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Voting closed: June 15, 2013, 11:51:02 PM

My new line of CHRISTIAN decks

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My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« on: April 17, 2013, 03:52:09 PM »
 

xx789m

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Hellur. I LOOOOOOVE playing cards. But i looked around and all i could see was decks centered around death and demons and skeletons and such. That's fine and dandy if you like that kind of thing, but my faith is everything to me so skulls aren't my thing. I want to design a few decks and have them produced with christian imagery for those that would like such a thing. that means none of ths:  >:( or  :-[ or  :-\ or   :t11: and especially not  :mindf-ck:



Now my question to y'all is I'm doing a deck called the patriarch deck. Jacob's 12 sons, the 12 patriarchs of Israel. I thought i could make each facecard a different patriarch. 12 sons 12 face cards. sounds good right?? well what about the queens. WHAT DO I DO FOR THE QUEENS???????
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2013, 04:43:29 PM »
 

Don Boyer

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Hellur. I LOOOOOOVE playing cards. But i looked around and all i could see was decks centered around death and demons and skeletons and such. That's fine and dandy if you like that kind of thing, but my faith is everything to me so skulls aren't my thing. I want to design a few decks and have them produced with christian imagery for those that would like such a thing. that means none of ths:  >:( or  :-[ or  :-\ or   :t11: and especially not  :mindf-ck:



Now my question to y'all is I'm doing a deck called the patriarch deck. Jacob's 12 sons, the 12 patriarchs of Israel. I thought i could make each facecard a different patriarch. 12 sons 12 face cards. sounds good right?? well what about the queens. WHAT DO I DO FOR THE QUEENS???????

Prior to the existence of queens in the Anglo-Rouen design (which we use now), the court cards were "Roi" (French for King), "Chevalier" (KNight - or literally, cavalier) and "Valet" (Page, knight's aide, etc.).  With the creation of the Queen (in French, "Dame"), we have the four court characters we see used in tarot decks - contrary to popular belief, the tarot deck was created AFTER the playing card deck, not before, and the French were using the tarot deck for a popular card game of the same name before it was being used for cartomancy.  In time, people decided they liked the Queen as part of the playing card deck's court, so the Chevalier and Valet were combined to create the "Jack" - the French still call it a "Valet", but in English, he's thought of as serving the duty of both the Valet and the Chevalier, hence the expression "Jack of all trades"...

There's nothing stopping you from either using males on the Queens or using the earlier French court values of King, Cavalier and Valet (or Page).  I'd advise against Knight - The "K" is already taken, and "Kn" isn't an elegant solution.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2013, 04:51:50 PM by Don Boyer »
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2013, 05:14:08 PM »
 

xx789m

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WONDERFUL. So i could keep K as in king and J as in jack and switch queen for Chevalier?
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2013, 05:17:18 PM »
 

xela

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We had a biblical deck didn't we? Bicycle Genesis or something. The other Christian deck we had didn't work out because the creator was a scamming cook. I think there is room for this genre in decks. I'm not a religious person by any means, but you're right, the skulls/fire/demon shtick is old, and nothing new or innovative can come from that anymore.
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #4 on: April 17, 2013, 05:23:27 PM »
 

xx789m

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bicycle genesis is based on christian themes but i dont care much for turning the people into trees, and i wasn't aware of another christan deck. Just sad that someone would use that to scam. Just take a deck of cards n hit the streets. u can scam plenty of people
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #5 on: April 17, 2013, 11:04:44 PM »
 

MrMollusk

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I don't know about Christian decks, but if you want decks with more of a biblical theme and a lighter, non-skull-death-emo-darkness-blargagah feel, the Guardians and ArchAngels are pretty good decks. They look awesome too.

http://www.bicyclecards.com/products/playing-card/archangels

http://www.bicyclecards.com/products/playing-card/bicycle-guardians

As for your deck Idea, I think it all boils down to how well you design it. Just because you smack a religious label on it doesn't mean it's going to be popular. This isn't directed at just you. Lots of the dark-themed decks flopped simply because they didn't do anything for design, and just whacked the "zombie" label on the pack.

Good luck!
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2013, 11:10:39 PM »
 

xx789m

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i agree with what you're saying, and I understand, but I think the designs will be pretty good. I'm also going to try and include a few gaff cards on at least one of the decks. My friend who happens to be one of those kid millionaires has agreed to loan me the money so I don't have to deal with kickstarter
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #7 on: April 17, 2013, 11:17:35 PM »
 

John B.

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I don't know if there need to be "christian decks" just get decks that are not dark and full of demons, and zombies. I have a couple of dark decks, and even use them at my church. How they are perceived is based on how you present them.
Do you guys even read this? Like I could have the meaning of life here and I doubt you would know it.
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #8 on: April 18, 2013, 12:12:21 AM »
 

xx789m

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there doesn't "need" to be either. I just dont like the artwork on some of the decks because its against what I stand for, so I want to design a deck that goes for what I stand for in a way that its popular with everyone
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #9 on: April 18, 2013, 12:59:27 AM »
 

John B.

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I just don't see the point in a christian. I am a follower of Jesus christ, and am serving the Lord in what I do, but because of the idea of this deck I probably would not support it.
Do you guys even read this? Like I could have the meaning of life here and I doubt you would know it.
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #10 on: April 18, 2013, 01:10:32 AM »
 

xx789m

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take a look at the deck first. besides, don't you agree that skulls and zombies are over done?
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2013, 01:22:23 AM »
 

John B.

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They are but its all based off what people want to see. If people want to see a deck full of blood, and demons and vacuums, and microwaves. Let them. I just don't see an idea of making a "christian deck" to counter them.
Do you guys even read this? Like I could have the meaning of life here and I doubt you would know it.
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #12 on: April 18, 2013, 02:56:39 AM »
 

xx789m

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Well perhaps I want to see a christian deck. And perhaps there are others who do as well. If I want to design a deck with an ironing board theme then I should do that. I don't Care much for The zombie themed decks. And I don't think I'd want my child playing with a deck that has human appendages all throughout it. Many people are Christian and I believe they'll like it. And those that aren't Christian but don't want the darker cards can go pick up a rider back or something else. This is what I want. I'm confident people will get behind it once they see the design. If you don't like it. Don't buy it. Like I said. There's NOTHING wrong with the karnival decks where there's a skeleton everywhere u look. IF YOU LIKE THAT SORT OF THING. I happen to not care much for it. My taste is much different than yours. I'm not asking you to buy the cards. Nor support them. I am asking u to leave me to my ideas if u don't agree with them.
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #13 on: April 18, 2013, 03:50:50 AM »
 

xela

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You should be warned that the Internet isn't the best place for Christian or religious imagery. Even active Christians on the web don't tend to be activist Christians.

That said, if you want to put in the time and money, it's on you man. We wish you nothing but success. We know the industry in and out here, so we want you be prepared for potential failures as much as you are aware of potential successes.  Keep us posted, man!
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #14 on: April 18, 2013, 05:44:42 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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There are actually some corners of the Internet where such a deck would be very well-received.  There's a reason the "Left Behind" movies and books have sold as well as they have.

One suggestion I'd give would be to make the imagery organic to the design in some way.  Depending on your specific faith/sect, you might consider stained-glass style computer-generated or painted images of various Biblical characters - you already have 12 courts for the Apostles.  Just don't go the lazy route, slap stock images on the card faces and say "Done, now come buy it!"  They won't come.  Faith can be blind, but artistic tastes generally aren't.

Nearly any theme done as a deck can be a success, but it has to be gorgeous and close to perfect.  There are zombie decks and skull decks I love, others that I loathe, and it boils down to how appealing to me the artwork and design is.

If you want my assistance, I've done consulting work before for people starting out in playing card design.  Just check my signature.  It can be anything from a simple telephone conversation to going over the design itself or (for those who can't self-fund) launching a Kickstarter campaign.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2013, 05:45:00 AM by Don Boyer »
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #15 on: April 18, 2013, 08:28:50 AM »
 

Alex Willis

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I agree with Don on the artistic imagery of religious icons, people visit middle age cathedrals and wonder at the art with little regard for the religious significance.  Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of the religous deck but if you really want to get a reach to a larger and not necessarily Christian based audience, go the 'awe of wonder and magnificence' route.  Now what I would like to see is a faith based Tarot deck, try explaining that to the kids.  ::)
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #16 on: April 18, 2013, 10:05:16 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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I agree with Don on the artistic imagery of religious icons, people visit middle age cathedrals and wonder at the art with little regard for the religious significance.  Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of the religous deck but if you really want to get a reach to a larger and not necessarily Christian based audience, go the 'awe of wonder and magnificence' route.  Now what I would like to see is a faith based Tarot deck, try explaining that to the kids.  ::)

Actually, I was thinking similarly but different.

There's absolutely zero need to reach an audience larger than the Christian community.  His target audience, bluntly, are believers in Christ.  He may get a few people of other (or no) faith, but that's his target.  Let that concept settle and there's a lot of things he can do with it.

A faith-based tarot deck is easier than you may realize.  The tarot deck originally wasn't used for cartomancy, but for a game by the same name that's still played today in France and some other parts of Europe.  The cards don't look like a traditional tarot deck's cards, but there's the exact same number of cards, right down to the suits and "trumps" (you'd think of them as the Major Arcana).  The suits are the Anglo-Rouen hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds we all know, there's a separate Page and Knight card, rather than the modern convention of combining them into the Jack, and the trumps are only numbered with Roman numerals rather than named.  Each one shows a particular event taking place in the countryside and a similar such event taking place in a town or small city.

The only restriction he'd have with making a tarot deck at all is that fewer publishers will make tarot decks - and USPC is not one of them.
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #17 on: April 18, 2013, 01:07:10 PM »
 

xx789m

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I doubt I'll be making a tarot deck. I don't have the time or resources to explain all that to people. my audience would NOT recieve it well. they'd be like "YOU CAN'T MAKE A CHRISTIAN DECK OF CARDS THEN MAKE TAROT CARDS YOU HYPOCRITE!!!!!"

and if it was a christian tarot deck they'd rip my head off with accusations of "blasphemy" because they would have no idea about what don just said
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #18 on: April 18, 2013, 01:53:40 PM »
 

xela

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Man... Tarot cards... It amazes me that there are some people in the world that believe in fortune tellers.
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #19 on: April 18, 2013, 02:59:41 PM »
 

Alex Willis

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Man... Tarot cards... It amazes me that there are some people in the world that believe in fortune tellers.

I know, everyone knows the answers are really in the alignment of stars which burned out billions of light years ago. ;)

And Don you are the consultant and playing card product placement is your bag, so if you say there's a market, then there's a market.  I will take an agnostic approach to your assertion and like doubting Thomas, seeing is believing.  ;)

Also is this a "Christian" deck, is it based on the Apostles?  I thought it was based on the 12 tribes of Judah.  I could be wrong, I can't see the feed at the moment.

Either way, I'm in.  If for nothing else, it'd make a great conversation starter at my weekly Amish and Menonite poker game.
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #20 on: April 18, 2013, 03:16:08 PM »
 

xx789m

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I hope to make both a deck based on the apostles and one based on the 12 tribes of israel. for the back design of the patriarchs deck (thats what the founders of the tribes were called, the patriarchs of israel) I'd like to take a riderback and do it in reds and yellows and purples and greens and such, like that one from the phillipines (theres a link to a pic of it) but less fading and the colors would stand out more and blend together less. It would be like Joseph's coat of many colors. I'll post a pic once its done, but my designer is in the hospital at the moment




 http://www.google.com.mx/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=x5obkaP3EKxuUM&tbnid=iZzq6fwI08NNvM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fall_comments%3Fv%3DNWQJAXP90E4&ei=30VwUf2CMsqp2gWo2YCgBw&bvm=bv.45373924,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNFHXspU5ve_9OGkYRVp8HDNQHudZA&ust=1366398808952375
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #21 on: April 19, 2013, 12:19:35 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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I doubt I'll be making a tarot deck. I don't have the time or resources to explain all that to people. my audience would NOT recieve it well. they'd be like "YOU CAN'T MAKE A CHRISTIAN DECK OF CARDS THEN MAKE TAROT CARDS YOU HYPOCRITE!!!!!"

and if it was a christian tarot deck they'd rip my head off with accusations of "blasphemy" because they would have no idea about what don just said

The type of tarot deck I mentioned bears little to no artistic and design resemblance to the tarot deck used for cartomancy.  If you didn't call it a tarot deck, they'd never know.  You could invent a Christian-themed trick-taking game, and the deck's extra cards could be reduced in order to play more traditional card games - it's two decks in one!  But it would be harder and more complicated to make, that's for certain, unless you went with a publisher that has European operations or that publishes tarot decks extensively.  In the US, US Games Systems would be the only company that fits the bill.  In Europe, there's a number of companies that could do the job.
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Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #22 on: April 19, 2013, 01:02:29 AM »
 

xx789m

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I honestly have NO idea what the type of tarot deck you are referring to is. I guess the meaning of tarot cards have been implanted in me for so long I reality can't accept it.
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #23 on: April 19, 2013, 01:13:51 AM »
 

xx789m

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I believe that this will be one of the joker cards. Or at least based on this. One will be like this. One will be the opposite meaning a demonic scary version. Making for great visual shapeshifter changes. Make it into a routine n give it an ironic name like......"to hell and back" or something
Exodus 14:14 The Lord, your god, will fight for you; you need only to be still
 

Re: My new line of CHRISTIAN decks
« Reply #24 on: April 19, 2013, 10:05:14 AM »
 

Alex Willis

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I like the Archangel Joker - I'm assuming Michael.  For the other joker were you thinking of a fallen angel?
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