Channel A and Other Card Games

Channel A is my first foray into designing card games, a game of creativity and wordplay in the vein of Apples to Apples and The Big Idea. Evil Hat Productions has picked up Channel A for publication, and is currently running a Kickstarter for the new revised and expanded Alpha Genesis Edition, which will feature new art and 70+ new cards!

channel a ehp.jpg

If you could make an anime series, what would it be about?

In this randomly creative party game you’re part of Channel A’s struggle to come up with an anime series that will be the next big hit. You know what general premise the network wants, and it’s up to you to stitch together a title from random words and pitch a series to win over the fans.

# of Players: 3-6
Playing Time: 30+ Minutes
Recommended for anime fans of ages 13+
Board Game Geek Page

Defunct Editions

The “OAV Edition” was an interim version of the game available through The Game Crafter. Once an actual publisher picked up Channel A, the OAV Edition was discontinued. The “TV Series Edition” was a version of Channel A published by Asmadi Games. It features a spiffy new box, some new cards, and greatly improved graphic design by Clay Gardner. It launched with a Kickstarter in 2013 and eventually sold out its entire print run, but was out of print since then. The new Alpha Genesis Edition has the same content and then some, and supersedes it.

Manga Edition
The “Manga Edition” is a free no-frills print-and-play version of the game. Either at home or a print shop, get it printed on suitable cardstock, and cut out the 2″x2″ cards to play with. You can store them in one of the AMAC plastic containers, though a sandwich bag will work too.

Channel A Print and Play Manga Edition PDF
Optional Voting Cards

This is Not a Card Game

tinacg tuck boxParty games too often become “humor legos” that attempt to derive laughs from violating taboos to no particular purpose. This is Not a Card Game deconstructs the genre by way of surrealist creativity games and automatism, provoking players to write, doodle, and otherwise engage in activities that bring the unconscious mind to the fore. While it is not in fact a card game in any traditional sense, it is a series of creative exercises presented in card form, capable of providing amusement and perhaps even provoking laughter.

The game consists of 120 cards (30 Query Cards, 88 Answer Cards, and 2 rules cards) in a tuck box. In order to play, you will also need a two-minute timer of some sort, some blank paper, and something to write with. We recommend a sand timer, letter sized paper cut in half, and pencils, but you can make your own decisions.

This is Not a Card Game has not won an Origins Award or ENnie, and has raised $0 on Kickstarter.

Print on Demand Deck and Tuck Box (DriveThruCards) $14.99
This is Not a Card Game Rules (PDF)

Studio B


Studio B is a variant/reskin of Channel A, but for American B-movies instead of anime. I’m specifically going for the kind of stuff that came out of the drive-in culture that sprang up because of the removal of film-making restrictions in 1948, the cheesy black and white stuff like Robot Monster, Teenagers From Outer Space, and Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Studio B Print and Play PDF
Studio B Print on Demand Cards (DriveThruCards $24.99)

ANTRSAmerica’s Next Top Reality Show

The network needs new reality shows! Or at least that’s what the guys upstairs are saying! That’s why we’re having a pitch meeting to figure out what we can get together. Whoever comes up with the most good ideas is getting a promotion, so get at it!

This is a pitching party game, in much the same vein as Channel A, but you’ll probably feel kinda dirty after playing it.

DriveThruRPG (Cards $15.99, PDF $1.99)

The Bird Game: Deluxe Edition

birdgameThis is a game where you make up birds and try to convince your friends that yours is the best. It is a silly little game that originally appeared in my book of humor and lies, I Want to be an Awesome Robot.

This is an expanded, deluxe version for people who need more expansion and deluxeness in their lives. It includes Question Cards so that you don’t have to make up your own questions. (Though you can if you really want to.) Tell your friends why Walhberg’s Terror Puffin is going to fare better in zero G than the Pointless Nightjar or the Hateful Elf Partridge.

DriveThruCards ($11.99)

Miyuki-Cover-FrontFive Card Fictions

Five-Card Fictions decks give you a set of 52 cards that tell stories through endless combinations. Play alone or with friends, letting strange little stories unfold. Play five cards and see a little story, or play a more complex game alone or with friends.

i.hate.everyone

ihei.hate.everyone is a tasteless party card game, allegedly about social media attention whoring, but mostly about trying to make your friends laugh by coming up with the most hilariously atrocious phrase to fit the current question or fill-in-the-blank. Guaranteed* to provide hours of fun!**

  • 3-8 Players
  • 30+ Minutes
  • Ages 16+ (at least)

In order to play you will need to get a set of 50-100 of some kind of tokens. You can use pennies, glass beads, playing cards, whatever, or the game has alternate rules to let you play without them.

*Not an actual guarantee.
**And/or shame.

i.hate.everyone Rules PDF (Free)
i.hate.everyone Free Print and Play PDF
i.hate.everyone Base Set ($32)
i.hate.fandom Standalone Expansion ($32)
i.hate.fandom Free Print and Play PDF
i.hate.bronies Expansion ($10.99)
i.hate.bronies Free PNP Version
i.hate.everyone Custom Pack (Everything you need to make your own i.h.e cards!)

You can use just about anything for Like tokens, but if you would like semi-official looking ones that actually say “Like” on them, here’s a way you can get some. Download the PDF below, and use it to order a full sheet of 5/8″ Square Game Counters from Superior POD, which will cost $5.99 plus shipping.

Like Tokens PDF (icon is Like by Shmidt Sergey from The Noun Project, used under a Creative Commons attribution license.)

9 thoughts on “Channel A and Other Card Games”

  1. This looks like a lot of fun! I’m going to play it with my kids tonight. I made a new card layout that fits onto Avery 5871 business card paper. Then I just had to punch the cards out and cut them in half, which is a lot less cutting (two cuts per sheet of 20). You can take a look at it:

    Click to access Channel%20A.pdf

    Some little nits I noticed:
    * It seems inconsistent to have “Boys Love” instead of “Yaoi”, but then have “Yuri” instead of “Girls Love”.
    * “Bishounen” seems to be more commonly spelled “Bishonen”, with a bar over the “o” if you know how to type that character.
    * “Boys’ Love” should have an apostrophe.
    * “Fraülein” should have an umlaut over the “u”.
    * You don’t need both “Heart” and “Hearts” cards since the rules allow you to pluralize.
    * “Lingere” should be “Lingerie”, I think?
    * Is “SuperS” a typo for “Supers”? (In which case it’s probably redundant since there’s a “Super” card.) Or should it be “Super S”?

    It might be good to add some translations in small print for people who don’t know Japanese and aren’t versed in all styles of anime — I knew most of the words but had to look up a few, like “Sekai-Kei” and “-kun”.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for trying out the game! Let me know how hit goes. :3

      I am definitely working on refining the selection of cards (especially since the rules seem to be more or less sound), and I’ll be looking at your suggestions too.

      I actually have an M.A. in Japanese, so I have Opinions on how to romanize Japanese words. Bishounen vs bishōnen is basically the two different romanization systems (Kunrei-shiki vs. Modified Hepburn), and I prefer a mix between the two because Modified Hepburn is more natural for English speakers, except the macrons to represent long vowels are both difficult to type and less accurate to Japanese writing.

      There’s been an occasional trend of having anime titles with a capital S on the end of the word (SuperS, DearS, StrikerS), even though the S is pronounced as though it was a plural. It’s very weird, and I did do it on purpose.

      Oh, and I am putting in footnotes for the less obvious Japanese terms and whantot. The PNP version is now a little behind, though I think I still have some more refinements to make.

      Reply

  2. So, it appears as though my search is frantic, and leading me no where – I played this game about two years ago at MAGFest (Music and Gaming Festival) with about eight people from 1am to 6am in their tabletop game room. Had an absolute blast, and easily became one of my favorite moments of the four-day 24-hour video-game-tabletop-game-concert extravaganza that the event is.

    Since then, it kinda went ghost. Haven’t seen it on Asmadi or any other site, and just recently I’ve been looking while I’ve had a decent enough job, and I’m coming up blank. I want a copy of this game so badly, and at this point it’d be easier finding the dodo.

    I see the pdf file above, and I suppose I could use that… but I’d still like the official version, with the lovely splashes of art and fonts for each card. I’ve always been a stickler for that kinda stuff… Is there any way at this point in time I’d be able to locate a copy of this game?

    Reply

    1. There may be some copies still floating through retail, but Asmadi has sold off the entire first printing of Channel A. The plan is to launch a standalone expansion (Channel A: Chaos Edition) and do a reprint of the original set, though we don’t have a set schedule for that so I couldn’t say when it’ll be coming.

      Reply

      1. At least there’s a chance of me getting to pick it up again. That’s good news! Just means I have to keep my eyes open again. Thanks, Ewen!

  3. The game it’s elf is amazing as a whole. However, I cannot say the same for buying it. Finding this game is like finding Waldo. It is rare to Coe by and once you see it! If you don’t get it right then, it’s disappears out of site

    Reply

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