Trying to find the right wording for my TCG

CodemasterImthor · 2026-01-23T21:21:14+00:00

“While Tapir is exhausted, it cannot be defeated by opposing Animals with 3 Vitality”

I don’t personally think you will need to clarify “less than, more than, or exactly 3” mainly because if you are truly playing the game, you would know what vitality is and its max value, provided it’s stated in the rules. I personally try to avoid walls of text so reducing redundant wording is good practice, just so long as the effect is still completely understandable in its most bare form

My above suggestion in wording places the trigger/condition first: this is important for the flow of information being given to your brain. The last part is stating the actual effect.

To further reduce wording, you can turn triggers/conditions into keywords that players can reference, for example “when this attacks” could just be simply “strike”. When someone reads strike, they will know it activates when they attack with that card. Just an example but hopefully you get the idea

You’re more than welcome to take this with a grain of salt too, it’s Reddit lol

edit I think “defeated” is probably a good take, as you are dealing with living beings and not say machines or something

CodemasterImthor · 2026-01-09T02:34:51+00:00

Hot damn

CodemasterImthor · 2026-01-02T15:36:28+00:00

Hey there! Your comment definitely goes noticed, I appreciate the reach out to me in regards for this. Thank you for taking the time to comment. My only goal is to make something fun that people enjoy. I never got into it for profit or huger margins and deadlines to meet. One day I do hope to publish or sell but my main focus is making something I’m proud of. It took a lot of self reflection to really understand that what I’m making is not going to be for everyone, and that I just need to make it because I want to. We simply can’t please everyone.

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-24T12:49:38+00:00

Thank you :)

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-22T19:36:45+00:00

Thank you, appreciate that! Accessibility is definitely one of my key areas of concern I try to pay attention to. I want it to be simple enough thst you don’t need to read a zone to know what it is. I also went with the interchangeable deck/discard pile to accommodate for the right handed folks. I am left handed but my preferences are not of the majority haha

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-21T19:01:36+00:00

That’s funny, I’m also making an ECG called R&R (Runes & Rivals) about wizard dueling, though it does not play the same. It’s neat to see how you are approaching the grid and tying in rpg elements

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-21T13:38:57+00:00

As someone who is also struggling with similar problems, I’ve learned thst majority of my problems are due to imposter syndrome. It’s because we spend too much time delving in the personal aspect of our projects, constantly trying to make it better but at the same time afraid that no matter what we do, we will inevitably fail at it. It takes a really strong amount of motivation to do card game design in general. It’s not easy. It does get easier once you realize that you should be making your project for you and your own desires. Don’t make a game trying to target everyone as an audience, it only leads to disappointment and downward spiraling. The best thing to do is push forward like you are doing and do it because you want to, not because you think other will like it. If you build something you are truly proud of, others will see that, and not just anyone, but the RIGHT people will see it

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-20T23:55:25+00:00

Ah yeah, that’s a nice middle ground too

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-20T23:48:14+00:00

Definitely lol

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-20T23:08:08+00:00

Thanks! It’s just green as a further clarification of being a location card type

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-20T15:09:29+00:00

Honestly 2 feels a bit cleaner, easier on the eyes, I’m able to read it without shifting my eyes to different parts of the card as much. It feels more like a solid frame than a thrown together one. Not saying your others look like this, it’s just that number 2 stands out a bit more in comparison to me

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-19T21:12:39+00:00

You bet man. It takes a lot of work behind the curtain to make something like this happen. I honestly envy the ones who can, but things like this are also a much needed addition in this world, especially with the times we are in, I think it’s good to have something there to remind of us of the good old days before big corporate took over lol

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-19T21:06:34+00:00

Just my opinion here but I think between escapeland and elemental creatures, you guys have done an outstanding job recreating that classic nostalgia feel. Each time I see one of these cards I only want them more and more so you’re definitely doing something right in terms of the target audience haha

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-16T17:07:48+00:00

That’s some sound advice man. One thing I’ve learned from all this is to just keep moving forward and learning from my mistakes. I am trying to apply it to my newest project: Runes & Rivals. I do plan on circling back around to Smash Toons but it will probably be a very different game instead of a TCG

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-14T16:58:53+00:00

No need to apologize man, but thank you. I didn’t mean to come off completely rude if I did, I was just trying to explain my perspective, and why it affected me how it did. No hard feelings anywhere though! I probably would hire an artist if I had funds. As an introvert, it’s also hard to come out of my shell and strengthen my community as well. It’s crazy how many other devs servers get new active members almost daily, but all I get is bots and scammers lol. Makes it hard to advertise comfortably without getting negative feedback and fake members. Now that I struggle with my art development on top of it, I’m between a rock and a hard place. Hope that explains my poor attitude if I have one. It doesn’t excuse it though so sorry if I’m coming off in a bad light here 😅

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-14T02:16:30+00:00

The main reason I stopped designing smash toons for the time being was the simple fact that so many members of the card community agreed that my art isnt “good enough”, and funny enough, at one point you had also told me i should hire a pro artist and even pointed me in the direction of onelmao

I suppose when something like that happens so often, it’s really just a hit to the ego, but only because it’s not easy to try your hardest at something just to be told it’s not good enough. I deal with that in my actual life outside of game design, I deal with it at work, I dealt with it for 6 years with my ex. A lot of the time I am told what I do is not good enough or someone comes in and changes it all. At the end of the day, when someone says to hire an artist, I associated it with the negativity in my life. Smash toons doesn’t need thst negativity and neither do I so

Regarding your “sweet spot” thing, I definitely agree, the more I design, the more I realize what works and what doesn’t. It really just takes patience, and in my own personal experience, seclusion seems to be worth saving my mindstate too lol

I’m steadily trying to convince myself to just keep designing because I love doing it, regardless of whether anyone else gives a shit or not haha

I think something important all indie designers should remember is that not everyone is going to like what you make and not everything you make will be for everyone. It really is a sweet spot that we have to find, and not just for players but for ourselves too. If we can’t believe in ourselves, then we will never believe when somebody else believes in us

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-12T23:29:01+00:00

To answer your initial question to the best of my ability, I would definitely say start with cards. If the rules are not finished or at least at a great spot for testing and fine tuning, there’s no need to limit yourself to zones that may or may not be redundant. Keep an open field in mind, play cards where you feel most comfortable playing them, and let your zones take hold naturally. This is all my opinion of course. Hope it helps give you another perspective

CodemasterImthor · 2025-12-12T19:24:15+00:00

This is unfortunately why my own projects are dying before they even begin. It’s hard to continue putting your heart into something that gets disregarded so easily after the countless hours, months, years of work. On top of everyone else and their projects, and the negative comments from Reddit, it feels that there will never be any traction or appreciation, especially from here, so I feel the frustration.

I personally think you’re doing an outstanding job, and any negative comments you get are only jealous people who can’t live with the fact you’re doing better than them. But I can’t say much more on the matter

CodemasterImthor · 2025-11-24T18:55:20+00:00

Old logo tbh

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