More 4x6 Printable Cards

My second go at a Castles & Crusades card came out pretty nice, and while yes, it does have that "tutorial text" taking up the center of the card, that is a good thing to have as you learn. If I did a "pro" version I would use that space for something better, maybe scoot the whole side block in and have the entire right side open for information. I omit things like race and sex, height and weight, those can be noted anywhere or shorthanded (HM for a human male, EF for an elf female, etc.).

The AC data went on one line, with the most used AC being its own space, and grapple and touch AC getting a split line. Everything else is tightened up, and there is a space for languages now. I also added lines to the bottom half just to keep things organized. The abilities area is both for race and class abilities. If you are not a caster, use the Spells & Magic area for anything you want, potions, consumables, magic items, or more gear.

My second try at a Savage Worlds Pathfinder 4x6 card tightened up considerably, with the addition of a PP line and a powers area to record those. There is a little less room for gear than I normally like, so I made the top line usable. The system has 20+ skills, and while most characters never have them all, they take up a quarter of the card space. 

I could move powers under skills, but I would need to give it three lines to equal the space, so I would need to push the section up and crowd ability scores, which I am trying to avoid because I like white space around attributes for clarity and impact.

This may also be a Savage Pathfinder thing since without the Class Features section I would have four more lines on the right side. Savage Pathfinder is by default a lot more structured in terms of characters and record sheets, so you pay a lot in space to split things apart how the game wants you to. With Fantasy Companion, you are using the simpler Savage Worlds character sheets, though I would keep Ancestry or combine it with Edges.

Skills are an interesting subject. A lot of games just go way too hard on skills and provide infinite choices that often drift into the obscure and unfocused, and that drags the game down. GURPS is a notable example, along with Rolemaster FRP. I like C&C because it gets rid of the notion of needing skills, while still providing a one or two random profession system just in case it fits a character concept. As a result, the character cards are much cleaner, and this would be true in a system with limited skills, such as Star Frontiers.

I find myself moving away from skill-heavy games and towards ones that use more inventive solutions than putting all that bookkeeping and reference on players. When you look at traditional RPG skill systems, they are primarily meant to force you to pick a narrow range of actions your character is capable of and discard 60-90% of the list. Yes, it is character customization, but in many cases, it feels like the designers are giving up and throwing choice paralysis at the players and referees.