As I left off last week I was teasing the idea of more card ideas before moving into the other categories of card distribution and creation.
Let's wrap that up first shall we?
What - Part Deux
The previous post eluded to how I came up with my different types of major cards in the game but my game goes far deeper than that so I had to think like a gamer to truly hit the idea of progression which is primary focus of almost all games - I would argue all of them!
Battle Cards
This as a set of cards I wanted to impact a specific area of my game - the guild battles. These battles are mini review games, or just for fun games, that we play once or twice a month to keep engagement high, information fresh and relevant and strategy flowing.
To design them I thought of what players would do to other players during the course of real game, like a video game per say. They would want disrupt their game play and gain advantages so I thought set out to do this. I have swords (force a player to answer a question) shield (block all attacks) spear (miss a turn) etc ... These are sold cheap enough and are also what I consider my entry level cards. When they begin the game each player selects a character class and each class starts off with 2 different battle cards from this set. They are very popular and add an incredible element of fun to our class work ... I mean quests ;)
Click here to check out all of the battle cards
Mythic & Rare Cards
This concept is purely gaming with a sprinkle of teaching. Since games love progression and awarding those who work hard or take risks I decided to create a set of cards that would be powerful, rare and very limited. I also wanted them to stand out from the rest so I created them using gold and silver foil backed cards. These cards are only able to be unlocked when students complete side missions, take large risks or try to decipher different puzzles and clues hidden throughout Scientia Terra. They are based off of what students would always want to do such as Invisibility Cloak (allows a student to walk around during a test for 1 minute 'unnoticed') Shape Shifter (this card becomes any card the user wishes) or Hand of God (revive a fallen teammate without losing any gold or items). The trick is to limit the amount of them that you have in the game so they stay rare and powerful.
For my own class I have 9 of each card or less for 100 students so they are tough to come by and very cherished when they are uncovered, earned or won.
Click here to check out all of the mythic and rare cards
Pro Tip: When you are away leave a mythic or rare card for your substitute to distribute with whatever criteria you wish to assign for its distribution. This gives the sub some power in the game (which helps in discipline and effort in the kids) and creates a card that is incredible rare and only available should you be away. Even give the sub a character type like a Wandering Warrior or a Travelling Gypsy or something that fits your game. Kids love this!
Crafting Cards
The final set of cards I created were to balance out the strong and weaker players. Some players and guilds will excel right off the hop and earn lots of different things while those who are slow to connect, understand or buy in will be slightly left behind. In order to counter act this I decided the best way would be to toss my hat into the Minecraft way of thinking. I created a set of cards that allow kids to create items based on the combinations they choose to blend together. I have building materials such as wood, nails, rope and the like and more mythical items like a dragon's eye or glowing stone. Kids love to mix and match them to see what they can get!
Click here to check out all of the crafting cards
Why
Now that we have the basics of what to make the idea is why do we even want to do this?
The answer here is pretty simple. Games are amazing at constantly giving the user that sense of control and acknowledgement of hard work, risk or effort. Using cards in your game will do the exact same thing. It will demonstrate to your students you are recognizing their efforts and it will also foster a sense of control because they earn them and they get to determine when to use them and who they use them on.
Also, let's not forget that it adds a massive element of fun and strategy. You will see kids keeping cards secret, planning attacks and just enjoying themselves more.
Finally, it also gives kids goals to achieve. They are able to plan out "OK - I want this card so I have to ...." and that is something that I truly enjoy when I see it happening. So often we want our kids to be forward thinkers but we do not give them true opportunities to do so!
That's all for now folks! Part 3 will be coming out sometime this week and will wrap up with the Who Where, When and How of Game Cards.
Up to this point - what do you think?
Until next time!
-Master Heebs!
Let's wrap that up first shall we?
What - Part Deux
The previous post eluded to how I came up with my different types of major cards in the game but my game goes far deeper than that so I had to think like a gamer to truly hit the idea of progression which is primary focus of almost all games - I would argue all of them!
Battle Cards
This as a set of cards I wanted to impact a specific area of my game - the guild battles. These battles are mini review games, or just for fun games, that we play once or twice a month to keep engagement high, information fresh and relevant and strategy flowing.
To design them I thought of what players would do to other players during the course of real game, like a video game per say. They would want disrupt their game play and gain advantages so I thought set out to do this. I have swords (force a player to answer a question) shield (block all attacks) spear (miss a turn) etc ... These are sold cheap enough and are also what I consider my entry level cards. When they begin the game each player selects a character class and each class starts off with 2 different battle cards from this set. They are very popular and add an incredible element of fun to our class work ... I mean quests ;)
Click here to check out all of the battle cards
Mythic & Rare Cards
This concept is purely gaming with a sprinkle of teaching. Since games love progression and awarding those who work hard or take risks I decided to create a set of cards that would be powerful, rare and very limited. I also wanted them to stand out from the rest so I created them using gold and silver foil backed cards. These cards are only able to be unlocked when students complete side missions, take large risks or try to decipher different puzzles and clues hidden throughout Scientia Terra. They are based off of what students would always want to do such as Invisibility Cloak (allows a student to walk around during a test for 1 minute 'unnoticed') Shape Shifter (this card becomes any card the user wishes) or Hand of God (revive a fallen teammate without losing any gold or items). The trick is to limit the amount of them that you have in the game so they stay rare and powerful.
For my own class I have 9 of each card or less for 100 students so they are tough to come by and very cherished when they are uncovered, earned or won.
Click here to check out all of the mythic and rare cards
Pro Tip: When you are away leave a mythic or rare card for your substitute to distribute with whatever criteria you wish to assign for its distribution. This gives the sub some power in the game (which helps in discipline and effort in the kids) and creates a card that is incredible rare and only available should you be away. Even give the sub a character type like a Wandering Warrior or a Travelling Gypsy or something that fits your game. Kids love this!
Crafting Cards
The final set of cards I created were to balance out the strong and weaker players. Some players and guilds will excel right off the hop and earn lots of different things while those who are slow to connect, understand or buy in will be slightly left behind. In order to counter act this I decided the best way would be to toss my hat into the Minecraft way of thinking. I created a set of cards that allow kids to create items based on the combinations they choose to blend together. I have building materials such as wood, nails, rope and the like and more mythical items like a dragon's eye or glowing stone. Kids love to mix and match them to see what they can get!
Click here to check out all of the crafting cards
Why
Now that we have the basics of what to make the idea is why do we even want to do this?
The answer here is pretty simple. Games are amazing at constantly giving the user that sense of control and acknowledgement of hard work, risk or effort. Using cards in your game will do the exact same thing. It will demonstrate to your students you are recognizing their efforts and it will also foster a sense of control because they earn them and they get to determine when to use them and who they use them on.
Also, let's not forget that it adds a massive element of fun and strategy. You will see kids keeping cards secret, planning attacks and just enjoying themselves more.
Finally, it also gives kids goals to achieve. They are able to plan out "OK - I want this card so I have to ...." and that is something that I truly enjoy when I see it happening. So often we want our kids to be forward thinkers but we do not give them true opportunities to do so!
That's all for now folks! Part 3 will be coming out sometime this week and will wrap up with the Who Where, When and How of Game Cards.
Up to this point - what do you think?
Until next time!
-Master Heebs!
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