# CBB Project Brief: DOPE Card Generator — Free Web Tool
**Status:** Concept
**Destination:** ScopeDOPE feature (top-of-funnel acquisition tool for the ScopeDOPE product; stays in the `ScopeDOPE/` namespace)
**Tier:** 1 — Highest Strategic Priority
**Classification:** Internal — Confidential
**Version and date:** see Revision Control Block at the end of this document

---

## Summary

A standalone free web tool at `dopecards.scope-dope.com` that lets any shooter manually enter their come-up data and generate a print-ready DOPE card in multiple formats. No ScopeDOPE™ account required. No app download required. This is a weekend-build, permanent top-of-funnel asset that captures Google search traffic, introduces Cold Bore Ballistics™ to shooters who haven't heard of ScopeDOPE, and converts them with a single click. The SEO value on "DOPE card generator" and "scope data card" in the precision rifle niche is meaningful and compounds over time.

---

## Problem Statement

Every precision rifle competitor needs a DOPE card — a physical or digital reference showing their come-up table (adjustments at each distance). Today, shooters make these by hand in Word documents, Excel templates, or websites with no ballistic community focus. There is no dedicated, polished, free DOPE card generator that understands the precision rifle workflow, supports MRAD and MOA, knows what a cold bore shot is, or outputs a card sized to fit on a rifle stock.

A shooter who Googles "DOPE card generator" or "scope data card template" currently finds:
- Generic spreadsheet templates on Reddit threads
- Military-format range cards (wrong format for competitive use)
- Paid apps that require a download before showing any value

Cold Bore Ballistics should own this search result.

---

## Product Concept

### Core Features

**Data Entry**
- Rifle name (optional label for the card)
- Scope zero distance
- Ammo: name, lot number (optional), bullet weight, MV
- Come-up table: distance → MRAD or MOA elevation → MRAD or MOA windage (per-MPH)
- Notes field (e.g., "cold bore: +0.2 MRAD," "wind hold at 10 MPH: 0.5 MRAD")
- Unit selection: MRAD or MOA throughout

**Card Formats**
- **Scope Card:** Small format, designed to fold or laminate and attach to a rifle stock or scope saddle. 2" × 4" or 3" × 5". Compact typography, 5–12 distances.
- **Field Card:** Half-letter (5.5" × 8.5"). More data, environmental adjustment tables, notes section.
- **Full Card:** Letter (8.5" × 11"). Complete data, multiple distance columns, logo watermark.

**Output**
- PDF download (print-ready, correct DPI)
- PNG download (for digital use on a tablet or phone)
- Save to browser local storage (return to edit later without an account)
- Upgrade prompt: "Build this card automatically from your confirmed downrange data → Download ScopeDOPE"

**Branding**
- Cold Bore Ballistics logo watermark on all free cards (small, tasteful, bottom corner)
- Premium: watermark-free cards available with a free Community Account or ScopeDOPE purchase
- All generated cards include "Generated with ScopeDOPE by Cold Bore Ballistics" in fine print

---

## Target User

**Primary acquisition target:** Shooters who don't yet know about ScopeDOPE. They find the tool via Google search, generate a card, and see the CBB/ScopeDOPE brand for the first time.

**Secondary:** Existing ScopeDOPE users who want a quick card from manually-entered data, or who want to share a card with a teammate who doesn't have the app.

**Tertiary:** Instructors and coaches who generate standardized cards for students at clinics.

---

## Revenue Model

**Direct revenue: None.** This is a free tool.

**Indirect revenue:**
- Top-of-funnel for ScopeDOPE downloads — conversion through the in-tool CTA ("Build this automatically from real DOPE data → ScopeDOPE")
- Email capture: optional "Save your card to your account" with a Community Account sign-up
- Premium features (watermark removal, more formats, saved cards) convert free users to Community Account holders who are then ScopeDOPE prospects

**SEO value:** A free tool that earns backlinks from forum posts, Reddit threads, and YouTube videos ("use this to make your DOPE card") generates organic traffic permanently. In a niche this small, being the top Google result for "DOPE card generator" is meaningful and achievable.

---

## Strategic Fit with CBB / ScopeDOPE

This is the top-of-funnel product. The conversion path is:

```
Google: "DOPE card generator"
    ↓
dopecards.scope-dope.com
    ↓
Shooter generates a card manually
    ↓
Sees CTA: "ScopeDOPE builds this automatically from your confirmed shots"
    ↓
Downloads ScopeDOPE
    ↓
Becomes a paying CBB customer
```

The cost of this acquisition is a weekend of development and ongoing hosting (essentially zero). There is no paid advertising, no cold outreach, no partner relationship required. It is a permanent passive acquisition channel.

---

## Competitive Landscape

| Product | Free | Web-based | MRAD/MOA | Precision rifle format | ScopeDOPE integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excel/Google Sheets templates | ✓ | ✓ | Manual | ✗ | ✗ |
| Reddit templates | ✓ | ✗ | Manual | Basic | ✗ |
| Kestrel DOPE card output | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Applied Ballistics app export | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| **CBB DOPE Card Generator** | **✓** | **✓** | **✓** | **✓** | **✓** |

No free, web-based, precision-rifle-specific DOPE card generator exists. The market is genuinely open.

---

## Technical Overview

**Platform:** Static web app (HTML/CSS/JS or simple React). No backend required for basic function.

**Stack:**
- Frontend: React or vanilla JS
- PDF generation: pdfmake (client-side PDF generation — no server needed)
- Storage: Browser localStorage for saved cards (no account required)
- Hosting: Azure Static Web Apps (consistent with existing CBB website infrastructure)
- Domain: `dopecards.scope-dope.com`

**Optional backend (for account features):**
- Same CBB community account backend as ScopeDOPE and Web Session Manager
- Only needed for saved cards and watermark removal — defer until those features are prioritized

**Complexity estimate:** Low. This is a form with a PDF renderer. A focused developer (Jason) builds v1.0 in 2–3 days. Most of the work is in the card layout templates and PDF formatting.

---

## Go-to-Market

**SEO:** Publish the tool with a landing page that is clearly optimized for "DOPE card," "scope data card," "ballistic data card," "come-up card" and related searches. The niche is small — 5–10 backlinks from relevant forums will establish ranking quickly.

**Forum seeding:** Post on Sniper's Hide, PrecisionRifleBlog subreddit, NRL22 Facebook Group. "Built a free DOPE card generator — feedback welcome." This is organic and authentic since the tool is genuinely free and useful.

**YouTube:** A 3-minute tutorial video: "How to make a DOPE card for your NRL22 match." Ranks on YouTube search and drives tool traffic.

**Existing community:** Share with ScopeDOPE beta users before public launch.

---

## Success Metrics

| Metric | 3-month | 12-month |
|---|---|---|
| Unique tool visitors/month | 500 | 3,000 |
| Cards generated | 200/month | 1,500/month |
| ScopeDOPE conversion from tool CTA | 5% | 8% |
| Google ranking: "DOPE card generator" | Top 5 | Top 3 |
| Community Account signups from tool | 20/month | 100/month |

---

## Risks & Mitigations

| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Low search volume — too niche to drive meaningful traffic | Medium | Niche is fine — even 200 qualified visitors/month converting at 8% = 16 ScopeDOPE downloads/month, permanently |
| Kestrel or Applied Ballistics builds a free web card generator | Low | Their business model depends on hardware/premium software — free web tools cannibalize their own products |
| Maintenance burden if card formats need updating | Low | Static tool with no backend is nearly zero maintenance |

---

## Resource Requirements

- 1 developer — 2–3 days for v1.0
- 1 designer — 4–8 hours for card layout templates (could be done by Jason with CBB brand assets)
- Hosting: $0–5/month (static hosting)
- Domain: subdomain of an owned domain — CBB owns `scope-dope.com` and `coldboreballisticsllc.com`; use `dopecards.scope-dope.com` (no new registration needed)

---

## Recommended Timing

**Build before or concurrent with ScopeDOPE launch.** This is the lowest-effort, highest-leverage top-of-funnel asset available. A 3-day build that drives permanent organic acquisition has one of the best ROI profiles in the entire CBB project portfolio. Ship it before ScopeDOPE is in the App Store so it's already indexed by the time launch traffic arrives.

---

## Open Questions

- Should the DOPE card generator be integrated into the ScopeDOPE web companion (Brief #03) or remain a standalone tool? Recommendation: standalone at launch (faster to ship, better SEO as a dedicated tool), integrate with web companion at v2.0.
- What card formats do NRL22 competitors actually use? Recommendation: survey 10–20 NRL22 shooters before committing to layout templates. Don't guess.
- Scope card dimensions: laminated stock card vs. scope saddle card vs. scope turret cap sticker? Recommendation: all three, since they're just different PDF templates.

---

## Document Control

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| **Document owner** | `jschwefel@coldboreballisticsllc.com` |
| **Classification** | Confidential (03_-_Confidential/) |
| **Location** | `OneDrive/ScopeDOPE/03_-_Confidential/Product_Strategy/CBB_BRIEF_04_DOPE_CARD_GENERATOR.md` |
| **Cross-references** | `CBB_PROJECT_BRIEFS_TOC.md` |
| **Created** | 2026-06-02 |
| **Last updated** | 2026-06-09 |
| **Next full review due** | 2027-06-02 |

---

## Revision Control Block

| Rev | Date | Changed By | Reviewed By | Approved By | Summary |
|-----|------|------------|-------------|-------------|-------|
| 0.9 | 2026-06-02 | jschwefel | — | — | Initial release |
| DRAFT | 2026-06-09 | Claude (Opus 4.8) | — | — | Removed header version number (→ Status/Destination + revision-block pointer); added Destination tag (ScopeDOPE feature). HIGH-PRIORITY: replaced the forbidden `dopecards.coldboreballistics.com` (×4) with `dopecards.scope-dope.com` (owned), and corrected the false "Already owns coldboreballistics.com" claim — CBB owns scope-dope.com / coldboreballisticsllc.com, NOT coldboreballistics.com (that is a planned acquisition target, not owned). Replaced Cloudflare Pages → Azure Static Web Apps. Applied ™ to first use of ScopeDOPE/Cold Bore Ballistics. |
