Founders Playing Cards (KS)

[Don Boyer]

New deck - Founders Playing Cards

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dodsr/founders-playing-cards

Very patriotic, but I think it's done rather tastefully.  It will remind some of the Rebels and Sultan Republics, but without the cheesy "JOIN US!" campaign.  I was initially off-put by the courts, but when I saw who they all were, it made some sense.

Comments? 

[lameomaster]

I like everything about these cards, but they really aren't worth $13 a deck to me on top of $10 international shipping. The courts are 50/50 for me, with some of them really well done, and some of them just silly-looking and unfitting. The box is beautiful, with all the embossing, I like these subtler american decks without red all over the place, the tax stamp was a nice touch. I think I'd prefer the back design if it were a completely filled rectangle instead of wavy in the middle edges. But yeah, I love the overall theme and design of this deck, but it costs a tad too much for me to justify pledging for them. They'll probably get funded anyway, and I could pick them up from a reseller eventually.

[Michael]

Oh I definitely agree that this is much much classier than I expected it to be seeing as this is a "founding fathers" themed deck. I think that it will do well just because the deck has been designed in a way that makes it seem like it didn't come out of a museum gift shop.

I think I will consider pledging!

[sr15]

I like the deck but I don't think it's worth that price

[Don Boyer]

I like everything about these cards, but they really aren't worth $13 a deck to me on top of $10 international shipping. The courts are 50/50 for me, with some of them really well done, and some of them just silly-looking and unfitting. The box is beautiful, with all the embossing, I like these subtler american decks without red all over the place, the tax stamp was a nice touch. I think I'd prefer the back design if it were a completely filled rectangle instead of wavy in the middle edges. But yeah, I love the overall theme and design of this deck, but it costs a tad too much for me to justify pledging for them. They'll probably get funded anyway, and I could pick them up from a reseller eventually.

Well, no one ever buys just one deck.  At three decks they're only $11, and it keeps going down - you could pool resources with other collectors in your country, right?

Having said that, I have my doubts based on price along.  I hate accepting attempts to set precedents like letting the MSRP of a deck rise to $13 when it's not exceptionally better than any under-$10 releases.  I'm with Michael in that they're nicer than anything coming out of historical museum gift shops, but it's not enough to justify that price.  Even if I bought three, it still looks pricey at $11, and I don't even want that many.

[4pm Designer]

Beautifully designed deck. This deck is tastefully done and very impressive. I'm sure it will do fantastic.

[Samurai007]

I think it looks great, and while the price is high, it's not so astronomical that I won't pledge.  But what I want to know is:

Who is behind this?  The website links to a placeholder with an email address.  No names, no idea how much experience they have at making a card set.  That worries me a bit.

Second, while it talks about other editions, are they pledge goals that can be unlocked at certain levels?  Some of the alternate versions sound cool.

[Samurai007]

I like everything about these cards, but they really aren't worth $13 a deck to me on top of $10 international shipping. The courts are 50/50 for me, with some of them really well done, and some of them just silly-looking and unfitting. The box is beautiful, with all the embossing, I like these subtler american decks without red all over the place, the tax stamp was a nice touch. I think I'd prefer the back design if it were a completely filled rectangle instead of wavy in the middle edges. But yeah, I love the overall theme and design of this deck, but it costs a tad too much for me to justify pledging for them. They'll probably get funded anyway, and I could pick them up from a reseller eventually.

Well, no one ever buys just one deck.  At three decks they're only $11, and it keeps going down - you could pool resources with other collectors in your country, right?

Having said that, I have my doubts based on price along.  I hate accepting attempts to set precedents like letting the MSRP of a deck rise to $13 when it's not exceptionally better than any under-$10 releases.  I'm with Michael in that they're nicer than anything coming out of historical museum gift shops, but it's not enough to justify that price.  Even if I bought three, it still looks pricey at $11, and I don't even want that many.

In the video it says it uses "casino-grade stock"... if true, could that partly account for the higher price?

[Don Boyer]

In the video it says it uses "casino-grade stock"... if true, could that partly account for the higher price?

Not really, no.  The only "casino-grade stock" at USPC today is Bee Casino - countless decks have been made on that stock which sold for under $10 a pack.  Every single deck designed by CARC was made on Bee Casino and none of them retailed that high, as far as I know.

Factor in every special feature of this deck:
- Bee Casino stock
- Magic Finish (default for all custom decks now)
- full-custom design for all faces
- embossed box
- foil print on box
and combined they still aren't enough to justify $13 for a single deck.  I'd guess that on a 5K print run, all of that would cost perhaps $3.00 to $3.50 a deck, certainly not much more than that.  They can charge someone else 3x-4x the production cost - not me.

[10ofclubs]

I love this deck. And, being from the States, I could buy a brick or so of these. I wouldnt use all of them, but I'd give away ten or so as gifts. I know tons of people that would love these simply because they're patriotic.

[BiggerDee]

The first thing that I thought of when I saw these was "The official custom card of The President of the United States of America, and the only cards used in The White House"! They have that official business-like flair to them! I like them!

[modi]

I really like these, they're not the usual redneck Amer'ka F-Yeah style all too commonly seen, but $13 per deck is far too much for these.

[sinsandman]

Being in the military, I have wanted to like these other patriotic decks...but they have been terrible. This one is a home run in my eyes in the way of design. The price is steep as previously mentioned, and I am sure if they lowered it that they would be funded quickly.
With all that said, I am still in for 4 and a shirt.

[Zaid]

Yes, it is a beautiful design. And I love the project video, very well done. The only thing that troubles me is that the tuckbox has color changes right on the fold lines. That's a big no-no in tuckbox design because if the die shifts, you'll get a noticeable sliding of the color from one panel of the box to another.

[sway]

Oh wow, beautiful tuck and back design. The courts are looking great too, but I've got to say that those are some pretty ugly Queens.

[Paul Carpenter]

Finally, what appears to be a beautiful, completely thought out project on kickstarter. About time. Accounting for the shipping cost being built in, $13 is high but acceptable. I'll pledge for one.

[Utterfool]

I am very impressed with this deck.
It definitely feels like a good deal of effort went into it.
I also like the choice of court cards. Unfortunately I feel there was one miss on the courts. Rosie the Riveter
There are enough influential american woman that I feel they could have chosen a real woman (I know the character of Rosie was based off of a real woman, but still a character) to represent American achievements.
Betsy Ross
Sandra Day O'connor
Rosa Parks
Martha Washington
Abigail Adams
Sacajewea
Molly Pitcher
(you get the idea)

Rosie is indeed iconic and I can understand why she was chosen. It is just something I feel could have been better
One of the only things really, as I said I like this deck a lot and have certainly pledged.

[Curt]

Even though I may be a neighbour from the north to the USA, I can still appreciate the art that has gone into this deck. The back design is complex yet not overdone and the custom court cards are pretty damn cool. I may have to pledge for one, just need to make sure the books balance first.

[PrincessTrouble]

For some reason these cards remind me of (the show) The West Wing.  Very cool.  Made my pledge on KS.

[Samurai007]

I am very impressed with this deck.
It definitely feels like a good deal of effort went into it.
I also like the choice of court cards. Unfortunately I feel there was one miss on the courts. Rosie the Riveter
There are enough influential american woman that I feel they could have chosen a real woman (I know the character of Rosie was based off of a real woman, but still a character) to represent American achievements.
Betsy Ross
Sandra Day O'connor
Rosa Parks
Martha Washington
Abigail Adams
Sacajewea
Molly Pitcher
(you get the idea)

Rosie is indeed iconic and I can understand why she was chosen. It is just something I feel could have been better
One of the only things really, as I said I like this deck a lot and have certainly pledged.

If you notice, each suit of cards features people from a different era.  Spades are Revolutionary War era, Hearts are from the early United States, Clubs are from the Civil War, and Diamonds are from the early 20th century.  Thus, they needed a famous woman from the early 20th century for the Queen of Diamonds.

[Michael]

I am very impressed with this deck.
It definitely feels like a good deal of effort went into it.
I also like the choice of court cards. Unfortunately I feel there was one miss on the courts. Rosie the Riveter
There are enough influential american woman that I feel they could have chosen a real woman (I know the character of Rosie was based off of a real woman, but still a character) to represent American achievements.
Betsy Ross
Sandra Day O'connor
Rosa Parks
Martha Washington
Abigail Adams
Sacajewea
Molly Pitcher
(you get the idea)

Rosie is indeed iconic and I can understand why she was chosen. It is just something I feel could have been better
One of the only things really, as I said I like this deck a lot and have certainly pledged.

If you notice, each suit of cards features people from a different era.  Spades are Revolutionary War era, Hearts are from the early United States, Clubs are from the Civil War, and Diamonds are from the early 20th century.  Thus, they needed a famous woman from the early 20th century for the Queen of Diamonds.

Oh wow nice catch! I didn't even notice that get was a pattern with the suites. I guess that wasn't what my brain was focusing on well I can see this become successful (maybe even more successful if they drove the price down a few bucks). And I can even see this spawn into a series if the designer still has great design ideas!

[vmagic]

This looks nice but unfortunately I can't back any more American Kickstarter projects because Amazon is being a dick towards non-Americans.

[Loop Cuts]

I really love this deck and it's the first great one to hit kickstarter in a while.  The art is worth what anyone is willing to pay for it and so far I see a lot of people that think it's worth the money and I agree.

Cheers

[Emmanuel]

Beautiful deck; this is quite a breath of fresh air amongst the mass of KS decks.

[Zaid]

This deck is almost fully funded in only 4 days, $12,000+! That seems to indicate that the price really isn't a barrier for most people.