getting started

Find your aha.

There's no single right way in. Pick the door that matches how the game lives in your head — each one ends at the moment Playproof clicks.

you can see the card

Look first

You know what it should look like. Start in the Layout Designer; wire the data in once the look feels right.

Layout walkthrough →
you've got a system

Mechanics first

The math is in your head. Define the fields in Card Data first, then dress them up.

Card Data walkthrough →
a game, not cards yet

Concept first

You're thinking in rules and feel. Start a game, list components, figure out cards as you go.

Games walkthrough →
Card Data Library

Define a card once. Get a whole deck.

  1. Open Card Data and start a template — say, Creature.
  2. Add fields, each with a type: name (text), cost (number), rules (area text), faction (category), art (image), icon.
  3. Switch to the cards table and add a few rows — or paste a CSV you've been balancing in a spreadsheet.
  4. Hit ⌘S. The template's shared, so any game can reuse it.
the aha

Paste 120 rows and you've got 120 cards — each already knowing its shape. Tweak the template later and every card updates with it.

[ fields → cards table ]
Layout Designer

Place it once. The data fills the rest.

  1. Open the Layout Designer on a blank canvas.
  2. Add elements — a title, an art frame, a cost badge, a rules box. Stack and tidy them in the Layers panel.
  3. In X-Ray, point each element at a field — this text shows {name}, this slot shows {art}.
  4. Flip to Style for real fonts and colors, then Preview for the clean, print-ready card.
the aha

Bind one text box to the Name field — and every card in the deck has its own name. You didn't place 120 text boxes. You placed one, and the data did the rest.

[ X-Ray → Style → Preview ]
Games

One project. Always a version that worked.

  1. Create a game and write the overview and rules while they're fresh.
  2. Give it a Card Data Template (its fields) and a layout (its look).
  3. List components, build the deck, and log what happens in Playtests.
  4. Snapshot the game before a session.
the aha

Snapshot, then wreck the balance on purpose. If the new idea flops, roll back to the version that worked — your good build is never more than a click away.

[ game → snapshot timeline ]
grab it

Best guide is the real thing.

Free while it's in beta. First printable deck in under 30 minutes.

Download for MacTour the app