any tutorials/advice on the creation of new Hero Cards?

[GoldnboyVA]

So, i'm in the process of creating a necro and a thief. I read the tutorial about creating new cards, like treasure, spell, etc. in this forum, but is there any way to duplicate the original material for the hero cards? I would really like to get these to as close as the original as possible.

Edit: i should mention, I've already designed the hero cards and necro spells using your excellent templates on here. I'm just not sure how to bring them to life.

[Kurgan]

I always just used the clone stamp tool (in your favorite photo editing program) to cover up the text on high quality scans of the originals, and then apply new layers of text using the Hero Quest fonts.

[GoldnboyVA]

What about the material for the actual tile?

[Stig]

Theres a lot of info here on the site. You seen this?

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=24

[GoldnboyVA]

I had not, but i should have been more specific in the title I suppose. What I was looking for is the physical materials to use for the cards and the larger hero tiles that would closely resemble the original game.

[Stig]

Oh ok, here’s a nice thread about physically making the cards yourself instead of getting them professionally printed:

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=509

[iKarith]

Something I'd like to do is get some blank templates for various game components. It's for something I'd like to do here on the Inn later on—I basically want to make it possible to create new cards and new languages really easy, right on the website, in various sizes for things people can get made, and eventually in any language.

It's a low priority on the todo list right now, but y'all who have some art skills might want to keep it in mind.

[Kurgan]

Regarding the physical cards (more like tiles) themselves...

I put the finished designs on a thumb drive (this was pre-covid) and brought them into the local print shop and printed them (they had a self service color scanner/printer which was fairly straight forward). It was usually easiest to export the images as PDF since the machine would convert any image to PDF anyway prior to printing. I'd take the sheets home and cut them out with a big pair of scissors and glue them (with a glue-stick) to a piece of chipboard (originally I was using the backings of notebooks and the extra padding sheets that came with those clear plastic sheet protectors, but when I ran out I actually bought a poster size piece of chipboard from a local hobby store). This is brown chipboard, somewhat stiffer and harder than your cereal box cardboard, but not like thick matte or poster board (thicker and more rigid than cardstock).

The gluesticks I used weren't anything special, I got some "school glue" type ones that go on purple but dry clear. I've had pretty good luck with it except in cases where I didn't press the pieces together right away (it dries fast) or put too much stress on them (I need to get a stronger glue for use in securing box corners together but that's another thread).

Once the glue was dry and both sides were applied, I carefully cut the thing out and then for added protection I slipped it (and the rest of my hero tile cards) into a clear plastic pocket designed to protect photos. The solution worked out pretty well. You can easily pull it out if you want or just play it with the oversized sleeve on with no problems, and unless you compare it very closely, it looks like it fits right in with the others.

I've used services like BGM to have professionally printed tiles, and while they turn out very nice (good weight to them, nice finish, perfect die cut and you even get to punch them out first time), the cost and waiting time are definite negatives... the "custom sizes" are way too cost prohibitive for at best a few dozen tiles (not printing 1000s) so while I did print some shiny character cards, they are smaller than the real thing, and the ones I cut and glued myself actually work better even if they would be slightly less durable without the sleeve (but then I have the files, I can whip up a replacement much quicker and cheaper if I need to).

Be sure to backup your files and don't leave your drive behind at the print shop (I did that once, thankfully I got it back and nothing was lost).

[GoldnboyVA]

i ended up just taking the most convenient route (i.e. OfficeMax) and getting the spell cards on card stock and the hero tiles on something more dense, but will still have to be mounted on something else to make them similar. I hope to get them back today. If they suck, it wasn't too expensive and I can try something else.

[Kurgan]

Thick cardstock isn't bad (I've used OfficeDepot which is the same company as OM), but I preferred to glue stick printed paper to cardstock to give added thickness. However if you are sleeving them, they may be too thick, hence your solution may be ok. The first cards I ever did were the Ron Shirtz Combat Cards, and I actually cut up a manila style file folder and glued photocopied paper to it. Took forever, but they were pretty hard and I used too much glue so they were curled, still that was 2002.

Professionally printed cards will run you about 50 cents apiece (for example via MPC), vs. pennies apiece if you print them yourself on big sheets of 8 or whatever.