Search for:

No art skills? No problem! Part 2

Part 1 here: https://chrisjonesgaming.net/no-art-skills-no-problem-part-1/ 

In part 2, we’ll be using Excel, and the updated version of MS paint (Paint 3d)

Paint 3D

Open up paint 3d! You want to go to the Canvas tab, and switch the sizing from pixels to percent. Type in 30 for the width. Or you can put in the exact pixel size for your card. Pokemon cards are 718 x 1000 pixels.

Step 1

Next, click back to the brushes, select your color and use the bucket (fill) tool on your canvas!

Step 2

To help figure out what you want, and where, it’s helpful to outline with rectangles! Go to 2D shapes, Pick the rectangle option, drag a corner to grow to the size you want. Then, adjust your line thickness and color to your preference! If the rectangle is a whole shape, you can change it to an outline by changing the fill option to none.

Step 3

Instead of repeatedly clicking on the 2D shapes, you can use the clone tool. Click the left-most option, and drag the new shape to modify it as you wish!

Step 4

Next, play around with the text options! Make sure to click on the letter “T” in the option bar before clicking where you want to place the text.

Step 5

Adding the Image: Go to the Sticker tab, and click add sticker. This uses the images on your device, so you’d have to download the applicable images.

Alternatively, you can also copy + paste an image from online using your keyboard shortcuts.

Step 6

Save to your computer!

Step 7

Excel

Open up a new tap, and put in what text you want first! Make sure you have some space between the text. make sure there are two rows before the first line.

Step 1

Next, use the numbered and lettered rows and columns to adjust the sizes en-mass. Make A and C skinny- this will be the space between the edge of the card and the text.

Step 2

Select A2:C8, and use the bucket tool to fill the whole block in! This will be your base color!

Step 3

Next, select your text, and use the square button (it’s between the U and the bucket tool), and select the thick, outlined border.

Step 4

Select your card, and copy and paste it as much as you’d like! Then, select the lettered columns that correspond  with the space-filling areas. Adjust the size of one, and it will affect the other highlighted columns.

Step 5

Repeat for the horizonal rows, including the text and description boxes.

Step 6

Fill in and Print!!!

Step 7

No art skills? No problem! Part 1

No art skills? No problem! If you want to create a card game, and you can do everything except draw, this is for you!

One thing you can do is use other cards as an example, like pokemon cards, Magic cards, or any other game who’s aesthetic you like. If you have physical cards that you no longer care about, you can use white-out on individual lines, or white paint to cover the card.  That way, you can write out the information on the cards!

I will show some ways to design cards on your computer!

Let’s start with two classics- MSPaint and Microsoft Word!

MSPaint

Step 1

Open up a new canvas. Use the bottom right corner to drag to the size you want. Use the Bucket to fill in with a color you want.

Step 2

Use the box-drawing tool to map out where you want the different parts to go (title, image, description). Save a copy of this so you can make as many cards as you want from this base.

Step 3

Write what you want in the boxes you’ve made using the text tool. make sure to click the bottom option if you want the back ground color to show through.

Step 4

If you can’t make an image, find one! Search for what you want, and make sure to select “transparent” in the color options if you wan the background to peek through. If you plan on selling the game, click “Usage rights” and select “creative commons”.

Step 5

Copy and Paste your image onto the card using the left click options.

Final Product

Save your image and admire it! Make as many as you’d like!

Word

Bored in your at-home office? Use your work tools for play! Open a new document and follow along….

Step 1

Click the “Insert” tab. Click on “Smart art”, then choose the kind of diagram that best fits what you want on the card. Hit “Ok”

Step 2

Fill in the cards with the information you want! You can also play around with colors +styles.

Step 3

For a card outline/aesthetic: Go to the insert tab, hit “Shapes”. Choose any of the rectangle options (I recommend the rounded kind). Then, adjust the size to fit over what you’ve done.

Step 4

Click on the “Shape format” tab.  You can play around with colors here! Click “Shape fill”, select “No fill”. This will give you the outline of your card! Then, if you want a different thickness for the outline, select “weight”, and then click on the number you want. Then, copy and paste your new shape, and move it over to the other Smart-art section.

Step 5

Go to the “Home” tab, and find the “Select” options. Select the drop-down, and hit “Select All”.

Copy the selection. Click below the cards you have and find the typing cursor ( I). Hit the Enter key until there is space after the cards. Paste your selection!

Step 6

Adjust your new cards until you’re happy, and then Print!

Tada!

How to make a Feats-Based RPG

What are Feats?

Feats are, boiled down, unique actions or abilities that one can do/have. A game that relies on feats over anything else generally has less reliance on stats or items, and is more about the imagery that comes from a more verbally-based adventure. Some videogames have them as part of a “talent tree”, in that feats have to be unlocked in  a certain order. In these games, some trees are blocked off if you’ve chosen a certain role or path. Games can use feats to boost base skills, or allow more flexibility in the actions your character can take.

Why Feats?

Feats let players do another level of customization, and lets them use something that isn’t for numbers, necessarily. Feats can allow for more fun and can create unique Interactions between other characters and the environment around them.

How do I make ’em? 

Feats tend to have limits of their usage in a certain time frame. That can help with balance in your game. A much stronger/ impressive feat will be given a longer time between uses than some thing simpler/weaker.  One can also have a limit per game of times each feat (or all feats as a whole) can be used.

You can bring Balance to your game through keeping things consistent, watching the usefulness of the feats, and allowing the feats to have in-game importance. Consistency can refer to the description used; keeping the feats at a similar level of power and/or versatility will help keep the players at a compatible level. Usefulness is also a factor in balance and also, consistency. Are your feats tied directly to the gameplay? Are they more for Aesthetic purposes? How you choose to integrate those will be based on the type of play you and your players are looking for. A more light-hearted game for comedy reasons may choose to have silly, more aesthetic-based feats, that do more for conversation than plot, because that is what players are looking for. 

Themes:

Themed around subject: What is unique to the chosen genre? What can only be done or be seen in the genre you choose? What tropes do you enjoy that can be integrated into your game?

Themed around the character’s species, for example, if the character is a merperson(triton, mermaid, generally aquatic),  a feat can be “Once a day, the player can issue a command to nearby lake or sea creature. The creature must do a wisdom saving throw of at least 15 to resist”. The feat is unique to the specie’s upbringing and environment, and can lend flavor to an encounter.

Themed around the character’s job. Things that only that particular class can do, even split into subgroups of effect types. For example, a wizard. A Wizard feat could be being able to duplicate a spell, or change the effect type from fire to ice. Subgroup examples include: feats that effect weapons, feats that affect the Player, feats that affect other players/NPCs, feats that effect the environment.

Your game can be themed around the players. People enjoy things that are unique to them; it makes them feel empowered and even loved! Including something specific about those that you care about can be a way to make that connection be brimming with joy, adding a sparkle in their day!

What do I actually write down?

At the heart of it, you want a name and a description.

The name should be an accurate summary that piques the interest of the player.

The Description should be clear and concise.

It can be helpful to add in any identifying traits (like if the feat is specific to the species/job) beside the name.

How to make your own card game

How to make a card game from concept to completion

What do you enjoy in the card games that you play? What will entice others to play?

For this example, I tried to create a card game that my friends would play. They enjoy relatively simple games, that one can do while talking or conversing. I chose Uno to be the base game, as all agreed that that was their favorite game.

I like the aesthetic of tarot cards, so I also added in their number system (1-10, then page, knight, queen, and king).

I chose a theme, next. I enjoyed the tiktok trend of “vaguely terrifying beasts as pests that just bother you occasionally” as the theme, and boiled down their appearance to “Oblong form in mask”. Simplifying the appearance of the card’s design increases it’s readability. Making your images overly complex can confuse your players (or yourself when coloring them).

After deciding on those, it’s time to design the cards!

I chose to match the number of the figures to the number on the card, to keep it consistent visually. Other options include making the numbers of objects equal to the value of the card (ordinary 52-card deck), creating symbolism to match the value (most tarot cards), or even just putting the value of the card as the main focus (a-la- UNO).

Consistency is key to make sure the players can distinguish different groups of cards from each other while still recognizing it as part of the group.

Matching color-schemes or patterns is the common route to solve that problem!

For mine, each group (distinguished by color) has its own pattern as well. To make sure that all the cards -regardless of color- are read as from the same game/set, I used the same line-art for the base. Making all the figures the same helps tie the card set together.

The video has the rest of the process!

Good Society: a Jane Austen RPG

From Kickstarter project to off-the-shelf popular enough for a reprint, “Good Society” has come long way.

First released in 2018, funded by $154,774 Australian dollars from 2,677 backers,  it included a hardcover rulebook, between 20-36 cards (depending on how much you gave), and Pdf versions of the above.

Now, on its Storybrewer’s page, it offers one of its expansions in hardback as well, along with various expansion cardsets. The 280-page rulebook includes art and accompanying material.

The game is heavily focused on role-playing, which can be seen in it’s lack of numbered stats, and its LARP version that is also available to purchase. The traits used to navigate the game are the role you’re given, your family, desires, and your relationships.

Some unique aspects of the game:

    • NPCs printed on cards
    • Having a Game Master (GM/DM) is an option
    • Numerous Expansion packs ranging from servants to magic

Dungeon design in DnD: The Rooms, Hallways, and the bits between your players and the Boss

A home is not an empty house; even the most neat space still has stuff in it. In Dnd,  the problem is how to describe a space without tripping up your players, while maintaining the atmosphere you want.

Where is this place going to be? Will you build the building around the location? Will you develop the building based on its occupant? Both?

Think about what people would need to live in your chosen location. For example: A Cult that lives below ground; where do they get their food? What do they do for entertainment? What do they find important in their cult, and what kind of space does that occupy? In that case, you could add in pantries, game rooms, a few sacrificial alters in front of a statue with it’s own room, a space for priests in the cult, a space for digging tools, an area for certain building or support materials, and some sort of path to remove dirt that’s been freshly dug.

Even with just this, there’s already a map being developed.

To build a place around its occupants can be more complex than just location-based design. For example, If you have archers in your castle, you’d want the tall, thin windows and battlements that will protect them; however, non-European cultures tend to use mounted archers (those on horses) more often, so the buildings in those areas don’t account for defense-based archery.

More simply, you can examine the origin and design of your boss, and what pieces of architecture would accentuate those traits. an Eldritch beast would call for a dark and imposing building, with heavy materials, the tall ceilings oozing with foreboding shadows, and stained glass windows alluding to something far beyond the Players’ knowledge. There is also a need to consider the atmosphere you’re trying to create, and creating a moodboard (a selection of images associated with what emotions you want to convey) can help.

For the individual rooms, you can search up a list of items created in the era you wish (for more historically-inspired pieces), or a list of items found in books or media for the location (for sci-fi or high fantasy). You can also review your list of occupants and wonder about what they might need for daily life, and then scatter about these items.

To spice up the interior, you can add in Furniture! Use words that can describe the atmosphere or boss as well. The furniture a person has can tell you something about them. A “bone-thin chair with a black metal back” has a much different vibe than a “warm, plush couch, made of quilted velvet”. A visible lack of furniture can set up an atmosphere of barrenness, or even when placed in context, an air of suspiciousness.  Furniture can be minimalistic, decorated, homely, and can help set up your atmosphere as well as any sounds made by a you-tube playlist.

The materials used in the room can also give it flavor. Describing types of stone using their textures or appearances, or using the wallpaper to its maximum effect. Add in color-meanings or flower symbology to tell the story of the place or its inhabitants. How well-maintained are the rooms? Do people care about the place they’re in?

You can also Give clues about your Boss in main rooms. Shed skin for scaly beasts, the odd hair or piece of fur, or even a closet with the Boss’ preferred outfits. Does your Boss have a particular diet, or habits that are unique to their species or situation?

All of the above can be used to world-build in a way can be as subtle (or dramatic) as you’d like!

Have fun designing!

DnD for Dummies

Part 1: Character Creation

When you are asked to join a Dungeons & Dragons adventure, it is rare to go as the persona you present in day-to-day life. Instead, you’re given a plethora of options for race and class, and are asked to give your Dungeon Master (DM) a backstory by the end of the week.

If you’re lost and don’t know where to begin, I’m here for you!

There are a few ways to start thinking about this problem:

  1.  What does your party need?
  2. What does your heart and soul want?
  3. What would be fun?

What does your Party need?

If you’re creating characters with everyone else in the party, they can give you fun tips on where to go with your character. Party composition (how a group is organized based on class) will depend on the kind of game your DM wants to run.

A more easy-going adventure won’t depend on perfect stat arrangement, but rather on how characters get along. For this kind of game, make sure that your character can establish a rapport with at least one other member of the party, through shared ideals, gods, race, or backstory details.

A more intense adventure (one more based on survival or monster-vanquishing) will need careful arrangements of stats. Take care to note what each class requires for use, and if this is a first time endeavor, pick an easier class to learn, like Fighter, Wizard or Barbarian.  Many Races in DnD have stats or abilities that can help with specific classes.

 

What does your Heart and Soul want?

What did you want to be when you were a kid? What characters did you want to be, to dress up and pretend to be them? Who do you envy, what parts of them do you want to emulate?

Is there any part of yourself that you wan to explore, that never gets to go out and play?

This character can be your chance to try on different genders, different mannerisms, to be a little more dramatic than usual, to do something new or unusual.

 

What would be fun?

What character concepts have you thought of that you think would knock people’s socks off? Is there a character that this group of friends finds entertaining?

You and the DM can also create a character made for their world, one that holds secrets, or carries the plot, or has aspects unique to the campaign.

 

Communication is what makes any group sing, and character creation is no exception.

 

For additional character creation tips, the official DnD site is https://www.dndbeyond.com/

EVE Online

On February 4th, CCP Games announced that EVE Online broke the Guinness world record for the most expensive video game battle in history. EVE Online is an enormous free-to-play MMORPG that is set in the expanse of space. The game features hundreds of different spaceships that players can own. The player can use this spaceship to go an endless adventure in a world that they share with a colossal community. While it originally launched for PC in 2003, the game has grown tremendously over the years. EVE Online has also had several free updates over the years that have added a great deal of content for the game’s players. CCP Games tries to make it clear that they are still very committed to the long-term player base of EVE Online, even after all this time.

EVE Online has an incredibly diverse set of ships for you to pilot.

A Community Across the Stars

There are tons of different ways to play EVE Online. Beyond being just an MMORPG with both PVP and PVE gameplay, it’s also an enormous sandbox game. You can be an explorer, a soldier, a miner, a trader, a pirate, and so much more. CCP Games does its best to create an opportunity for players to immerse themselves in a giant breathing world. There is also a vast and expansive lore in the game that you can embrace should you choose to invest yourself in it. While the game is free-to-play, there are various levels of priced starter packs to give a new player an edge. Dedicated players will also often purchase the premium subscription for the game, allowing for faster progression and unlocking more content.

There are plenty of different ways for you to make a name for yourself in EVE Online.

EVE Online’s recent Guinness world record for the most expensive video game battle is the result of the Massacre of M2-XFE. Thousands of players logged into the game and participated in the battle that stretched on for hours. All in all, in the value of the in-game assets that players lost in the battle amounted to over $340,000 USD. Thousands of people had put years of their hard work and in-game progress on the line.  The simple fact that EVE Online has created a world where people can do battle at such a massive scale is an incredible feat. Every player existing in the same massive world allows for incredible events to unfold that you’d never really see anywhere else. So if you’re a fan of MMOs, sandbox games, or space adventure games, then consider giving EVE Online a try.

#EVEOnline #EVE #MMORPG

Subnautica: Below Zero

Subnautica: Below Zero is an Early Access game on Steam that’s been available for purchase since January 30th 2019. It will be coming to Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in 2021. This is the second game in the Subnautica series. Subnautica is a mostly underwater sandbox game where you can harvest resources, build bases, and explore a strange alien planet. Below Zero takes place after the events of the original game on the same planet. But you’ll be faced with unique new challenges in Below Zero. There are new monsters that you’ll have to avoid. There’s a new set of mysteries for you to uncover. And as always, you still need to eat and drink to survive.

Many of the animals that appear in the original Subnautica will also make an appearance in Below Zero.

Under the Ice

Subnautica doesn’t have a direct storyline per se. Rather, you can receive radio signals that will beckon you in certain directions. When you reach the source of that signal, you might find something especially interesting there. Maybe you’ll find records of another fellow explorer’s journey to the planet. Or maybe you’ll find evidence that the aliens on this planet are more than meets the eye. As you uncover the planet’s secrets, you’ll be discovering more and more that the planet has to offer. You’ll be uncovering new alien species of fauna and flora that you can exploit for your own purposes. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new tools, base upgrades, and vehicles. These small victories keep you interested in exploring new areas and discovering more of what the planet has to offer. 

You’ll spend more time out of the water in Below Zero when compared to the original Subnautica.

Frozen Secrets

Below Zero is still in Early Access so there’s still planned content that will be added to the game. For example, there will likely be more fleshing out of the story through more voice acted scenes. There are also still plenty of bugs that the development team will eventually patch out. They also intend to increase the performance and frame rate on all systems. We might also see even more vehicles, biomes, or other in-game items that could enhance the player’s experience. The original Subnautica was an Early Access game and that ended up playing a huge role in the quality of the game on its release date. Unknown Worlds Entertainment takes full advantage of the gaming community’s feedback to optimize their games and Subnautica: Below Zero will likely be no different. 

#Subnautica #EarlyAccess #Indie #Survival

Slime Rancher

Slime Rancher is one of Steam Early Access’s greatest success stories. It’s the first game produced by the California based studio Monomi Park. The game has sold over 3 million units and usually has hundreds of thousands of monthly players. That’s an impressive feat for an indie studio’s debut project. The game first arrived on Steam in January of 2016 and was fully released in August of 2017. Since then, a stream of free DLC and content updates have kept the game fresh. The studio’s long-lasting devotion to the game continued to drive it’s sales on Xbox, Playstation, and PC. Slime Rancher proves that you don’t need a giant team to make a well-received game with a healthy community of dedicated players.

There are a wide variety of slimes that you can find on the Far, Far Range.

Not an Average Farm

In Slime Rancher, you play as Beatrix LeBeau. She’s traveled to an alien planet inhabited by creatures known as “slimes”. She’s inherited a ranch on the planet and she plans to make a fortune by collecting and combining the the tons of different types of slimes. Slime Rancher is a sandbox game, meaning that you’re placed placed into a large world with minimal instruction on what to do. You interact with the world the way that you choose to interact with the world. You explore the wild at your own pace and discover the game’s hidden secrets as you navigate the world. As you learn more about the mysterious planet, you’ll also come across more and more interesting and unique slimes. Hardcore fans of the game have spent many hundreds of hours collecting all the slimes, making their own hybrid slimes, and simply taking care of the slimes that they already have. The potential fun is potentially endless, especially considering the consistent stream of additional free content.

Who couldn’t love an angel slime?

The Far, Far Range

How has Slime Rancher been able to maintain its player base? Well, players are excited to see what comes next in the game. Without forcing the player down a questline, they want to see what the rest of the world has to offer. A beautiful soundtrack and welcoming graphics also help to keep people coming right back. People are excited when more content keeps getting added that upgrades everything from the gadgets, to the ranch, to the crops, to the slimes. As long as Monomi Park keeps showing Slime Rancher the love that its shown the game in the past, the player base is probably here to stay.

#SlimeRancher #Indie #Sandbox

Gaming News and the Ultimate Universe