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theunwellkingdom · 5 months

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Design Deep-Dive #1: The Blank Canvas

This project started as a simple idea:

"I want to create new Magic cards I can play with friends, based on the world and characters of our shared D&D campaign."

I knew this would be a massive undertaking, but at first, I didn't know HOW massive. A blank canvas can be a terrifying thing, so I set off researching and defining scope. This brought me to several realizations, which became my guiding pillars to start making cards...

1. This will need to be an entirely self-contained set.

I do not have professional design and balance teams at my disposal. Rather than attempt to slot my cards in with 30+ years of existing Magic, I knew my best chance of creating fun, playable cards was to keep them self-contained. However! This meant I also needed to commit to a full-sized set, to ensure there's a deep enough pool for a proper sealed/draft experience.

2. I don't want any reprints of existing Magic cards.

This one's selfish, but it wouldn't feel right to simply re-skin real cards. Of course there will be staple effects in each color (burn, counterspells, ramp, etc), but a huge incentive to start this mad journey was to give my design chops a good workout... I would quickly learn that this is easier said than done. Turns out it's very easy to think you have a clever idea, only to search online and find that clever idea on a decades-old piece of cardboard!

3. I want to design new mechanics.

This goes hand-in-hand with #2, but it wouldn't feel like a proper set without a few flagship mechanics to call its own! These came surprisingly quickly, and became invaluable tools to structure the entire set. Look forward to deep-dives on each of these in the future.

4. I want to celebrate art we've already made.

Our D&D group is comprised of a bunch of artsy folks, and we've got over 5 years of stories to draw from (literally). I've made sure to get everyone's blessing to use their art and characters, and I hope it makes the set feel more personal. We even put together a zine-style artbook for it during the pandemic, so there are already some great pieces ready to get slapped onto cardboard.

5. I'm going to need a LOT more art.

Even counting all our existing work, I knew I could only count on those to cover a fraction of the cards. The good news is, I love to draw. But the honest truth is that this will be the longest part of this endeavor. At the rate I've been drawing so far, I've probably got another two-ish years to go.

(NOTE: I will absolutely NOT be pilfering art from strangers online or using any sort of AI-generated content. This project is a labor of love, and I'm in it for the long haul -- not looking for unethical shortcuts.)

6. I want to leverage my custom token template.

I've printed off several batches of custom tokens recently, and that's helped me develop a Photoshop template for stylish custom cards! It would need lots of tweaks to accommodate all the card types in a full set, but at least in this aspect, I wouldn't be starting completely from scratch.

7. I don't actually know how to build a set cube!

Cards on the table, I only started playing MtG a couple years ago. I've got a decent grip on the fundamentals, but I've certainly never tried to build a cube before. This Lucky Paper article was a perfect primer for me to get ballpark numbers, and I cross-referenced it heavily against recent set cardlists to create my own.

....And with all that in mind, it was off to the races!

🔮NEXT TIME -- New Mechanics in the Unwell Kingdom

#uwk #the unwell kingdom #devlog #mtg #set cube #homebrew #design deep-dive

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i-am-nickelbolt · 1 year

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Being an mtg dad in 2023

Should my son one day decide that he wants to try his hand at slinging cardboard with his old man, I would like to curate a collection that will give him a wide variety of experiences.

For reference:

Here is an update of I've been working on as well as my mtg dad goals for 2023:

The "Beginner Experience" cubes have to be a priority moving forward. I will be building a Jumpstart Cube for introducing people to the game, and a "noob cube" for introducing people to drafting. I won't be collecting these in foil, and will try to get the newest, most accurate wording for all the cards. I'm also going to try to pick "cute" art and "less creepy" themes when I can.

Begin "Alpha40" collection with Unlimited cards. I want to make this a priority. If you haven't heard of Alpha40, you should check it out. It looks way, way sweeter than Old School '93-'94.

Continue to update my personal copy of the MTGO Vintage Cube as well as a binder of the Vintage Cube alumni. A new twist on this project is to not just collect the "best" version of every card, but to have multiple versions so that people I play with can "reskin" their decks with the versions they want. This is just an idea for now.

Continue working on Modern deck boxes. Modern is currently the best constructed format, and I don't see that changing any time soon. I am currently working on Izzet Murktide, 5-Color Creativity, Hammertime, Rakdos Scam, and Yawgmoth combo. I will try to add another deck to the list every month.

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is my favorite set. I made Mythic in limited on Arena with this set. I will complete my Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty foil showcase set cube in 2023. I have almost 500 cards currently. I might spring for the textured foil Wanderer, but I'm not in for the neon ink Hidetsugu.

When thinking about set cubes, I overlooked Khans of Tarkir. Khans is LSV's pick for best draft set ever, and I remember being enamored with the card Defiant Strike. I will be starting a Khans of Tarkir set cube.

I totally forgot that I had already built an Innistrad (2011) set cube! It was buried in boxes of things I never unpacked after my wife and I bought our house. I am pretty sure that it is incomplete, so I need to verify the contents my non-foil Innistrad cube.

Consider foiling out my Premodern Masters set cube. I haven't decided whether or not I want to undertake this project. It will be expensive.

Other set cubes:

I was reminded of how much fun Ikoria was, so I'm thinking that might be next on my list. Mutate was such a sweet mechanic, and cycling is an all time great limited mechanic. The question is, do I make Zenith Flare rare or not?

Dominaria (2018) is on hold, maybe cancelled. There's some debate as to how good this set actually was. It was great for it's time, but we were coming off a lot of bad limited sets and we've had a lot of good ones since then. My original thought was this was a beginner-friendly set, but I think my plans for Jumpstart cube and the "noob cube" do this job better. Also, The recent Dominaria: United and Brothers' War sets are both really, really good.

Innistrad: Double Feature custom set cube is probably canceled, due to the unearthing of my Innistrad (2011) set cube.

One of either Time Spiral Remastered, Dominaria Remastered, or an Invasion Block custom set cube should probably get made.

Ravnica plane cube is still interesting to me.

Update my Type 4 cube. I have not worked on this at all in 2022, so this is something that I should start in 2023.

And finally, I will get my cards sorted and stored in their permanent home. This is such a big deal because I've never had a *permanent* home for my cards. It makes me feel emotional, to be honest. I have purchased a large Kallax with drawer inserts. As I work on the projects listed above, I'm slowly getting the rest of my collection sorted and catalogued on Cardsphere so I can trade for my projects.

This will be an exciting year!

#mtgdad #new years resolution #mission statement #set cube #vintage cube #magic the gathering #mtgcollection

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sysig · 5 months

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Good skeles, like you lots (Patreon)

#Doodles #Handplates #UT #Sans #Papyrus #Gaster #Finally a set mostly featuring the brothers! Yay!#I love their dynamic so muuuuch and they're both so cuuuuuute ahhhhhhh <3 <3 #I made that first one based on some half-remembered doodles from my Very First time around drawing UT characters - going way back!#I never posted any of them - I do actually have some studies from back then from various artists including Zarla haha ♪#And I think the original sketches for the pixel bouncies I made of them? :0 There's a lot of good stuff back there! Been a while tho lol #Really tho I've just kinda been on a big-eyes-and-swirly-cheeks kick lately haha ♪ They suit it so well! Especially Sans #Very fun to put down strong lines about ♫#Hugging <3 Always hugging <3 <3 #I'm really pleased with their hands there actually haha - Papyrus pulling Sans in and Sans' hand on his ribs not pushing just a little space #They're so cute <3 Even some of my first doodles of them were them giving little donk-pecks on their cheek or forehead #Y'know - since they don't have lips lol #Also probably not a shock but I've pulled out my own colour cube(s) to play with out of inspiration lol #I am So out of practice lol #Sleeping on each other - it is The Classic! I love Papyrus' little paw thing with his plated hand while he sleeps haha #I personally really like the inverted Soul look on Monsters but in Handplates they're right side up! What do!#There must be a happy medium to strike somewhere hmmm #Just put them sideways and upset Everyone lol #A silly little set with Gaster of the two ''flying'' - does that activity actually have a name? :0 I don't know it #Gaster is not about to have them playing anything that could end up with 1-s falling though - not that he'll listen lol #''Because I told you to!'' Lol #And finally trying on clothes in their house! Papyrus is getting weird vibes off this shirt with how it ties in the back and hangs loosely #I'm pretty sure? I've been drawing him with his scar but it can hard to tell even looking at it myself lol #I'm not exactly careful with the delineation of his neck bones so the line can get lost #Needs a shirt that will compliment a scarf or a cape for sure

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sachartworks · 3 months

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CUBE - Jet Set Radio

#sega #jet set radio #jet grind radio #dreamcast #jsr #sachartworks #my art #video games #fanart #illustration #art #artwork #digital art #sega fanart #graffiti #cube

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reallybadblackoutpoems · 11 months

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inspirational quote - winnie the pooh

"i am so hard -winnie the pooh"

submitted by @kricketskorner

#submission #poem #blackout poetry #built a set yesterday #aka #im fucking weak so i was a human jack #went grocery shopping for my roommates today #(my housewife era)#but the issue is i live with only tech theatre people #and we are in tech week #so i bought like 1000 energy drinks and cubed ham and just looked insane #anyway #thank you so much for your submission!!

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jakface · 4 months

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4 more funky Rudies!

#cube jsr #garam jsr #slate jsr #tab jsr #jet set radio #jet grind radio

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deathofcloud · 8 months

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I love her swag so much I had to make gifs of her

#jet set radio #cube #dreamcast #sega #2000s #early 2000s #sega dreamcast #jet grind radio #bomb rush cyberfunk

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thelakesuite · 1 month

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The Rusty Lake Story in Bitchass Baby Terms

this is ALL off the top of my head (and i haven't experienced like 10% of it maybe?) so i might be wrong but i don't care right now

the lake itself isn't, like, that well established 'cause it's a mystery game or something so we don't need full exposition. it's some deity-like thing as old as the mammoths (not canon) that eats time. or rather memories that are stored in lil cubes. and it gives its zookeepers immortality so they can keep feeding it. they call themselves the Rulers of the Lake but we all know the truth. 'immortality', or rather enlightenment, is represented by you becoming your fursona and living maybe an extra century. mr. owl's looking for a new heir pretty quick in the process but we'll get to that.

corrupted souls are kinda a byproduct of all this. truly the lake's farts. when a person dies horribly, when their memories get extracted wrong, or when the plot demands it, they become corrupted. corrupted souls still talk, and some of them are even sensible (like your mom oooooh), but generally they're jumpscare beasts or wet little puppies. sometimes both. yes you can get corrupted when you're enlightened, and right now it's the more likely outcome actually. there's a whole 'elixir of immortality' that gets harped on, where one drinker gets corrupted and the other gets enlightened, but that is literally only a thing for roots and a little bit of cave so don't worry about it too much. unless you're making dramatic fanart in which case leverage that shit.

cubes come up a lot in cube escape, believe it or not! black ones are bad memories, white ones are good memories, blue ones are connected to the past in a way that's somehow not a memory, gold ones are connected to the future, red ones only exist in my fangame that ellesian recently unearthed, and green ones are jello yum. also suck it anyone who told me pre-tpw the gold cube thing was unestablished. anyway. it was a big thing mr.'s owl and crow were working on, creating a golden cube (presumably to extend their own lives) as seen in cave, but then one just kinda appears in the past within when albert does electric jujitsu. jury is still out on that.

onto the actual narrative i think.

in paradise, you're mr. owl pre-owling (1790-something). the lake's current suckass servants are your family who tried to sacrifice you to it way back, but your mom took your place for mom reasons. now mom's corrupted and guiding you to... well, to get sacrificed for real this time. but with your powers combined (yes mr. owl was two people, no it is never addressed) you get enlightened and tell your family to fuck off 'cause you're building a hotel on that island now. you also get a tease in the secret ending that dale and laura will do a similar fusion dance to be the lake's next suckass. we've been waiting 6 years for that to happen.

in roots, two alchemist brothers get that elixir shit going (1860-1935). one of them becomes mr. crow, while the other becomes a playable character for a game. and corrupted. you rope your whole bloodline into this, harvesting their body parts (usually after they die from other means, but you totally caused most of their deaths) for a reincarnation ritual involving a magic seed (that also only exists for this game). this is where the best characters come from because rusty lake actually wanted to tell a story with this game. you reincarnate into a woman! don't think about the implications.

in samsara room, the inside scoop of reincarnation is fuckin' weird, dude (1935). the original was made before rusty lake began, so it's not truly part of the narrative, but it got folded in for the fifth anniversary.

in hotel, you do not get the backstory of the third bird man (1890ish). instead, you get to kill mr. owl's family again, but one-on-one as animal people. how did they become animal people? fuck you that's how! mr. owl probably did it on purpose to spite them with shit sandwiches and bullets to the brain. oh, also, there might be an evil twin of mr. rabbit that shows up later.

in arles, you're vincent van gogh. that's it. he's not relevant. but it is funny seing the death date of paul gauguin in the timeline docs.

we're talking about the past within later but the 'past' segment takes place around here. 1926 iirc?

in birthday, your parents get shot (1939). you're going to be an important detective, dale, but like right now you're getting traumatized. or rather you're experiencing that memory, then doing blue cube magic to fix it and have your grandpa shoot evil mr. rabbit instead. is your grandpa actually mr. crow? no. shut up about it now.

in underground blossom, your mom gets abducted (1935-1972 maybe). okay, well, not you. this is the laura backstory metaphor game but you're actually playing as the third bird man who is both her stepdad and her pet. and her grandpa albert takes her mom rose for his own nefarious reincarnation schemes maybe probably. rose is surprisingly okay with it but characters rarely put up a fight with the plot anyway. laura's a lonely kid, starts dating robert, picks up art to soothe her nightmares, gets murked, then reaches some kind of epiphany that we just train ride away from before finding out what actually happens. she's your daughter, damnit, you should support her transcendence. not enlightenment importantly. also, no, laura's life didn't literally happen at train stops, it's just a vehicle. not even a pun don't fucking laugh i see you snickering.

in seasons, you set up a really interesting plotline that gets utterly countered by everything that came after (1960's-80's). it's just laura time in there, and she uncorrupts herself, thank you very much. the series has been struggling with how laura gets her corrupted self to 1980-whatever, and so far only one other game's even taken place after 1972. and that game's the past within which also counters every other plotline. sigh. maybe we're not smart enough for these puzzle games. at least harvey's cute and bird-shaped. key point that's impossible to fuck up is that laura dies in 1972, and it's unclear whether it was a murder or suicide. that's why we get a detective.

in harvey's box and the lake, uh i don't know really (1969). these are early games that are basically spinoffs of seasons. they help with the overarching stuff but aren't much for the narrative at this point. also they suck

in case 23, dale starts investigating laura's death and gets wrapped up in the lake stuff (1972). it was supposed to be just another murder case, but he got too into it and it got too into him, so he gets teleported to the lake chapel and ferried off to. somewhere idk. he goes into an elevator that takes him down memory lane to the lake floor.

in the mill, mr. crow is really trying to clean house before dale gets here (1972). this is where laura gets her ass corrupted by mr. crow, and we find out how the lake eats memories or whatever. it's supposed to overlap with case 23 and it almost succeeds. whatever skrunk is still there is forgiveable, this was the flash era after all.

in theatre, dale learns about ripoff hinduism, goads a man into suicide, and abandons his darling toilet fetus son (1971). it's like birthday again, where this is a memory we're seeing, but that is a light distinction. robert kills himself at the bar, and we take his memories for legal reasons. there's some sixfold wheel we learn about that doesn't matter much.

in the cave, mr. crow still cleans house before dale gets to the Magic Memory Machine (1972). mr. owl's kinda sorta dying, and dale's been elected his son or something. gotta get his mindmeats. you read a textbook about cubes, pilot a submarine to the lakefloor, put dale and laura in a surrogate fusion dance machine, then give dale the golden cube it makes before sending him up the elevator again. hotel did imply something serious was gonna happen when he gets to the top, but that was eight years ago. the devs probably forgot and fell too in love with albert vanderboom in the meantime.

in the white door, robert unkills himself and gets wrong psychiatry (1972). as it turns out, mr. owl has a front business running a for-profit psych ward to extract totally good and healthy memories from people. this one is an actual factual spinoff but is kinda relevant for the greater rusty lake metropolitan area.

in paradox, fuuuuuuuck who knows maaaan, isn't it all just a metaphor? (1972). there's a consensus that none of the stuff that happens in paradox actually happens, and that it's all in dale's head while he's in the Magic Memory Machine from cave. even though there's five different endings, he kinda walks away at the end, which might be the worst ending of the lot. the information's solid though; mr. owl spells out the whole heir thing, there's bits of backstory for dale and laura everywhere. also the movie's sick.

in the past within, albert becomes a mechanical engineer for the sole purpose of making plot armor (1926/1984). yeah, remember that guy from roots? the voodoo murderer who got third-hand alchemy information to make up for his lack of pussy? yeah, he invented a time machine decades ago. and he enlisted his daughter to talk to her past/future self to grow him back to life in 1984. with a gold cube that he somehow got. and somehow his scar is genetically coded in him. and we don't see his wiggly lineart dick. what does he do in 1984? trap his daughter in a time loop then who the fuck knows. he's stuck in his jumpscare beast ways from being corrupted for so long. how did he get corrupted when he was literally buried in the ground and salvaged bones from? next game!

there's an ARG that i never saw a thing of because i hated it, best kept memory. from what i gathered, it was another front scheme for memory harvesting, except in the 2000's. does that mean it's enlightened dale/laura doing this one, since mr. owl presumably passed on the title then turned into a fish? i'd like to know too!

also, a chapter of underground blossom i haven't completed, and a paper-based game coming out within the next two years or whatever. i don't know how much they'll clear up.

toodles!

#rusty lake #basically the cube escape era set up this 1972 arc without actually concluding it #and each of the steam titles have been more distinct stories while still playing to the overall plotline #kinda like spinoffs of spinoffs #a lot of us old folk are bitter that we still haven't resolved 1972 and there isn't much focus with the recent games #like they do just enough building on each other to make it irritating they aren't doing more. especially compared to the cube escapes

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