Post by cantrip7 in Tacklebox comments

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When printed (and when compared on my computer to other print-and-play), cards aren't the same size (or proportion) as Bicycle-brand playing cards/MtG cards, which is what I expect as a standard size; they're notably less wide and slightly less tall. They're different in proportion, even, to the card back art on this itch.io page. Luckily I had some Scottish playing cards around to sleeve the prints with. Is this on purpose? And could you include PDFs that are truly (US?) standard size?

Would you please include a download for the contents of "Tacklebox Zine.pdf" in the same format as "Tacklebox Print-and-Play.pdf"? I'm having difficulties formatting the pages from "Tacklebox Zine.pdf" as cards. I'm frustrated this isn't the case when the deck sold on your online shop (and featured in the Quinns Quest video) includes rules on cards.

If you do the above, please consider giving those cards the rank and suit of the unrepresented face cards and jokers from a typical playing card pack. I'm bringing Tacklebox on a trip and it would be lovely if it doubled as a normal playing card deck for convenience. To this end, a black fill for the spade and club glyphs would be lovely for clarity.

It'd also be useful if there was a file with the same information as "Tacklebox Zine.pdf" formatted as a zine (that fits inside a playing card tuck box) instead of all separate pages that I have to reckon with on my own (which seems unusual).

And one last thing, and this is a nitpick: I wish the rank and value were in the top left and bottom right like a normal playing card.

Possible Worlds Games39 days ago(+3)(-1)

Thanks for all this! These are some great ideas, and I think there are some settings you can tweak to print the cards at the size you want to. It also sounds like you're putting a lot of personal time/labor (and frustration!) into trying to recreate the deck version of the game on your own, though! This discounted PDF edition's goal is to serve as an accessible alternative to the deck version, not 1-to-1 visual verisimilitude. If you're disappointed by variations in size & format compared to the deck showcased on Quinns Quest, the easiest solution could just be to pay the extra $10 for version of the product featured in the video (I'd even refund this digital purchase to make it easier)! Rest assured, though, that the creative content is all exactly the same.

Re: Card Sizing — The cards should actually be much closer in bicycle size than you're describing! The crop lines are formatted to 3.755" tall and 2.4257" wide to fit all 40 cards across 5 standard, letter-sized pages, so they're actually a little taller than standard 3.5x2.5 cards to accommodate extra quality-of-life elements added to this edition (the suits/numbers mentioned that make mapping to a home deck easier)! If yours are printing notably less wide and slightly less tall, it sounds like your PDF viewer might be "shrinking to fit" before you print and trim. Try printing at an "actual size" setting or similar to prevent downscaling!

Re: Rules Formatting — My intention was that people would print the zine to play with a standard bicycle deck—IE: Draw a 5 of spades, briefly look at the zine to see which prompt the 5 of spades coordinates to, and resume play. The print-and-trim sheets were a bonus for folks looking to go above and beyond, not the other way around! If you're looking to recreate the print deck, though, I can see how you'd want something that fits inside a spare tuck-box of your own. I'll add it to my to-do list as something to circle back to once I'm caught up on other things (I'm a one man business!) but in the meantime, if you're struggling with zine assembly, try printing at the "booklet" setting in Adobe Acrobat or a similar program! It'll auto-arrange the pages to print double-sided, fold, and staple at a standard zine's half-letter sizing (not pocket, but still very portable).

Re: Card Formatting — I hear you on the suit fill and left/right preferences! For the fill, I intentionally opted for outlines over solid back suits to help folks avoid wasting home printer ink. It should be a quick tweak with a paint bucket tool in an image editing program, though, if you're already homebrewing a custom deck of your own. As far as the suit/number arrangement, that's informed by the formatting of the text! Because prompts and their titles are left justified, left-justifying the top suit/number as well overcrowded some of the wordier cards (IE: the Holotype or Wanderings cards).

I hope all this makes sense, and thanks again for the thought and energy you put into your feedback! I'm thrilled you like the game enough not only to want to travel with it, but to craft a deck of your own. It means a lot, and I'll keep trying to do everything I can with the time and resources at my own disposal! - Tyler

cantrip739 days ago (37 edits) (-6)

"This discounted PDF edition's goal is to serve as an accessible alternative to the deck version, not 1-to-1 visual verisimilitude." This reply is infuriating and comes off like upselling.

Putting aside the proportions of cards, which is fair: the print-and-play PDF is missing 12 cards. You've already formatted the physical game so its prompts and rules map onto a 52 playing card deck, yet the print-and-play template only includes the 40 prompt cards.

I know the print-and-play will not be exactly 1-to-1 because I don't have an industrial color printer at home, but all printable components in the physical edition should be represented in the print-and-play format. That should go without saying.

If you can't guarantee the rules cards will be formatted as printable cards in this download, can I get a refund without paying you more money first?

Possible Worlds Games39 days ago(+4)

Certainly! I just submitted your refund request to itch.io. I'm sorry this black & white zine version wasn't what you were expecting. Jonathan's game design at the start of our process originally included a rules booklet, and the entirety of the game's design is indeed included here. The rules-as-cards format in the deck was something we adapted during the development process to make production more affordable. Not realizing there would be such a strong preference for that aspect of the print deck is a genuine oversight on my part. I know your feedback comes from a place of excitement, though, and I plan on working on creating a 6th sheet mirroring the rules in a trimmable card format for anyone with similar preferences when I'm able (it takes more than just a copy/paste). I also can't guarantee any kind of definite time frame, though, as a one-man, full-time operation trying to keep up with a sudden influx of demand in addition to other continuing development on other projects.

cantrip738 days ago

Thank you.

In the meantime, I slapped together something in line with what I expected, plus some jokers for fun: https://imgur.com/a/cj5FemH