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I feel like whipping out some crazy ideas every now and then.
I've been spending time developing a D&D character, which suffers from some minor mental problems, because I can't help but designing psychopaths. He's not really related, but it lead me to the whole night/day thing that isn't really anything new, since we've seen it in innistrad. And like many before me, I'm going with the sterotypical your turn/other turns. However, I spent some time thinking about the templating, and I couldn't really find one I liked all that much. So I whipped out some colors.
Your turn.
Not your turn.

Durkmund Prowler
Creature - Horror
First strike
Fear is never unreasonable.
2/1

Guardian of the Fifth Seal
Creature - Human Monk
Vigilance
Players can't activate abilities.
3/3

Eclipse Angel
Creature - Angel
Flying
Other creatures get +2/+2.
Other creatures get -2/-2.
"You dare not walk outside without the candle of the world lit. What will you do when I blow it out?"
5/5

Obstruct
Instant
Counter target spell. If you do, return it to its owner's hand.
"I'm tired. Can we wait a little?"

Durkwood Hag
Creature - Human Wizard
Pay 2 life, : Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
"Sleep well" is rarely said with good intentions.
2/2

Radiance
Enchantment Creature - Incarnation
Permanents are white.
Follow the blinding light.
5/5

Malevolent Stalker
Creature - Spirit
The night clouded every corner of the forest, yet he knew all too well that it was there.
3/2

In escalating degree of sillyness.

Cool

I really think this is a great concept. I hope they do something like this, but if they do, I think they'll do it differently.

What I like is that referencing colors saves text space, but I feel that you should simply say that During your turn, during not your turn... My favorite is the enchantment creature! And the Darkwood hag is great too, And the last one is awesome!

"What was orange again?"

"What was purple again?"

"What was orange again?"

"What was orange again?" 

I don't design for people that have never seen the sunlight. You can put reminder text on commons or use tip cards if you like, I don't think that's the biggest issue. Cards with purple text can have a moon watermark, orange ones a sun. And then something weird for both. The mechanic itself should be pretty intuitive. It's my turn, so I'm awake. It's the opponent's turn, so I sleep. NPH never told your opponent that 10 poison counters is terribad.

@Altimis: You do know that if I had to state "(not) your turn" on every card, then the last three couldn't exist, right? Okay, they could, but they wouldn't be nearly as awesome. (Having "During other players' turns" in the flavor text is really weird, and you wouldn't be able to use creature tutors to fetch Radiance during your turn.)
I think spelling everything out makes the card a whole lot less exciting. Magic needs more colors!

Funnily enough, I just had some sort of project about designing for all sort of disabilities in mind, and I'm currently wearing a t-shirt with a somewhat offensive message regarding color blind people. So that's obviously a downside to this, one I don't know how to fix properly.

I laughed at the last one.

Sep 30, 2012 -- 2:03PM, Mown wrote:

I don't design for people that have never seen the sunlight. You can put reminder text on commons or use tip cards if you like, I don't think that's the biggest issue. Cards with purple text can have a moon watermark, orange ones a sun. And then something weird for both. The mechanic itself should be pretty intuitive. It's my turn, so I'm awake. It's the opponent's turn, so I sleep. NPH never told your opponent that 10 poison counters is terribad.

@Altimis: You do know that if I had to state "(not) your turn" on every card, then the last three couldn't exist, right? Okay, they could, but they wouldn't be nearly as awesome. (Having "During other players' turns" in the flavor text is really weird, and you wouldn't be able to use creature tutors to fetch Radiance during your turn.)
I think spelling everything out makes the card a whole lot less exciting. Magic needs more colors!

Funnily enough, I just had some sort of project about designing for all sort of disabilities in mind, and I'm currently wearing a t-shirt with a somewhat offensive message regarding color blind people. So that's obviously a downside to this, one I don't know how to fix properly.

No, I understand. I kinda contradicted myself, so I'll clarify here:
I enjoy the thinking of the concept, and I like that the way you did it inspires elegance and creativity.
If they were to do this in actuality I think they would do it differently, and the way they would do it would probaly during your turn and during my turn triggers. That's what I meant as for the awesomeness, I know they wouldn't be as awesome, but they would be easier to understand.

I think the way they are is fine. I think WotC would disagree, that's all I meant to say.

Solid for text cards in forum posts, but the jury's out until we see some MSE renders or something.

Ah, well. That's one of those ideas one never knows if it's too genius or too stupid.

But I loooooved the concept and how much you stretched the design space. I must say the last 3 are just awesome!

I'm into it. I can see it being like negative positive or something. White text on black vs. Black on white. . . Though that wouldn't quite work. But you know. Dark Red on White vs. White on Dark Red.


I dunno. It actually blatantly isolates the blind player-base. Not to mention the colour-blind.

Well, while we don't have braille cards, blind people are actually helpless...

Sep 30, 2012 -- 3:07PM, metalevolence wrote:

Solid for text cards in forum posts, but the jury's out until we see some MSE renders or something.

This. It is the sort of thing that really depends on a good use of the card frame, and I can't think of a template that encompasses all of the mechanical implications there.

Sep 30, 2012 -- 3:55PM, dormiens wrote:

Well, while we don't have braille cards, blind people are actually helpless...

I'm blind and I can play just fine, thank you very much.

I was going to say that I didn't see that coming, but then I realized it might sound offensive.

I'm just curious, how do you play it when everything is almost completely visual?

Very poorly.

Oh, gee, I was hoping you would say you've got a sexy lady to whisper everything on your ears. Poor guy

Sep 30, 2012 -- 1:06PM, Mown wrote:

I've been spending time developing a D&D character, which suffers from some minor mental problems, because I can't help but designing psychopaths.

You should play Vampire: the Masquerade.

Different color text is bad for the colorblind and also pretty ugly. I'm guessing if Wizards did this they would split the text box into two sections, like how Planeswalker's abilities are divided, and make it clear with a symbol on the left side which is which.



 

That's probably the best card I've ever seen on these forums.

Oh, and I have ladies, but how am I to know if they are sexy? Thank you for the sad face emoticon - though I can only imagine faces, it does offer me a small condolence.

I think Sleeping has the right idea... I was going to suggest the planeswalker textbox idea, obviously with only two halves.

I would suggest these cards ALWAYS have the two spearate boxes (the your turn effect on top, the other turn effect on bottom), even if they only have a + ability (or vice versa). If they have both then obviously both would be used.

So... like this I guess? (+ is your turn, - is not your turn)
So how it reads is when it's your turn, every thing above the dividing line is active, when it's not your turn everything below the dividing line is active.
??? Show

If you do that though, the cards really couldn't have flavor text. It would solve most of the problems that have been brought up thus far BUT it would probably fall into the same problem that flip cards have, of lacking text box area. Just a thought though.
EDIT: It also doesn't work with the type line, or P/T modification.

In retrospect I don't really like this suggestion and as you can see is very clunky. It doesn't support abilities that are always on very easily, and it makes it more difficult to handle the P/T modification and the type modification.

OR you could go using this "template"?

NAME -- COST
TYPE

[+]your turn ability (if any)
[.]neutral ability (if any)
[-]other turn ability (if any)

P/T (if any)

Just treat them as a planeswalker, with less text I guess.

These are awesome, I can really see something like this happening (with WOTC putting reminder text on most of them, of course).  A few more, also in increasing order of silliness:

Instant Support
Land
: Add to your mana pool.
: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

Awkward Twiddle
Instant
Untap target creature.
Draw a card.

Weird Izzet Shapeshifter 
Creature - Goblin Merfolk
Goblins you control get +1/+0.
Merfolk you control get +0/+1.
1/1

Sad Elf
Creature - Elf
Haste, forestwalk, vigilance, trample
Reach
1/1

Sep 30, 2012 -- 7:28PM, altimis wrote:

OR you could go using this "template"?

NAME -- COST
TYPE

[+]your turn ability (if any)
[.]neutral ability (if any)
[-]other turn ability (if any)

P/T (if any)

Just treat them as a planeswalker, with less text I guess.

If there is a neutral ability it would be best written in both boxes. Having a neutral box is really bad.

I think you swapped the colours on Sad Elf?

Oh, I see.

Sad indeed.

Haha I like the idea, as gimmicky as it may look like.

This inspired me, what if we try to get this mechanic to work for other senses? Making cards taste different obviously wouldn't work, but I hereby trademark the "smelly cards" mechanics, where cards change depending on how they smell. Someone could make cards that make sounds, too, I guess.

Texture cards.

Although it does nothing that can't be done (and often it's almost equally elegant!) with average card wording, this idea might have more potential than what's explored here!

Use different fonts if you're worried about the colorblind issue.

Dreamer's Pallet
Instant
Change the color of target spell or permanent to a color of your choice.
Change the color of the text of target spell or permanent to a color of your choice.

Sep 30, 2012 -- 4:55PM, Detektor wrote:

Sep 30, 2012 -- 1:06PM, Mown wrote:

I've been spending time developing a D&D character, which suffers from some minor mental problems, because I can't help but designing psychopaths.

You should play Vampire: the Masquerade.

I don't have the luxury of joining whatever I feel like, most people around here play 3.5/pathfinder. And I need to work on my **** GM skills before I run anything again.

I spend a few minutes in photoshop. The colors don't look all that "pretty", but I rarely like MSE renders anyway. Grabbed the first art that somewhat resembled it.

Spoiler: Show

I don't think I could do any fonts that wouldn't look out of place.
I also looked at the whole splitting up the text box, but I feel like I lose a lot of potential with it.

I've skim read the thread, and I don't think anyone's really addressed this: why not just spell it out? What do you gain? You save a few words per card, but what difference does it really make? I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'm genuinely interested in design space that can be done only with this kind of wording, or at least more cleanly and better than if it had to be spelled out.

I can try to make something convoluted, but a lot of the ones that actually care are more weird and feels strictly like ymtc material, like my last three ones. It depends on how much ymtc would embrace the whole "invisible text" shtick. But does there really need to be one? I like that it creates some sort of cohesion. It's obviously not a standard for card design, but would be more like a thematic effect in a set. It's like an ability word, but ten times as radical.

For one of the simpler ones, that just looks way neater if you use colors, but is probably too weird for normal print:

Insidious Wishes
Instant
Draw two cards unless an opponent discards a card.

For the extremely brute approach that is probably more likely, if only barely, but I despise:

Dreamcage
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Activated abilities of enchanted creature is purple.

I don't know how I would word that, it would most likely have a more gamey word attached to it.

If the text is invisible it could interact with murganda ptreglyphs and stuff.

You seem to have forgetten that instants and sorceries serve a specific purpose.

Well, that's a shame.
Do come back when you feel like being less vague/reminding me.

He seems to have forgetten that while Sorceries can only be played in your turn, Instants can be played both on your turn and your opponents' turns. And we don't have any card type that can only be played during your opponents' turn. And that if we did have, then they would only be ThatSpellTypeThatYouCanOnlyPlayDuringAnOpponentTurn, and not a card that can be played during your turn and your opponents' turn with different outcomes depending on when you chose to cast it. Also, he forgets that silly thing Instants, Sorcery and the imaginary ThatSpellTypeThatYouCanOnlyPlayDuringAnOpponentTurn aren't you know, Enchantments, Creatures, Artifacts, Lands, nor any other type that could benefit from the mechanic you have suggested. 

Oct 1, 2012 -- 8:16AM, Mown wrote:

Insidious Wishes
Instant
Draw two cards unless an opponent discards a card.

This is the best use of the design space, I feel, as it supports a function that is otherwise overwhelming to type out:


"Draw two cards.
If you cast Insidious Wishes during another player's turn, any opponent may discard a card to counter it. "

I'm a big fan of this idea. The hurdles are in finding ways to properly implement it, figuring out good reminder text (as well as anything else that would work as a reminder), and making the cards worthwhile, all things that I think are quite possible. Nice idea! 

Oct 1, 2012 -- 8:20AM, ChaosLight wrote:

If the text is invisible it could interact with murganda ptreglyphs and stuff.

That is not how it works =)


unless of course it will have an implementation that isn't standard, in which case anything is possible. But for now i will assume, that the text with colors have invisible rules text that specifies when the ability is active, not when it is visible. As such the cards still has abilities.

Oct 1, 2012 -- 5:07PM, theis999 wrote:

Oct 1, 2012 -- 8:20AM, ChaosLight wrote:

If the text is invisible it could interact with murganda ptreglyphs and stuff.

That is not how it works =)


unless of course it will have an implementation that isn't standard, in which case anything is possible. But for now i will assume, that the text with colors have invisible rules text that specifies when the ability is active, not when it is visible. As such the cards still has abilities.

It would work that way

I think you should bold the colored abilities? This kind of goes along with colorblind people, but also to add emphasis that something is different about this card's abilities. It's the same concept of the miracle card borders. You could alternatively add a different frame too to add emphasis that this card is different than normal cards...

Insidious Wishes is exactly the kind of card where it would make sense to use your idea!

The problem with them is that they are a lot harder to make, at least ones that don't feel like massive gimmicks. Sure, they're entirely doable, but require way more effort for it to actually make sense. But we'll try either way, don't we?

Ardent Templar
Creature - Human Knight
First strike
Zombie creatures can't attack.
2/2

So, the sun stops zombies from coming out. What's the problem? Well, it's mostly a flavor drawback, it's totally irrelevant. If you change it to can't block, it becomes a much more functional drawback, but you have to put it in some RW mashup, possibly hybrid if you want to be bold.

You can make then nonfunctional english sentences, but I don't really like that approach.

Forced Empathy
Instant
Each player draws discards three cards.

I'll have to tinker some on this. Ideally, I'd like day/night colored symbols too, so you can have a white/blue/black/red/green sun/moon, although it would need a different symbol than the plains. That way you can have adaptable mana costs, although I'm not exactly sure how I would utilize that yet. There aren't a ton of effects that change color depending on timing, so it would be more about making them more expensive if anything.

You should make use of unconventional wording, just remember the wording of the cards with overload: "Creatures (that are zombies) can't attack." I like the first idea, it has a lot more potential, but your second idea should use traditional wording! By the way, I searched for already printed cards that use your mechanic, of course without colors: Warden Of The Wall , Oak Street Innkeeper , Vibrating Sphere , Glory Of Warfare

I've actually been thinking a bit about Glory of Warfare, it annoys me that I don't have a good way to represent it, unless you call undefined numbers zero. Even then, you lose out if you want something else. I mean, this really isn't all that great:

Command the Lines
Instant
Creatures you control get +2/+4 until end of turn.

If you go mathy, you can use "Creatures you control get +(0+2)/+(0+4) until end of turn", but it should be unnecessary to say that is unideal.

I did, however, have another decent idea. I sort of want to make this thing into a set now, but I'm terrible at commitment.

Twilight Charm
Instant
Choose one - Creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn; or target player sacrifices a creature; or target player discards two cards.

I think +(0+2)/+(0+4) reads MUCH better than +2/+4. And is correct too, and doesn't require extra rules lines.

The Charm idea is nice, I could totally see many great things done with it.

Oct 9, 2012 -- 4:56AM, Fenix. wrote:

I think +(0+2)/+(0+4) reads MUCH better than +2/+4.

I agree, but would actually say +2/+0 +0/+4 looks better than either of those

My point was more that both of them are terrible.

I think it's one of those situations in which spelling it out is much better.
"As long as it's your turn, blah get +2/+0 until eot, otherwise +0/+4."

I have the solution, and it is awesome!
Well, gimmicky at least, and that's like 75% of the appeal here anyway. I mean, it still doesn't solve everything, but still, fun fun.

Sunlight Crusader
Creature - Human Knight
Lifelink
The sun lights up the path for his crusade. Thankfully, it's raining in England.
0/5/3

Starting to wonder if I need to reflavor a bit. While day being your turn makes a whole lot of sense, nasty things comes out at night. And they usually want to attack, not dull around and block. Of course, I can't just swap them around, since this set up is a whole lot more intuitive. Hmpf. (Unlike this card, which I can admit requires a bit too much of mental effort to process.)
Also, I broke the fourth wall just cause.

Oct 24, 2012 -- 11:22AM, Mown wrote:

I have the solution, and it is awesome!
Well, gimmicky at least, and that's like 75% of the appeal here anyway. I mean, it still doesn't solve everything, but still, fun fun.

Sunlight Crusader
Creature - Human Knight
Lifelink
The sun lights up the path for his crusade. Thankfully, it's raining in England.
0/5/3

Starting to wonder if I need to reflavor a bit. While day being your turn makes a whole lot of sense, nasty things comes out at night. And they usually want to attack, not dull around and block. Of course, I can't just swap them around, since this set up is a whole lot more intuitive. Hmpf. (Unlike this card, which I can admit requires a bit too much of mental effort to process.)
Also, I broke the fourth wall just cause.

This is truly awesome! I love that setup!

Oct 24, 2012 -- 11:22AM, Mown wrote:

I have the solution, and it is awesome!
Well, gimmicky at least, and that's like 75% of the appeal here anyway. I mean, it still doesn't solve everything, but still, fun fun.

Sunlight Crusader
Creature - Human Knight
Lifelink
The sun lights up the path for his crusade. Thankfully, it's raining in England.
0/5/3

Starting to wonder if I need to reflavor a bit. While day being your turn makes a whole lot of sense, nasty things comes out at night. And they usually want to attack, not dull around and block. Of course, I can't just swap them around, since this set up is a whole lot more intuitive. Hmpf. (Unlike this card, which I can admit requires a bit too much of mental effort to process.)
Also, I broke the fourth wall just cause.

on your turn it's a 5/3 on their's it's a 0/5?

Weirderesting

Same problem here, there's no reason to not simply word it like Wizards does: "As long as it's not your turn, Sunlight Crusader gets -3/+2."

Oct 24, 2012 -- 11:22AM, Mown wrote:

I have the solution, and it is awesome!
Well, gimmicky at least, and that's like 75% of the appeal here anyway. I mean, it still doesn't solve everything, but still, fun fun.

Sunlight Crusader
Creature - Human Knight
Lifelink
The sun lights up the path for his crusade. Thankfully, it's raining in England.
0/5/3

Starting to wonder if I need to reflavor a bit. While day being your turn makes a whole lot of sense, nasty things comes out at night. And they usually want to attack, not dull around and block. Of course, I can't just swap them around, since this set up is a whole lot more intuitive. Hmpf. (Unlike this card, which I can admit requires a bit too much of mental effort to process.)
Also, I broke the fourth wall just cause.

This seems confusing to parse. It could be read in several ways, which I think defeats the purpose.