Suggested design for ally cards

I came up with this design just after Bernie Bresnahan posted on the VTES Custom Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VTES_Custom/message/403) his toughts about the need of reducing allies' card texts by introducing new icons and symbols. The current text of allies who are capable of playing cards requiring disciplines is too repetitive: "This Ally may play cards requiring basic [Discipline] as a vampire with a capacity of X. Any cost in blood is paid with his life. If a card would give him blood, give him life instead." If the above text were included in the V:TES Rulebook, allies' text boxes would have more room for other special abilities. But how could it be graphically explained that an ally can play cards requiring a given Discipline? By placing the adequate discipline icons on ally cards (see the image below). Besides, the text portion referred to the ally's life could be simplified by creating a life blood drop (much like vampires' capacity). On the other hand, according to the CE rules, allies have a default strength and bleed of 1, which could be indicated in the same way vampires do. The suggested card design for allies can be found here: http://www.almadrava.net/damnans Comments? Greetings, Damnans

Damnans wrote: > The current text of allies who are capable of playing cards requiring > disciplines is too repetitive: > > "This Ally may play cards requiring basic [Discipline] as a vampire with a > capacity of X. Any cost in blood is paid with his life. If a card would give him > blood, give him life instead." > ... for discipline-using allies printed before CE, yes. Now (since the CE), the rulebook includes the rules for such allies, so the text would be shorter: "[This ally] may play cards requiring basic [Discipline] as a vampire with a capacity of X." Or, if X=1 (the default): "[This ally] may play cards requiring basic [Discipline] as a vampire." > If the above text were included in the V:TES Rulebook, allies' text boxes would > have more room for other special abilities. But how could it be graphically > explained that an ally can play cards requiring a given Discipline? By placing > the adequate discipline icons on ally cards (see the image below). > > Besides, the text portion referred to the ally's life could be simplified by > creating a life blood drop (much like vampires' capacity). On the other hand, > according to the CE rules, allies have a default strength and bleed of 1, which > could be indicated in the same way vampires do. > > The suggested card design for allies can be found here: > > http://www.almadrava.net/damnans > > Comments? Without getting into the idea of a library card looking too much like a crypt card: 1) It is missing the capacity at which the disicpline cards are played. The capacity symbol on the card indicates, by the paragraphs above, the starting life of the card, and the two are not synonymus (See Shadow Court Satyr). 2) Herald as 3 strength, not +2 strength. He doesn't benefit from Torn Signpost, for example. -- LSJ (vte...@white-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep for White Wolf, Inc. Links to V:TES news, rules, cards, utilities, and tournament calendar: http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/

LSJ wrote: > > Damnans wrote: [...] > > If the above text were included in the V:TES Rulebook, allies' text boxes would > > have more room for other special abilities. But how could it be graphically > > explained that an ally can play cards requiring a given Discipline? By placing > > the adequate discipline icons on ally cards (see the image below). > > > > Besides, the text portion referred to the ally's life could be simplified by > > creating a life blood drop (much like vampires' capacity). On the other hand, > > according to the CE rules, allies have a default strength and bleed of 1, which > > could be indicated in the same way vampires do. > > > > The suggested card design for allies can be found here: > > > > http://www.almadrava.net/damnans > > > > Comments? > > Without getting into the idea of a library card looking too much like a > crypt card: Yes ;-) Of course, the ally cards could keep their current CE design. I just considered the possibility that cards representing minions (both allies and vampires) could or should have a similar layout (maybe just by turning the ally's portrait area into elliptic rather than square, for instance, and/or making the text box smaller). Last week a player put Jake Washington in play. Later, when I tried to bleed him, I did not realize he was an ally, since I mistook him for a master card (e.g., a location), and Jake Washington blocked me ;-) > 1) It is missing the capacity at which the disicpline cards are played. > The capacity symbol on the card indicates, by the paragraphs above, the > starting life of the card, and the two are not synonymus (See Shadow > Court Satyr). Oops! :-P That's true. Perhaps a capacity symbol could be placed elsewhere on the card, or perhaps there would be too many symbols on the card then... Or maybe, both capacity and life should be equivalent. Difficult to say, huh? ;-) > 2) Herald as 3 strength, not +2 strength. He doesn't benefit from Torn > Signpost, for example. Yes ;-) My fault. Then the Herald's strength could be indicated as follows: "3 strength", i.e., the same way that of the Great Beast is. Greetings, Damnans

Damnans wrote: > Last week a player put Jake Washington in play. Later, when I tried > to bleed him, I did not realize he was an ally, since I mistook him > for a master card (e.g., a location), and Jake Washington blocked > me ;-) This guy is very popular, but... everybody forgots Jake Washington ! especially if it hangs there for more than one turn. One day a player killed his game (and one of his vampire) by trying to bleed via Daring the Dawn, thinking his action would go unblocked. He forgot Jake ! Another day, in another game, a Jake cross table saved my life thought. I had no combat cards in hand but a clandestine contract and a 'Silsilla. Thetmes Rushed the poor old Jake and killed him in a single blow, restirong him to full health =) I remember another game where i could have won if i made my Jake play an arson. Yes, i forgot he could play action cards too =/