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Playing Card Plethora / Re: Royal Lines coming to KS
« on: February 07, 2017, 01:02:44 PM »
I was just on my way to post this here, thanks for getting the project out there!
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Design & Development / Re: Faction Playing Cards, a deck design
« on: March 07, 2016, 07:32:11 PM »
Haha, you called me out on the KS and JC faces. Ya, the jack I just tweeked the Kings face for; it still needs development. The spades are supposed to be frowning and glaring while the zealous diamonds are supposed to be serene/contemplating. I considered closing their eyes like they were praying, but was hoping to keep one-eyed royals and suicide king a part of this deck. I suppose closed eyes still count as long as there are two of them visible. 
Each suit uses a single shape that the entire family is built off of. In the diamonds case it is a V shape which is also the icon that each family member holds, (like a religious symbol).
For Spades it is a sort of backwards L shape to make them somewhat boxy, additionally they are the only family with armor, in the form of the solid filled lighter blue panels.
Admittedly, I've found it hard to visually represent Acumen for the Clubs, I've gone with giving them more gilded edges and lighter clothing to represent wealth or affluence.
I'm sort of on the fence about removing the theme names. On one hand I like the subtle differentiation they have right now, but I don't want it too arbitrary.
You think the faction idea can be interesting without giving each family a distinct "strength"? I like that it is more up to the individual user to imagine the four families that way. Or just making the strengths even more abstract, like serenity, devotion, etc...I dunno...
Each suit uses a single shape that the entire family is built off of. In the diamonds case it is a V shape which is also the icon that each family member holds, (like a religious symbol).
For Spades it is a sort of backwards L shape to make them somewhat boxy, additionally they are the only family with armor, in the form of the solid filled lighter blue panels.
Admittedly, I've found it hard to visually represent Acumen for the Clubs, I've gone with giving them more gilded edges and lighter clothing to represent wealth or affluence.
I'm sort of on the fence about removing the theme names. On one hand I like the subtle differentiation they have right now, but I don't want it too arbitrary.
You think the faction idea can be interesting without giving each family a distinct "strength"? I like that it is more up to the individual user to imagine the four families that way. Or just making the strengths even more abstract, like serenity, devotion, etc...I dunno...
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Design & Development / Re: Faction Playing Cards, a deck design
« on: March 02, 2016, 07:58:17 PM »
Ok, I've made some changes to the courts. I'm going for a bit more structured look to tie the families together and giving some more features to further distinguish them. Please let me know what you think of the theme and design changes.
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Design & Development / Re: Faction Playing Cards, a deck design
« on: February 10, 2016, 08:28:24 PM »
Sarah,
Thanks alot, that's good to hear.
Don,
Thanks for all the input! I'm going to re-evaluate the lines and shapes that are forming the bodies right now, like you say, they aren't doing a great job of setting the cards apart from one another, I'll keep working with it.
Thanks alot, that's good to hear.
Don,
Thanks for all the input! I'm going to re-evaluate the lines and shapes that are forming the bodies right now, like you say, they aren't doing a great job of setting the cards apart from one another, I'll keep working with it.
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Design & Development / Re: Faction Playing Cards, a deck design
« on: February 09, 2016, 11:22:42 AM »
Thanks for the quick feedback Don. I've replaced the pdfs with jpeg images so we can all see it now! 
I kinda figured the relocating pips wouldn't be a popular decision. Personally it feels like a great way to give the whole field a little something extra while still keeping these cards relatively quiet compared to the courts, but I can see how that change can throw people. It probably is something that costs more then it gains.
One thing that might begin to enhance the theme is that I've planned for each family to wield weapons or objects that suggest their strength. The "might family" will have pikes and axes, and the queen even holds a blade, while the "zeal family" holds scepters and sticks because their strength is in their belief rather than their physicality. I've also changed the facial expressions for each family to subtly denote temperament. It's possible that this would make itself clearer when viewed as a complete set rather than a small sample, or like you suggest, it just isn't working.
I feel like one of the biggest strengths of the classic courts is that they are not especially differentiated from one another. The jack of hearts isn't much much different from the jack of spades, etc. The idea that the courts should be deeply distinguished by physical features or else what's the point, I don't really feel the same way about. I thought the moves I've made so far were pretty strong, not terribly dramatic, but strong nonetheless.
Like you said, that probably doesn't convince alot of collectors who have seen countless designs and need something to scream at them to be different, but I really don't want to do a "theme" deck. I wanted the theme to be a provocative idea, something to inspire a little imagination on the part of the user, and not be rigidly defined characters ie. one jack is skinny and decrepid and wears ragged clothes and another is handsome and buttoned-up. I guess that isn't really happening with this deck right now. I feel that the artwork is much more important than theme, but from the sound of it, the artwork isn't doing much for you?
Thank you again for the feedback and please keep it coming!
I kinda figured the relocating pips wouldn't be a popular decision. Personally it feels like a great way to give the whole field a little something extra while still keeping these cards relatively quiet compared to the courts, but I can see how that change can throw people. It probably is something that costs more then it gains.
One thing that might begin to enhance the theme is that I've planned for each family to wield weapons or objects that suggest their strength. The "might family" will have pikes and axes, and the queen even holds a blade, while the "zeal family" holds scepters and sticks because their strength is in their belief rather than their physicality. I've also changed the facial expressions for each family to subtly denote temperament. It's possible that this would make itself clearer when viewed as a complete set rather than a small sample, or like you suggest, it just isn't working.
I feel like one of the biggest strengths of the classic courts is that they are not especially differentiated from one another. The jack of hearts isn't much much different from the jack of spades, etc. The idea that the courts should be deeply distinguished by physical features or else what's the point, I don't really feel the same way about. I thought the moves I've made so far were pretty strong, not terribly dramatic, but strong nonetheless.
Like you said, that probably doesn't convince alot of collectors who have seen countless designs and need something to scream at them to be different, but I really don't want to do a "theme" deck. I wanted the theme to be a provocative idea, something to inspire a little imagination on the part of the user, and not be rigidly defined characters ie. one jack is skinny and decrepid and wears ragged clothes and another is handsome and buttoned-up. I guess that isn't really happening with this deck right now. I feel that the artwork is much more important than theme, but from the sound of it, the artwork isn't doing much for you?
Thank you again for the feedback and please keep it coming!
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Design & Development / Re: Faction Playing Cards, a deck design
« on: February 08, 2016, 09:48:40 PM »
Lately, I've been exploring this site as well as others getting to know the general demand for playing cards and what kinds of designs really generate alot of interest and support. My general perception is that alot of designers go with pretty strong themes (ie. a "gun deck" or a "zombie stripper deck") and that guides alot of the artwork. I feel that my deck's artwork doesn't necessarily stem directly from the theme and would love to know if that affects demand from collectors or anybody really.
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Design & Development / Re: Faction Playing Cards, a deck design
« on: February 08, 2016, 09:48:13 PM »
I personally love card design, but frankly I'm a casual gamer; just game nights with friends or a game of rummy with my wife -so I'm not coming from a collector or magicians perspective. I'm teetering on the fence between taking this design to kickstarter or something in an attempt to get it produced by one of the bigger companies or just spending a hundred bucks for a few decks just for me from MPC. I love the idea of getting my deck funded and knowing that other people are playing with the deck I designed, but that would mean the design has to be good enough and I need some feedback before I go through the huge effort of running a kickstarter campaign. So please let me know what you think!
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Design & Development / Faction Playing Cards, a deck design
« on: February 08, 2016, 09:46:13 PM »
Hey everybody, I've been developing a design for a deck of cards and I'm at a the point where I could use some extra eyes on it.
The deck is called Faction and the basic premise is 4 feudal families represented by the four common suits. Each family has a strength: Might, Zeal, Acumen, and Bravery. I've got jacks and queens pretty well developed at this point along with pips and a good mock-up for the back design
The deck is called Faction and the basic premise is 4 feudal families represented by the four common suits. Each family has a strength: Might, Zeal, Acumen, and Bravery. I've got jacks and queens pretty well developed at this point along with pips and a good mock-up for the back design
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Introduce Yourself / Hello from the STL
« on: February 08, 2016, 08:14:30 PM »
Hello to everyone here at playing card forum! My name is Greg Wanko, I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. I've only recently stumbled my way into the big world of playing cards and custom decks. I've been a casual game player with my wife and friends for years. I've always got a kick out of good game design and illustration and the intricate art and history surrounding playing cards. Great to be here!
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