NEW DECK - Compass

[vmagic]

A new deck will be coming soon from Kayne Magic called the Compass deck. I think something was posted about it a few months ago but now it looks like it might become a reality. It will be going live on Kickstarter on October 8. They will be trying to raise $20,000 and each deck will be $9. I will post more when I know more and will post pics when I have  some.

[Evan]

I remember this deck from a while back and it really didn't look too promising. I hope they made improvements.

The back design doesn't look great from what I can see.

[Don Boyer]

I remember this deck from a while back and it really didn't look too promising. I hope they made improvements.

The back design doesn't look great from what I can see.

I'm with you on this.  What I'm seeing so far is pretty underwhelming.

So, VMagic - what or who is Kanye Magic?

[redtank151]

Seems pretty clip-arty from the one picture Evan has put up.

[Don Boyer]

Seems pretty clip-arty from the one picture Evan has put up.

I think that has more to do with the use of a cheap-ass rendering program, or at least a poorly-utilized one.  The graphics look on par with something about twenty years old.

[xela]

A new deck will be coming soon from Kayne Magic called the Compass deck. I think something was posted about it a few months ago but now it looks like it might become a reality. It will be going live on Kickstarter on October 8. They will be trying to raise $20,000 and each deck will be $9. I will post more when I know more and will post pics when I have  some.

Look, I'm really happy for you and imma let you finish, but the Compass 822 deck was the best Compass deck of all time.

Of all time!

[vmagic]

Here are some pics. I do have an additional 3 pictures but he doesn't want me to post them yet. I am just posting because I am being sponsored not that I am involved with it any more than that. Sorry the pics are small.

[NathanCanadas]

A new deck will be coming soon from Kayne Magic called the Compass deck. I think something was posted about it a few months ago but now it looks like it might become a reality. It will be going live on Kickstarter on October 8. They will be trying to raise $20,000 and each deck will be $9. I will post more when I know more and will post pics when I have  some.

Look, I'm really happy for you and imma let you finish, but the Compass 822 deck was the best Compass deck of all time.

Of all time!

I agree. Despite mismag822's review, I have lots of trouble believing they only got 100 or so orders in total. I ordered a set, and was SUPER disappointed when they didn't get funded. I really hope they'll try again sometime.

[Evan]

Here are some pics. I do have an additional 3 pictures but he doesn't want me to post them yet. I am just posting because I am being sponsored not that I am involved with it any more than that. Sorry the pics are small.

I cant see the pics. Am I the only who doesn't see them?

[NathanCanadas]

Here are some pics. I do have an additional 3 pictures but he doesn't want me to post them yet. I am just posting because I am being sponsored not that I am involved with it any more than that. Sorry the pics are small.

I cant see the pics. Am I the only who doesn't see them?

No, I can't see them either. I just see messed up thumbnails.

[Ken-Kayne]

Hey everybody,
I'm Ken Kayne, owner of Kayne Magic and designer of the Compass deck. Before I start, Yes I am 15 and the website up for the deck was a prototype, I was testing coding and URL assigning, etc.
The deck in the YouTube trailer was a prototype also, it was printed on regular print shop card stock and was for display purposes only (And yes, they did handle like crap!) and in no way reflects the magic finish planned for the deck. 
The export process for the pics and internet do take away from the proper colors on the deck design so you may not be getting the full effect. However, the deck is rather dark, feel free to make color suggestions. I welcome constructive criticism because there’s time for changes, so please be descriptive about what you like and don’t like about the deck.
This deck dose not at all represent or copy off of, the compass822 deck by AFPCC's. This deck is new deck inside and out and doesn’t copy off another deck. I designed this deck line by line and did not use any stock clip art to make it. The design program I used was Corel Draw 4X, which doesn’t give many 3d effect options, I did what I could.
The pics are rough and not yet formatted, I wanted to give you guys some spoilers.
Here are the specs of the deck and I hope I answered some questions, feel free to ask more.
Thanks,
Ken Kayne
Specs
 
5000 qty
Standard poker size playing cards
Aristocrat stock
Magic finish
Box embossing
Metallic gold inks
Custom back design
Custom court cards
Custom pip design
Custom tuck case design
Custom joker
Custom ad cards
And more to come

Kickstarter release date: Oct 8th 2012
 
Price:
$9.00 (USD)
Via Kickstarter

[Evan]

I appreciate the work put into the deck but it just isn't very appealing. While I'm sure some people will like it and will buy it, I don't see it being a successful 5000 deck run on Kickstarter.

[redtank151]

It has very generic jokers. It looks like you just dragged out circles and squares and used that for some parts of the design. there is no shading so it looks like you just used filled in the empty spaces with 1 colour. Your red pips are hollow but your blacks are not, keep it consistent. Despite the theme being compass I don't see North South East West anywhere.

[Ken-Kayne]

I appreciate the work put into the deck but it just isn't very appealing. While I'm sure some people will like it and will buy it, I don't see it being a successful 5000 deck run on Kickstarter.

Thank you for your appreciation, but what could I change to make the deck more appealing? Colors? Design? Advertizing?
Please, help me help the deck.

[xela]

I appreciate the work put into the deck but it just isn't very appealing. While I'm sure some people will like it and will buy it, I don't see it being a successful 5000 deck run on Kickstarter.

I don't agree at all. I love this deck compared to a lot of what has been popping up on KS lately.

I think the design could use a bit more depth, and the pip design is terrible, but I think the court cards are really, really neat.

I don't think you should do a 5,000 print run. If USPCC lets you, do a 2,500 run. There is just no demand for that many decks right now. People don't typically buy more than a brick anymore, and collectors are cutting back to 1-3 of a deck.

[Don Boyer]

I appreciate the work put into the deck but it just isn't very appealing. While I'm sure some people will like it and will buy it, I don't see it being a successful 5000 deck run on Kickstarter.

Thank you for your appreciation, but what could I change to make the deck more appealing? Colors? Design? Advertizing?
Please, help me help the deck.

I disagree with redtank151 on the compass points - leaving them out leaves you with a symmetrical deck.  You want directions, buy the Pirate deck!


Go more seriously into the compass theme.  You have a compass rose on the back - remove the extraneous stuff and make it look more like a compass.  You have compass roses in the center of the faces - go a little bigger.  The courts - who uses compasses?  People who explore, on the land, in the sea, in the air.  Why not make courts that reflect this?  You can have jokers using compasses - perhaps one puzzling over a map as well!


Loosen up more, have fun with the deck.  Have the courts fill out the cards just a bit more - they look emaciated they're so thin.


Interesting compass idea on the courts - four directions, four suits; why not make THOSE the points of your court's compass roses?  Two pointed up, two down, to work with the double-headed image.


Focus on the DECK first, then worry about the advertising.  And pin down the design more BEFORE launching your Kickstarter project.  If you don't you risk a very late reward distribution date.


And about those rewards - are you prepared to distribute FIVE THOUSAND DECKS on your own?  It's not just a job, bro - it's an adventure...  You're looking at just over a HALF-TON of paper, not including the shipping materials...


USPC allows for orders as low as 2,500 now.  Think about it.


If you can polish the design, HOPC might be interested in making it.  Consider "Submit a Deck" at HOPC as an alternative to Kickstarter.

[Evan]

Don brings up many great point and I definitely think you should consider them.

[NathanCanadas]

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the design. I appreciate all the work and effort that was put into it, but I'm not really feeling it personally. How high of a kickstarter goal are you expecting for 5,000 decks?

[Ken-Kayne]

It has very generic jokers. It looks like you just dragged out circles and squares and used that for some parts of the design. there is no shading so it looks like you just used filled in the empty spaces with 1 colour. Your red pips are hollow but your blacks are not, keep it consistent. Despite the theme being compass I don't see North South East West anywhere.

-Generic? In what way? The joker was the hardest to design.
-I don't think the shading was added yet in these pics
-Circles and squares? Well, with the Jack, yes. I was trying to give a smoother feel, again the shading makes all the difference.
-With the pips you are so right, the others will be hollowed out to. you're so right
-North South East West? Good point. I've put NSEW on each king and just haven't promoted the change in design yet.

Thanks to everyone for such helpful remarks.

[redtank151]

Well to me they are generic because alot of jokers in non-USPCC decks are a harlequins or clown or something along those lines, I would like the Compass using jokers like Don suggested, but its your deck if you feel its going to be better with your current jokers then go for it.

Don, I do prefer 2-way back design over the 1 way back design, I was not referring to the back design but the faces, should have clarified, with a compass deck there has to be NSEW somewhere right? And I also agree with you on the other points, have your court cards be explorers, perhaps model them after some famous ones.

a 2,500 deck run seems to be a more realistic goal, you have to raise less money and ship out less decks which will make it easier with on you and whoever is helping you.

[jmrock]

@Don... Are you arbitrarily removing posts?  I'm pretty sure I had posted about this deck, but don't see it now... Either it didn't post or someone removed it... Please advise... Thanks, J.

[Don Boyer]

@Don... Are you arbitrarily removing posts?  I'm pretty sure I had posted about this deck, but don't see it now... Either it didn't post or someone removed it... Please advise... Thanks, J.

To clarify - I do not have the power to remove posts.  Best I could do would be to delete the text of a post or split a topic and put the post in a thread that I then lock.

But none of that is the case.  You're just getting older - CRSS (Can't Remember Shit Syndrome) is a disease that catches up with all of us eventually.  I should know, I've had it since I was a teenager! 

[vmagic]

Glad to see Kayne getting involved in this topic. I agree with many of the ideas people are saying and think it will be next to impossible to raise $20,000 for this deck as it is right now. If it gets improved, maybe it could reach that, but not as it is now. I also think he should try and print much less and should consider HOPC as well. They would make things much easier.

[john]

Kanye, i love your music man i can't wait till cruel summer and your 6th album its going to be amazing. Oh wait, this isn't Kanye West... oh this is awkward.

In all seriousness i really like the look of this deck but as everyone else said 5000 seems a bit to large for kickstarter. 2500 is without a doubt possible and i can't wait to pledge for it. Also to cut down on costs maybe remove metallic ink and embossing and make it larger pledge goals like other decks on kickstarter.

[Ken-Kayne]

Okay, this is rather long, bear with me.
Here we go.

1. I've done my research, I am fully aware of the size of this project, and the required space that is needed for 5000 decks, It will not be easy, but I have taken the proper measures to deal with that. 

2. The USPCC said that the lowest deck run amount was 5000 decks. I wanted to do a lower run, they said that that was not available. 2500 deck run would be much easier and I would rather do that. I'll check back with them on that the next time we talk.

3. I would have gone with HOPC, but at the time I did not want any help. Now I've started with USPC and its going rather well. Now I will be using HOPC some of my, later, lower key decks.

4. To my surprise, the embossing and Metallic inks together for this deck only adds 10 cents per deck! That's only 500 extra dollars. Not bad at all.

As for the design,

-I originally wanted to have the joker holding compass and a map. But the joker gaff would not be possible, I'll try and revisit that idea.

-The court cards were 50% of the work in the whole deck. They took me three months to design them themselves! And with the way the pieces and lines fit, to change them to look like explorers, famous ones at that, would be to start at ground 0. I could make them hold different things, wear different things. I can try and change the era of the deck. But that is about it.
Keep in mind, I have two months to make these changes and promote the deck, so I'll do my best.

- I have made the change of having NSEW sideways under the index pip of each court card.
North=Spades, South=Hearts, East=Clubs, West=Diamonds.
Do you like this change?

- Fill out the cards? The indexes and court faces are not yet formatted to the USPCC'S  poker size playing cards yet, that will be fixed.

- All the points on the back design are true and I will be giving the design a face lift this next week and I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for those points.

Thank you so much for this advice.