Kickstarter Projects

Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others.

There were several very interesting and successful playing card projects on Kickstarter so I think it’s a useful platform for designers to produce their own decks.

I am going to post short information from Kickstarter about new creative and interesting playing card projects (since 2013) on this page of the blog (detailed information in my posts on the blog). Unfortunately all that playing card projects on Kickstarter had different aims, desires, artistic value, involved different efforts, etc. – they were all different (“bad” → “amazing”). That is why I won’t post about ALL playing card projects on Kickstarter – only about those that I will subjectively find interesting.

Any information about upcoming playing card projects on Kickstarter is welcome. But any submission of such information doesn’t cause an obligation to post about that project on the pages of this blog.

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[CANCELLED]

Pompeii Playing Cards by RJ Tomlinson

RJ Tomlinson (Titanic Playing Cards, Gettysburg Civil Unrest Playing Cards, etc.) presents Pompeii Playing Cards. Custom poker playing cards are inspired by the novel, The Last Days of Pompeii, written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1834.

The city of Pompeii was an ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples (Italy). It was destroyed and buried under ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The city was lost for about 1,500 years until its initial rediscovery in 1599 and broader rediscovery almost 150 years later by Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre in 1748. Now it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (25 May 1803 – 18 January 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright, and politician. In accordance with some sources, he was impressed by Karl Briullov’s painting, The Last Day of Pompeii, which the writer saw in Milan. That impression provoked him to write his novel, The Last Days of Pompeii. Edward used the tragedy as some background for the novel contrasting the decadent culture of 1st-century Rome with both older cultures and coming trends.

These playing cards have two editions: Pompeii City of Brimstone and Pompeii City of Fire Decks. Both are the first part of the new brand by RJ Tomlinson (the Tomlinson Playing Card Co.) – the Black Diamond. Mr. Tomlinson plans to have more branded decks telling interesting stories and having some connection between them.

The decks will be printed by Wangjing Printing. Poker size.

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[FUNDED]

Omnia Playing Cards by Thirdway Industries (Giovanni Meroni)

Successful creator of Delirium Playing Cards, Giovanni Meroni, designed a new series of playing cards – Omnia Playing Cards. The series consists of three decks which have the same general concept but different details incorporated into the design of each deck. These decks are: Omnia Oscura (Unlimited) Playing Cards, Omnia Suprema (Limited) Playing Cards, and Omnia Illumina (Limited edition will be available as a stretch goal) Playing Cards. Tuck cases of each edition have their pleasant surprises. Aces also have design variations which make them different. Jokers will be different pairs for all these decks.

These decks are some combination of ancient symbolism and traditional playing cards. The main universal symbol for these decks is the Uroboros, the immortal God-snake who eats its own tail. It represents the beginning and the end of time – the cyclicity of people’s existence. Spades symbolize the rebirth of the Universe. Hearts symbolize war, passion and violence. Clubs symbolize goodness and purity. Diamonds symbolize wealth and power.

Decks are planned to be printed by the Expert Playing Card Company (EPCC).

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[WILL BE RELAUNCHED SOON]

Bicycle the Lumberjacks Playing Cards [2nd Edition] by Vadim Smolenskiy

Vadim Smolenskiy designed his second version of Lumberjacks deck – Bicycle the Lumberjacks Playing Cards 2nd Ed. The first edition of Bicycle the Lumberjacks Playing Cards was successfully funded and produced in 2013. This time playing cards will be full of colours. This word comes from a bygone era (before 1945 in the United States).  It names workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products.

The deck is planned to be printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC).

You can read about this deck here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3W6

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[WILL BE RELAUNCHED SOON]

Bicycle Celtic Myth 3d Edition Playing Cards by Cultúrlán Enterprises

There is pleasant news for lovers of Celtic Mythology and appropriate cultural heritage. Cultúrlán Enterprises, successful creators of previous two editions of Bicycle Celtic Myth Decks, started their third and the final edition of the Celtic playing card series. First two editions of Bicycle Celtic Myth Playing Cards are named Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Decks. Formally this is the second Symmetrical deck in the series (I think people who are able to pronounce quickly its full name on the first try can pretend to free deck 🙂 ). As the result, the Asymmetrical Edition is the connecting deck between two Symmetrical Editions with absolutely different court cards. This second Bicycle Celtic Myth Symmetrical Deck is focused on the wild, chthonic forces of nature as opposed to the stabilizing, societal forces represented in their first Bicycle Celtic Myth Symmetrical Deck.

The playing cards are traditionally full of cultural and symbolic Celtic elements smartly incorporated by James Acken into the design. Court cards represent important figures from the Book of Invasions, Colloquy of the Ancients, and other medieval legends. I believe the extended description of each court card and pip can be a little book.

Cultúrlán Enterprises also proposes ARD RÍ, a competitive card game designed for 2 to 5 players in which players take on the role of ancient Gaelic warlords and vie amongst each other to become High King.

The pleasant “Easter egg” of this Kickstarter campaign is your ability to get two previous decks from the Bicycle Celtic Myth playing card series.

The deck is planned to be printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC).

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[FUNDED]

Cultura Playing Cards by Mankin Chan

Mankin Chan decided to incapsulate his vision of four different cultures in one deck of playing cards – Culture Playing Cards. The artist was inspired by the cultures of Italy, the Netherlands, USA, and China. It’s obvious that each country has its own peculiarities. Some of them are well-known and can be counted as calling cards of the countries.

Mankin invented interesting concept for this playing card deck with the aim to cover as much appropriate peculiarities as possible – the deck consists of 54 different artworks. Every suit was devoted to the country: Spades – Italy, Hearts – the Netherlands, Clubs – USA, Diamonds – China. Four cards of each number represent different categories: ace – flags, two – countries themselves, three – drinks, four – bread, five – dishes, six – sports, seven – transport, eight – houses, nine – landmarks, ten – animals. Jacks and Queens demonstrate traditional clothing and other specific cultural elements. Kings are represented by historical characters of appropriate countries.

All cards are made in popular retro flat design style. The deck is planned to be printed by the Legends Playing Card Company (LPCC).

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[FUNDED]

Fuego Playing Cards by Cellar Window

Cellar Window (New York) is a new name in the world of custom modern playing cards. But Nam Tibon, the manager and designer behind this design studio, is quite familiar with playing card designs. The Philippine artist created designs for Mobster Playing Cards and British Monarchy Tally-Ho Playing Cards. His new studio, being inspired by Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) and artworks of the famous Mexican artist, José Guadalupe Posada, represents a vivid design of Fuego Playing Cards.

“Fuego” translates from Spanish into English as “fire” or “passion”. This name reflects the nature of characters in these playing cards. Their whole appearance yells, “Memento Mori” (remember that you have to die) doesn’t mean “Forget about Joy of Life”.

Day of the Dead is, first of all, a Mexican holiday. But it is acknowledged around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny life moments about the departed.

Posada took that humorous tone and used it for political and cultural critiques. His satirical skulls, calaveras, and skeletons influenced many Latin American artists and cartoonists. As we can see, not only American artists are influenced by his approach.

There will be two editions of these playing cards: Fuego Playing Cards and Fuego Luna Playing Cards. They are planned to be printed by the Legends Playing Card Company (LPCC).

You can read about these decks here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-46u

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[FUNDED]

Dia de los Muertos Second Edition Playing Cards by Edgy Brothers

Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is quite popular theme for custom playing cards. Edgy Brothers, successful creators of Grimoire series (Part 1) of playing cards, stated their love to this cultural event with their first Dia de los Muertos Playing Cards full of vivid skeletons last year. This is their second edition of Día de los Muertos playing cards. The new design has become even more intricate and detailed. But joyful nature of skeletons is preserved. Cards are traditionally designed by their leading artist, Dave Edgerly (all Edgy Brothers’ decks + his personal playing card project – Mardi Gras Playing Cards).

There will be three editions of these playing cards: Original Dia de los Muertos Second Edition, Painted Dia de los Muertos Second Edition, and Black Dia de los Muertos Second Edition Decks. All three editions have the same concept design, but are executed in different colour palettes.

The decks are planned to be printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC).

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[FUNDED]

BRuT Playing Cards by Uusi

This time Uusi, a well-known producer of custom playing cards (Bohemia Playing Cards, Royal Optik Playing Cards, Blueblood Redux Playing Cards, Pagan Playing Cards, and Uusi Classic Playing Cards), decided to create a Tarot deck. Peter Dunham and Linnea Gits, owners of Uusi, devoted their hand-painted tarot cards to the beauty of Early 20th Century Modernism, Art Brut (or Outsider Art) and the forceful, geometric look of Brut Architecture. The symbolic imagery in thier trump cards are loosely based on the early Marseilles Tarot from the 1700’s. BRuT Tarots are the main deck in this Kickstarter campaign. BRuT Limited Edition Poker Playing Cards (5000 decks) are a nice addition to the main campaign. All imagery in these decks was hand-painted using gouache.

Decks are palnned to be printed by the Expert Playing Card Company (EPCC).

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[FUNDED]

The Four Seasons Playing Cards by Ace Collectable Cards

Ace Collectable Cards (Justin) designed a deck of playing cards, The Four Seasons, to celebrate the four seasons. The four suits of it represent a different time of year while the standard fifty two card deck is used to represent each week of the year. This deck will have also four Jokers representing each season. All elements of this deck are custom. The designer tried to incorporate a lot of classic symbols of appropriate seasons into each suit of it. Courts resulted to be very emotional characters.

The Four Seasons playing cards are planned to be printed by the Expert Playing Card Company (EPCC).

You can read about this deck here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-42p

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[FUNDED]

Buskers Decks by Mana Playing Cards on Kickstarter

Erik Mana has a successful series of Mana Playing Cards behind his shoulders. This time he devotes them to buskers. Busking or street performance is the practice of performing in public places for gratuities. The owner of Mana Playing Cards was a busker early in his magic career. He decided to produce decks honoring this international movement – Buskers Playing Cards. All courts will be custom hand drawn artworks. They will feature different types of buskers from the magician, juggler, musician, mime, contortionist, and many other. There will be two editions of the deck: Original Vintage Playing Cards (unlimited) and Buskers Exclusive Playing Cards (Limited Edition: 1000 decks). Decks will have different Aces of Spades, backs and tuck cases.

Original Vintage Playing Cards are planned to be printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC). Buskers Exclusive Playing Cards are planned to be printed by the Expert Playing Card Company (EPCC).

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[WILL BE RELAUNCHED SOON]

Nouveau Playing Cards by Bona Fide Playing Cards

Nouveau decks are inspired by the historical and mythological heroes and heroines traditionally featured in the French playing cards since the 16th century. As for the art style and design, Bona Fide Playing Cards wanted to pay tribute to the philosophical and artistic trend Art Nouveau, promoted and popularized in France and contemporary to the birth of the first Bicycle Playing Cards in the late 19th century. There will be two limited (this is about the first run) editions of the playing cards: Nouveau and Nouveau Turquoise Playing Cards

The decks are planned to be printed by the Expert Playing Card Company (EPCC).

You can read about these decks here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3Wp

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[FUNDED]

Midnight BOWL-A-RAMA Playing Cards by Randy Butterfield (Midnight Cards)

The owner of Midnight Cards, Randy Butterfield (Crown Deck: Luxury Edition, Ornate Playing Cards, Draconian Playing Cards, etc.) is a big fan of bowling. He decided to devote his new custom playing cards, Midnight BOWL-A-RAMA Decks, to this sport. There will be two decks of Midnight BOWL-A-RAMA: Red and Black. Court cards, backs and number cards will be different in both decks. Clothes of courts have different names of different bowling teams. All names will be unique for each deck. One of the most creative parts of these decks will be number cards. They feature pin bowling variations.

The decks are planned to be printed by the Legends Playing Card Company (LPCC).

You can read about these decks here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3Z2

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[FUNDED]

Innovation Playing Cards by Jody Eklund (Black Ink Playing Cards)

The successful creator of Golden Spike Playing Cards, Jody Eklund (Black Ink Playing Cards), designed his new playing card decks – Innovation Playing Cards. There will be three editions of these playing cards: Standard Edition, Black Edition, and Signature Edition. They are devoted to “…the men and women who changed the world…”. Four suits represent: Illumination, Transportation, Communication, and Aviation. So, you have a chance to take a closer look at famous inventors and innovators due to your hobby (playing card collecting) and Jody’s efforts. Henry Ford, Mary Anderson, Wright brothers, Thomas Alva Edison, Nicola Tesla, and some other interesting personalities are waiting you in the playing cards illustrated by the designer.

The decks are planned to be printed by the Legends Playing Card Company (LPCC).

You can read about these decks here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3UF

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[FUNDED]

Bicycle №17 Playing Cards by Requiem Team (Stockhom17)

Lorenzo Gaggiotti (Stockholm17) started his third playing card project on Kickstarter. This deck, Bicycle №17 Playing Cards, is full of art and imagination as his previous two decks, Requiem Playing Cards and Heretic Playing Cards. Playing cards traditionally have a lot of hidden details, inscriptions, and meanings.

“There is no specific theme in this deck, it´s quite eclectic and I let my fantasy run when I illustrated the courts. The diamonds have clearly an Egyptian resemblance, but overall they belong to a parallel world. There is a thing that connects all the court cards: the text circling the background is a part of the Aeneid, a Latin epic poem written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans.” ~ Lorenzo Gaggiotti

The deck is planned to be printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC).

You can read about this deck here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3U4

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[FUNDED]

The Retro Deck by Pocono Modern Playing Cards (Kraig Kalashian)

[relaunch]

“Initially we failed to raise enough money to produce The Retro Deck as we dreamed it: a multi-deck set of complimentary playing cards… Rather than letting that stop us, we were able to scrape together enough money to produce one of the two decks we campaigned for… To date we have sold enough of them to cover our debt but not enough to produce the second deck. If we can raise enough to produce this second deck in white we will be able to realize the full set as originally intended… And to keep it fun we’ve added a few extra perks to the deck, such as foil box seals and custom drink cards.” ~ Pocono Modern Playing Cards

The deck is planned to be printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC).

You can read about this deck here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3fK

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[FUNDED]

Icons Playing Cards: The Imperial Edition

by Lotrek (The Halfmoon Playing Card Company)

(UC just represents the account in US)

Icons Playing Cards: The Imperial Edition – a new pack of playing cards from Lotrek (The Halfmoon Playing Cards). The designer of Timeless and Bicycle Butterflies Playing Cards, the creator and producer of Grotesque, Bicycle Venexiana, Venexiana Gold and Venexiana Dark decks decided to pay his attention to a different artistic style that flourished in Europe or influenced European Art. The deck inspired by the incredible splendor of the Byzantine Empire and its heritage. Traditional courts will remain their traditional shticks, but will be translated into the Byzantine art style. This deck is one of three decks in the series. It is the most luxurious one: a) amazing custom art; b) its tuck case will be velvet, and you will find hot stamped gold foil inside it; c) all card backs will have both Gold and Silver hot stamped foil on them.

The deck will be printed by Lotrek in Greece.

You can read about this deck here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3Mq

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[FUNDED]

Mardi Gras Playing Cards by Dave Edgerly

Designer of Edgy Brothers’ decks of playing cards (Dia de los Muertos playing cards and the Grimoire Series of Playing Cards), Dave Edgerly, decided to create his own specific playing card project – Mardi Gras Playing Cards. This custom deck of playing cards inspired by the celebration of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) is refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after the Epiphany (a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ) or King’s Day and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday (a day of fasting – 46 days before Easter). It reflects the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season (a period of approximately six weeks before Easter). It arrived in North America as a French Catholic tradition in the late 17th century, when King Louis XIV (a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France) sent Le Moyne brothers (French colonizers) to defend France’s claim on the territory of Louisiana.

These playing cards appeal to Dave’s Cajun roots and should remind people the Carnival season in New Orleans (Louisiana, US). They are planned to be printed by the Expert Playing Card Company (EPCC).

You can read about these decks here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3PW

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[FUNDED]

Story Time Playing Cards by Eny Space Captain

Story Time Playing Cards is a very specific playing card project covering 54 unique artworks by Eny. Shuffling these cards, you will be able to contemplate 54 paintings of characters from various stories, including fairy tales, folklore, and mythology. Each card has its own story – from Aphrodite to Aladdin, from Cinderella to Ra, etc.

The cards themselves are designed as the traditional poker size cards and will be produced by Make Playing Cards. The goal is to produce at least 100 decks.

You can read about this deck here on this blog: http://wp.me/p1VWdh-3Kl

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