Sanctum playing cards - critique appreciated

[jproject]

Hello All,

I would love some feedback on the deck I've designed. I was inspired by Gothic architecture and I've been a big fan of Theory 11 since I started collecting cards. The faces are re-worked EPCC faces with my own pips and coloring.









The Kickstarter is live now, as well. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jproject/sanctum-playing-cards

[Don Boyer]

A very similar name was recently used by Lotrek for a deck he designed and released called Sanctus.  You might want to consider a different title to avoid market confusion.

The back is nice, lots of detail, though consider removing the name from the design - it doesn't add anything.

The court cards have little to no connection to the theme.  They look pretty much like any modern deck, with the characters looking barely different from your average pack of Bicycle Standards.  Is there some way you could really rework and redesign them so they look more connected to the theme, be it through Gothic architecture or perhaps even Gothic dress?  Don't just borrow someone else's faces, tweak them a little and call it a day - really go the extra mile and make something original.

[jproject]

Thanks for the input. I only just recently heard about Sanctus. That was a pretty unfortunate discovery. What do you think of a Roman numeral in place of the name in the back? That was another idea I was kicking around.

[Don Boyer]

Thanks for the input. I only just recently heard about Sanctus. That was a pretty unfortunate discovery. What do you think of a Roman numeral in place of the name in the back? That was another idea I was kicking around.

A Roman numeral wouldn't be a bad idea.  Just don't use XVII - Lorenzo Gaggiotti/Stockholm17 often uses that number on his decks!  Alternately, a few words of Latin are popular - pick some quote you like, something preferably fitting with the Gothic theme, and translate it to Latin.