*chuckle*
No worries.  Indeed, if this were going to be a "proper" Steampunk deck, it would be a different animal.  As it is, it seems like purists of different stripes aren't going to wind up being the target audience.  Nothing wrong with that.  It leaves another niche open for other opportunities, right? 

Thanks, guys!

We've launched these via Kickstarter.  Thanks, guys!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tishtoshtesh/tinker-deck-steampunk-playing-cards

I've seen something like 460 "looks", 9 "nibbles", whatever those are, and a whopping 6 sales.  I've no idea how that tracks compared to others, but it's sort of underwhelming.  In the end, I don't mind a lot, since this is something of an experiment, not my living, but those aren't very sexy numbers.  *shrug*

Then again, they don't have the exposure of a KS campaign or the prestige of the Bicycle name (with attendant card quality).  I obviously didn't mention them here, either.  They *did* manage to catch the eye of one of the editors over there, and they put it on the front page for a few days, so that was cool.  At least some people are liking them, and that's always good to hear.

For what it's worth, I did have to order a deck before they would let me post it for sale.  The card quality itself is roughly on par with Pokemon TCG cards, from the comparisons I've done.  That's great for playing with, but yeah, they are just flat glossy cards, nothing fancy for tricks or the like.  TheGameCrafter is great for prototyping things like this, though not exactly a mainstream gaming outlet.

Some more updates here, over in my Google+ collection:

https://plus.google.com/photos/103174637396123415098/albums/5872674868658737425?authkey=CLnxr9va6MXQKg

Yes, this isn't "proper" steampunk.  It never really was meant to be, though it's borrowing visual elements.  It's mostly just messing around with gear themes and some slightly 'punky appreciation for 19th century historical figures.  If I get around to making a full-bore steampunk deck, it'll definitely be a different animal.

I've updated the design somewhat, for anyone interested.  The back is wholly rotationally symmetrical, and the front uses the same frame to make some tricks easier and is more rotationally symmetrical, though not completely on some cards, the aces most notably.  I've tightened the contrast and made a "blank" card.  (I'm not sure what I'm doing with the 56th card yet... I have options, but do you have any recommendations?)  As always, there's more that can be done, but those tweaks should make it at least marginally more appropriate to a wider audience, facilitating more magic tricks and making for a nicer flourish visual.

Thanks for the input, guys!  I think I'll offer it via Bicycle but if that crashes and burns, I'll try another printer.  Those Brahma cards seem like a decent mid/upper range alternative.

I work in Photoshop, without a plugin.  I start with a line on a separate layer showing where I want the reflection to pivot about, and then work on the portrait layer.  As in, I'll paint for a bit, maybe overlapping that diagonal, then copy the layer and rotate it 180.  (I usually have to do a Select All then rotate, to get it to rotate to the right place.)  I then adjust as necessary on the master portrait layer, then copy and check again.  It's an iterative process, but with practice, it gets easier.

I thought about looking for a script/plugin, but I'm still working in Photoshop Elements 2, so I'm behind the tech curve and didn't think it worth trying to bludgeon when I can just learn to paint it up.

Many thanks for your input!  Plenty to chew on indeed.

I know this is an entry in a busy field, and not as intricate or impressive as some, but I'm not too worried about it.  I'm not running the Kickstarter for income, it's just something I'm trying to see if I can get better prices per deck for the people who have expressed interest, and while I'd like to see the Kickstarter succeed, it's not something I'm counting on to feed my family, it's an experiment and experience.  If this were something I was going to do for a job, yes, I'd find an underserved niche.  I may yet go that direction, as I have other ideas, but that's for another day.  This wasn't designed with Kickstarter or even mass production in mind, and I've definitely noted that such would tend to have different goals and appeal.  That's not to say the advice is unwarranted or unwanted, certainly, so thank you.  It's just that it might be most relevant on future deck designs if I'm really going to hit this hard and make a more serious approach to it. 

Interesting on the pip layout and card back, thanks.  Both are contrary to what I've seen elsewhere, but I think input from around here is more relevant.  The back is what I've been most concerned about lately, and I think it should be a relatively trivial evening's tinkering to make it symmetrical without losing too much of what it's doing at the moment.

Looks like I have more research to do on printers as well, so many thanks for the leads!  I did get the sense that Bicycle is... maybe overrepresented on Kickstarter, but gorillas do need feeding and watering or they get cranky.

If I may ask another question, though... what about the difference between plastic cards and paper cards, and is there a plastic card printing gorilla as well?  Maybe I was reading things incorrectly, but I got the sense that UPCC doesn't do plastic.  I'm not experienced with plastic cards, but I've run into some people who prefer them over paper, so I'd like to dig more into that market.  Thanks!

I understand this sort of introductory post is traditional.

I'm the author of Tish Tosh Tesh (http://tishtoshtesh.wordpress.com/), an art, gaming and photography blog.  I'm a technical artist in the video game industry by day, game designer, artist and photographer in my spare time.

Lately, I've been dabbling in playing card design as a side project, and I found my way here when looking for design tips, feedback and Kickstarter advice.

It looks like a nice place around here from what I've seen.  Thanks for making it available!

Tesh