Fimbul Playing Cards by Design Imperator

Fimbul Playing Cards is a Norse mythology-inspired collection created by the Scandinavian team at Design Imperator. Produced in two luxurious editions: Bifrost and Naglfar, the Kickstarter project combines hand-illustrated Viking artwork, rainbow holographic finishes, embossed bronze-foiled tuck boxes, and mythological storytelling into a richly detailed collector’s release.

The Bifrost Edition represents the legendary rainbow bridge connecting Midgard and Asgard. Its tuck case features bronze foil, deep embossing, and shimmering rainbow accents inspired by the northern lights, while the rainbow gilded edges and holographic card backs reinforce the celestial theme. 

The custom courts portray Viking warriors in their mortal forms through fully illustrated two-way designs, paired with Norse-inspired pips and cinematic battle imagery throughout the deck. The Naglfar Edition explores the darker side of Ragnarok, depicting the mythical ship of nails that carries the undead army into the final battle. The tuck box features bronze foil detailing alongside glowing blue flame motifs surrounding the gates of Hel. 

Its holographic rainbow gilding creates a fiery metallic effect across the edges, while the custom courts reimagine the Vikings as undead warriors marching across the battlefield of Vigridr. The collection also includes the Helvegr display box designed to house both decks together, continuing the project’s emphasis on premium presentation and Norse-inspired craftsmanship.

Both editions are printed by WJPC on premium stock with fully custom artwork, numbered seals, embossed tuck boxes, rainbow gloss card backs, and limited print runs capped at 1,500 decks per edition. Pledge starts at $25 on Kickstarter.

SPQR Playing Cards – A Tribute to the Roman Empire

Now on Kickstarter, SPQR is a luxurious set of historical playing cards that capture the power, culture, and artistry of the Ancient Roman Empire. By Design Imperator, the decks are inspired from authentic antique artworks and 17th-century engravings, this series presents Rome’s emperors, innovations, and aesthetics in a way that is both educational and breathtakingly beautiful.

Two distinct editions bring the world of Rome to life: Legatum and Senatus. Each features its own unique style, tuck box design, and metallic edge gilding: gold for Legatum, red for Senatus, making them exceptional pieces for collectors, players, and history enthusiasts alike.

The Legatum Edition embraces an art-forward, one-way design. Its ornate tuck box is wrapped with a detailed map of the Empire, surrounded by golden embossing, and reveals gold-gilded edges on the cards within. Inside, every detail speaks of Roman achievement. 

The number cards showcase 36 miniature illustrations of groundbreaking Roman inventions—roads, aqueducts, heating systems, urban planning, and more—reminders of the ingenuity that shaped civilization. Court cards feature portraits of twelve legendary emperors, from Julius Caesar to Domitian, with ruling dates and historical details included. The backs display the imperial eagle encircled by a golden wreath, a bold symbol of power and legacy.

The Senatus Edition takes a more traditional, symmetrical two-way approach, with a deep red and gold embossed tuck that exudes Roman authority. The red-gilded edges gleam like wax-sealed banners, while the cards inside highlight Roman ornamentation in ornate golden pips and custom panels inscribed with “Senatus Populusque Romanus”—The Senate and People of Rome. 

The court cards once again depict the twelve emperors, this time in a mirrored layout for a classic playing card feel. Its card back design radiates timeless symmetry, with warm golden tones set against a dark red canvas.

Together, the Legatum and Senatus editions form a complete tribute to Rome’s might and majesty. Every card, every line, every gilded edge is steeped in history and symbolism, bridging the past with modern craftsmanship.

Pledge starts at $25 on Kickstarter.

Deck View: SAGA (Conquerors Edition) Playing Cards

Nordic. Battle. Vikings.

SAGA Playing Cards: Conquerors Edition is a striking tribute to Nordic mythology, reimagining the classic deck with a bold, neo-Norse design. Created by Design Imperator, this edition showcases original artwork rooted in Viking tradition, featuring jarls, queens, and kings adorned with iconic helmets, weapons, and shields that reflect their legendary status.

The Conquerors Edition stands out with its black matte tuck case, wrapped in rich, embossed copper foil. The raw texture gives it an authentic, battle-worn look, while the foil detailing adds a sense of elegance and prestige. 

Inside, the card backs and custom face cards mirror the copper tones of the tuck, creating a cohesive and immersive visual experience. Every detail has been crafted to balance functionality and theme, offering a deck that feels unique yet instantly playable. 

Printed on M31 linen stock with MPC’s BETA finish. Available on Isolated Thunderstorm for $26.

On Kickstarter, Asgard: Odin & Thor playing cards

By Design Imperator, the Asgard: Odin & Thor playing cards honor the legendary gods of Norse mythology with two stunning, gilded editions. These decks celebrate the might of Odin and Thor with intricate, hand-drawn illustrations, authentic Norse symbolism, and luxurious finishes.

The Odin Edition is a tribute to the king of the Aesir, featuring an embossed gold tuck box with his powerful spear, Gungnir, at its center. The back design represents the portal to Asgard beneath Bifröst, glowing with golden edge-gilding. 

The court cards feature one-way colored illustrations of the Norse gods, including Odin, Thor, Freya, Loki, and more, all meticulously crafted in an art-rich style. Each pip is custom-designed with intricate knotwork, and the indices are inspired by ancient runic inscriptions.

Meanwhile, the Thor Edition embodies the strength of the god of thunder with a silver-embossed tuck box showcasing Mjolnir, his legendary hammer. The card backs mirror the Odin deck but are framed in cold steel edge-gilding. 

Unlike Odin’s edition, the court cards are monochromatic, two-way illustrations, designed for high playability while maintaining the essence of Asgard’s mythological figures.

For collectors, a Monument Hardbox is available, designed to store up to 12 decks with a matte linen texture and gold foil stamping. Additional offerings include an illustrated booklet on Norse deities, add-on editions of the remastered Ragnarok and Saga playing cards, and other Viking-inspired collectibles.

Both decks are printed on casino-quality M31 linen-finished cardstock by MPC . Pledge starts at $32 on Kickstarter.

Dont Miss Remastered Edition of Ragnarok Playing Cards on Kickstarter

One of our favorite playing card sets is back on Kickstarter! The team at Design Imperator has launched a REMASTERED edition of Ragnarok Playing Cards. This new edition features a complete overhaul of the artwork, new luxurious tuck boxes, and more gods and giants!

Ragnorak is a fully custom Norse-themed deck designed in Denmark. The Aesir (Dark Grey) and the Jotun (Black) Editions feature fully custom pips, indices, aces, and courts.

Both card backs of feature Norse artwork inspired by original knotwork and wood carving designs, both set in a mirrored composition printed with metallic inks. The designs take inspiration from the oseberg and broa art styles of Scandinavian Viking culture.

The face cards are completely unique in the 2 editions and come with a new cast of valkyries, draugr and giants to the battle. All are hand-illustrated in a washed-out color scheme, inspired by the time periods of old mural history. The darker tone of the deck highlight drama, intensity, and an epic battle.

The design elements, particularly the use of runic inscriptions utilized throughout are truly unique and very well incorporated into the theme of the deck.

The solid tuck boxes of Ragnarok Remastered are manufactured with gold & brass foil and heavily embossed artwork that wraps around the sides. Texts designed in golden futhark runes for authenticity.

Printed by NPCC on linen card stock and pledge starts at $14 on Kickstarter. You don’t want to miss this!

Final Hours on Kickstarter! Cursed and the Crooked Playing Cards

After taking home the Deck of the Year at the 52 Plus Joker Diamond Award 2021 for Circus Playing Cards, Marianne Larsen is back and has launched The Cursed and The Crooked Playing Cards on Kickstarter.

The dark fairytale decks feature different fantasy characters, all richly illustrated with incredible details. There are two different editions, the Cursed and the Crooked. The Cursed Edition is more towards the standard design of playing cards: four corner indices, normal arrangement of customized pips, and two-way court cards.

The Crooked Edition is more towards the heavy artwork deck of playing cards: heavily detailed illustrations on the faces – detailed frames on both numbered and court cards, along with one-way full-length courts showing the characters clearly.

The court cards and Jokers featured heavily detailed illustrations of at least 20 different fantasy characters. Some are mischievous and dangerous, while others are friendly and helpful.

The card back design for the Cursed Edition shows a two-way design featuring a rich detailed illustrations of folklorish floral ornamentation and the ever-staring eyes from the depths of the forest. The card back design for the Crooked Edition shows a borderless design. It features a myriad of creatures from the dark fairytale hidden within the dark forest. The dark color scheme with the heavily detailed illustration would create an appealing visual fan.

The tuck box for both editions are done with premium stock. The Cursed Edition comes with a dark brown stock with gold, copper, and purple foil, while The Crooked Edition, in a dark green stock with gold and copper foils.

The front of the box for the Cursed Edition showcases an illustration of an antique key with filigrees along with the series name. The box for Crooked Edition featured an illustration of a forest with the series name – the back features the fairytale of the series done in gold foil. Both tuck boxes featured numbered seals placed on the bottom of the box.

The cards will be produced by Noir Arts Playing Cards on premium linen finish stock and pledge starts at $12 on Kickstarter.

3 Days Remaining, Dominus V2 Playing Cards on Kickstarter

Back in 2016, Scandinavian designer Nicolai Aarøe produced the Dominus Playing Cards series – consisting of Obscura and Divinus. Those two decks are now fetched up to 100$ – 200$ in the aftermarket! Due to the popularity of the series, he decides to release the revamped edition of the series along with a new variant. Introducing Dominus V2, the sequel to the best works by Nicolai now funding on Kickstarter.

The series tells about the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek to gain power through activities related to the underworld and black magic. All of the court cards represent characters from the European monarchy – Knights (Jacks), Queens, and Kings of their normal state on one side and the corrupted state on the other. There will be a booklet that will further explain the stories of these characters.

Obscura V2 has an updated design from its previous edition. It uses 3 metallic foils (copper, black, and red) and even more details added to the tuck box. To differentiate with the first edition, there is the title “Second Edition” written on the front side as well as the numbered label stamped on the bottom.

This series introduces the new deck called Deceptus. It’s a completely new design altogether of the tuck box. Both Deceptus and Obscura V2 tuck boxes will be done on the matte black soft-touch stock with embossings and metallic foiling. There will be a numbered seal located on the bottom of the tuck box.

All of the cards will have four indices, one on each corner. The courts are beautifully illustrated with painstaking details that tell the lore of a kingdom that meddles with the dark arts and necromancy. It is a one-way design court, with both sides showing a different state of being: the good side, which shows the royalties with fresh looks; and the evil side, which shows the royalties with the demonic and corrupted state: either turn into ravaging beasts or undead corpse.

Obscura V2 will have black cards, while the Deceptus will have white cards. Obscura V2 will show the evil side, showing imagery of skulls and snakes, while Deceptus will show the good side, showing imagery of royalties.

All of the Aces will feature an enlarged pip with intricate designs. Each edition will have a different set of Aces: Obscura V2 will show a lot of black magic iconography, while Deceptus will show curved decorative patterns.

The numbered cards will have customized pips as well as the arrangement of the pips. The red pips will have a muted gold color on both black and white backgrounds. The black pips will remain as it is: black on white background, white on black background.

Both back designs of the Dominus V2 are filled with a lot of iconographies related to religion, occult, royalty, and divination. Obscura V2 has the updated design from its 2016 edition, while the Deceptus featured a brand new design. The cards will be produced by Noirs Playing Cards Company (NPCC) on premium linen finish.

Pledge starts from $14 for a single deck of choice OR get both as a set for $28 on Kickstarter. You can also pledge for a complete set including a booklet for $43. Funding ends on March 19, 2022.

SAGA Playing Cards, Viking Culture Meets Modern Aesthetics

SAGA playing cards are a unique take on the traditional standard deck of playing cards now funding on Kickstarter. The design is inspired by Nordic folklore and mythology, taking the tradition of the Viking era and giving it an elegant twist. 

 

Completely original, yet familiar, SAGA features neo-Norse art style by the Design Imperator team in Scandinavia. The themed attributes of SAGA court design are specifically noticeable in the Norse helmets, hairstyles, iconic shields, and distinctive weaponry and items held in their hands. according to the Kickstarter campaign page,

We call them jarls (not jacks), queens, and kings. You will see more variations of our SAGA face cards in future releases as we will continue to tweak and refine this design as we see fit with every new release.

The team has spent many months trying to design an elegant balance between playable functionality and thematic novelty. Something that is easily recognizable by players but unique at the same time. The result is nothing short of stunning. Three decks are on offer during the campaign: Conquerors, Raiders, and Seafarers. 

Conquerors edition is manufactured with a black matte, raw texture material, and embossed copper foil that envelops the tuck. The unique color scheme for the face card designs matches the hue of the tuck case and card backs. 

Raiders edition is manufactured with a matte red, raw texture material and embossed silver foil that wraps around the tuck. The unique color scheme for the face card designs matches the hue of the tuck case and card backs.

Seafarers edition is manufactured with a matte blue, raw texture material and embossed brass foil that surrounds the tuck case. This edition has a unique color scheme for the face card designs that matches the hue of the tuck case and card backs. 

SAGA Playing Cards will all be printed on M31 linen stock with BETA finish by MPC. SAGA will have the best card handling you’ve seen from a Design Imperator deck to date.

Pledge starts at $15 on Kickstarter. Pledging for 6 or 12 SAGA decks will have a standard box included in your reward. These boxes come in two sizes (fitting either 6 or 12 decks). Also, add ons such as metal coins and deck pouches are available. 

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Kickstarter: Shadows of London, A Victorian London themed Playing Cards

Shadows of London is a Victorian London-themed deck of playing cards currently on Kickstarter. Produced by Mariane Larsen with incredible artwork by Patrick Leis, the decks feature characters inspired by Victorian archetypes, Sherlock Holmes, the night watchman, Dr. Jekyll, and the roughneck on the docks. 

The deck showcases London in 1843 when the construction of Big Ben begins. However, there are already many bells tolling long echoes through the dark streets of London. These narrow streets are inhabited by suspicious figures that cast long shadows. A thief, a beggar, a prostitute, a corrupt politician, and his cunning wife. All skeptical and scheming about the intentions of the shadowy figure right around the corner and at the end of the street.  

 

There are two editions available during the Kickstarter campaign, Pennyless and Moonshine. The Pennyless tuck has a gloomy scenery printed in a matte material with a striking silver foil and an embossed title that brings the poor people of the Victorian streets to the foreground. This tuck box is designed to set the tone and atmosphere of the theme. It has a fully custom stamp-like, numbered tuck seal. The face cards are designed in a one-way format for an art-focused layout on the character illustrations. 

The Moonshine Edition tuck is manufactured in a horizontal format with a black soft-touch stock for a truly exquisite victorian feel. The tuck exterior is adorned with intricate and detailed gold foil on all sides, inspired by luxury brand tobacco and matchbox packaging from the time period. It has a fully custom stamp-like, numbered tuck seal.

The Moonshine number and face cards are designed in a classic two-way layout with an index in all four corners for optimized playability. Both editions share the same card backs featuring details such as Victorian street lamps, gate spikes, floral damask, and the Big Ben clock tower. 

Printed by TWPCC with Classic Finish. Pledge starts on Kickstarter. Also, add-ons such as antique Silver/Gold coin, illustrated booklet, and deck pouch are available during the campaign.

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Kickstarter: Deus Vult Playing Cards by Design Imperator

The team from Design Imperator is back with a deluxe set of playing cards based on the crusades in the Holy Land. Seeking funds on Kickstarter, the decks come with many exclusive features and two editions are on offer during the campaign- The Templars Edition and The Ayyubid Dynasty Edition.

The decks are fully custom with hand-illustrated artwork. The face cards are identical for both editions, but with different color palettes. The crusaders are represented in the hearts and diamond suits, while the Ayyubid Dynasty is represented in the clubs and spades suits illustrated in a unique vectorized format.

The backs of Deus Vult feature highly detailed artwork inspired by the Muslim and European medieval period. Both are set in a mirrored composition and printed with eye-catching metallic copper inks.

The aces of Deus Vult are designed to represent the Muslim and European side of The Holy Land respectively.

The Deus Vult tuck boxes are manufactured with Italian, solid stocks with exclusive foil and rich embossed artwork on all sides. Both with a custom tuck seal applied for thematic elegance. The Templars edition features an eye-catching red foil cross, while the Ayyubid edition has intricate copper foil that envelops the dark brown stock.

The decks will be printed by NPCC with premium linen finish. Pledge starts at $14 on Kickstarter. Also, add-ons such as brick boxes, dealer coin, and deck pouches are available.

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