Wannabe Board Game Designer

Create a game using the traditional deck of playing cards.

The contest will be run with the help of the Design Contest Hub site.

Components

The main components of the game should be the cards from the traditional deck of playing cards (the poker deck).

If you are using multiple decks, these may have different backs or the same backs, and you may use these mechanically, within reason.

You can also adjust the size of the deck, removing unnecessary cards, though your final game must include and be based on a traditional deck of playing cards. Jokers are fine as well. You can also use a deck box as a component if you can find a mechanical reason to do so.

A small amount of coins, chips, cubes, dice or other common items is permitted. (The harder these items are to come by, the fewer players will play and vote for your game. So weigh out personally whether such components are really necessary.)

No printable custom components are allowed in this contest, with the exception of components that don’t have a gameplay function: the rulebook, scorepad, player aids or a reference sheet.

However, you are allowed to create a deck with custom illustrations for thematic reasons. But, no gameplay information other than standard ranks and suits should appear on the cards.

AI usage

Contest has strict AI usage guidelines. See the contest page: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3761810/article/48124582#48124582

Contest Dates

 Contest start: September 1st, 2026

 Earliest Date for Games to be Publicly Available: September 1st, 2026

 Deadline for submissions: December 1st, 2026

 Deadline for mandatory feedback: December 10th, 2026

 Development: Until December 15th, 2026

 Voting: December 15th to December 31st, 2026

Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3761810/2026-traditional-deck-game-design-contest