Troika Initiative Cards
Reading through the Troika RPG core book, the lore, and the tone of it all sparked my passion to create. The game embraces the chaos of battle through a non-linear initiative mechanic that doesn’t rely on dice or stats; instead, it randomly determines action order by drawing tokens or chips, creating tension and delight at the table. The original take on initiative order inspired my idea to capture the same feeling with a deck of cards.
ILLUSTRATIONART DIRECTION
2 min read
troika initiative cards
Reading through the Troika RPG core book, the lore, and the tone of it all sparked my passion to create. The game embraces the chaos of battle through a non-linear initiative mechanic that doesn’t rely on dice or stats; instead, it randomly determines action order by drawing tokens or chips, creating tension and delight at the table. The original take on initiative order inspired my idea to capture the same feeling with a deck of cards.
symbols, systems & function
Examining the initiative mechanic's features, player colors, enemy actions, and end-of-round information drove my workflow and creative direction. This was crucial, as card readability was a strong design anchor for me. Because these cards are meant to work for any group at any table, the card design needed an evocative image without being too specific, since the wrong visual language could hurt enemy variety and fail to work across different play contexts, especially in Troika’s science-fantasy setting with its many non-traditional entities and encounters.
My research and concepting led me to the symbolic Evil Eye as a visual element that could run through the card set. This visual motif fit the occult, Lovecraftian tone I naturally developed; it draws the player’s eye to the card for readability, and it’s abstract enough to remain neutral across any play context. With a strong tone, attention-grabbing details, and functional abstraction, I designed an original card to expand the initiative mechanic during combat: the wildcard. This new card adds depth to combat encounters by acting as an escalation lever: environmental challenges, hazard countdowns, or anything that fits a specific encounter.
Outcomes & reflections
This was a self-directed passion project I shared publicly, and its reach grew beyond what I ever imagined. I was unexpectedly contacted about expanding that reach by creating web versions of the cards for a turn tracker on the Technical Grimoire website, which the Troika community uses heavily. The tracker and cards' popularity directly fueled my desire to begin publishing indie TTRPG content, removing a barrier between passion and publishing. This was a pivotal moment where I realized that my job as a designer isn’t just to decorate mechanics; it’s to give them feeling, function, and form.
