MTG Cardsmith Community Forums
The League
I, ChargingBadger, propose a league of cardsmiths who help give feedback and improve each other's cards.This is for the cardsmiths who do not get as much recognition as many in the "favored cardmakers" section, so that we can help each other get better. The card for signing up is at http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/the-league?list=user#.VZmByYc6lFI.
If you have any ideas or want to join, reply!
If you have any ideas or want to join, reply!
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Comments
The idea I think that would be most beneficial would be a cardsmith highlight, rather than cards. I believe there is a lot more to be gained from helping out a cardsmith develope techniques and learn tips and tricks, as well as a solid foundation for Magic's rule, including the colour pie, balancing, rarity, cost, everything. Almost like a tutorial for people to browse upon adventuring onto this site.
Getting a bunch of people around a 'table' to discuss and offer feedback on every single card seems incredibly tedious and hard to micro manage, and the only real way I can see to do it, would be through setting up a message on the forum, message, not discussion, with everybody whom is in the league in that message, and then, people would post links to cards that need, or want, help, through some other means, but even still, it's relatively the same as what the other people are doing with their own personal feedback, just in a larger quantity.
I don't denounce what you're doing, hell, I'd love to be able to give way more feedback to way more cards, but it's time consuming and I run my internet off my phone, so data consumption is an issue at times, but this doesn't really feel like the direction this needs to go in, in order to be optimal and efficient. It'll, in my mind, just boil down to a bunch of people who've been on the site for a while popping in every once in a while, looking at cards in that pool of cards they've shared, and giving feedback, again, not horrible, just not necessary.
A thread should be created that starts a trend of creating tutorials for new smiths, on how to properly use the site (navigation, forums, favourites, edit profile, edit library) all the general knowledge that takes the edge off when you first jump in. Then we need to focus on a "Creating a card, 101." Where you can list, starting with selecting the right art, finding the artist's name, picking a name, cost, abilities, flavour, and the basics that need to happen in order to separate an 'anonymous' mess, from a "Hey, check out this guy." And then you can get into more advanced stuff, like flavour text, creating your own abilities, balance, color pie, statics, triggered, activated abilities, the stack. And then an 'expert' path, with all the more 'quirky' stuff that goes into creating unique cards that, traditionally, you won't find in WotC's coffers. That may be harder to do though, since a lot of it is in the minds of those who make up the stuff, though it usually ties in with a concrete knowledge of the game, and how to bend and manipulate the rules to create something special and new.
Once all that stuff is done, it can be fitted into a closed thread where anyone can access the information for use. There are a lot of other ways to do this, but it would require mods to help and okay it, and I don't speak for them, but I assume they already have a s***load on their plate, we don't need to chime in with a direction at the present for them to think over. If, in time, it takes off, helps people adapt to the rudimentary and advances nuances of the site, then the mods might be able to dip their magical little fingers in there and create something special. But, that is for a much later day.
This to me is the more appropriate way to go for advancing the site and gathering more cardsmiths here.
The way I look at it is with that old saying "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
What we want to do is help people make better cards on their own, without them having to guess or ask 'why' when we suggest something on a particular card.
"You should change this to that."
"For this, you should make it..."
It works, and some people will be able to pick up on why's and how's on their own, but we should look at trying to help more people more efficiently. I think it could work, but I am always optimistic when it pertains to stuff I like, ha ha. Aren't we all though?
Anyways, that's my thought on the matter, feel free to challenge me on any points, or offer up thoughts and concerns in regards to this.
I apologise to you @ChargingBadger for such a long and rather big deviation from what you intended to put out.
Remember all, this is just my opinion, and does not reflect anyone else's views, beliefs, or opinions.
Cheers.
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/441/tutorial-selecting-artwork#latest
Thanks for your input. You are actually making a really good point here, and I looked through the forums and found that yes, there are a lot of this kind of thread already out there.
Since I already started this thread, however, I feel like I will try to continue it. If you want to start a Card Creation 101 thread, I would be all for that and could help if you wanted.
Depends. If I wrote it on my phone, ten hours? Ha ha. If I wrote it on my laptop, I can write as fast as I can think. So probably around twenty minutes, just thinking of what to say, and how to word it.
I love writing, so I am pretty decent. Just not on garbage phone keyboards. Ha ha.