Pool the customizable card game

justnum

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
I was a fan of Magic the Gathering and Star Wars the Customizable Card Game. Both are products to sell art of copyright photos. Pokemon the card game is pretty popular.

Would pool benefit from having such a product?

Its call immersion in other industries, the idea that players can mentally stay in the game when they are not physically.

Its purpose would be to preserve pool history and teach basic strategy.

Any and all input is welcome.
 
The concept of the game is a stack of cards represents the break and shot decisions. Each players hand consists of cards with strokes like draw, follow, etc.

The gameplay revolves around having the right stroke cards at the right time. Still
not sure if it should involve a die or smartphone app. The older card games did not augment reality, for Pool The Card Game it will.

To spice up the mix players can use sharking cards to change the odds.

The game ends when all the shots
are completed.

Each card set can focus on specific equipment of the era and players from the era. For the origin era if you have a Mosconi Ultra rare card, then basically all your odds favor you heavily.

For the current pro era if you have a Joshua Filler card then everyone is out to get you and that means all sharking cards do double damage.

Of course I will include location cards that have interesting conditions. If the rack is played at Amsterdam that means only pro shark cards do damage.


It cost about $200 to print an initial set from a self publisher. If I dont get rights to use names and photos then I will just use a likeness. Any investors here interested?
 
Something like this?

www.pooldawg.com

The Ultimate Pool Challenge Game

This game instructs you with the correct english on each opening shot, teaches you speed and ball control & how to play the rails. Each card contains valuable lessons that only can be perfected on the felt.
www.pooldawg.com www.pooldawg.com
 
cjr3559 said:
Something like this?

www.pooldawg.com

The Ultimate Pool Challenge Game

This game instructs you with the correct english on each opening shot, teaches you speed and ball control & how to play the rails. Each card contains valuable lessons that only can be perfected on the felt.
www.pooldawg.com www.pooldawg.com
Click to expand...

No it does not have character cards.
https://cardguide.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars_CCG

A Vader card costs $80.
How much would a Mosconi go for?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1147285127...d=link&campid=5335988529&toolid=20001&mkevt=1
 
I like MTG. Honestly I don't see how pool playing would translate to cards. It would have to become very abstract. Not saying it couldn't be done, but getting it to feel like a pool game would be difficult.

The best sports adaptation I've ever seen in a card game was "Punch!" which is a DIY printable card game. It was a lot of fun and really felt like you were boxing. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/20302/punch/files This link has printable cards and instructions. Poke around that page and look at the forum section for the game. It could give you an idea of getting the feel for a sport but with playing cards.
 
I think you could recreate the feeling of running balls (so far as is possible with cards!) with something like a 'higher or lower' game where after each card is drawn, you have to guess whether the next will be higher/lower.

You could incorporate position, which would affect the difficulty of each shot (maybe by changing the number you had to beat with the next draw).

There could be scope to play safe, if that made it harder for the next guy to start a run.

The break could involve cutting the deck and drawing a card, with special rules.

Numbers of balls run could be scored in a way that fit straight pool, 9-ball, or 8-ball.


What regular uses of playing cards are there?
- A variant of killer (as we call it in the UK), where you draw to see who shoots next, players start with 4 lives and when they lose one, one of their cards is removed from the deck.
- Shimming the pockets doesn't really count!

Perhaps a deck of 'regular' cards with a pool theme and rules for applications to pool would work. But I don't think it would sell much. Maybe it could be a promotional 'freebie' for a big brand to give away.
 
A card that causes the pockets to be smaller (like 4 1/4") could be called "It makes them all human."

Say you build your shot card hand up to 3 cards so you can make a skill level 4 shot. One card is "good followthrough" (+2), one is "Chalked" (+1) and one is "dead aim" (+1). You make the shot.

If you had only came up with 3 points you would miss. A deck with shots based on skill, one based on skill or fundamentals. One you could play against an opponent (good safety -2).

"good pattern play" could be a modifier that lasts for a certain number of rounds. Cards could have cost like the mana pool in MTG.

I could see this being quite fun, but again it would have to be abstracted and feel like a pool game.
 
Interesting concept. My top two hobbies currently are, 1) pool, 2) board/card games. Some concerns I have are:

1) There seems to be little overlap between pool players and players of card/board games (other than gambling games). How many pool fanatics do you think would actually try the game?

2) On the flip side, few board/card game players are experienced at pool and so it would potentially be a hard sell to get them interested in the game. That is, the pool aspect would not really appeal to them so it would have to be a pretty darn good game independent of its theme.

3) Many CCGs live in universes where the theme itself is a big draw. You're wizards battling for supremacy, or Luke Skywalker taking on Darth Vader. These games take people to exciting fantasy worlds. Pool in and of itself is not an appealing fantasy world, so the mass appeal would likely be limited, perhaps particularly among the largest potential consumer: kids.

That all said, who is the target audience? Who do you see wanting to play this game? Why?

(To be clear, these questions are not rhetorical; I'm genuinely curious.)
 
Rocket354 said:
Interesting concept. My top two hobbies currently are, 1) pool, 2) board/card games. Some concerns I have are:

1) There seems to be little overlap between pool players and players of card/board games (other than gambling games). How many pool fanatics do you think would actually try the game?

2) On the flip side, few board/card game players are experienced at pool and so it would potentially be a hard sell to get them interested in the game. That is, the pool aspect would not really appeal to them so it would have to be a pretty darn good game independent of its theme.

3) Many CCGs live in universes where the theme itself is a big draw. You're wizards battling for supremacy, or Luke Skywalker taking on Darth Vader. These games take people to exciting fantasy worlds. Pool in and of itself is not an appealing fantasy world, so the mass appeal would likely be limited, perhaps particularly among the largest potential consumer: kids.

That all said, who is the target audience? Who do you see wanting to play this game? Why?

(To be clear, these questions are not rhetorical; I'm genuinely curious.)
Click to expand...

I need a game for my gaming club at school. All the other games cost too much money to start to play.

I definitely see myself introducing the game and getting at least one demonstration on a group of young people.

Your point about make it less pool themed makes a lot of sense. Don't expect a response anytime soon.

If its a card game about dating then I can see it having more general appeal. Dating in a billiards room.

Which losers do you shoot at and which losers do you keep in play?
 
A cheap slightly pool-like game that was briefly popular when I was in school was a variation on shove ha'penny.

You have three (round) coins on a table-top and the idea is to flick the coin closest to you through the gap between the other coins (without touching either), then do the same again with the new closest coin, for a few shots in succession. After three such shots, you can flick the closest coin through the gap and off the far edge of the table (if you go off the side, the coin goes back where it came off and it's the other guy's turn).

If you can't go through the gap, you have to hit another coin for a legal shot, then it's the other guy's turn. (Can't remember the penalty for not hitting another coin, might have been a free shot, flicking the closest coin, then another shot to try to go through the gap you've set up for yourself).

The game starts with the coins in a L-shaped group (with the single coin on the breaker's side), and there's usually some tactical back-and-forth before someone gets a gap to shoot at.


Presumably regular playing cards (Texas hold-em) would be unacceptable.
1666088076507.png
 
justnum said:
I need a game for my gaming club at school. All the other games cost too much money to start to play.

I definitely see myself introducing the game and getting at least one demonstration on a group of young people.

Your point about make it less pool themed makes a lot of sense. Don't expect a response anytime soon.

If its a card game about dating then I can see it having more general appeal. Dating in a billiards room.

Which losers do you shoot at and which losers do you keep in play?
Click to expand...
If you're trying to create a game for your gaming club at school, and you're a pool fanatic, then by all means create a pool game. Most of the best games out there probably came from someone's pure love for what they were doing, rather than trying to create something to be popular.

However, asking for backing money (assuming that was a serious ask) is probably going to be a tough sell.
 
Rocket354 said:
If you're trying to create a game for your gaming club at school, and you're a pool fanatic, then by all means create a pool game. Most of the best games out there probably came from someone's pure love for what they were doing, rather than trying to create something to be popular.

However, asking for backing money (assuming that was a serious ask) is probably going to be a tough sell.
Click to expand...

It is more likely someone in the forum has better talent and resources to produce a professional card set for pool fans and pool players.

It would be fun to see a professional production. As a promo or marketing product I am curious what they can develop.

As an amateur I only get to whine and complain.

I ask because rights to peoples photo, location or equipment is costly.
 
I actually think a pool card game sounds interesting. Imagine this...

We're playing 9ball, I win the flip and break the balls and pocket a ball. My opponent then has the option of... 1 - allow me to use one of my cards on my next shot, or 2 - force me to use whatever card he selects from his cards. Could be a specific spin or speed or whatever.

Each player only gets so many cards, a certain amount of "spin" cards and a certain amount of "speed" cards. And there could be a few specialty cards that require a specific type of shot, like a stop shot or stun shot or power follow, or masse or kick or bank or jump shot.

Only one card is played for each shot, and the cards can't be reused. So if you force your opponent to play a bank shot, and you only had one bank shot card left to play, you might regret that decision if you end up with a bank shot later on. Players would have to keep track of which cards have already been played in order to help with the strategy of determining whether or not you want the shooter to play one of his cards or one of yours.

I see a potentially challenging and fun game here!
 
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boogieman said:
A card that causes the pockets to be smaller (like 4 1/4") could be called "It makes them all human."

Say you build your shot card hand up to 3 cards so you can make a skill level 4 shot. One card is "good followthrough" (+2), one is "Chalked" (+1) and one is "dead aim" (+1). You make the shot.

If you had only came up with 3 points you would miss. A deck with shots based on skill, one based on skill or fundamentals. One you could play against an opponent (good safety -2).

"good pattern play" could be a modifier that lasts for a certain number of rounds. Cards could have cost like the mana pool in MTG.

I could see this being quite fun, but again it would have to be abstracted and feel like a pool game.
Click to expand...

A card named Emilys Vision would cause confusion for a player shooting the 5 ball but pocketing the wrong colored ball. It would be triggered at a Matchroom Event location.

A card called new found confidence would make the pockets bigger and natural position play more frequent.

A self destruct card would cause a player to break their cue and search for a replacement.
 
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