Thanks, please do share what you create.. i'd love to see it! As a developer part of the fun of creating an app is knowing people use it and see what they create 

👉 Read the full release notes here https://itch.io/t/6104593/-heroquest-card-creator-version-056
👉 Download v0.5.6 here https://mark-forster.itch.io/heroquest-card-creator

I'm really happy to finally say: Version 0.5.6 of the HeroQuest Card Creator is now available.

This release has been building for a while and it focuses on two things I've been thinking about a lot recently:

• giving creators more visual control over their cards
• making sure the app remains fast, stable, and safe even with large libraries

Some of the changes are immediately visible. Others quietly improve how the app behaves when you're working with bigger projects.

Either way, this release solves a few pain points that have come up repeatedly in the community.

🎨 Background Tint - Now Available on All Cards

This is probably the biggest change in this release.

A while back I added border tinting for some templates, and it quickly became clear people wanted to push that idea further.

With 0.5.6, you can now apply background tinting across all card types.

That means you can now:

• create colour-coded decks
• visually group cards by theme
• experiment with darker designs
• build entirely new visual identities for custom expansions

This has been one of the most requested visual features for a long time, so I'm really pleased it's finally here.

✍️ Body Text Colour Control

Once background tinting was working, something else became obvious.

If you darken the background of a card, you also need control over the text colour.

So body text can now be coloured as well, allowing you to maintain readability regardless of how you style the card background.

It's a small addition, but it unlocks a lot more freedom when designing custom cards.

🃏 Treasure Card Artwork Improvements

Treasure cards received some internal improvements that should make them behave more cleanly.

The artwork frame, parchment background, and border layers were restructured so they behave more predictably. This helps artwork sit more naturally in the treasure window and ensures everything aligns correctly.

More importantly, it also allows treasure cards to fully support the new background tint system.

So treasure cards now behave consistently with the rest of the templates.

🖼 Smaller Libraries & Faster Exports

One thing I'm always slightly paranoid about is browser storage limits.

The app stores everything locally in your browser, which is great for privacy and portability, but it also means large libraries can eventually start consuming a lot of storage.

So this release introduces some tools specifically aimed at keeping libraries smaller and more portable.

You can now convert certain artwork from PNG to JPEG directly inside the asset inspector.

For many images - especially card backs and large illustrations - PNG transparency isn't needed, and converting them can dramatically reduce file size.

For example, one of my own libraries went from 178 MB down to 38 MB after optimisation.

Smaller libraries mean:

• faster exports\
• quicker imports\
• reduced risk of browser storage issues

Which is a win across the board.

📦 Smaller, Safer Library Backups

Library exports have also been redesigned internally.

Backups are now:

• smaller
• faster to export
• faster to import
• less likely to be accidentally broken

If you've ever opened a backup file out of curiosity and accidentally edited something inside it... this should now be much harder to do.

For compatibility, the older export format is still available if you ever need to move between versions.

📊 Understanding Your Library Size

Another small but useful addition: the app can now show how large your library actually is.

You'll be able to see storage usage and system information directly inside the application.

This makes it easier to understand when artwork optimisation might be useful - especially if your library is starting to grow.

💡 In-App Hints (Without Full Documentation)

I've been asked many times about adding documentation.

The problem is the app is still evolving quickly during the 0.5.x phase, and any large documentation system would likely become outdated quite quickly.

So instead, I've started introducing small contextual hints inside the interface.

These appear in places like the stockpile area and gently highlight useful interactions and workflows.

Think of them as little signposts while the app continues to evolve.

More may appear over time.

🌐 Easier Offline Version

If you download the offline version of the app, you now have a new option available.

The bundle now includes a tiny built-in local server, which lets you run the app through a local web address without installing or configuring anything yourself.

You can still launch the app the usual way by opening index.html, but this option makes things easier for people who prefer running the app through a local server.

✨ Lots of UI Polish

This release also includes a lot of small interface improvements.

Spacing, formatting, layout behaviour, and rendering have all been refined across the editor to make the app feel smoother and more comfortable to use.

Individually these tweaks are small.

But together they make longer editing sessions feel calmer and more predictable.

Which is always the goal.

Why I'm Excited About 0.5.6

This release is one of those updates where several different improvements all reinforce the same goal.

Creators now have:

• more visual control over their cards
• better tools for managing large libraries
• faster and safer exports and backups
• a smoother overall editing experience

And behind the scenes there's been a lot of work making sure the app continues to scale as people build larger and more ambitious card libraries. It's another step toward making the tool feel less like a prototype and more like a proper creative platform for HeroQuest cards.

As always:

Please back up your library before upgrading. Please report anything strange if you encounter it. And please keep sharing the cards and expansions you're building. A lot of the improvements in this release exist because of conversations with the community.

Thank you for that.

Version 0.5.6 continues the evolution of HeroQuest Card Creator by expanding creative flexibility while further strengthening the performance and reliability of the app behind the scenes.

Earlier releases in the 0.5.x series focused on building a solid foundation: improving library structure, export stability, and the visual fidelity of generated cards. With that groundwork now in place, this release begins opening the door to greater visual customisation while also introducing tools that help users manage larger libraries more efficiently and safely.

In short, 0.5.6 moves the project forward in two important ways: giving creators more freedom in how their cards look, and ensuring the app remains fast, stable, and dependable as libraries grow.

🎨 Card Design & Visual Customisation

Background Tint for All Card Types

One of the most frequently requested features has been the ability to customise the colour of card backgrounds.

In earlier releases, limited colour variation was introduced through border tinting on certain templates. In 0.5.6, this concept expands significantly - background tinting is now available across all card types.

This allows creators to:

• create colour‑coded decks
• visually group related cards
• experiment with themed card designs
• produce darker or alternative card styles

The feature builds on earlier colour controls and opens the door to far more creative variation while still preserving the familiar HeroQuest aesthetic by default.

Body Text Colour Controls

Because background tinting makes darker card styles possible, the ability to control body text colour has been added.

Creators can now adjust the colour of description text when needed, ensuring readability regardless of background tint choices.

This keeps cards flexible for custom designs while maintaining sensible defaults that match the original game's appearance.

🃏 Card Template Improvements

Treasure Card Artwork Window Improvements

Treasure card artwork handling has been refined to improve consistency and flexibility.

The internal structure of the treasure card frame was reorganised so that the border, background, and artwork window behave more predictably. This improves how artwork sits within the parchment window and ensures visual alignment remains clean.

These changes also make it possible for treasure cards to fully support the new background tint system, bringing them in line with other templates.

🖼 Asset & Library Optimisation

Convert Artwork from PNG to JPEG

The Asset Inspector now includes an option to convert certain images from PNG to JPEG.

Many artwork images - particularly card backs and full artwork illustrations - do not require PNG transparency. Converting these images to JPEG can significantly reduce their file size.

This helps:

• reduce overall library storage usage
• speed up exports
• improve performance when working with large libraries

For larger collections, optimising artwork in this way can dramatically reduce the size of the stored library.

Smaller Card Thumbnails

Card thumbnails have been optimised to use a more storage‑efficient format.

Although thumbnails are relatively small individually, libraries can contain hundreds or even thousands of them. The updated thumbnail format significantly reduces their storage footprint, helping the app remain responsive even as collections grow.

📦 Library Backup Improvements

Compact Library Export Format

Library exports now use a more compact internal format designed to make backups both smaller and more reliable.

Benefits include:

• reduced export file size
• faster export and import operations
• improved reliability when restoring libraries

The new format also helps prevent accidental corruption if a backup file is opened or edited outside the application.

For compatibility with earlier versions of the app, the original export format remains available when needed.

📊 Library Storage Visibility

Library Size Information

The app can now estimate how much storage your card library uses inside the browser database.

This helps creators better understand the impact of large artwork files and when it might be helpful to optimise images for smaller file sizes.

System Information Panel

A new System panel provides useful information about the environment the app is running in.

This includes application details and storage information, giving users better visibility into how their library is stored locally.

💡 Contextual Interface Hints

Stockpile Interaction Hints

Rather than introducing full documentation while the application is still evolving, the app now includes contextual hints within the stockpile area.

These small prompts provide guidance about common interactions and workflows directly within the interface, helping new users discover useful features without interrupting the creative process.

🌐 Improved Offline Download Bundle

The downloadable version of HeroQuest Card Creator now includes an optional lightweight local server.

This makes it easier to run the application locally without needing to install or configure your own web server.

Users can still open the index.html file directly in their browser, but the included server option provides a smoother experience for those who prefer running the app via a local web address.

⚡ Performance & Interface Improvements

Version 0.5.6 also includes a wide range of internal improvements focused on polish, performance, and overall usability.

These updates include:

• smoother rendering behaviour across browsers
• faster image processing
• reduced storage usage for large libraries
• improved consistency across the interface
• numerous small UI refinements and layout adjustments

While many of these changes happen behind the scenes, they collectively make the application feel faster, more stable, and more comfortable to work with during longer card creation sessions.

This release reflects continued feedback from the HeroQuest community particularly around visual customisation and managing larger libraries. As always, it's incredibly rewarding to see the cards, decks, and systems people create with the tool. Your feedback continues to shape how the app evolves.

I'm excited to see what you build next. ❤️ Thank You

Hi! Thanks for the kind words, I’m really glad you’re enjoying the Card Creator.

To import the library:

1. Open the Card Creator in your browser.
2. In the top-right corner of the app, click the menu button.
3. In the menu you’ll see options for Import Library and Export Library.
4. Click Import Library and select the .hqcc file you downloaded.

The app will then load the library.

One important thing to note: importing a library replaces any current library in the browser!!!. If you’ve already created your own cards or added artwork, make sure you export your library first so you don’t lose your work.

At the moment there isn’t a way to merge libraries yet (but its on the roadmap). The one I shared was mainly intended as a starting point for people who want something to explore straight away.

If you’re mostly interested in the artwork used in my library, you can also download it directly here:

https://public.markforster.info/Heroquest/Artwork/

Everything there is the same artwork used in my own library and you’re very welcome to use it for your own cards.

If you run into any trouble importing the file just let me know and I’ll happily help 👍