Blob's Card Engine

Building your own game ​

Every built-in game was made with the builder, so open one to see how it works. To make your own: match manager → Games → New game, pick a template, and press Create and open the builder.

The tabs, in the order you'll use them ​

  1. Info: name, number of players, rules level and How to play (a rich text editor with headings and lists), the card back, and the play mat: the table's colour and an optional picture under the cards (fill the table, tile it or show it whole, darkened so the cards stand out). Packs carry the picture with the game. Table tools sets the game's markers (Strengthened, Resilience…: a name, a colour, an icon, on/off or a count, and hover text) and whether players may add cards mid-game (the GM only, tokens, or new cards too).
  2. Card Designer: how cards look. Start from a layout, add elements (name, cost, art, rules text, stats) and drag them into place. Card types can have their own looks: a Spell laid out differently from a Unit. Font sets the lettering (Urbanist and IM Fell English come with the module).
  3. Library: the cards themselves. Make them with New card, edit many at once in the table view, upload art, or import a CSV or JSON file. Players who open a game that takes their cards (Info → Contributions) get Add a card (open) or Suggest a card (the GM approves it) here.
  4. Zones: where cards live: a shared deck and discard, each player's hand and play area. Layouts include piles, rows, fans and cascades.
  5. Variables: values the game tracks: life, score, chips, a pot. Player values can be linked to characters.
  6. Flow: how a round goes. Start from a pattern (take turns, turns with steps, deal-bet-show) and edit the phases.
  7. Rules: setup, the actions players take, what happens automatically (When this happens), card abilities and how the game ends.
  8. Test Play: play your game in the builder, or let the computer play hundreds of random games to find rules that get stuck.
  9. Publish: the rules checker, versions and changelog, export and compendiums.

Undo and redo work everywhere in the builder (Ctrl / Cmd + Z, Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + Z), and snapshots save a version you can go back to.

Formulas ​

Conditions and amounts are short formulas, like spreadsheet formulas: count(hand) > 0, var.self.life <= 0, card.cost <= var.self.mana. The builder suggests names as you type and underlines mistakes. See Formulas for the full list.

The rules checker ​

The Publish tab lists problems in plain words ("Nothing ever puts cards in Books") with a link to the field. Errors must be fixed before the game can be played; warnings are worth a look.

Next ​