The tabletop game creation studio

Make your
next game.

From the first card to the whole table.
Design, playtest, and bring your game to life with Carta.

Join the launch list

For game designers. For the game you can’t stop thinking about.

Swamp Dredge illustrated game cardSpicy Cache illustrated game card
Made in Carta · Monster Munch Midnight Madness
by Cozy Games Studio
A little idea. A whole world of play.Design · Playtest · Make

For independent designers. For the people publishing their next game.

Your game.
Every detail.
One project.

Illustration of cards, a pencil and a drawing curve

It’s an idea. A system. A hundred small decisions that have to work together.

Carta gives that work a home: the artwork and data, the components and constructions, the rules, the playtests, the files, and the images that introduce your game to the world.

When you’re designing

Keep the idea moving.

Start with a deck, a board, or a blank project. Change a value, try a new layout, build a prototype, and come back with a better question.

When you’re publishing

Keep the details together.

Develop consistent component families, inspect artwork and physical formats, prepare the next proof, and stage product imagery from the same authored game.

One project, connected work.

Components & artwork ↔ Data ↔ Rules & testing ↔ Construction ↔ Output & presentation

01 / From one card to a deck

Design once.
Deal in possibilities.

A name. An illustration. A different effect.
Connect a shared design to your card data, then give every card its own part to play.

Explore the finished cards

Three records. One shared design.

Pantry deck / 01
Card name
Spicy Cache
Ingredient
Spicy
Action
Take from Stockpile

Each card keeps its own text and illustration, with a consistent layout across the deck.

Spicy Cache, an actual exported Monster Munch card

A deck that stays together. Import CSV records, link text and artwork, and refine the design they share.

Actual exported cards · Monster Munch

The system behind the illustration

Change the deck.
Keep your design.

Import CSV records and connect names, values, rules text, and images to a shared layout. Move through the records and see the design respond.

Useful for the next balance pass, a growing set of cards, or a deck whose visual identity needs to stay consistent.

  • Shared layouts
  • Linked text & images
  • Record previews
Pantry deck records, shown in their shared card design.

02 / Go beautifully into detail

Make every
piece yours.

Illustration, typography, and precise vector tools. Work with layers, shapes, and imported artwork, then see those designs become game components.

Select, resize, and position artwork in the Vector workspace.

Layers, paths, and precision.

Draw and edit vector shapes, arrange layers, and place your own illustrations. Keep control of the details at the component’s physical size.

Type that belongs to the game.

Work with character and paragraph controls, imported fonts, and inline symbols. Shape the language of cards, boards, and player aids.

Make repeated work repeatable.

Use shared styles and supported action sequences. Apply a planned batch to selected artwork when the same edit needs to happen more than once.

03 / Small pieces. Big personality.

Keep scrolling to bring it together

A world starts with one card.

The same idea, taking shape across a whole deck.

Give every piece a part to play.

Boards, illustrated dice, and a tracker with two dials.

One game. A world of your own.

A connected family of components, ready for its next playtest.

Dairy Delivery cardSwamp Dredge cardSpicy Cache cardSizzling Salamander player boardSizzling Salamander tracker with two numbered dialsIllustrated Aroma die

Authored in Carta · Monster Munch

Make a sample. See how it feels.

04 / Think beyond the surface

There’s a whole
game in there.

A component has artwork. It also has a size, a material, a front and a back—and sometimes layers, moving parts, or a place it needs to fit.

The actual Sizzling Salamander two-dial tracker
Two numbered dials. One authored tracker.

Design the piece.
Understand its parts.

Work with physical dimensions and face artwork. Inspect layered components and dial mechanisms in the constructor, with the flat artwork and assembled view close at hand.

Boards, tiles, tokens, standees, dice, and trackers have different jobs. Their authoring tools follow the piece you’re making.

Think inside
the box.

Develop the box around the game. Explore exterior faces, the assembled packaging, and an insert’s compartments and contents before making the next physical sample.

The Monster Munch box in Carta’s packaging editor.

Make a sample. Check that the pieces fit, stay in place, and are easy to take out.

05 / Find the game in the idea

Try it.
Break it. Repeat.

The best part of making a game is finding out how it plays. Arrange the starting table, put components into a local playtest, and discover what needs another pass.

Playing Monster Munch by hand on Carta’s local table.

The next session
starts with a setup.

Define the table and starting components. Use the manual table while the design is changing, then author and test game behavior where automation helps.

Try.
Learn.
Again.

Words. Behavior. Feedback.

Make the rules
part of the work.

Explain the game you mean.

Write player-facing instructions alongside your components. Keep design notes separate, and inspect the page layout as the rules develop.

The Monster Munch rulebook in Rules & Notes.
The Monster Munch rulebook in Rules & Notes.

06 / From a good idea to a real first copy

Your desk.
Your tools.
Your prototype.

Print the cards. Cut the pieces. Fold the box. Make a copy you can hold, pass around, and play—with home printing and Cricut tools.

Illustration of a cutting mat, card, scissors and ruler
01

Print. Cut.
Try it tonight.

Prepare a print-and-play PDF with the selected components and cutting guides. Make a simple copy, test the handling, and discover what needs changing.

See actual exported sheets
02

Bring your
Cricut into it.

Export supported cut and score paths, plus artwork for Print Then Cut. Carta keeps physical dimensions and stock layers in the files; Cricut Design Space handles machine setup and mat layout.

  • Basic Cut and Cut + Score
  • Print Then Cut artwork
  • Supported foil and scoring tools
  • Compatible stock batches
03

Build a sample.
Learn from it.

Make layered pieces, folded packaging, and supported inserts. Check how the actual material bends, how pieces fit, and how the prototype feels to use.

Then take that learning back into the project.

Files are prepared in Carta; Cricut operations are set up in Design Space. Machine, tool, and material compatibility still apply.

Cricut’s Print Then Cut guide ↗

07 / Put the next version in motion

From your project.
Into the world.

A copy for tonight’s playtest. Artwork for your printer. Files to share with your manufacturer. Take the next version of your game beyond the screen.

Actual exported print-and-play sheet containing six Monster Munch Pantry cards
Print-and-play / Pantry cards
Actual Aroma die artwork net with six illustrated faces
Component artwork / Aroma die net

Export artwork, cut lines, and print-and-play sheets. PDFs currently use RGB colour; CMYK conversion is not included.

Made in Carta. Ready to share.

Manufacturer-specific templates · In development

Your game.
Their specifications.

Built around the published guidelines of major game manufacturers.

We’re preparing templates that export to each manufacturer’s specifications, so you can design your game with the production files in mind from the start.

For the next review, and the next handoff

Know what
you’re sending.

Keep the artwork, cut lines, and destination in view. Use production checks to find issues such as missing fonts or artwork, and follow them back to the affected component.

01

Artwork & production plates

Supported SVG/PDF artwork, dielines, and marks. Set dimensions, bleed, and safe areas. Export artwork and separate cut-line or print-mark plates for your printer or manufacturer.

02

Digital tabletop

Prepare supported components for Tabletop Simulator. Open the exported game in Tabletop Simulator and check the pieces on the table.

03

Editable project archive

Export the project with its included assets as a .tabletop archive. Reopen it in Carta or make an independent working copy.

08 / Give the game its moment

A game worth
looking at.

For the pitch, the product page, or the next update. Stage your actual components, compose a shot, and explore light and movement in Photo Studio.

Monster Munch box, cards, player board, tracker and die in a scene rendered with Carta’s lighting tools
Rendered with Carta’s lighting engine. Scene from the launch film.

From still life to movement

Set the scene.
Make it move.

Move the camera. Fan out a deck. Bring the pieces together. Set camera and component keyframes in the Studio timeline to present your game in motion.

A card fan built in the Studio timeline.

The launch film / 01:57

See the whole
idea come to life.

Carta in motion

One idea. Every part of the journey.

Read the visual transcript ↗

A few things you might be wondering

Before your
first move.

Carta is taking shape.
Here’s where things stand.

Your next game starts here

Keep a seat
at the table.

Carta is in development. Join the launch list for product news and availability announcements.