Make your own Elder Card!

At the end of every game of ELDER, perished travellers are invited to create Elder Cards of their characters, enabling their creations to haunt future games. This is a super fun way to personalise your game experience, build a running narrative and put your own spin on the Elder Wood!

To make an Elder Card, you will need to:

  • Write a character prompt (in case your card is drawn as a Character Card).

  • Write a Challenge or Conundrum for your card (in case your card is dealt into the Path as an encounter).

  • Come up with a Bargain rule (in case your card becomes a Bargain).

While not all of these capabilities will come up in every game, you'll need to create all three for your new card, as you never know how your card will be drawn! This page will guide you through that process.

When you’re ready to go, get hold of the following:

  • One of the blank Elder Cards that came with your deck (pictured below).

  • A black pen (and a pencil if you like to sketch things first).

  • The physical rulebook that came with your ELDER deck.

Start by designing your card


Select one of the blank cards from the deck, like this one pictured.

  • In the top box under the X, write a name for your card. If you’re basing your card off a character you created for a game of ELDER, do not use the same name that was on your original Character Card. That name’s already taken!

  • Note the number (1-4) and suit of the card. Blank card suits are always Wild. This means that the card can be counted as a Scroll, Moon or Cup. It’s powerful!

  • In the central circle, draw a picture or image to represent your spirit!

  • In the bottom box, write the Bargain rule that your card will afflict on travellers if acquired as a Bargain. If you need to remind yourself of what a Bargain is, look it up in the core rules.

Now for the rest!


Open up the physical manual that came with your Elder deck and turn to the page that matches the number of the blank card you used (in this case, number 1). You will write your character prompt and encounter here.

Bargain. Copy the Bargain rule that you wrote on the card into this box, for reference.

Character prompt. Start by writing a character prompt. Anyone who draws this card as a Character Card will use this prompt to create their traveller in the character creation phase. Think about:

  • How has this character’s life experience led them to enter the dangerous Elder Wood?

  • What do they hope to find there?

Encounter. You will write one encounter for your card, which will be used whenever the card is encountered in the Thicket, Mire and Gorge. We’ve put some suggestions below to help you, but think of them more as guidelines. At the end of the day, you can write your encounters in any way you want. So long as the card works, it works!

Day phase:

  • Some flavour text (what do the travellers see?)

  • A brief summary of the Challenge minigame that the travellers will face.

  • How travellers win Blessings or Bargains from this encounter (usually by scoring the most points in the Challenge)

  • How do travellers lose the encounter collectively, and so gain a Curse?

Night phase:

  • What is the discussion around the fire? Provide the Reader with a thematic conversation starter that relates to the events of the day. Remember: roleplay is important!

Using your new card in a game

Once you’re done, shuffle your finished card into the ELDER deck before your next game.

  • If your card appears in Chapter I as a Character Card, players can use the QR code to access the Inn’s text. When it comes to the character prompt, they will need to reference your write-up in the physical manual for their character prompt.

  • If your card appears in Chapters II-IV as an Elder Card, the Reader will read aloud your encounter from the physical manual.

And that’s it!

We hope you have fun making your new Elder Card, and even more fun playing with it. Remember to share your ideas with us…