Top Trumps "Angel of Darkness"
Today we have a quite special present for all card game fans among you. Exclusively for TRForge Visitors and Fans of Tomb Raider The Angel of Darkness.
You've probably heard of the Happy Families or Top Trumps card games. The same rules apply here too. If you forgot them, you can look them up here, on Wikipedia:
Happy Families: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Families
Top Trumps: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Trumps
Template
You can download the cards here as PDF:
(3.51 MB)If you want to print also the backgrounds, download it from here:
(518 kB)Instructions
Preparation
It's advised to use an already available card set, to get the most accurate looking cards. Simply glue the front of the cards with the new motif. The cards are designed in such a manner, to fit onto International Poker cards. You can use an old card set, which you don't need anymore, or buy a new one. Nonetheless you should make sure that they really have the right size. It needs to be 3.5 × 2.5 inches or 88 × 63 mm big. Also you should watch out to use cards made of carton. They are more suitable to tinker than cards made of plastic, which are often used in poker.
Additionally you will also need a pair of scissors, a carpet knife and a glue stick. A ruler and a few pins are also helpful.
Printing
Firstly you need to download and print out the templates. The back sides are optional, but you can also use the already existing back of the playing cards you have used.
Those who don't have a color printer, or simply want a better quality, can copy the templates on a flash drive and print them out in a copy shop near you.
Before you print them out you need to make sure that the cards are printed in original size or 100% size.
There are often print settings to adjust the size of the page automatically.
If you choose that, the motifs won't fit perfectly on the cards, therefore always choose 100%.
If you let someone else print them, make sure to mention this detail to them.
Now you need to cut out roughly the pages with scissors into 8 pieces. While doing that, there should be enough white space on the edges of the cards. Latter will be removed later. Now take the playing cards out of the box. A poker deck is made of 52 cards + eventually 3 jokers. But the AOD Top Trumps has only 32 cards, so you have plenty of reserve cards left, in case something goes wrong while making the cards.
Gluing
Afterwards you lay the print outs on a smooth surface, with the face pointing downwards. If you don't have a craft pad, you can take also cardboard.
You need to apply the glue uniformly, yet not too thick on the cardboard. A glue stick is recommended here, as liquid glue is not advisable for thin paper. Now lay them down carefully and straightly on the printout. If you use thin paper, you'll see the motif on the back side and this may help you at adjusting the card. If you have problems, you should use this trick:
Take the paper and put in some needles next to the border through the paper. If you turn it, you can see, with help of the needles, where the border is.
Now you can adjust the glued cards exactly between the needles. Be careful and don't prick your finger on the needles. When you've pressed the cards together carefully and they don't get out of place, you can pull out the needles again and use it for the next card.
The glued-together pieces should be laid under some books for a while, so that the glue can dry out. Glue sticks dry quite fast, but it's always safer to wait a while before you go on.
Cutting
Lay the cards with the back side down, now use a carpet cutter to cut off - along the card - the overlapping border of the paper. A support pad is needed so as not to damage the table.
In this way you will have a straight border, than if you cut it with scissors. A ruler is helpful here. When you have cut off all four sides, you just have to round the edges off. Scissors are better for that again.
Repeat this with all cards. If you wanna use the back sides too, you have to repeat it with them too.
Attention: when you glue them together, make sure that the back sides of the cards have the right adjustment, so that they don't look different when you play with them.
Alternatives:
If you can't or don't want to use complete playing cards as base, you also can glue the templates on thin card or drawing boards. In this way you should not cut out the printout before, but glue it as a whole on the card/drawing board; and cut it out with a carpet cutter (use the ruler) or scissors.
With some printers you already can print on card/drawing boards. Read the instructions of your printer if and how it works.
Finally:
Card sleeves are excellent to protect the cards, even if they are made of just one piece of paper. You can find card sleeves at your toy store next to the collector cards games!
Have Fun!
If you want to publish the cards or this text or parts of it elsewhere, please ask Elio for permission previously!
As every year there is also the TRForge advent calendar contest. Achieve the matching challenge to every calendar door and collect points, to get the chance to win a great prize in the end! You can find more infos here: contest, or you can click on Lara at the calendar page.