How to Make Your Own Card Game
Get a set of cards., Figure out how to win., Think about how players interact., Design the rules., Keep all players in the game., Write a rule-book., Have fun!
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get a set of cards.
You can start out with a standard deck of 52 cards or you can use something more experimental, like a tarot card set.
You can even design your own cards.
When creating your own cards, you can purchase a sturdy, firm paper and draw your own designs.
Alternatively, look online for free design software. -
Step 2: Figure out how to win.
The most important thing any game requires is a clear objective, like winning a certain number of hands, collecting all the chips, matching pairs, or getting cards with a certain numerical value in your hand.
If you are creating your own card deck, you can even make each card representative of characters, who fight by rolling the dice.
One of the important things to ask when picking a goal is how hard is to achieve.
If the game is not particularly engaging, people probably won’t want a single hand to last several hours., In most cases, the real fun in a game is how it encourages you to interact with other people.
Generally, card games are meant to be competitive, but sometimes players can cooperate.
Some games, like rook, require teams, so that you are both cooperating with someone and competing against another team.
Consider the social dynamics that the card game creates or the social skills that it requires.
For example, in poker, betting requires that you be able to read other people’s emotions and disguise your own.
In rook, you need to be able to communicate with your partner using non-verbal cues.
Can you design a game that forces you to interact with the other players in interesting ways? To make things interesting in a competitive game, ask yourself if there is any way you can directly impact your competitors.
It can be fun to ruin your opponent’s hand and it can also keep things competitive when one person is falling behind.
There are also some games, particularly Solitaire that you can play by yourself.
To make this sort of game interesting, it is imperative that you design a system of rules that makes it difficult for you to obtain your end. , This can be one of the most difficult parts of designing a game.
The rules should be make it difficult to obtain the winning conditions that you designed earlier.
You want a system of rules that makes the game challenging, without being overly complicated.
This is the point at which you really need to ask yourself what you want the challenge to be.
Should players be trying to memorize cards that have already been played? Should they be trying to figure out the probability of a particular card coming up? Maybe the game will test reflexes by rewarding the player who can slap a pair quickest when one comes up.A good place to start out is with the rules of games you like.
Try to mix and modify rules from other games to make them new and interesting.
Although usually you want the rules to be relatively easy to understand, sometimes getting a full understanding of a complex set of rules can also be engaging.
If mastering a complex set of rules is the challenge of the game, consider starting with a basic design that is easy to understand, but then adding special situations and maneuvers where those with a full understanding of the rules have an advantage. , Your game won’t be very engaging if, after a person takes the lead, they are destined to win.
You need to design the game so that a player who is down and out can get back in the game.Maybe after a certain point a player can have the option of trading his worst card with the other player.
Alternatively, a lot of good games become progressively harder as you approach the end.
For example, in the first round you might only be required to get a pair, but in the final round you might need to get three of a kind and a pair.
This allows players who are behind time to catch up.
One good method is to have the player who is ahead dispose of all of his cards during the course of the game.
If he needs to finish the game with only one card in his hand, it’ll be harder for him to match his card with the other card he needs. , It can be easy to forget the rules of a complex game, especially when you’re still working them out.
Write them down to make sure that you have a record of what you have come up with. , Playing isn’t just about having a good time, it’s also part of the creative process.
The more you play the more you’ll be able to understand what works and what doesn’t.
From there you can make the game better over time, or you can bring what you’ve learned to making your next game. -
Step 3: Think about how players interact.
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Step 4: Design the rules.
-
Step 5: Keep all players in the game.
-
Step 6: Write a rule-book.
-
Step 7: Have fun!
Detailed Guide
You can start out with a standard deck of 52 cards or you can use something more experimental, like a tarot card set.
You can even design your own cards.
When creating your own cards, you can purchase a sturdy, firm paper and draw your own designs.
Alternatively, look online for free design software.
The most important thing any game requires is a clear objective, like winning a certain number of hands, collecting all the chips, matching pairs, or getting cards with a certain numerical value in your hand.
If you are creating your own card deck, you can even make each card representative of characters, who fight by rolling the dice.
One of the important things to ask when picking a goal is how hard is to achieve.
If the game is not particularly engaging, people probably won’t want a single hand to last several hours., In most cases, the real fun in a game is how it encourages you to interact with other people.
Generally, card games are meant to be competitive, but sometimes players can cooperate.
Some games, like rook, require teams, so that you are both cooperating with someone and competing against another team.
Consider the social dynamics that the card game creates or the social skills that it requires.
For example, in poker, betting requires that you be able to read other people’s emotions and disguise your own.
In rook, you need to be able to communicate with your partner using non-verbal cues.
Can you design a game that forces you to interact with the other players in interesting ways? To make things interesting in a competitive game, ask yourself if there is any way you can directly impact your competitors.
It can be fun to ruin your opponent’s hand and it can also keep things competitive when one person is falling behind.
There are also some games, particularly Solitaire that you can play by yourself.
To make this sort of game interesting, it is imperative that you design a system of rules that makes it difficult for you to obtain your end. , This can be one of the most difficult parts of designing a game.
The rules should be make it difficult to obtain the winning conditions that you designed earlier.
You want a system of rules that makes the game challenging, without being overly complicated.
This is the point at which you really need to ask yourself what you want the challenge to be.
Should players be trying to memorize cards that have already been played? Should they be trying to figure out the probability of a particular card coming up? Maybe the game will test reflexes by rewarding the player who can slap a pair quickest when one comes up.A good place to start out is with the rules of games you like.
Try to mix and modify rules from other games to make them new and interesting.
Although usually you want the rules to be relatively easy to understand, sometimes getting a full understanding of a complex set of rules can also be engaging.
If mastering a complex set of rules is the challenge of the game, consider starting with a basic design that is easy to understand, but then adding special situations and maneuvers where those with a full understanding of the rules have an advantage. , Your game won’t be very engaging if, after a person takes the lead, they are destined to win.
You need to design the game so that a player who is down and out can get back in the game.Maybe after a certain point a player can have the option of trading his worst card with the other player.
Alternatively, a lot of good games become progressively harder as you approach the end.
For example, in the first round you might only be required to get a pair, but in the final round you might need to get three of a kind and a pair.
This allows players who are behind time to catch up.
One good method is to have the player who is ahead dispose of all of his cards during the course of the game.
If he needs to finish the game with only one card in his hand, it’ll be harder for him to match his card with the other card he needs. , It can be easy to forget the rules of a complex game, especially when you’re still working them out.
Write them down to make sure that you have a record of what you have come up with. , Playing isn’t just about having a good time, it’s also part of the creative process.
The more you play the more you’ll be able to understand what works and what doesn’t.
From there you can make the game better over time, or you can bring what you’ve learned to making your next game.
About the Author
Charlotte Harvey
Experienced content creator specializing in hobbies guides and tutorials.
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