PAX Trading Cards - Meetup After Closing Ceremonies At PAX

PeasantDave

Thank you to everyone who took part in the PAX East Trading Cards! We got to meet a lot of great people and even make a donation to Child's Play. I am currently helping people fill in the holes in there collection. I will be starting a new thread soon to gauge interest and discuss what could be done differently next year.

Here is the list of cards I have a lot of:

Peasant Dave
zezspecs
Bigtoy Jay
Rot26
Shervyn
JonnyBrokenBones
Kjeldor
Ike Lewis
Dardor
Vaulter85
Jess-O
Cookie Brigade
Macrogeek
Goose!
Srol

Here is what I have a couple of:

Jamers
Kevin
Handshakefulness
itzerocewl

Send me a PM with your home address and what you need, and I will mail it out. If you would like to distribute cards to other people through me just ask for my address. I have also updated the checklist with the final card names and numbers. Also let me know if your card didn't get into the binder for Gabe and Tycho.

Original Post

Meet-ups At PAX East

We will be meeting up at 6:00 PM between the Hynnes and Sheraton (inside of the mall) Friday, Saturday, Sunday. The biggest meetup will be Sunday, this is right after the event ends. Also be on the lookout for #cardshark on twitter as well as for people displaying their cards in the open. I believe most of us will have the card in the same plastic holster as our pass on a lanyard around our necks.

Also, this.

Also, checklist.


What is this?

The purpose here is to do something like the button swap at PAX East, but different. The idea is that everyone would make one (or more) trading cards in the style of the old Marvel Trading Cards, and then we would trade them! Super-hero based things have been replaced with Arcadian based things. We've made a template but ultimately you can be as creative as you like.



What if I don't have photoshop or skills of an artist?
Here is all we need from you! You can post here and someone will send you a PM and sort out the details.

Forum Name (for front and back):
Badges:

Coordination (1-20):
Cleverness (1-20):
Endurance (1-20):
Drunkeness (1-20):
Tactics (1-20):
Awesomeness (1-20):

Title:
Hometown:
Favorite Game:
Least Favorite Game:
First PAX:
Most Notable Achievements(s):
Quote:

646 x 948 300 DPI Image (for front):
262 x 258 300 DPI Image (for back):

How do I get involved?

Step 1: Get Photoshop, Or Find a Volunteer

Obtain a copy of photoshop or commission someone to put the card together for you. Several people have volunteered to help out. Send me a PM and I will route you to one of our volunteers. The front image is 646 x 948 pixels (300 DPI) and the back image is 262 x 258 pixels (300 DPI).

Step 2: Download templates and font

Download the front template, back template, and font. Make sure the font is loaded before you open photoshop.

Template Version 5, Updated 11/8/2009: Front / Back / Font (London Between)

Step 3: Modify text and images on templates

Insert the necessary text and images to the front and back templates.

Step 4: Choose badges

Choose six of the following badges on the front of the card. Do this by activating the group layer (such as Badge 1), then activating the particular layer you want. If you would like a badge that is not listed above, you can create it yourself and I will add it to the template. All of the badges are 100 x 100 pixel .PNG with transparency. If you have an image you would like turned into a badge but lack the tools, send me a PM.

: Cookie Brigade
: Enforcer
: East Train Alliance (East)
: IRC
: Rookie
: Twitter
: Buttoneer (Prime)
: Cross - Country Super Trip (Prime)
: Canadian Super Trip (Prime)
: Omeganaught (Prime)
: Tri-wizard Pub Crawl (Prime)
: West Coast Train Trip (Prime)
: BYOC
: Fancy Dinner
: Magical Mystery Tour (Prime)
: Magical Mystery Tour (East)
: Post PAX Dinner
: Pre PAX Dinner
: Assassins

Step 5: Choose Attributes

Decide what you would like your stats to be from 1 - 20. Change the "X" to the appropriate numbers on the text layer, then select the associated bar from the image layer. You may roll, arbitrarily decide or use distribute the following template however you like: 20, 17, 14, 11, 10, 8, 3.

Step 6: Choose Card Number

Let me know that you need a number and I will give you the next unused number.

Step 7: Create An Account On jakprints

https://www.jakprints.com/account/entry.php

Step 8: Create an order

You can use the following information as a template.

Name Your Project: Lastname PAX Trading Cards
Product: Postcards
Stock: 12pt Gloss Cardstock (heavy)
Quantity: 100 or 250
Finished Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches
Ink Side One: Full Color (4)
Ink Side Two: Full Color (4)
Proof: No proof (printed as is)
$10 Discount: Your choice
File Prep Instructions: No
Standard Turnaround

I received my order one week after I finalized it.

Who else is doing it?

Confirmed Participants:

Bigtoy_J

Bodyheat123

Cookie Brigade (VThornheart providing)

DaNerd

Ekkosangen

Facelesscog

Goose!

itzerokewl

Jamers

lordthanda

MagnifiedX

Moe Fwacky

PeasantDave

Rot26

Shervyn

tehnakki

Tweezle120

Vaulter85

VThornheart

ZeroHourHero

Zezspecs

Interested Participants: (People who have expressed interest but really need to commit)

'T'
Arco
Atlus Parker
Captain Cactus And The Water Preservation Squad
Coldbrew
dardor
Deefuzz
feitocomfruta
Hammy
Hypatia
ikelewis
Izzie
Kitteh
leaf
Lewie P
Lewie P's Mummy
LTAcosta
MarsChelios
Minja
Molotov Cupcake
MoonVydeo
mspencer
ninjowned
Pinder
Rot26
Scalfin
Shervyn
shugarae
Sillyconmind
Singollo
tehnakki
Tzidakah
ukiyo e
VThornheart
Wingedillidan
Wormdundee
xibalba

Can I help with anything?

- Create "badges" for community events. If you would like a badge that is not listed above, you can create it yourself and I will add it to the template. All of the badges are 100 x 100 pixel .PNG with transparency. If you have an image you would like turned into a badge but lack the tools, send me a PM.

- Volunteer to help create trading cards for people who lack the tools.

Atlus Parker

Poll:

Yes
No
Other
alphamonkey

I've given this whole idea some thought today. If we run with this idea, we need to set up a standard template for the front and the back as well have some people dedicated to QC so the cards are standaradized to an extent. Recalling my trading card collections from days of yore I have a few ideas for card variatons and chase sets.

PeasantDave

I can't make polls it would seem.

SlickShughes

We talked about this a year ago, right after pax08, to replace the buttons for 09. Moe collected interest and took it to pm's, then I never heard of it again.

Atlus Parker

SlickShughes wrote: »

We talked about this a year ago, right after pax08, to replace the buttons for 09. Moe collected interest and took it to pm's, then I never heard of it again.

It's being worked on.

By top men.

Moe Fwacky

Interest dropped off, unfortunately.

Hey, what about custom Fluxx cards? The game is already established and easily expandable. There would have to be some coordination between card types. Thoughts?

DaNerd

Are the cards going to be single sided or double sided?

Are we going for trading cards (Marvel Trading Cards), or cards to create some sort of card game (Fluxx)?

Arco

Not everybody enjoys Fluxx, and I like the idea of this being purely cosmetic. I don't want to tie it down to a particular game, system, etc. or even bother with the idea of "utility" at all.

Trading cards seem a perfectly reasonable replacement/alternative to the buttons, but we would have to find a place that would make them standardized. I don't want to walk around with 100 different sized cards on different colored paper, looking like some third grade art project. One of the best things about the buttons is how legit they look.

If we can find a place to make them all professional like and adhere to a standardized template, so everyone's is the same size, format, etc, I'm in.

PeasantDave

This year we are aiming for something cosmetic to work out the kinks in the system. It will allow for more creativity and cost-cutting (if people want to print their own cards, for example).

We are working on a standard size and design. If anyone has suggestion/examples feel free to post them. I will hopefully have some examples up soon.

Facelesscog

Granted, I'm kind of biased, as this is my first PAX (so I don't have a back supply of buttons), but I think the TCG idea sounds awesome. (like everyone's saying, as long as a front/back template is adhered to) Just as well, the LEGO idea kinda fell through. Interesting thought, but just too pricey, comparatively speaking.

Darc

With the buttons, there is an easy way to display that you are a Buttoneer (just pin them to everything). How would I do that with the cards? In a way that is visible to others? Also, I wouldn't have an easy way to display my conques-... err... successful trades.

On the other hand, being able to buy some plastic sheets and toss them in a binder is cool. Imagine, one day, pulling the PAX-E 2010 binder off the shelf to show a grandkid (not necessarily your own), who will 'ooh' and 'aah' over the neatly organized, near-mint condition (who knew a few drops of spilled everclear would bleach the things?) binder full of vintage PAX trading cards!

Seriously though, convenient visibility and standardization are what make the buttons so popular. While standardization can happen assuming we're willful about it, what do we do about convenient visibility? Any ideas?

Izzie

Darc wrote: »

Seriously though, convenient visibility and standardization are what make the buttons so popular. While standardization can happen assuming we're willful about it, what do we do about convenient visibility? Any ideas?

The answer is obvious.
we all have to buy packs of those plastic trading card sheets, glue/tie/melt them together and make cloaks out of them. Then with each trade, we can fill up our "cloaks" and run around with a display of our rewards.

Then we can hang them up on our walls at home for all eternity.

PikaPuff

The idea I continue to pitch:

Back of card everyone makes is the same (Like a PAX10 EAST/PRIME Logo or whatever)

Front of card is anything you want (Fluxx mock up, magic mock up, yugioh mock up) but everyone keeps two locations a blank white spot (top left/bottom right corners probably).

After you're done trading, you fill in the white blanks and make a 52 deck of playing cards.

Moe Fwacky

A bit too late for this now that people seem locked into the trading card idea, but I just found out that purebuttons is opening up a sticker site.

PikaPuff

stickers suck. but others love them.

Wingedillidan

Moe Fwacky wrote: »

A bit too late for this now that people seem locked into the trading card idea, but I just found out that purebuttons is opening up a sticker site.

Noooooo! Sticker's lifetime is extremely low and their interchangability (i.e. buttons can be taken off and stacked or placed on a big shirt) sucks. I'd go for pins, I'd go for trading cards, even MAGNETS for crying out loud, but not STICKERS! Personally, I think the cards will be more effective as to be more customizable and stuff.

Arco

Why can't we do buttons, again?

skarsol

Buttons twice a year is a lot of buttons.

Arco

Well, yeah. But trading hundreds of anything twice a year means a lot of anything.

Buttons lend themselves very well to this idea. If the concern is that it wouldn't be different enough, we could do square buttons instead of round buttons, or make sure everyone has a unique PAX East button to stand out from the Prime buttons, or something.

I'm just saying that using a product that isn't displayed, traded, carried, or compact like the buttons are, just because PAX Prime already uses buttons, isn't good. If the product that's eventually settled on for the trading at East has its own merits, then awesome. But I don't think anybody should feel like buttons are off limits. I don't see why they would be.

ikelewis

I am a fan of the trading cards. Like marvel super heroes or baseball and basketball cards.

Something like this maybe. I think it would be awesome.

I still don't know how we would display that we are trading cards.

PikaPuff

pin a card to your lanyands just like you did with pins

PeasantDave

Arco wrote: »

Well, yeah. But trading hundreds of anything twice a year means a lot of anything.

Buttons lend themselves very well to this idea. If the concern is that it wouldn't be different enough, we could do square buttons instead of round buttons, or make sure everyone has a unique PAX East button to stand out from the Prime buttons, or something.

I'm just saying that using a product that isn't displayed, traded, carried, or compact like the buttons are, just because PAX Prime already uses buttons, isn't good. If the product that's eventually settled on for the trading at East has its own merits, then awesome. But I don't think anybody should feel like buttons are off limits. I don't see why they would be.

I believe that trading cards are as inherently cool as buttons and as easily traded as buttons. They are easier to store and carry. The biggest detriment is that you can't pin them to yourself (and truthfully nothing else is going to do that as well as buttons). Many of the button traditions (displaying and such) were formed organically and I believe that trading cards would go the same route.

PikaPuff wrote: »

pin a card to your lanyands just like you did with pins

Hopefully with lower costs this opens up a world of options for displaying.

ikelewis

So I got bored and threw a card together I didn't add any trivia or stats to it but it's a good start.

Oz K. Fodrotski

I think the problem that cropped up previously was that it went from trading cards to a TCG, and then rules got thrown into the mix, at which point geek consensus becomes impossible.

Safer to keep stats arbitrary and cosmetic, methinks.

Edit: PikaPuff's idea with the consistent back and custom front has merit, but strays towards TCG territory. Hm.

PeasantDave

Oz K. Fodrotski wrote: »

I think the problem that cropped up previously was that it went from trading cards to a TCG, and then rules got thrown into the mix, at which point geek consensus becomes impossible.

Safer to keep stats arbitrary and cosmetic, methinks.

Edit: PikaPuff's idea with the consistent back and custom front has merit, but strays towards TCG territory. Hm.

You are 100% correct. I have plans for the future but I believe it is important for series one to be simple and fun.

Atlus Parker

If someone has a better idea for some kind of tradeable item please, please speak up. The trading cards stemmed for the general idea that we did not want all the community events at PAX East to be an exact mirror of PAX Prime's events. The trading cards sounded like a really cool idea so a few people are running with it. Buttons are cool and all but do we really need button trading twice a year?

Edit: ikelewis I like where you're going with that. Any thoughts on adding a border on the front?

VThornheart

The trading cards seem like a good plan, aye!

Moe had a great idea going with the card game I think, but indeed it was hard to get a consensus or enough people who had the time to hash it out (myself included =( ).

ikelewis

Atlus I will add a border and make a few changes when I get home.

BrokenAngel

I dunno, I kinda like the sticker idea. They are actually really resilient if kept in a safe place like a book rather than just stuck on a laptop/ds/shirt or whatever. And it would be a very cost friendly option.

Plus everyone could design their own books however they want

ikelewis

okay Atlus I added a border to it. Tell me what you think?

It might need a white border too.

Oz K. Fodrotski

ikelewis wrote: »

okay Atlus I added a border to it. Tell me what you think?

It might need a white border too.

White borders are for reprints, imo.

ikelewis

Oz K. Fodrotski wrote: »

White borders are for reprints, imo.

So no white border. I'm working on the back of the card ATM I will post as soon as I'm done.

Oz K. Fodrotski

ikelewis wrote: »

Oz K. Fodrotski wrote: »

White borders are for reprints, imo.

So no white border. I'm working on the back of the card ATM I will post as soon as I'm done.

This was mostly a joke regarding MTG.

However, I'd be in favor of blue or red borders/text for those people that identify as mainly Prime or East folk.

ikelewis

Oz K. Fodrotski wrote: »

ikelewis wrote: »

Oz K. Fodrotski wrote: »

White borders are for reprints, imo.

So no white border. I'm working on the back of the card ATM I will post as soon as I'm done.

This was mostly a joke regarding MTG.

However, I'd be in favor of blue or red borders/text for those people that identify as mainly Prime or East folk.

I like the idea of having an East card having a red and a prime card having blue. So this being an East event I'm going to stick with the red theme.

Oz K. Fodrotski

ikelewis wrote: »

Oz K. Fodrotski wrote: »

ikelewis wrote: »

Oz K. Fodrotski wrote: »

White borders are for reprints, imo.

So no white border. I'm working on the back of the card ATM I will post as soon as I'm done.

This was mostly a joke regarding MTG.

However, I'd be in favor of blue or red borders/text for those people that identify as mainly Prime or East folk.

I like the idea of having an East card having a red and a prime card having blue. So this being an East event I'm going to stick with the red theme.

You should make the blue borders now -- if I do end up going to East, I still kind of want Prime cards. >_>

ikelewis

Okay can do.

Here is the new back I made.

Edit: Here is one with a blue border for prime.

this was just "thrown" together.

Arco

I'm coming around to the trading card thing after seeing ikelewis' designs, which are very good.

Constructive criticism:

Front: The glowy border is a little too thick, and a little too much. Half that thick and I think it would look quite a bit better. Also, ditch the 3D effect, imo. Doesn't really fit with the rest of the card. The simple blue/black gradient, thinner, will look really good. Also, don't need "PAX" two places on the front of the card, unless they accomplish different things (it's unclear if they do or don't). I'd say remove it from on top of the name bar, because having it in the top left looks so good.

Back: Having the background be red and the name bar be a slightly different red looks weird. Too much red. Also, I'd expand the text boxes to fill more of the card. However thick the border on the front is (make it thinner), have the text boxes expand out to leave that much space. '

These are very minor tweaks. Color balance issues and some pixel tweaking here and there. It's a damn good first draft. Ideally speaking I think what we would be going for is a .psd or .jpeg with the borders, logos, etc. all in place, but with empty spaces for the picture, name, stats, quote, etc. so that people can put them into Photoshop or whatever and make their cards. If we do that, they'll all look the same.

Great job, ikelewis.

VThornheart

BrokenAngel wrote: »

I dunno, I kinda like the sticker idea. They are actually really resilient if kept in a safe place like a book rather than just stuck on a laptop/ds/shirt or whatever. And it would be a very cost friendly option.

Plus everyone could design their own books however they want

Ooh, that is a good point! It would definitely make for neat material for scrapbooks/memory books!

Facelesscog

ikelewis wrote: »

Okay can do.

Here is the new back I made.

Edit: Here is one with a blue border for prime.

this was just "thrown" together.

Wow...seriously digging the designs, though the previously mentioned tweaks wouldn't be a bad idea. (Mainly thinner border on the front and less red space on the back) Looking good though!

shugarae

ikelewis wrote: »

okay Atlus I added a border to it. Tell me what you think?

It might need a white border too.

me likey! The little picture spot on the back is just begging for an avatar...

the sticker idea would be cool too... I dunno about carrying around a book though :-/

either way, count me in...

Oz K. Fodrotski

Really looking forward to PSDs of these so we can start a'making and a'tweaking. Great work!