Saturday, August 25, 2012

Resource Card Color Wheel

It's been some time since I last worked on my resource card project. That project plods along as i'm still trying to build the framework within which I can ground the card categories themselves. One of the difficulties is trying to establish color-coding that the cards will use, to define what they are and who can use them. Here is most recent effort.

 
The chosen colors are intended to evoke a related mood.  White is attached to the Paladins, Grapplers (Monks) and Clerics, as those are the three "good" classes.  Conversely, black (evil) is connected to the Necromancers, Xsionicists and Witches/Warlocks.  Locations are assigned the color brown since many of the locations are (obviously) above earth or underground.  Monsters are dangerous and thus have the color red.  Treasure has been connected to the color orange as it is reminiscent of the color of gold.  Yellow is used for the Fighters, Valkyries and Knights because they are the bold classes.  Druids, Rangers and Barbarians are all connected to nature and the wilderness, and have thus been assigned the color green.  Thieves, Assassins and Jongleurs (Bards) use the color blue since it is the color of shadows.  Purple is a mysterious color, and is appropriate for Sorcerers, Magic Users and Illusionists.  And finally, mundane equipment is assigned the color grey or silver.
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2 comments:

  1. John LAugust 25, 2012 at 7:41 PM

    Hi Aaron,
    These resource cards for all the different classes - what sort of info would you have on them? NPC stats? Class abilities?
    This reminds me of something similar I had a go at, purely as a personal thing with no intention of publishing. Red was for monsters, Green was for locations, Blue was for NPCs (all classes), Black was for spells, White was for plot ideas and hooks, brown was for magic items. Each had a title and a paragraph of description. Before I quit (or got distracted by the latest shiny new project) I had done about thirty of each colour, stuck onto Magic: the Gathering cards (hence the 6 colours). I would shuffle them up and try different combinations for possible adventure or encounter ideas.
    I shall keep an eye on this resource card project of yours. It could be good.

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  2. Aaron E. SteeleAugust 26, 2012 at 11:23 AM

    The resource card project is intended to be purpose-neutral. That is, someone can use the cards in any way they like.

    A couple of the card categories not documented above include plot hooks, clues, henchmen hirelings, tricks, and traps. I'm not sure where they would fit in my color scheme, and worry that they would be too campaign-specific.

    The cards for each particular class are intended to be used together, but there is no reason why someone could not mix and match between classes, even across colors.

    Again, I don't intend to impose any dictums upon how someone uses the cards.

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