steamsteam-trading-cards
Steam now has trading cards. In order to get them, you're supposed to play specific games (currently there are only 6 games supported, but they've said more will come).
However, it's only possible to find half of the total trading cards for each game – you have to trade for the other half.
Can I find the same trading card twice in the same game (and if so, will that count against my allowed card-pickups)?
Is it possible to trade for a duplicate of a card you already own?
Ah, I found my answer at the verrry bottom of the Steam Trading Cards FAQ:
Do I get Trading Cards for completing achievements in game?
Trading Card drops are currently just tied to playtime within a game, independent of which achievements you are getting. We will definitely look into adding more rules for how cards are dropped in the future, but there are a few problems with in-game achievements that prevented us from using them right now. Many games have achievements that are grindy or un-fun to get, and we want the act of getting game cards to be fun for all users in games. We also don't want to push users to cheat or use achievement-unlockers in games in order to get cards, since that devalues achievements and isn't that fun either.
I'll explain this in two parts:
The Green box highlights a F2P game utilizing a Micro-Transaction model. As you can see, it says "no card drops remaining". But I can get more if I purchase any item from the store in increments of $9.00 (ie I spend $18.00, I get 2 cards). Thus, for games like TF2, you don't necessarily have to trade to get a badge Lvl2+ (but is advisable).
If you look at the red box, however, since Bit.Trip Runner2 is a paid game, it features a permanent drop counter. Meaning, once the 3 card drops I have left are given, there will be no more card drops, by playing the game. Once you've received all possible card drops, you may receive a booster pack, which contains 3 cards, either basic or foil. The rate at which these booster packs appear in your inventory depends on your steam level and as game badges are crafted by the community. Keep this in mind if you plan to sell or trade those cards out.
Associated question: How do trading card booster packs drop?
Best Answer
You certainly can find the same card twice, or even three times! And it does, sadly, count toward your card drops.
I managed to get 3 Wolfgang cards from Don't Starve, a game that only gives you three card drops.
Also, you can trade for duplicate cards. I traded my Portal 2 Destruction card to a friend who was then able to trade it back to me, despite my having a second Destruction card in my inventory.