Steam Trading Card Beta

[Brian]

Some of you have probably already heard of this, and some of you have probably already tried it.  I myself got an invite a while back and then generally ignored the entire thing until recently, but I've played with the beta a bit and now understand how the system works.  So here it is:

• Earn cards by playing games.
  
  Sounds good, right?  Play a game, earn a card?  The way that it's set up, every game that's in the beta has (up to, it seems) eight cards.  You have a droppable allowance by default of four.  These cards are awarded to you randomly as you play, and there is no protection from duplicates.  In my experience, this means you typically get two of one card, and two other cards, out of the collection of eight.
  
  
• Create badges by combining cards.
  
  Once you assemble eight cards for a game, you can craft them into a badge.  This gives you 100 XP toward your Steam Level, a badge, and typically three other rewards.  An emoticon to use in steam chat (displays for other users, not you), a custom profile background, and a coupon.
  
  If you collect enough extra cards, you can rank up your badges by crafting them repeatedly.  Each one gives you the same rewards again (though it rerolls, so you'll probably get a different profile/coupon/emoticon ... but you might just get the same one again).
  
  
• If only four cards can drop out of eight, how do I get them all?
  
  In theory, you can get them from booster packs.  Booster packs are awarded randomly to people who have previously crafted badges (presumably, this means you only get booster packs for games you have badges for).  However, they are only rewarded when another player crafts a badge.  In theory they're distributed on a weekly basis, or something like that, to incentivize logging into Steam more often.
  
  Incidentally, that means it is not possible for 100% of the players of a game to ever earn badges, random rewards aside.  Not sure how to feel about that.
  
  The other way to get cards (required, if you don't already have a badge, of course) is trading with other players.  That will never actually happen, though, because:
  
  
• You can buy (and sell) cards on the Steam market.
  
  They'll take 5% or so of the cut.  But how can you trade something worth 40 cents for something worth 50?  You won't -- because you can sell your card for 40 cents and then come up with the other 10 elsewhere to buy the missing card piece.
  
  
• So, what does my 'Steam Level' do for me?
  
  Lets you show off that either you're a trader of legendary ability, or a schmuck who throws money away, pretty much.  Every level after 10 raises the cap on your friends list by 5, as well (I think).  I don't know what the point of that is, since communities/groups don't seem to have limits, but whatever.  Beyond that, every 10 levels award +20% to your current booster pack drop rate (whatever that base value is).
  
  Every level that's a multiple of 10 also adds a 'showcase' to your profile, which is extra space to show off your badges, achieves, or whatever.
  
  Check out this dumb schmuck for an example.
  
  
• How do _I_ win at Steam Trading Cards?  I really want (a background/an emoticon/a coupon)!
  
  Okay, this is how you win at Steam Trading Cards:
  
  Find a game that awards cards (I expect once it's out of beta and goes public, this will be all of them, pretty much).  Launch it.  If you play it, great -- just keep playing it until you get your four cards.  Go to your inventory, and examine the current market rate (last sold) for each card, and then undercut that price by one penny.  Take your winnings.  Go to the market and then just buy the background/emoticon that you want.  Those things sell for much less than the cards it would take to complete your set, and assembling a badge gives you only a random chance of getting what you want.
  
  Chances are you'll turn a very small profit doing this.  If you want a coupon ... why do you want a coupon?  They're possibly competitive with steam sales, but there's no control over what they're for, and you'd spend a lot more money chasing after it than you would just buying the game you want.  Anyway, selling badges gives you credit in your steam wallet, which you can spend directly against the actual cost of the game.
  
  
• But, I really, really want a specific badge!
  
  Then AFK through a bunch of games and sell cards for all the badges you don't care about.  Then use that money to buy the cards you need for your badge.
  
  
• But, I want to raise my Steam level!  It's an e-peen thing!  I need to have a bigger number!
  
  Well, Valve will love you for that.  Prepare to spend a lot of money, and grind your badges to mitigate expenses.  You might be able to find a community that will let you trade coupons for other people's cards, but I don't see great chances of that, personally.  Then again, who knows?
  
  
  Edit: updated level reward details and provided an example.

[Dracos]

For additional comedy:

*listens to story*

Brian: So that's how the system all works.
*does some math*
Dracos: "You know, that probably costs more than that 'wins' in power bills at the moment."
Brian: *sadface* Breakfast is on me.

[Brian]

And you couldn't be tasked to share the epic challenge to breakfast in the first place? ;.;

[Dracos]

Well, yes that was awesome.  *digs a second*

Brian:
In a future yet to be, the third morning revolution is ushered in by the invention of the Shizuma Meal, and with it, mankind celebrates a new era of breakfast.
But lurking in the shadows cast by the brilliance of our new found quest, two great powers clash!
Big Coffee; a secret organization bent on total world domination!
"Hail, Big Coffee! Breakfast or death!"
But despair not! To defend us from the threat they pose, the International Meal Organization's mighty Experts of the Balanced Diet have been formed, comprised of members from around the globe! Fighting by their side is the greatest robot on the planet, Giant Breakfast Quest, commanded solely by one young man: Dracsaku Kusama!
"Crush them! Go, Giant Breakfast Quest!"

[Brian]

There we go. :D

Rest assured, it included proper background music.

[Dracos]

That indeed it did.  Though it was meek.  It lacked...  ADVENTURE.

[Brian]

Since this came up with Iddy this morning, if anyone has trading cards they don't even want to bother selling, I'll take 'em.

I am that sad sap.

[Grahf]

I leave for one day and when I return I find a thread crafted of madness, and breakfast.

Only here, I suppose.

I may be able to spare a card or two. Currently not in a great spot to do so though, may have to wait a day or two.