too many cards...do we need them?

[1mikethebuilder1 20]

As much as the cards have incredible artwork on them and they certainly add spice to the game I'm finding they're becoming quite a burden in regards to filing, setup, and break down. It just takes too much precious game time away. Recently I've just been printing up the squads on the builder program. This keeps the table a lot cleaner and easily cuts down the prep and kill time by half. It just seems so much easier, however less visually contributive. You don't really need the cards to play.

 

I certainly wouldn't suggest getting rid of these awesome cards but I'm just curious as to how others deal with this issue. Do you still use them, even in small games?

[Toqtamish 3,643]

Always use the cards here. 

[DR4CO 6,234]

I always use the cards. Provided you have a decent binder or two and a logical filing system it shouldn't take long at all to retrieve and put away the cards.

[Grayfax 991]

Maybe I just enjoy the collection aspect of the ships and cards and the modularity of it all, but I very much prefer to play with cards.  Even if I'm the one supplying all of the equipment and building out decks for others.  I do my list building on a laptop, even for someone else, and then go pull the cards.  To be honest, it is faster to pull the cards than it is to pull out the ships, dials, pegs and numbers and put them together.

[EdgeOfDreams 1,711]

I've got my upgrade cards and pilots organized in card binders, which massively cuts down on the time required to pull them out and put them away, because I can just flip to the right page and immediately find the one I want.

 

That said, I do fall back on printed lists when I play Epic. Too many cards on the table just gets messy.

[Dagonet 7,246]

I always use the cards, there's no space shortage on my table.

Sorting and filing? Sort by type and that's it. I don't bother with numerical order, or even keeping the same cards together (apart from pilots). 

[Shenannigan 648]

Fly bbbbz. Never have this problem.

[Rapture 499]

The cards are a waste of space and time once the game actually starts. They certainly don't do anything that a print out or digital file couldn't do, but I suppose that I enjoy occasionally flipping through them.

If you don't like the cards, just give it some time and people will get tired of them. At this rate, the game is eventually going to have an obnoxious amount of cards to find space for and cart around.

[Dagonet 7,246]

You only bring what you need of course? Or do you lug your whole collection of ships about as well?

 

As if you can't spare a couple of centimeters of space on the side.

[Darth Emphatic 148]

I never pull cards for casual games. Too much trouble, especially as I am trying new builds out. Tourneys, you really have no choice.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Darth Emphatic

[thespaceinvader 17,568]

I never pull cards for casual games. Too muxh trouble, especially as I am trying new builds out. Tourneys, you really have no choice.

This, basically.  Unless I'm trying something new I worked out on the day, I'll always print my lists for casual games, regardless of the fact that I only play with cards I own or plan to own as soon as they're released.  It's just tidier and more convenient.

[InterceptorMad 2,007]

I have lists I'm currently flying all in baggies, so everything I need for that list is in a bag ready to go.

 

Collection is too big now to carry around and make up lists on the fly.

 

And I like having the cards in games as a lot of the time (surprisingly) I play people who arn't too sure on a certain card, as they haven't used it or owned it yet. So they have a look.

[1mikethebuilder1 20]

The cards are a waste of space and time once the game actually starts. They certainly don't do anything that a print out or digital file couldn't do, but I suppose that I enjoy occasionally flipping through them.

If you don't like the cards, just give it some time and people will get tired of them. At this rate, the game is eventually going to have an obnoxious amount of cards to find space for and cart around.

Precisely. It's getting to be too much. 

[USCGrad90 884]

How do you flip over used munitions cards or a secondary weapon that gets taken out by a crit?

Edited February 2, 2016 by USCGrad90

[InterceptorMad 2,007]

People think standard 100 point games will have too many cards involved?

 

Or that in general the game has too many?

 

If it's the latter, as a few of us have said, just take what you need to events, or pre-make lists you want to fly and put them in bags/boxes like I do.

 

 

If it's the former, then how do you think that will happen?

[thespaceinvader 17,568]

How do you flip over used munitions cards or a secondary weapon that gets taken out by a crit?

For munitions I just double up on Extra Munitions tokens, one for the extra, one for the card.

For secondary weapons, I use the f/a deck and don't have that problem.

 

For other discards, I stick a crit marker over that line on the printout, or just... remember.  I don't run big identical swarms so remembering which ship has lost its SD or used Crack Shot isn't a huge problem as I rarely have duplicated discardables in my lists.

[John79 47]

I find that getting all the tokens for each ship and movement temps is more time consuming.  I thought of doing away with shield tokens since they are the first to go back in the box.

[VanorDM 11,599]

I always use all mine. I'd rather use card then print out a list, especially since I may tweak my list a bit and don't always have access to a printer.

But as was mentioned in a tournament you have to have all the cards.

[Grayfax 991]

Maybe I should stop using the Damage Deck... cause to be honest... it is the most cards in a stack that I cart around.  Especially with the backup deck.  Bah... who am I kidding.  It's in the same box as all my upgrade cards... and all the Epic Damage Decks.  Compared to the ships it is a very negligible amount of space and I don't find those difficult to card around.  

 

My main reason for fielding all of the gear is so that I don't forget stuff.  It is so easy to forget the simple things when you get into detailed play and having tokens and cards are a good reminder.  I especially don't want my opponents to not use tokens and just say, "Oh... by the way, I'm focused on that ship I moved three minutes ago!"  Same for the cards.  None of it is difficult, but it allows you and your opponent to be on the same page... and a printed page is just not the same as having the card that can be flipped or discarded or the tokens next to the ships to show what actions have been used.

[Dagonet 7,246]

I find that getting all the tokens for each ship and movement temps is more time consuming.  I thought of doing away with shield tokens since they are the first to go back in the box.

I have a tray with a compartment with the shield tokens for my go to lists and a compartment with relevant target locks, stress and focus tokens. The latter I just dump in a pile next to the mat.

As I also keep the cards needed for those lists separate, I'm able to prepare in a minute.

When I change a list, the prepared stuff also changes.

[Darth Emphatic 148]

I never pull cards for casual games. Too muxh trouble, especially as I am trying new builds out. Tourneys, you really have no choice.

This, basically.  Unless I'm trying something new I worked out on the day, I'll always print my lists for casual games, regardless of the fact that I only play with cards I own or plan to own as soon as they're released.  It's just tidier and more convenient.

Yep. I buy, at minimum, two of every ship. I rarely dont have a card I am playing with, but pulling cards out and (more so) putting them all back after is a pain. It also is a pain to move from table with s bunch of cards. I do keep my most used build separate with all cards, tiles, and dials in a case.

[VanorDM 11,599]

I found that organization is key to a good game. So I have a plano box that's set aside as my tournament/game night kit box.

In it I put each ship with the base, pegs, tokens, ect... in a different compartment, so everything for that ship is in the same place.

I keep my dice, my templates my laser line, ect... in there. I have room for my damage deck, upgrade cards, and the rest. then a different box for obstacles and pilot cards.

So putting the list together or putting it away is fairly quick and easy. Then I can put everything back in the binders and such when I have time.

[Grayfax 991]

That's what I'm trying to find.  The right box for a single squad.  Then I'll buy three and put one in each (one for each faction).  It is easy to let someone choose and then pickup and play.  

[InterceptorMad 2,007]

Yeah I baggy up the cards and tokens I need for a few lists, then carry the ships in a box. Simples.

 

Not just sat there and made lists with cards BEFORE a game since I started this hobby. Learned fast that it takes ages that way

[Dagonet 7,246]

Where are you located Grayfax?