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Too big for a table?

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Mon, 04/01/2019 - 02:05
Rimmsolin
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EXO Table Layout Dimensions
EXO Prototype v1 (no played cards)

My game EXO, has a ton of cards that get placed in rows and columns on a table between 2 players facing off (and various detritus bits flanking the main play area.)

In the past the game was WAY too big to fit comfortably and cards ended up being overlapped some. Not idea. So I made some changes such as switching from vertical to horizontal cards. I can't remove any other bits.

On both players' sides of the the 28 cards that form the main play area, there are slots to place construction cards horizontally, and unit cards (guys) below that vertically.

If you look at the pics, the diagram (not including the side bits) is shown. The reallife pic shows the cards in-between players, but not cards played.

I'm using standard 3.5" x 2.5" cards with spacing of about a 0.25" in-between. Total length is 32". It seems most small tables are around 30". Some are bigger. Many gamer tables are bigger in my experience (the target audience.)

Will this be OK? How much should I worry about table size, or will gamers find a way? Has anyone published a game that's been given dimension restraints? What am I not considering?

Thanks!

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Mon, 04/01/2019 - 08:38
#1
let-off studios
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Smaller Cards

Have you tried using smaller-size cards? Or maybe square cards?

Specifically, I'm talking about the four columns/rows in the middle, not the red and blue colums/rows on the edges.

Do you think the information displayed on those middle-area cards can fit on a smaller surface? I see some tokens placed on them in your photo... Would you still be able to see things if tokens were sitting atop smaller cards?

Hopefully this is helpful!

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Mon, 04/01/2019 - 08:49
#2
wob
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im glad you are concerned for

im glad you are concerned for us small tabled people, personally i have missed out on playing lots of games purely because of the footprint. but i wouldn't worry too much. most gamers are happy as long as it fits on your average dining table, and a lot of people are happy to have a slightly squeezed game (cards closer than recommended, overlapping cards etc).
if you are really concerned though, could the cards be smaller or on tiles. looking at your pic the cards dont have a lot of info so you might be able to get away with mini cards- half the size and half the cost.

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Mon, 04/01/2019 - 10:37
#3
Jay103
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I was at Pax East this past

I was at Pax East this past weekend, and I saw a bunch of games with smaller cards.. maybe that's normal now. :)

You definitely need to fit on a table, unless this is aimed at small children who are happy to play on the floor!

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Mon, 04/01/2019 - 11:59
#4
questccg
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From The Game Crafter (TGC)

Here are some SMALLER cards from TGC:

  • Business Deck {2.0 x 3.5 in}
  • Domino Deck {1.75 x 3.5 in}
  • Micro Deck {1.25 x 1.75 in}
  • Mini Deck {1.75 x 2.5 in}

and in Millimeters (some other smaller cards):

  • Euro Poker Deck {63 x 88 mm}
  • Euro Square Deck {70 x 70 mm}

Personally what I THINK would be a "Good Fit" is the "Mini Deck" or the "Euro Square Deck". That's what I managed to find...

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Mon, 04/01/2019 - 12:16
#5
Jay103
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I saw this game in person at

I saw this game in person at PaxEast, and it looked pretty good. If you don't need too much info on the cards, it works, and it makes everything cheaper too :)

And if Ristora is reading, I'd say this is a good example of a successful cardgame KS.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/taylorhayward/darkness-a-strategy-c...

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Tue, 04/02/2019 - 01:51
#6
Rimmsolin
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Thanks for all the feedback!

Thanks for all the feedback!

The cards shown in picture have 5-6 info items. The cards that get placed on top of the playing field in the middle, have up to 15 info items each. So going to hobbit cards might be a bit small.

I played Friday which had pretty small cards (bridge?) which would save 2.5" bringing total length to 29.5" so just enough. Personally not a fan of those cards since they're so close, but odd feeling holding and shuffling to poker cards. That might just be me.

I considered tiles/square cards and I might have to revisit. Originally I was wanting all the same size since some cards stack, some are played to middle, some tableau, and some held in hand.

Just throwing it out there, how wide are your respective tables you'd play on?

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Tue, 04/02/2019 - 08:13
#7
Jay103
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Bridge cards are fairly

Bridge cards are fairly standard and shouldn't feel all that weird after the first 3 minutes of play, if that. I don't think square tiles would help at all, since you don't care about the width.

And I assume your game design absolutely requires 7 rows of cards like that...

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Wed, 04/03/2019 - 18:44
#8
Rimmsolin
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It’s true the tiles would

It’s true the tiles would only work if they were 2” x 2” and I think that’s just too small now.

I’ve tried to remove rows, add more columns etc. just doesn’t play well. Part of the strategy is determining what lane to play cards to. I’ve went down from 5 ro 4 “land” cards in the very middle but then players just took over thier 2 rows and bunkered since it was even. I’ve found in all my head to head competitive games odd numbers make for a more exciting game to play. To that end 3 rows is waaaaaay too shallow. So stuck with 5 rows, plus another 2 below for home row and horizontal play space.

I just tried laying it out at a local coffee shop. The smallest 2 person square tables would not fit it. The butcher long rectangle table was perfect. Tight but doable on the 4 person square tables.

Since it’s meant to be a buddy or couple game, perhaps even a lunch game, id hate to knock out some potential players when I’m so close. Perhaps close enough...

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Wed, 04/03/2019 - 18:59
#9
questccg
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Business Cards Format

Rimmsolin wrote:
It’s true the tiles would only work if they were 2” x 2” and I think that’s just too small now...

Have you even CONSIDERED the TGC "Business Deck" {2.0 x 3.5 in}? I agree 2" x 2" would be too small. But 2" x 3.5" might be a great compromise, especially the way you have your CURRENT board game layout.

Half an inch may seem relatively small ... but spread out across the table like you want to do, that can be a SERIOUS "space saver".

I would check it out... And I think your game would MAINTAIN it's format just be a little more COMPACT on your average playing surface.

Take a LOOK and let me know if this might work!

Best...

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