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Card orientation?

13 replies [Last post]
Wed, 01/30/2013 - 13:29
SinJinQLB
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I've always wondered about this, and am now facing it with a new game - how important is card orientation?

What I mean by this is - in my game, there will be a row of cards that a player can "buy" and the beginning of each turn. At the end of each turn, the bought card goes back into the center, so the next player has the option to buy it. There are 6 or so cards like this that are available to each player each turn.

So how much does it matter, the fact that to some players these cards will appear upside down? Is that just something that's part of board game - that an element will always be upside down to some players?

Also, my whole idea is that 6 cards each have different bonuses. That is what the players are buying each turn, a bonus to help them out during their turn. There are 6 different ones on the table, so each turn they must decide which ones to spend their money on. Is there maybe an easier way of doing this, other than just have the 6 bonus cards on the table? Since the players buy it but then return it during their turn, they don't really even need to physically grab the card (they can if they want). The bonuses are simply enough that they really just pay for it and point to the card they want to use and say "I'm buying that one" without lifting the card from it's position (again, since it's just going back there at the end of the turn). Can anyone think of a different way of doing this? If possible, i want to keep it all card-based and avoid charts or such like that.

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Wed, 01/30/2013 - 13:44
#1
Dralius
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I don't think it will be an

I don't think it will be an issue if the text is short and large enough to read easily.

If it does turn out to be an issue try icons to represent the bonuses.

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Wed, 01/30/2013 - 14:03
#2
SinJinQLB
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Thanks Dralius. I hadn't

Thanks Dralius. I hadn't given the icons idea a serious thought but now I will!

What thoughts, if any, do you have on the fact that players will pretty much just point to the card they are "buying", since it'll be easier than picking it up, putting it in their play area, and then returning it. So the fact that they just need to point and say which card they are using make the whole idea redundant? I'm trying to think if any other card or board games does this...

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Wed, 01/30/2013 - 14:48
#3
Dralius
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Can every player pick the

Can every player pick the same card each round?

And if so can when does this bonus take effect?

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Wed, 01/30/2013 - 14:56
#4
abdantas
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i think you should take a

i think you should take a lesson from Agricola, and once a card is picked that round no one else can pick it. Also., players can buy the right to be first player.

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Wed, 01/30/2013 - 15:22
#5
JustActCasual
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-

I concur. Using more icons would seem to help your problem, as would using a worker placement mechanic over physically drafting the cards (which could be a board maybe?)

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Wed, 01/30/2013 - 16:24
#6
SinJinQLB
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Funny that you should mention

Funny that you should mention Agricola. I had never heard of the game, but when I looked it up, I see that it shares another aspect with my game in that at the beginning of your turn, you get 2 coins to spend on various cards (the cards that give you bonuses.) These bonuses are then used during your turn.

Originally I did have a mechanic where the game was played in rounds, and at the end of each round each player uses their coins to bid on the bonus cards, which you would take and use when your turn came around. At the end of the round, you would return them to the center and all bid on them again. I also had a marker indicating the first player, and first to bid. This marker was passed around after each round. I play tested the game this way and the real problem was that it slowed the game down. This is more of a beer and pretzels game, along with just a little bit of strategy. That is why I switched to this new mechanic, whereby at the beginning of each players individual turn, they buy the bonus card, use it, and then return it for the next player. The game played much faster without having to keep track of rounds and bidding, which didn't really mesh well with the other mechanics.

So that's the story on why I don't want to use a mechanic where you can bid on the bonus-card buying-order. I do like the idea of being able to buy the bonus cards and keep them for the remainder of the round, because then it adds some much needed player interaction. But I don't want to run into a situation where the last player in the round is always getting screwed over because everyone else already bought the cards they need. That's really my main concern...

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Wed, 01/30/2013 - 17:18
#7
abdantas
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You don't really bid on

You don't really bid on Agricola, you get two moves. You put it on the card with the action you want, once you do that move is taken. As the game progresses you get more actions to pick from

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Mon, 02/04/2013 - 21:59
#8
ericraue
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I've been thinking about this

I've been thinking about this lately too. In my game there are four cards which represent locations players can visit. They change each round and usually have some effect or bonus that players need to read. I changed the card layout to landscape and placed them in a way so every player saw them sideways. It took me awhile to realize but this just meant everyone had an equally difficult time reading them. What I observed during playtesting is one player took the role of being the "reader" and explained the cards to everyone. I've changed the recommended orientation such that one person will see it upright and hopefully become the reader. While not exactly the problem you're facing, I thought I'd mention this so you don't make the same mistake. I agree with everyone else that icons and short text are the way to go if it can be done.

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Mon, 02/04/2013 - 22:22
#9
SinJinQLB
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Interesting solution, thanks

Interesting solution, thanks for the insight! :)

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Sat, 04/06/2013 - 07:54
#10
Word Nerd
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Card Orientation With Text

Rather than begin a whole new thread, please allow me to weigh in with the question of text.

In a game where the cards include text, which orientation do you prefer, (1) a portrait orientation with more line breaks and a longer paragraph, or (2) a landscape orientation with fewer line breaks and a shorter paragraph?

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Sat, 04/06/2013 - 08:59
#11
JustActCasual
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Portrait

Portrait. It's easier to fan in hand, and it's easier to read a bunch of information (blocking out areas stacked vertically just makes sense with Western writing).

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Sun, 04/21/2013 - 20:18
#12
Word Nerd
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Text orientation on card

Perhaps I should have been more thorough with my description.

The cards in my game design are not collected in players' hands or laid on the tabletop in relation to each other. Instead, players draw cards from an overturned stock and follow the instructions printed on the card face.

So, holding a single card for the purpose of reading its text, do you still prefer a portrait orientation?

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Mon, 04/22/2013 - 04:04
#13
Procylon
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Depends, but if you look at

Depends, but if you look at the Magic the Gathering Planechase cards you have a very good example of cards in a landscape format.

I think it depends on how it is done really, but yeah if you are holding one card at a time then landscape becomes a viable option.

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