You are Here:
Review: Glider Back Playing Cards

Author (Read 1110 times)

Review: Glider Back Playing Cards
« on: April 05, 2021, 11:27:22 AM »
 

EndersGame

  • Frequent Flyer
  • *
  • 843
    Posts
  • Reputation: 43
  • BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGame
Glider Back deck

Ever since my childhood I've loved making and flying paper planes, so I didn't need much convincing to check out the Glider Back Playing Cards.  This deck only just hit the market from Penguin Magic at the start of April 2021, so it's a fresh new release.



This custom deck is being advertised as featuring origami-inspired artwork.  To be honest, despite all those paper planes I've made over the years, I've never thought of them as origami, but since origami is the art of paper folding, I suppose that's what they're about.    The front of the tuck box introduces us to our familiar looking paper glider, which may bring back memories of school for many of us.

But the real point of interest is the card back design, which is also found on the back of the tuck box.  The triangles that make up our paper plane are present in a spiral pattern in the center of the cards.  The bold blue circle in the middle is the main point of interest and grabs the eye, but upon closer examination you'll see that this is set on a backdrop that consists of tiled paper planes.  Using a simple blue and white colour scheme helps emphasize the geometric patterns and the shapes.



The custom artwork on the faces of the cards continues the paper plane theme.  The court cards are decked in plain red or black, depending on the suit, and are heavily stylized with line drawings, with the triangular folding pattern from our gliders being in evidence everywhere.  The characters used for the Jokers have a similar design style.  The origami feel is also evident on the number cards, with all the pips featuring a split design, and divided into triangular shapes, which gives the impression that they've been folded out of paper.  All four Aces are over-sized and feature giant pips with lines that also suggest folding into quarters.

But perhaps the best secret is discovered when you take a closer look at the card backs: they're marked.  Actually, it's hard to discover this secret, even if you know that you have to look for it.  It's a coded system that the usual riffle test won't uncover.  With the deck you get access to a video that explains the marking system, which is a coded system that is surprisingly easy to learn.  You'll need a sharp eye, but once you know what to look for, you'll quickly be taking to the skies of magic along with your glider backs.



This deck is available from Penguin Magic.
BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGame =>  Playing Card Reviews <=>  Magic Reviews <=> Board Game Reviews <=