it.
Obviously there'd need to be some way that once the page was printed out with the watermark on it, the watermark would be in the portion cut off when you cut out the individual cards.
Completely blank generic cards? At $9.99, no artwork for what's effectively a pack of slick index cards is a little too spendy. But licensing out the frames and other parts of the Gamemastery Card design to be used with the Magic Set Editor and your own artwork wouldn't be bad at all.
I find it interesting this idea was kicked around all those years ago, and yet nothing came out of it. Releasing a "blank" deck as a layered PDF with frame and background options, a full collection of item art taken from various source material (those little background images that aren't always named perhaps), or even a collection of faces. Make available sheets of printable, perforated cards so that you will have happy customers returning to you to get their card stock to print their new creations, and voila, a PDF that generates continuous revenue.
Or take it a step further, don't release it as a PDF, but rather a full program, complete with frames, backgrounds, tiles, import/export for sharing creations with each other, the option to import artwork of several different file types. There are several Custom Card programs available to take cues from for what works and what doesn't. And again, make available the card stock so that we come to you to buy it, sell the perforated cards (they actually look like real cards after printing), so that folks aren't cutting out square ugly cards and whining they don't look as good. You can easily watermark the program so that in the corner of every card there would be an icon of some nature, thereby discouraging any attempts at counterfeiting.
I know I've dabbled with creating a few cards, and my players love the idea, and want to be able to add more cards to their character sheets for the custom items, and I doubt we're the only play group out there thinking this.
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I am definatley interested in the pdf/program version that you can incorporate different images into it. As to buying the paper that would come out to look like that that Paizo has done ... well I would pay for that but your typical inkjet printer on glossy cardstock would not be very good.
I will in the mean time look for those that others have hinted to.
I have some ideas for the blank cards.
Does anyone remember Presto Magic? You buy a backscreen that has images on wax paper. You place them where you want and scratch them to transfer it to the backscreen. I don't see why it wouldn't work with the cards.
It may even be possible to do iron on images you print yourself or from premade sheets. This would probably work better considering the first may peel off.
Thin dry erase markers would work pretty good for filling out info on the back of the cards (just put them into a protective sleeve).
I would not be opposed to having blanks put into the decks (maybe 5 per deck). With the iron-ons and/or 'Presto Magic' option, I would like a full deck of blanks.
