Aldrisang Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I've been looking around for a while about creating my own Pazaak deck, and I was going to print/laminate my own until I found there are sites that you can build custom decks on. The one I used is PrinterStudio.com (though there are others). I made my own 54-card Pazaak side deck with mini cards, and it was only just over $7 after shipping (including tracking), and that's the one deck you need. The images I'm providing work for poker-sized cards as well. You don't actually need to create a custom main deck if you're tight on cash; you can remove the Js, Qs and Ks from a normal poker deck, and wa-la... a 40-card Pazaak main deck, with 4 each of A-through-10 (Aces being 1s)! I found that someone else had uploaded Pazaak card images (nikon20 gets credit for his/her work on these originals)... however they weren't sized correctly for such a site and would get cut off. I had to expand the canvases and extend the designs outward. I made other edits, including complete redos of the backs and ± cards, and saved my versions as JPEGs instead of PNGs (saving a ton of space). I'd like to make those images available to everyone here. I don't know a more elegant way to do it, and I can't share my design otherwise without selling it on the site (which would be an infringement of copyright), so I uploaded them to an image host site and am providing the links for each one. What you choose to do with them is your business! Before the links, here's a preview screenshot of how the side deck cards would look (ignore the dotted red line, that's just showing the "safe zone" and won't show up on the cards): MAIN DECK (Right-Click and "Save Link As...") http://s11.postimg.org/9dim2o27n/Pazaak_Main_Deck_Back.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/th28epu7n/Pazaak_Main01.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/6tmz8kenn/Pazaak_Main02.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/j4bcewbar/Pazaak_Main03.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/3wzy8a8tv/Pazaak_Main04.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/o0jkkc0tv/Pazaak_Main05.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/mcp0jfcc3/Pazaak_Main06.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/cj7t6ma7n/Pazaak_Main07.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/y71cuszzn/Pazaak_Main08.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/5niz9rqcz/Pazaak_Main09.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/qn3of0hf7/Pazaak_Main10.jpg For a 40-card main deck, you'd want 4 each of 1-through-10. If you're making a 54 card deck, get at least that... and then add as you see fit. SIDE DECK (Right-Click and "Save Link As...") http://s11.postimg.org/nl8arbewj/Pazaak_Side_Deck_Back.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/4bagzd7oz/Pazaak_Side_P1.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/yl2ouek37/Pazaak_Side_P2.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/oxz6kor3n/Pazaak_Side_P3.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/i7naoztbn/Pazaak_Side_P4.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/wydh9681f/Pazaak_Side_P5.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/3s5dq3gab/Pazaak_Side_P6.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/3pgwpin8z/Pazaak_Side_M1.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/f6x9gz38z/Pazaak_Side_M2.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/w4wa2tcmr/Pazaak_Side_M3.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/60eytoy0j/Pazaak_Side_M4.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/ohdyy93cj/Pazaak_Side_M5.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/5eulbbsc3/Pazaak_Side_M6.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/jg6kwvvw3/Pazaak_Side_PM1.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/r3y2sxjxv/Pazaak_Side_PM2.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/3s9z3u5o3/Pazaak_Side_PM3.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/8xb6lgilv/Pazaak_Side_PM4.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/p0nnl9k4z/Pazaak_Side_PM5.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/lpzaldu7n/Pazaak_Side_PM6.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/ltjxa5kxf/Pazaak_Side2_4.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/j8ecmmvjn/Pazaak_Side3_6.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/pfpqmsrar/Pazaak_Side_D.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/jewn3gu2b/Pazaak_Side_PM1_2.jpg http://s11.postimg.org/lao0sd8ab/Pazaak_Side_PM1_Tie.jpg So how do you make a side deck? I'd imagine a 2-player side deck would be 40 cards, but my closest choices were either 36 or 54 on that site; I went with 54 to have some extras. Here's how I created my deck from this selection (which includes cards from KOTOR II that I'm not sure how to use, yet): 18 + cards: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6 (three of each) 18 - cards: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6 (three of each) 13 ± cards: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6 (two of each, single extra 6) 5 KOTOR II cards: ± 1/2, ± 1T, D, 2 & 4, 3 & 6 (one of each) You can really make your deck any way you want (in the end), and you wouldn't need to use all 54 when you actually play. If you've played KOTOR II and are more familiar with those additional cards, you may have greater insight in how many of them to include. Your mileage may vary, but damn... your own Pazaak deck! Insane! =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 Aha! I found that "more elegant" way of sharing these, and it's to create an entire album that you can see and download. Gallery: http://imgur.com/gallery/buXj8 Album: http://imgur.com/a/buXj8?gallery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 13, 2014 Author Share Posted December 13, 2014 I'll probably create my own Pazaak card images from scratch and post them within a couple days. Besides not liking that font, where the 5's almost look like 6's, there's some legitimacy issues concerning who created the original artwork (someone may have copied someone else's work and modified it without giving due credit, passing it off as their own; not sure yet). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 14, 2014 Author Share Posted December 14, 2014 I'm working on my own, and here's what I've come up with after a few hours tinkering on Photoshop. Comments and constructive criticisms are welcome and appreciated: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 14, 2014 Author Share Posted December 14, 2014 Alright I'm off to bed. I do have to extend that - a bit... it's short. Must remember that. Nite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltiades Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 This made me realize I really would like to have a physical Pazaak deck. I do like what you're doing with your personalized Pazaak cards, but I prefer the "matte" colors of the original. Other than that, looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 14, 2014 Author Share Posted December 14, 2014 Yeah the only problem I'm going to have is to get other people to play Pazaak with me... I don't know any fans of the game in real life. I could play it online, but that's something else. I ordered a deck for a reason. Those cards I made may be just one set of many -- I might design several different sets, and put them all up at once. Do I have a life? No, no I do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hassat Hunter Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 But you probably know people IRL that like Blackjack, or know how it works... Could explain them the simple changes between that and Pazaak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 14, 2014 Author Share Posted December 14, 2014 That's exactly how I explain Pazaak: Blackjack but with "mod cards" to change your score, and aiming for 20 instead of 21. I'm not a big Blackjack fan myself, more Texas Hold'em, but Pazaak is much more fun IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCarter426 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Looks good. A bit reminiscent of Uno cards... which I used for my original pazaak deck, in fact. Obviously with my design I tried to recreate the game's look, but I can see how a more stylized design could be beneficial. In particular, having the rules written on the cards is more friendly to new players. However, I have to wonder, since your design is a departure from the game design, why you didn't change a few other things. For example, I would design the +/- cards so they players could flip them around, with the change in value being clear. Something like standard playing cards, which have the values on mirrored on the corners. The 2&4 and 3&6 cards would still present problems, though, as there would be no way of doing this for the regular + and - cards. Perhaps some system of tokens would be easier. I like your layout for the side deck, too. It's a bit different from the one I planned. I don't remember exactly what my plan was, but I believe I was splitting the side deck cards between two decks; one deck would include the main deck and 14 side deck cards, with the other deck containing only side deck cards. That would be 68 side deck cards total - probably more than you'd need, and a bit of a convoluted way to order them. I like that your layout has a deck with all the side cards; as you said, you don't have to order a main deck to save money, and it also might alleviate the problems I mentioned above if you ordered a main deck with extra + and - cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 I'm working on a new design now, so maybe I'll incorporate those ideas JCarter426, thanks. They really shouldn't be any problem, though I need to understand the KOTOR II cards better (their functions) to make sure I'm doing it right. The ± cards will be easy as flip-cards. It is, as you say, the 2 & 4 and 3 & 6 cards that are a head-scratcher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 My preference would be to remove those two cards (2 & 4, 3 & 6) and only play with the ± 1T, D and ± 1/2. I'll probably actually set those two cards aside when I play with the deck I ordered. Too much hassle! Another option would be to change the meaning... which is possible with printing the meanings on the cards. I don't really like that idea, because I'm at some level a purist and don't like messing with game mechanics. What I'd love to do is design a Pazaak board, including some system for keeping track of your score. It's much more difficult in real life to keep all this stuff straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Bleh I have no idea what I want to do with these cards. Here's something I threw together to be as far away from the standard template as I could think. Just a thought, like all the others. I could have a completely different design tomorrow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCarter426 Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 My preference would be to remove those two cards (2 & 4, 3 & 6) and only play with the ± 1T, D and ± 1/2. I'll probably actually set those two cards aside when I play with the deck I ordered. Too much hassle! The ±1/2 would be tricky too. That's one card with four values. Not sure how you'd do that. Maybe each corner? Or the edges? Might look weird, though. I don't think I've ever used that card in the game, so I couldn't even tell you how it's handled in the game. EDIT: I cheated it in and checked it out. There is another button to change the value between 1 and 2, just like with the ± button. That's what I figured, but I'd never seen it personally. I quite like the 2&4 and 3&6 cards, so I'd like to figure out how to utilize them, but it's a tricky issue. If you were to use side deck cards to swap out the values for these, you would need extra 2, 3, 4, and 6 cards to counter the other cards. Now, there are only up to 8 side deck cards being used at any time, so it's conceivable that you could just use extras, but it's highly probable that you would run out eventually. To ensure this would never happen, you'd need extra cards. I did some math. It adds up to four of each - card, plus double amount the + cards that are being used as side deck cards. (They do NOT turn - cards into + cards. I always assumed they did, but I tested it, and they don't.) So, for your layout above, and assuming you don't have to account for the ± cards, that would be 7 of each - card, 28 extra cards total. You would need more than half a deck just for cards that wouldn't even be in play most of the time. Not very efficient. But there are other options. You could put tokens on the cards to mark which ones have had their values reversed - change, or bits of paper, poker chips, etc. You could also flip the cards sideways. It's interesting how a simple concept like this is difficult to execute without a computer. On the other hand, I can think of other potential card designs that would be more difficult on the computer because they'd require player input, which would mean altering the GUI. Cards don't have a GUI. What I'd love to do is design a Pazaak board, including some system for keeping track of your score. It's much more difficult in real life to keep all this stuff straight. Right, that would take care of all the issues... I have no idea how to go about it, though. Bleh I have no idea what I want to do with these cards. Here's something I threw together to be as far away from the standard template as I could think. Just a thought, like all the others. I could have a completely different design tomorrow: Oh, I like that design. Looking forward to more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 The +/- 1/2 could actually have 4 sides (top, bottom, left, and right). It may be awkward to turn the card on its side, because it would be longer, but the design could go any number of ways. My first idea was a double-sided flip-card, but removing the "back" of the card also removes its initial anonymity when you're shuffling those cards out. For at least the first hand in a game, you have no idea what cards your opponent has... and I prefer to keep it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 26, 2014 Author Share Posted December 26, 2014 I finally got my deck today, the day after Christmas (lol), and it's beeeeeautiful! Maybe later on I'll take some pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 One thing I didn't anticipate was how hard it would be to break in "mini" cards. Usually you need to shuffle and bend poker cards a bit before they lend themselves naturally to being shuffled (unless they're plastic). I must've shuffled these a thousand times, and they finally feel like cards people would be playing with on a regular basis. Still very nice in any case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldrisang Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 Still hard to find people to play Pazaak with. I know you can play online, and I think there's also a program, but I'm a bit of a do-it-yourself kinda guy. I have experience creating Java games... so I may just churn out my own Pazaak app with multiple deck designs and difficulties (opponents with scripted behaviors and varying side decks). I could make the game award you additional side deck cards for wins, keep track of high score and a player's name, even throw in a 2-player mode. 'Tis a thought, at any rate. Maybe tomorrow I'll see if it's something I wanna commit to doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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