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FUNDED *InDemand* Mantecore Playing Cards LIVE on IndieGoGo
« on: March 21, 2015, 04:57:18 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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Hey guys, Edo Huang and myself have designed a deck called Mantecore as a tribute to Siegfried and Roy's tiger as well as a modern alternative to the standard Bicycle deck.

This deck would feature custom backs, aces, jokers, pips as well as a younger, simplified and borderless courts.

Here are some pictures and we are looking at launching a campaign sometime in the middle of the year. We would be using Legends Playing Cards Company for fulfilment and printing.

More pictures would be revealed in the coming weeks. Follow my instagram instagram.com/siegismyname as well as instagram.com/edohuang for more updates about the deck.

Cheers,
Ben
« Last Edit: July 26, 2015, 10:10:52 PM by Siegismyname »
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2015, 06:28:29 AM »
 

HankMan

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Nice back you have there. To be born on the year of tiger I am getting some of this for sure  :D

Is it only 1 colour? or will there be white back as well?


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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2015, 06:37:53 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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It looks nice but the faces remind me too much of Magic-Con 2013's deck by the Bucks.
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2015, 12:17:06 PM »
 

Siegismyname

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Thank you for your kind words. Currently we are only planning to print only the red-orange one. But who knows ;)

It looks nice but the faces remind me too much of Magic-Con 2013's deck by the Bucks.
I actually love larger and simpler courts as I think larger courts are less bounded by the frame that they are in. And we tweaked the faces a little to make them a tad younger. I guess you are right about the courts looking like the magic-con '13 deck. Those are some of my favourite courts along side the Virts decks
« Last Edit: March 21, 2015, 12:18:42 PM by Siegismyname »
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2015, 05:19:10 PM »
 

HolyJJ

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Great stuff Ben.

I'm a fan of Edo's work. Loved the Nautical deck, and I really like the look of this one also.

Whenever the campaign launches, I'll definitely be on board. Do consider having a second deck as a stretch goal, when the time arrives. Like 52JokesAndCounting, even I think a white backed variant would be cool -- after all, white tigers are pretty awesome.
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2015, 10:15:23 PM »
 

HankMan

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Definitely  White tiger with blue eyes looks really captivating. It will be a good stretch goal as a second deck.. Mantecore is a White Tiger anyway  :D
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2015, 12:13:21 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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Definitely  White tiger with blue eyes looks really captivating. It will be a good stretch goal as a second deck.. Mantecore is a White Tiger anyway  :D

Sounds like a plan :)

Great stuff Ben.

I'm a fan of Edo's work. Loved the Nautical deck, and I really like the look of this one also.

Whenever the campaign launches, I'll definitely be on board. Do consider having a second deck as a stretch goal, when the time arrives. Like 52JokesAndCounting, even I think a white backed variant would be cool -- after all, white tigers are pretty awesome.
8) I'll definitely let you guys know when it launches
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2015, 01:56:10 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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It looks nice but the faces remind me too much of Magic-Con 2013's deck by the Bucks.
I actually love larger and simpler courts as I think larger courts are less bounded by the frame that they are in. And we tweaked the faces a little to make them a tad younger. I guess you are right about the courts looking like the magic-con '13 deck. Those are some of my favourite courts along side the Virts decks

They are great - there's lots of decks using that style.  That itself might be the problem - it's becoming too common.  Why make a deck that looks like so many other decks, especially if yours isn't the first to look that way?

It's hard to tell if the courts are more youthful-looking, considering you supplied us only one photo with a court card in it.
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2015, 10:56:56 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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It looks nice but the faces remind me too much of Magic-Con 2013's deck by the Bucks.
I actually love larger and simpler courts as I think larger courts are less bounded by the frame that they are in. And we tweaked the faces a little to make them a tad younger. I guess you are right about the courts looking like the magic-con '13 deck. Those are some of my favourite courts along side the Virts decks

They are great - there's lots of decks using that style.  That itself might be the problem - it's becoming too common.  Why make a deck that looks like so many other decks, especially if yours isn't the first to look that way?

It's hard to tell if the courts are more youthful-looking, considering you supplied us only one photo with a court card in it.
That is true. However we prefer the deck to not be so tricked out and be usuable and recognizable to laypeople. More pictures of the courts will be revealed in the coming weeks.

For now here is a picture of the ace of hearts. Enjoy ;)
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2015, 10:04:01 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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It looks nice but the faces remind me too much of Magic-Con 2013's deck by the Bucks.
I actually love larger and simpler courts as I think larger courts are less bounded by the frame that they are in. And we tweaked the faces a little to make them a tad younger. I guess you are right about the courts looking like the magic-con '13 deck. Those are some of my favourite courts along side the Virts decks

They are great - there's lots of decks using that style.  That itself might be the problem - it's becoming too common.  Why make a deck that looks like so many other decks, especially if yours isn't the first to look that way?

It's hard to tell if the courts are more youthful-looking, considering you supplied us only one photo with a court card in it.
That is true. However we prefer the deck to not be so tricked out and be usuable and recognizable to laypeople. More pictures of the courts will be revealed in the coming weeks.

For now here is a picture of the ace of hearts. Enjoy ;)

I think you've missed my point.  I'm all for a deck that has the classic look to it - especially if it's a deck I plan to use for magic.  I like presenting my audience with a deck they're either familiar with or that fits their sense of style.  Since I don't usually have advance knowledge of one's sense of style, I have to go with familiar.

That doesn't mean the deck has to be dull and boring, either.  It's an easy thing to retain the classic "International Standard" look while lending a bit of originality to it.  Not enough to appear unfamiliar to your audience, but enough to make it noteworthy.

But it does mean that if you want to make yours a bit different, find an original way to do it.  It looks a lot like D&D's deck from the court faces.

BTW: why "Mantecore?"  It's normally spelled "manticore," so I'm guessing there's a reason for the misspelling (other than "I turned off the spellchecker")...
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2015, 11:19:54 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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It looks nice but the faces remind me too much of Magic-Con 2013's deck by the Bucks.
I actually love larger and simpler courts as I think larger courts are less bounded by the frame that they are in. And we tweaked the faces a little to make them a tad younger. I guess you are right about the courts looking like the magic-con '13 deck. Those are some of my favourite courts along side the Virts decks

They are great - there's lots of decks using that style.  That itself might be the problem - it's becoming too common.  Why make a deck that looks like so many other decks, especially if yours isn't the first to look that way?

It's hard to tell if the courts are more youthful-looking, considering you supplied us only one photo with a court card in it.
That is true. However we prefer the deck to not be so tricked out and be usuable and recognizable to laypeople. More pictures of the courts will be revealed in the coming weeks.

For now here is a picture of the ace of hearts. Enjoy ;)

I think you've missed my point.  I'm all for a deck that has the classic look to it - especially if it's a deck I plan to use for magic.  I like presenting my audience with a deck they're either familiar with or that fits their sense of style.  Since I don't usually have advance knowledge of one's sense of style, I have to go with familiar.

That doesn't mean the deck has to be dull and boring, either.  It's an easy thing to retain the classic "International Standard" look while lending a bit of originality to it.  Not enough to appear unfamiliar to your audience, but enough to make it noteworthy.

But it does mean that if you want to make yours a bit different, find an original way to do it.  It looks a lot like D&D's deck from the court faces.

BTW: why "Mantecore?"  It's normally spelled "manticore," so I'm guessing there's a reason for the misspelling (other than "I turned off the spellchecker")...

I totally understand the concern about finding an original way to be different. While the first 6 versions of the smoke and mirrors deck had simpler courts, they still had that frame around the courts. The magic con 2012 however, had that larger (frameless) courts but not the simple ones. Thus we merged both of them to create what you will see in the deck. Also, our courts still contain a little detail in all of them and we made some minor tweaks to the faces. I hope this addresses that point.

Regarding the spelling "Mantecore" instead of "Manticore", the latter refers to the a creature which has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), sometimes bat-like wings, and a trumpet-like voice (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manticore). As you might have already noticed, there is nothing depicting a lion in this deck. In fact, the deck was named after the tiger that bit Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy. Although his name is commonly misspelled. We find "Mantecore" to be the accurate spelling of the tiger. Hence the name.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2015, 11:21:05 AM by Siegismyname »
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2015, 11:50:05 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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I totally understand the concern about finding an original way to be different. While the first 6 versions of the smoke and mirrors deck had simpler courts, they still had that frame around the courts. The magic con 2012 however, had that larger (frameless) courts but not the simple ones. Thus we merged both of them to create what you will see in the deck. Also, our courts still contain a little detail in all of them and we made some minor tweaks to the faces. I hope this addresses that point.

Regarding the spelling "Mantecore" instead of "Manticore", the latter refers to the a creature which has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), sometimes bat-like wings, and a trumpet-like voice (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manticore). As you might have already noticed, there is nothing depicting a lion in this deck. In fact, the deck was named after the tiger that bit Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy. Although his name is commonly misspelled. We find "Mantecore" to be the accurate spelling of the tiger. Hence the name.

First, you've essentially said, "We liked two D&D designs so much, we cribbed them and combined them."  I used to complain a lot about a lack of originality over there, but this is worse.

Second, this link might be better for explaining your choice of title.  You should be more vocal about it - you chose a name that's a misspelling of a much more popular term than the name you actually named the deck after.  More people will think it was just a misspelling when it's really some kind of tribute.
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #12 on: March 26, 2015, 09:05:07 PM »
 

Siegismyname

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I totally understand the concern about finding an original way to be different. While the first 6 versions of the smoke and mirrors deck had simpler courts, they still had that frame around the courts. The magic con 2012 however, had that larger (frameless) courts but not the simple ones. Thus we merged both of them to create what you will see in the deck. Also, our courts still contain a little detail in all of them and we made some minor tweaks to the faces. I hope this addresses that point.

Regarding the spelling "Mantecore" instead of "Manticore", the latter refers to the a creature which has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), sometimes bat-like wings, and a trumpet-like voice (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manticore). As you might have already noticed, there is nothing depicting a lion in this deck. In fact, the deck was named after the tiger that bit Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy. Although his name is commonly misspelled. We find "Mantecore" to be the accurate spelling of the tiger. Hence the name.

First, you've essentially said, "We liked two D&D designs so much, we cribbed them and combined them."  I used to complain a lot about a lack of originality over there, but this is worse.

Second, this link might be better for explaining your choice of title.  You should be more vocal about it - you chose a name that's a misspelling of a much more popular term than the name you actually named the deck after.  More people will think it was just a misspelling when it's really some kind of tribute.
To each his own. Yes. We did borrow inspirations and ideas from those decks but as you will see in the coming weeks that we are distinct in our own way.

Secondly, I did in fact mention about paying tribute in my first post. But hey Don, you were the first one to ever mention about that misspelling(other than my other friend who's into gaming). You must be an avid gamer of sorts yourself. Or maybe you read a lot.  :)
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2015, 09:47:44 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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Secondly, I did in fact mention about paying tribute in my first post. But hey Don, you were the first one to ever mention about that misspelling(other than my other friend who's into gaming). You must be an avid gamer of sorts yourself. Or maybe you read a lot.  :)

When I mentioned being more vocal about it, I was referring more to the eventual campaign to sell the deck.  Make it something that's explained a bit more in-depth and with the story of your deck instead of the brief half-sentence you posted here.

I do read a lot.  I rarely game, except on my cellphone.  Manticores in literature preceded "gaming" as it's known today by quite a few years...  :))
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2015, 12:11:30 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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Here is a picture of the updated Queen of Clubs and where we got inspiration from. Hope you guys like it
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #15 on: April 21, 2015, 02:16:33 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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Presenting to you guys Mantecore's Joker
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #16 on: May 23, 2015, 12:02:18 PM »
 

Siegismyname

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Guys we have a launch date

15 June 2015

Mark your calendars

Here are a few photos, of prototypes of Mantecore by myself and a few friends around the world.

EDIT: there will be an early bird special. I'll update the launch time soon, when I have confirmed it :)

Cheers
« Last Edit: May 24, 2015, 01:03:29 AM by Siegismyname »
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #17 on: May 26, 2015, 12:19:38 PM »
 

Siegismyname

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Since I have shared them on the other forum. It would also make sense to share them here. We would love to hear what you guys think.

Presenting to your the court cards.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2015, 12:20:40 PM by Siegismyname »
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #18 on: May 26, 2015, 05:59:22 PM »
 

Don Boyer

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We would love to hear what you guys think.

I think the logo with the M is too close in appearance to the Multimiller logo that Lance Miller uses on his decks...
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #19 on: May 27, 2015, 01:16:22 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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I just googled it as i forgot how it looks like. There are only a few ways to write the letter "M"
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #20 on: May 27, 2015, 03:05:38 AM »
 

Leif

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Maybe make the M look like it's got fangs, to tie in with the tiger theme.
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #21 on: May 28, 2015, 12:38:40 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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I just googled it as i forgot how it looks like. There are only a few ways to write the letter "M"

This is true - but when combined with a symbol or drawn as a symbol, it can become a trademark, no different that the McDonald's "golden arches."  I'd suggest checking with an IP attorney if you plan to keep that logo unaltered.  I've seen cases both on and off Kickstarter where projects got derailed (or became a LOT more expensive) because of the use of a logo too similar to another's.  Just ask the Nevada Broadcasting Company - in the 1980s, when the National Broadcasting Corporation (more commonly known now as NBC, a division of General Electric) changed their logo to a stylized "N" in blue and red, they sued NBC and settled for a large sum, having had a previous logo in the same design in brown and black that pre-existed that of the larger company.

Companies that would ordinarily not fuss over copyright issues will make a stink over trademarks - trademark protection only applies if the owner doesn't permit excess "dilution" by allowing variants to exist and propagate, even within the company itself.  It's why USPC no longer allows alterations of some of their classic art, including the Bicycle Rider Back, Joker and Ace of Spades.
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Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #22 on: May 28, 2015, 10:26:41 PM »
 

Siegismyname

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I just googled it as i forgot how it looks like. There are only a few ways to write the letter "M"

This is true - but when combined with a symbol or drawn as a symbol, it can become a trademark, no different that the McDonald's "golden arches."  I'd suggest checking with an IP attorney if you plan to keep that logo unaltered.  I've seen cases both on and off Kickstarter where projects got derailed (or became a LOT more expensive) because of the use of a logo too similar to another's.  Just ask the Nevada Broadcasting Company - in the 1980s, when the National Broadcasting Corporation (more commonly known now as NBC, a division of General Electric) changed their logo to a stylized "N" in blue and red, they sued NBC and settled for a large sum, having had a previous logo in the same design in brown and black that pre-existed that of the larger company.

Companies that would ordinarily not fuss over copyright issues will make a stink over trademarks - trademark protection only applies if the owner doesn't permit excess "dilution" by allowing variants to exist and propagate, even within the company itself.  It's why USPC no longer allows alterations of some of their classic art, including the Bicycle Rider Back, Joker and Ace of Spades.
That's a valid point. Thanks for bringing that up Don.
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #23 on: May 31, 2015, 04:06:15 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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Hey guys, I am hosting a small little contest over at my instagram @siegismyname to promote Mantecore. Its not much but your help is appreciated. :)
 

Re: Mantecore Playing Cards
« Reply #24 on: June 08, 2015, 08:56:37 AM »
 

Siegismyname

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Hey guys, we are on the last leg of preparations for Mantecore, which would launch on 15 June 15, and would need your help to spread the word. I am hosting a contest over at my Instagram page https://instagram.com/p/3qqKokOne6/ where you could win 1 of 4 decks. Thank you for taking the time to read.