Vielkarten: one deck, many games
Whether it’s Poker, The Game, Lost Cities, Memory or 6 nimmt!: With the Vielkarten, you can play these and many other games. They’re the ideal travel companion, suitable for use in schools and a tool for developing games.
To have big fun with small cards, there are game systems with multifunctional cards. These don’t just feature suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades, etc.) and values (7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A, etc.), but also letters, numbers and other information. Examples include Decktet, The Everdeck or The Mystique Deck. Each system has different focuses. Each has its pros and cons. Since none of the systems matched my ideas exactly, I developed the Vielkarten together with the association “Spiel und Kultur”. They’re a perfect travel companion, suitable for use in schools and at the same time a tool for developing games.
The card designs reflect the diversity of our planet and showcase the beauty of our Earth. Natural wonders like Mount Everest in Nepal or Wadi Rum in Jordan stand alongside structures like the Pyramids of Giza or the Great Wall of China. The illustrations depict people from different cultures. The Vielkarten are thus a contribution to the initiative Spielend für Toleranz. Because gaming connects, it doesn’t divide. It’s an expression of equality and creates a framework for coming together, getting to know each other and following rules that apply to everyone.
Print and Play: Vielkarten for everyone
Here you’ll find all the files for the Vielkarten. The format of all the cards provided here is 63 x 88 millimetres (poker size). We’ve organised the cards in Excel, designed a template in InDesign and used the data merge function to create the individual cards. You’ll need to design a back yourself.
- PDF: front sides (126 pages, 56 MB)
- PDF: instructions and ideas for a redesign (5 MB)
- DOC: instructions and ideas for a redesign (19 MB)
- InDesign file (6.6 MB)
- Excel spreadsheet (27 KB)
Licence and terms of use: You can use the PDF with all Vielkarten (front sides), the instructions, the Excel spreadsheet and the InDesign template free of charge for private use. This means you can print the Vielkarten yourself for private use or have them printed by a third party (including companies).
The system of the Vielkarten and the associated Excel spreadsheet are under a “CC0 1.0 Universal” licence (Public Domain). This means you may copy, modify and distribute the system and the spreadsheet, even for commercial purposes, without having to ask for further permission. We would be pleased if you credited the source as “Spiel und Kultur – kulturgutspiel.de/vielkarten”. However, this is not mandatory.
Graphic designers wanted
To allow everyone to adapt the Vielkarten to their needs, we would like to publish all files under a Public Domain licence. This is currently not possible because we bought the images used on Etsy. They are protected by copyright. We are allowed to publish the complete cards, but not the individual illustrations. For this reason, we are looking for someone who would like to re-illustrate the cards and is willing to release their graphics under a Public Domain licence online. Interested? Then get in touch with us at kontakt@kulturgutspiel.de.
By the way: I (Sebastian) had my Vielkarten printed as plastic cards by Printers Studio (no affiliate link :-)) so they can also be used at the beach. I’m happy with the result; only the smell of the ink bothered me at first. Printers Studio provides you with templates in various formats (Photoshop, Illustrator, PDF).
FAQ: Answers to frequent questions
How are the Vielkarten structured?
The Vielkarten are 120 playing cards that can be used to play numerous board and card games. The system is based on The Everdeck by Wilhelm Su. Each card has
- a colour (red, black, orange, blue),
- a symbol (heart, diamond, club, spade, yin yang, star, circle, arrow),
- a value (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A, X),
- a number (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, … 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119),
- a die face (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5),
- a letter (A, B, C, D, E, …)
- a category (natural wonder, city life, monument, person)
- a name and
- an image in the centre of the card.
How do the Vielkarten differ from other game systems?
The Vielkarten can do less than other game systems. Other systems often have more symbols and additional information, for example letters as well as tarot or hanafuda references.
However, the Vielkarten have other advantages: all information is visible in all four corners. This means you can play with the cards directly without having to orient them first. The Vielkarten focus on essential information and are therefore clearer than other systems. Even so, you can still bring many games to the table with them.
The 120 Vielkarten can be used as different decks, including as
- standard card decks for games like Mau-Mau, Skat and Poker.
- number deck A for games like The Game, The Mind and No Thanks!.
- number deck B for games like L.A.M.A., Lost Cities and Trio.
- dice deck for games like 6 nimmt!.
- picture deck for games like Memory.
- letter deck for games like Boggle.
- other decks for games like Las Vegas or Heimlich & Co.
You can find more information about the decks in the instructions.
Which games can I play with the Vielkarten?
You can use them (and a few additional dice/figures) to play numerous board and card games. For some games, you’ll need extra materials from the original games (dice, figures). You can check the instructions for your original games to see which Vielkarten you need for each game. The rules are also included there. Sometimes you may need to slightly modify the rules so the games work with the Vielkarten.
- Abluxxen
- Bridge
- Boggle
- Coloretto
- Da Vinci Code
- Dixit
- Halli Galli
- Hanabi
- Heimlich & Co
- Jaipur
- Kakerlaken-Poker
- Kobayakawa
- Krass Karriert
- L.A.M.A.
- Las Vegas
- Lost Cities
- Memory
- Modern Art
- No Thanks!/Schöne Sch#!?e
- Passt nicht!
- Poker
- Skat
- Skull
- The Game
- The Gang
- The Mind
- Trio
- Uno
- Wizard
- Zoff im Zoo
- …
You can find more about card distribution in games, for example, in the list “Ranks and Suits – The Anatomy of Decks of Cards”.
Why is there no BoardGameGeek entry for the Vielkarten?
We wanted to create a BGG entry. Unfortunately, the administrators rejected it because the Vielkarten are not a standalone game but “just” playing cards that can be used to play other games.
What do I need to know about the sources and licences?
The system of the Vielkarten is based on The Everdeck by Wilhelm Su.
The system of the Vielkarten and the associated Excel table are licensed under “CC0 1.0 Universal” (Public Domain). This means you can copy, modify and distribute the system and the table, even for commercial purposes, without needing to ask for further permission. We would be happy, though, if you credited “Spiel und Kultur – kulturgutspiel.de/vielkarten” as the source. However, this is not mandatory. You can find more information about the “CC0 1.0 Universal” licence at https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.de
Our goal is to publish the complete Vielkarten under a Public Domain licence. This is currently not possible because the images used are protected by copyright. The images on the front and back of the cards are therefore NOT licensed under “CC0 1.0 Universal” (Public Domain).
The images on the front of the cards come from the “Travel Set” by murisimi on Etsy, see https://www.etsy.com/de-en/listing/1604652765/mega-bundle-500-travel-art-prints.
The image on the back, which I cannot publish here, comes from the “Junk Journal Kit Bundle Colorful Pages in Watercolor” by ScraftKeyEdition on Etsy, see https://www.etsy.com/de-en/listing/1702363662/junk-journal-kit-bundle-colorful-pages?ref=yr_purchases.
The triangle icon is called “Triforce icon” and is by Delapouite. It was published under a “CC BY 3.0” licence, see https://game-icons.net/1×1/delapouite/triforce.html.
The tennis ball icon is called “Tennisball icon” and is by Delapouite. It was published under a “CC BY 3.0” licence, see https://game-icons.net/1×1/delapouite/yin-yang.html.
The circle icon is called “Abstract 039 icon” and is by Viscious Speed. It was published under a “CC0 PDD” licence, see https://game-icons.net/1×1/viscious-speed/abstract-039.html.
The star icon is called “Azul flake icon” and is by Delapouite. It was published under a “CC BY 3.0” licence, see https://game-icons.net/1×1/delapouite/azul-flake.html.
The dice font is called “Dicey” and is by Jamie Place. It was published under a “CC BY-SA 3.0” licence, see https://www.dafont.com/dicey.font.
You can use the PDF with all the Vielkarten and these instructions for free for private use and print the Vielkarten yourself or have them printed by a third party (including companies). As soon as I find someone who can redesign the cards (and the usage rights are clarified), I will publish all the files under a Public Domain licence online.