Successfully funded on Kickstarter! War of Realms Playing Cards

Successfully funded on Kickstarter, Curio Playing Cards has collaborated with Portuguese illustrator Ricardo Rodrigues (Waveloop Art) to create a beautiful deck series, War of Realms Playing Cards based on the fantasy world of realms under constant war.

For this fantasy world, the realm is divided into two: DAYA and FERA. These two realms are represented as a separate deck variant: Standard and Special. Standard Edition features two-way courts like the traditional playing cards, while Special Edition features full-length one-way courts to see a variety of characters of their respective realms.

The tuck box features the main characters of the realms of Daya and Fera. The Standard tuck box features the challengers for the realms within a framed border and the mirror of the card back design. The Special tuck box features the leaders for the realms on the borderless background complete with embossing and foiling on the name on the premium matte stock – produced by Boschiero & Newton.

The card back design features an imperial-themed border and background presenting a Chinese dragon wrapping around the iconic Yin Yang symbol. The colourization of the back is different for each realm and edition. For Daya, muted cool grey for Standard and black/red for Special; For Fera, muted warm grey for Standard and vibrant gold for Special.

The number cards featured customized pips, with the Aces having enlarged pips. Daya and Fera each have their respective group of characters as courts – they are the challengers for their own respective realms. The Jokers feature hooded characters in white and black robes – the arbiters of the war between Daya and Fera.

The cards for Standard Edition are printed by WJPC on German Black Core with Butter varnish, while the cards for Special Edition are printed by Cartamundi on the B9 Slimline with Cold foiling accents complete with Edge Print.

Pledge started from $13 for either Daya or Fera Standard Edition on Kickstarter.

Jerry's Nugget Kelly Green Edition Playing Cards

In the world of playing cards, few names hold as much weight as Jerry’s Nugget. Since their inception in 1970, these iconic cards have become legendary in the cardistry and magic communities. This year marks their 53rd anniversary, and to celebrate, Conjuring Arts and Riffle Shuffle have released the Jerry’s Nugget Kelly Green Edition.

Every card in this edition maintains the original Jerry’s Nugget’s remarkable thickness. This thickness isn’t a coincidence; it’s achieved through a meticulous process known as THIN CRUSHING of the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC)’s world-renowned premium (Bee) stock.

While the original design of Jerry’s Nugget cards remains untouched, there’s a twist in the color theme that sets the Kelly Green Edition apart. The design team harnessed cutting-edge playing card printing technologies from the USPCC to recapture the texture and sensation of the original Jerry’s Nugget as faithfully as possible.

It’s a delicate dance between classic and contemporary, bringing together two generations in a single deck of cards. The Jerry’s Nugget Kelly Green Edition playing cards are now available from Riffle Shuffle for $9.90.

Less Than 3 Days Remaining on Kickstarter, Proberz Playing Cards

After the success of their first crowdfunded deck, the gang of three: Stuart, Kevin, and Bob (SKB) are back with a brand new deck on Kickstarter. Proberz Playing Cards is inspired by the big question everybody always asks: is there a life outside Earth?

There are two main editions for the deck: Blue and Purple. The back design features two-way illustrations of a UFO kidnapping a magician during nighttime in the forest. The ray coming from the flying saucer creates the broken border, creating a connecting line on card fanning. The blue edition features a bordered design, with the UFO kidnapping a male magician. The purple edition features a borderless design, with the UFO kidnapping a female magician.

The faces of the cards also feature this broken border element that connects with the back design on the other side! Customized pips are used throughout the deck. The courts feature grey matter aliens – an iconic rendition of extraterrestrial lifeforms: they are grouped within each suit that represents a trope: from the peaceful to ruthless.

The tuck box is a clean, minimalistic design, showcasing the SKB logo as well as the deck title on the front. The back side of the box features a message saying aliens are real, with a restricted area warning sign. Combining three boxes creates a UFO scenery.

Printed by WJPC on 300gsm Germany black core paper with premium finish. Only 1000 decks of each edition will be produced. Pledge starts from $16 for a single Proberz Blue deck on Kickstarter.

Card Game: Where Cards Fall

Where Cards Fall, originally released on Apple Arcade in 2019, has now made its way to the Nintendo Switch and PC. This unique puzzle game offers a heartfelt coming-of-age story, presented as brief memories of a young protagonist’s life. However, the placement of these memories hinders the pacing of the game, which may cause players to focus solely on the puzzles rather than the narrative.

Gameplay

The game requires players to navigate through small areas using cards that expand into various buildings, each with different symbols. While the game introduces new mechanics such as gusts of wind, the puzzles’ scale remains relatively small.

Unfortunately, the protagonist’s movement is quite rigid and lacks fluidity, making it challenging to maneuver. The cards, on the other hand, offer smooth movement, but selecting the correct deck can be a challenge.

Where Cards Fall’s design is visually appealing, with each diorama possessing a dreamlike quality and a simplistic design to capture the environment’s essence. The ambiance is created by the almost therapeutic score, which conveys emotions effectively, despite the lack of dialogue.

Conclusion

Overall, Where Cards Fall is a lovely puzzler that fails to capitalize on its innovative premise due to fiddly controls that mar the experience. While the puzzles offer a suitable level of challenge, they fail to deliver any truly memorable moments.

Although the developer aims to tell a sympathetic narrative, its delivery lacks the nuances required to engage the audience. Despite this, the game has the potential to be an ace in the hole, but several issues leave it in the lurch.