Trophy Fishing: Ocean Odyssey™
Designed For Fun And Memorable Game Nights
Trophy Fishing is a strategic card game for 2–6 players that plays in 30–45 minutes. Players collect tackle, catch trophy fish, complete tournaments, and use event cards to outsmart their opponents in a fast-paced race for the highest score.
As the game designer & creative lead, I designed the game's brand, gameplay systems, components, user interface, packaging, website, and marketing assets, building a scalable visual system that supports both gameplay and future expansion.
Design Challenge
Create a strategic fishing card game that is easy to learn, fast to play, and built entirely with cards. The challenge was to capture the feel of real fishing while balancing luck and strategy, and to develop a scalable visual system that communicates complex mechanics quickly without overwhelming players.
Currently in development. Artwork, components, and gameplay are subject to change.
- Game Design
- Game Development
- Rules & Instructions
- Playtest Facilitation
- Gameplay Balancing
- Player Experience
- Component Design
- Product Development
- Illustrator
- Photoshop
- Figma
- Google Docs
Jump to Section
Gameplay
Easy To Learn. Deep To Master
Trophy Fishing combines simple rules with meaningful decisions. Players collect tackle cards, catch valuable fish, complete Tournament cards for bonus points, and use Event cards to outsmart their opponents. Every mechanic was designed to create exciting choices while keeping gameplay intuitive, fast-paced, and highly replayable.
Card System
A Scalable Visual System Designed For Clarity
Every card type follows the same visual system, making it easy for players to recognize rarity, understand effects, and find important information at a glance. Color, icons, typography, and layout work together to keep gameplay intuitive while creating a scalable foundation for future cards and expansions.
Fish Cards
Catch Real Fish Species. Collect Big Points
Each Fish card represents a real-world species with its own artwork, rarity, point value, catch requirements, and special ability. As players progress from Common to Legendary fish, the challenge and rewards increase, creating meaningful decisions throughout the game. Educational facts at the bottom of every card add personality and deepen the connection to the fishing theme, making each catch feel memorable.
Tackle Cards
Build The Perfect Combination For Every Catch
Tackle Cards are the core engine of Trophy Fishing. Players collect Rod, Reel, and Bait cards in matching colors to meet each Fish card's catch requirement. Color coding, clear iconography, and consistent layouts make matching combinations quick and intuitive, while Rainbow Tackle introduces flexible strategies by acting as a wild card. This scalable system creates meaningful decisions every turn while remaining easy to learn and expand with new mechanics.
Tournament Cards
Every Catch Counts. Every Decision Matters
Tournament Cards add long-term strategy by giving players secret scoring objectives that reward specific fish combinations. Because every Fish you catch contributes to every Tournament Card you keep, each decision can advance multiple goals at once. Players choose which objectives to pursue, adapt as the game evolves, and compete for valuable bonus points, creating multiple paths to victory.
Event Cards
Powerful Moments That Turn The Tide
Event Cards keep every game unpredictable by introducing unexpected twists and new opportunities. Whether helping players catch the fish they need, disrupting an opponent's plans, or changing the flow of the game, each card encourages quick decisions and memorable moments while keeping gameplay fast and easy to learn.
Brand Identity
A Cohesive Visual System Built For Intuitive Gameplay
Trophy Fishing's brand identity was designed to make the game instantly recognizable, easy to learn, and memorable on the table. A consistent system of colors, typography, icons, and rarity cues creates a unified visual language that improves readability while reinforcing the game's adventurous fishing theme. Every design decision supports gameplay, strengthens the brand, and provides a scalable foundation for future cards, expansions, and products.
Design Process
Crafted With Purpose
Trophy Fishing was developed through an iterative design process that combined gameplay testing, visual design, and player feedback. From early sketches and paper prototypes to a complete visual system and polished components, every element was refined with a single goal: creating a game that is easy to learn, strategically rewarding, and visually engaging. The result is a cohesive experience where mechanics, branding, and component design work together to support intuitive gameplay and long-term expansion.
Playtesting
From First Prototypes To Unforgettable Game Nights
Every mechanic was refined through repeated playtesting with players of different experience levels. Feedback from each session helped improve game balance, simplify rules, refine components, and create a smoother player experience.
Ready for the Table
End-to-end product design
Designing Trophy Fishing reinforced the importance of balancing clarity, strategy, and usability. Through continuous playtesting and iteration, I refined every mechanic, visual element, and component into a cohesive product that is easy to learn, rewarding to master, and enjoyable to play.
Stay tuned for what's next! Trophy Fishing is coming to Kickstarter soon. Subscribe to the newsletter for launch updates and follow along on Instagram for behind-the-scenes development, artwork, and playtesting.
