Famous Game Designer Trading Cards are a series of trading cards first published by Flying Buffalo in 1992 that feature well-known game designers.
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Famous Game Designer Trading Cards are a series of trading cards first published by Flying Buffalo in 1992 that feature well-known game designers.
In 1992, Rick Loomis of Flying Buffalo put together a deck of low-budget trading cards featuring seven contemporary game designers who had been inducted into the GAMA Hall of Fame:
When asked how he had chosen the seven designers, Loomis replied, "This first batch was selected by taking the first seven who sent me a photo!" [1]
The 2½" x 3½" cards were originally printed in black and white and packaged in a ziplock bag. The front features a photo of the game designer, year of induction into the GAMA Hall of Fame, hometown, best- and worst-designed games, the person's favorite game designed by someone else, and a quote from the individual. The back of the card lists the person's game design credits, and game design career path to date. [2]
The first batch of card were released at the combined Gen Con/Origins game convention in 1992, but Loomis admitted profit was not the main motivation of the designers involved: "We don’t expect to make any money on these cards; we’re doing it mostly so we can show our parents that we really are 'famous.'" [1]
Later editions of the first set were printed in color, and three more sets of cards were eventually released. [2]
In the November 1992 edition of Dragon (Issue #187), Allen Varney, himself a game designer, called the idea "fun", and said, "Here is one more honor to which the rest of us can aspire." [1]
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