Danish team Design Imperator launched Ragnarok Playing Cards on Kickstarter a few days ago and has already hit its funding goal within 6 hours of the campaign. Ragnorak is a fully custom Norse-themed deck and is a sequel to Design Imperator’s previous release, Midgard Playing Cards. With the next Thor movie by Marvel releasing just around the corner, I’m pretty excited about these. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about Ragnorak playing cards:
1. Courts in motion.
Unlike the illustrations of most playing cards on the market, the courts of Ragnarok Playing Cards are all illustrated in motion to highlight drama, intensity and a great battle. They are all in non-static pose and design with weapons raised for combat or magic.
2. Borderless backs.
While the design of the project involved extensive research into mythology and Norse literature, the biggest challenge of the designers turned out to be whether or not to add white borders to the card backs. Collectors and followers of lead artist Nicolai Aarøe helped to make a decision on the matter, with an overwhelming preference for borderless designs. With the first stretch goal, both designs are now printed with metallic silver and copper inks.
3. Runes are real.
The runic inscriptions utilized for the tucks, cards and coins of Ragnarok Playing Cards are actual runes, originating from the Futhark alphabet of Norse culture. Backers will be able to translate the texts directly with an alphabet at their disposal.
4. Biggest stretch goal ever?
While Ragnarok Playing Cards is the biggest standalone project by Design Imperator to date, the whole project was actually constituted as the last stretch goal by popular demand of the backers of its predecessor, Midgard Playing Cards. The artwork of Ragnarok is heavily inspired by backer influence suggestions and ideas.
5. Mother of monsters
Many people know that the Midgard Serpent and the mighty Fenris are two of the most prominent and destructive monster of Ragnarok cosmology. But few people know these beasts actually share the same mother, the powerful giant queen Angerboda. The illustrators involved in the project aimed to portray the most feminine and fertile, yet monstrous and terrifying mother ever to have taken place as a queen in playing cards.
There are two decks on offer in the campaign: the Jormungand (Dark Blue) and the Fenris (Dark Brown) Editions. Both decks include custom pips, indices, courts, and aces. The card backs feature Norse artwork inspired from original knotwork and wood carving designs, both set in a mirrored composition. The Jormungand backs feature a blue/grey colorway while Fenris in a velvet/golden colorway. Printed by NPCC with premium linen finish and pledge starts from DKK$89 (~USD$14) on Kickstarter.
