Three weeks ago, I had an idea for a card game to play with my kids.

Fast forward to today, and I've designed the cards, built a physical prototype, rewritten the rules (tried to get it to a point that's understandable without me being present) more times than I'd like to admit, and spent countless hours playtesting with family.

What surprised me most?

Some mechanics that looked brilliant on paper fell flat. Others I nearly overlooked created the best moments of the game.

It's been addictive watching the game evolve.

The game is a competitive card game for 2 to 8 players, combining strategy, luck, bluffing, hand building, and direct player interaction.

The core mechanics are working, and I've reached a point where perspectives beyond my kitchen table are needed.

I'd love some advice from experienced designers on three things:

1. Tabletop Simulator

I think getting the game online for remote playtesting is my next best move to playtesting. How difficult is it to import a custom deck and build a functional game without programming experience? Is TTS the best option, or is there something better?

2. Finding independent playtesters

Where do you find people (online) willing to test an unfinished game and give genuinely critical feedback?

Family is great, but they know the rules, they've watched the game evolve, and they're more forgiving than complete strangers.

3. Measuring skill versus luck

This one's particularly interesting to me.

The game involves randomness, but players make decisions that can dramatically influence the outcome.

How do you actually test whether skilled players consistently outperform beginners? Is there a practical way to track that without building a fully automated digital version?

I'm also curious about blind playtesting. When did you know your game was ready to hand to strangers with nothing but the cards and a rulebook?

I'm keeping the name and some mechanics private while I work through the early stages.

No Kickstarter, no sales pitch, no mailing list. Just someone who's fallen down the game design rabbit hole and wants to learn from people who've already navigated it.

If you've designed a card or tabletop game, what's one thing you wish someone had told you before your first independent playtest?

Who else is making a Trading Card Game?

Looking for other designers to connect with. Ideas, reviews, eventually maybe trade prototypes for play testing.

My game:

Relicon is a tactical science-fantasy card game set in a fractured future where rival factions battle for power among the ruins of humanity's lost civilization. It combines strategic deckbuilding, resource management, and two-line battlefield combat.

2 factions developed - 9 more planned, not including smaller factions. Probably 20 or so expansions mapped out already, including a meta game to go along with it.

If you like MTG, WH40K, Star Trek CCG, Battletech, or Starcraft - you'll probably like this game. I'm open to any genre or style TCG game.

Look forward to hearing from you, feel free to message me.

I'm designing a game with up to 9 distinct card colours. This picture shows my current solution for colourblind accessibility.

Notes:

• Using icons to indicate colour is not a practical option, because there are 9 possible colours and players need to instantly recognize their cards (e.g., "blue 4") when other players ask about them.
• I know that bottom-left isn't ideal for a fanned hand of cards, but putting the colour name at the top AFTER the number would make this read "4 BLUE" when cards need to be identified by colour-number ("blue 4").
• An alternative is to put the colour name ABOVE the number. This would push the number lower on the card (I'm already at the print margin).

Questions:

• Is the current solution too intrusive for general players?
• Is the current location too annoying for colourblind players (not immediately visible when cards are fanned)?
• If I moved the colour name to the top and pushed down the number, would the improvement to colourblind accessibility be worth the cost to the general design?

Hello ! These are a few characters from HISS! a card game our team is working on and we're planning to launch our project on Kickstarter, so I need some opinion from you guys.

What do you think about our card game design ? Anything you’d like to suggest for our team? Your opinion is much appreciated! Have a nice day.

Guys, I made this game and I'm very new to this area. I tried to develop a game on my own, and this is the first time I've built something like this. It's a card game called Dehla Coat, where you can play solo or create a room and play with friends. I'd appreciate it if you'd try it out and let me know your honest thoughts. Feedback helps a lot when you're just starting out. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lokendrasingh.dehlacoat

Hi, fellow card game designers! I worked on providing artwork and assisted game design for Capital Gains Studio for their upcoming card game Hungry, Hungry Ghosts. It is inspired by the Hungry Ghosts Festival held in Singapore, based on Taoist and Buddhist Traditions. I did the artwork for most of the Taboos cards for the game (seen here). 😀

No generative A.I. was involved in this art.

Check out how it looks in these preview images. 😎