I’ve learned a lot in 10 minutes from this Kickstarter campaign. I didn’t know the world of playing cards has its own hyper-articulate vocabulary, or that it was possible to make playing cards look so bad-ass that Mr. Torgue would approve of them.
Scott King of Crooked King Cards launched the campaign on March 18th and it was 100% funded in five days. That’s a testament to the power of fearsome werewolves on little cards and King’s experience producing themed decks (he’s already successfully funded four other decks).
With seven days left in the campaign, there’s still time to pledge $13 and “unleash your inner beast with these USPCC-printed cards”, the utilization of which will “allow your feral side to reign supreme and subdue the weak in your next savage card brawl!” For a little bit of extra money, you can “watch the spine-chilling transformation from man to wolf with the first-ever lenticular lens tuck box… with the slightest turn of your wrist, the full moon rises and the mythical creature is brought to life!”
They don’t specifically state that owning these cards will allow you to shred your foes with your bare claws and bathe in their blood beneath a full moon, but let’s not permit “laws” or “reality” to get in the way of the facts: owning these cards will make you a dangerous motherfucker, because of the pictures of werewolves on them. These aren’t your nana’s cards, is what you need to know. Nana’s cards don’t have “custom-designed pips” that are “are easy to read… even under the light of a full moon”.
Okay, you get the point – the “flavour text” for this campaign is over the top, but I kind of like that because the product it’s hyping is so benign. They’re playing cards printed by The United States Playing Card Company and approved by “the Bicycle® pre-production team”. The illustrations and designs are super cool, and the company behind the campaign is experienced.
Check out some of the example cards below, and if you want a deck (plus some neat extras like card guards, dealer buttons or a laser-engraved box), back the campaign by Wednesday April 15th.
