Using cards in your game?

[Jason Bulmahn]

I use the first Item Pack released by Paizo, and really like the cards. They have artwork and a brief description, and then you can write in your own game stats for the weapon.

I plan to buy their expansion decks.

Combine that with the Treasure Chest from Crystal Caste, and you have a neat, reusable prop for when the PCs find treasure. Put the cards in the chest, let them open the chest, and watch them get excited when they discover what's hidden inside.

Thanks for the nod Shadowdancer. We are now using the Item Cards all the time in our games, especially now that Hero's Hoard is in our greedy hands.

As for other cards, I currently use index cards for initiative, but I picked up a pretty cool magnetic wet erase board tracker at GenCon and hope to give that a go next week.

Jason Bulmahn
Item Pack Designer

 

[Varianor Abroad]

I use index cards for item management in my long-term campaigns.

How do your cards compare to the cards already available in the Battleboxes from Fiery Dragon? (I already use the latter extensively and don't need a set that duplicates them.)

 

[Gold Roger]

I make all NPC's to fit on one index card whenever possible.

I've been meaning to introduce item cards for some time now. Got some time on my hand currently and all PC's but one (which may never be played again) are currently without equipment (half the party got captured, then the other half-replacements for dead PC's. Rescued them but got captured, then fled themselfes). Sounds like it's a good place to start.

I occasionally use the rpg part of the DDM statcards.

I think about adding some kind of action card/swashbuckling card since we've removed action points from our game.

If anyone should ever use a ToB crusader (not unlikely, since that book is bound to become instrumental for my games-already two PC's depend on it), I'll use maneuver cards for the random distribution of that class.

I'd definitely encourage my players to write cards for their spells, maneuvers and summoned monsters, but that's no work I'll do for them.

All in all I think cards can be a great tool for games. The only common gaming cards I don't like are initiative cards. A quickly drawn table is less confusing to me and allows for quick tracking of spell effects etc.

 

[jaerdaph]

When I ran a LUGTrek TNG era campaign, I made equipment cards for phasers, tricorders, communicators and other landing party tech. In addition to providing the info needed for the game, I could take them away from the players when the landing party was captured and their phasers and communicators were confisgated.

Lately, I really like the latest trend in d20: the addition of action cards to a game.

 

[Morrus]

I use index cards for item management in my long-term campaigns.

How do your cards compare to the cards already available in the Battleboxes from Fiery Dragon? (I already use the latter extensively and don't need a set that duplicates them.)

Assuming the question is directed at me? I've no idea - I've never seen a Fiery Dragon Battlebox. But there are images and stuff at the link I posted a few posts up (assuming you mean the Status Cards, as they're the only ones I've got published - the other card types were all by other people).

The spell cards will be in the same style as the Complete Spell Cards linked in the first post, since they're being made by the same company.

 

[GwydapLlew]

I've tried to convince my players to move to index cards for ease of play, but they won't go for it. There are a few reasons that I can list as to why they don't do it:

- Our local LARP uses index cards for items. As we play TT to get away from LARP, it associates the TT game with the other game.
- Laziness. My players play to relax and to hang out, not much more than that. I have to keep track of their character sheets and updates for them, which I don't mind doing, but gets a little frustrating.
- Keeping track of it all. My apartment is notoriously messy; I'm always moving furniture or doing laundry, etc., etc. While item cards are a fabulous idea, I fear constantly having to print out new cards because the old ones have vanished into the ether.
- Space. My playing space is limited; if I had a large table to play around, it would be easier. As it is, my players crowd around a coffee table with their character sheets while I handle data management on the computer.

If I could change any of these issues, I'd be more than happy to use the cards. I love Paizo's item cards, and own several packs. I just can't get the players to use them.

 

[Morrus]

- Laziness. My players play to relax and to hang out, not much more than that. I have to keep track of their character sheets and updates for them, which I don't mind doing, but gets a little frustrating.

.....


If I could change any of these issues, I'd be more than happy to use the cards. I love Paizo's item cards, and own several packs. I just can't get the players to use them.

I find that odd! Cards really are deisgned for the lazy - they make things easy, save writing stuff down and looking stuff up. They do inventory management all by themselves. It's kinda like saying "they won't slob out on the couch because they're lazy".

Maybe you need to convince them it'll make their lives easier.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I bought TOGC Spell Cards a week or two ago. I have printed them out, now I just have to get around to cutting them out and giving them to the players to use in the game. All 5 PC's in the group are able to cast at least some spells so hopefully they will be put to good use.

I also recently bought The Game Mechanics Monster Initiative Cards. I have been writing them out by hand on the blank cards since the campaign started so I finally decided to pony up the cash to have them pre-done for me.

In addition to those I use Fiery Dragon's Battle Box and Barsoomcore's Swashbuckling cards each session. I guess my answer is yes, I do use cards in my game!

The Status Cards look interesting. So far the party is only 4th level and we haven't encountered many situations where the status cards would have come into use. As they go up in level I think that they may make life a little easier so I might look in to buying them.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Cergorach]

I was thinking of props for a D%D game, the Paizo item cards came to mind, but what about other treasures? Things like coins, gems, etc. I remember someone using poker chips as in game coins, but personally that is little better then monopoly money (sorry Morrus). I recalled those plastic coins some parties and events use to aquire food and drink, those are often gold colored. But gold coins with "Da booz bar!" on them isn't really all that great, i found out that you can custom print them with relief and in different colors and different shapes. Imagine giving your players a sack of gold coins for a job well done...

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

It might be possible to buy a bunch of worthless coins for relatively cheap tho they wouldn't look the same like feng shui coins. But with the right equipment, you could mint your own coins / tokens.