3 New D&D Releases

[moonexe]

I ordered four of the red one, don't care much for the blue and will only get some if they stay in stock long enough.
So what are the other releases?

[Angel_magic]

I doubt the twins are in any financial position to print an unlimited run (AKA they do multiple runs of at least 10k decks). I'm sure this one is just as limited as the Fantastique and Fulton's but I think they know better than to market something as "super rare" now. It's a death sentence if you claim something is very limited, and it stays in stock for weeks/months.

Kudos to them for not milking their customers in shady ways this time around.

 
Well, theory 11 markets every one of their decks as "limited" so D&D should at least put that on there if it's not an unlimited run. Even with that said, however, I doubt that this is an unlimited run as well. I don't think it's because of their financial instability, but rather the fact that unlimited runs just don't seem to be their style

[Angel_magic]

Well i got my answer:
They are limited, similar to any of the other D&D decks and our intention is to not reprint these. That is all that I can say.

Thank you,
Syd

[Evan]

The Vintage Plaid decks also have a custom brick box! It looks awesome and really makes me want to buy a brick

[nimblewitted]

So... I'm guessing that the two different plaid decks count as 2 of the 3 releases, what's the third? The book (Reflections)? I don't see that anywhere on their site.

[VortexHead]

So... I'm guessing that the two different plaid decks count as 2 of the 3 releases, what's the third? The book (Reflections)? I don't see that anywhere on their site.

Here's a link to it but it states it's coming soon but you can add it to the cart.

http://shop.dananddave.com/reflections.html

[Deboziology]

I love the deck box and the back design and the brick box! But sadly it's a borderless back which I have no use for  Anyone thinks it will look better with a border?  :-X

[Atheosile]

I love the deck box and the back design and the brick box! But sadly it's a borderless back which I have no use for  Anyone thinks it will look better with a border?  :-X

I think they would look better with a boarder IMO

[Deboziology]

I love the deck box and the back design and the brick box! But sadly it's a borderless back which I have no use for  Anyone thinks it will look better with a border?  :-X

I think they would look better with a boarder IMO

I would totally get a brick if they came with a border!

[Don Boyer]

This is D&D's first attempt at a borderless card, right?  Sure, I love everything with a border, but there are times when a borderless is right for the design - this is one of them.  They were looking for a vintage style, and these types of card backs are indeed vintage.  I personally think they're pretty cool.  Bicycle released similar patterns over the years - just not recently.  (In fact, I don't think even in my lifetime!)  Fans done with a borderless design have a quality like an optical illusion, and these decks appear to not be exceptions.

[moonexe]

Something just hit me: You guys complain about borderless designs because they restrict your magic arsenal. But when it comes to choosing a deck for a performance, what do you pick? Standard bikes. If you're not gonna use your custom decks for magic, then why does it even matter that they have no border?

And I agree with Sabacc here, the theme of the deck goes best with a borderless design, and that's the reason for it. It's a vintage design, inspired by vintage decks that did NOT have borders. Why should this one have one?

[Don Boyer]

It's kind of a moot point, now - they're already made.  Nobody had to ask our permission to make them!

D&D are cardists more than magicians, and this is a cardist's deck.  In fans, it's just eye-catching.  I'm sure it's just as eye-catching during other cardistry moves.

I use custom decks all the time for performing.  In fact, sad as it sounds, most of the time, I only incorporate a pack of Bikes in my act when it's a gaffed deck!  The one deck that people are supposed to trust, and it's the one they really should look out for!

[dee1orean]

I've decided to pass on these as they do nothing for me...
I like borderless designs, I just find the backs of these really ugly.

[Lushbob]

Wow, I haven't been on for about a day and I missed all of this! 
In my opinion, these look like really nice decks. Looks like we were spot on with our guessing, and with the previous thread about the US Regulation Playing Cards. I agree with what many have said before me; this design wouldn't suit a border, so I'm glad that they're borderless. I like the tuck box, and the way it looks like it has a leather texture to it (I'm guessing that it's not actually leather, and just printed to look like leather, but I can't see perfectly from the pictures. I highly doubt they'd have a leather tuckbox anyway).
If I had the money, I'd probably buy a brick of each. Or possibly a mixed brick, with 6 of each. I prefer the 'Arizona Red' deck over the 'California Blue' deck, but I quite like both of them. And the custom brick box is something I'd definitely like to get.

[Paul Carpenter]

Boy, I'm of two minds about these. On the one hand, they hit their design brief well, they look nicely vintage and give off the right vibes. They are classy and nice looking, for sure.

On the other hand, it is disheartening to me that D&D will easily sell thousands and thousands of these decks, as uninspired as they are. I'm pretty sure I have that plaid pattern in photoshop, and with standard faces and indexes there is really not a single thing new or interesting here. It's tough when people like Alex, or myself, put in months and months of work, trying new ideas and things people have never seen before and will struggle mightily to even get the chance to make our projects real, when the big names can do basically anything at all and sell out every time.

I'm probably just jealous, but if they tried at least one new idea, or did something slightly more than ordinary I wouldn't be so down on them.

[Don Boyer]

Boy, I'm of two minds about these. On the one hand, they hit their design brief well, they look nicely vintage and give off the right vibes. They are classy and nice looking, for sure.

On the other hand, it is disheartening to me that D&D will easily sell thousands and thousands of these decks, as uninspired as they are. I'm pretty sure I have that plaid pattern in photoshop, and with standard faces and indexes there is really not a single thing new or interesting here. It's tough when people like Alex, or myself, put in months and months of work, trying new ideas and things people have never seen before and will struggle mightily to even get the chance to make our projects real, when the big names can do basically anything at all and sell out every time.

I'm probably just jealous, but if they tried at least one new idea, or did something slightly more than ordinary I wouldn't be so down on them.

Well, I don't think the pattern is from Photoshop - I've seen the Arizona plaid on the back of a vintage deck of Bikes.  If it's not identical, it's damn close.  I'd wager the same may be true of the California blue color.  The decks were well thought out - they're imagining the kind of deck you'd find in Dad's (or Granddad's) cabin in the woods by the lake, the one he pulls out after a long day of fishing and the evening meal for card games and a little bourbon with his buddies.  To me, this really does invoke that feel.

I think the issue is that you're working on idea that are out of the box, different, very unique.  Vintage, however, is based on the old, on what previously exists or existed.  While it does take some careful thought to make a good vintage deck while still giving it unique characteristics, I'm thinking your project is more ambitious and difficult, since you're more about reinventing deck design and they're closer to imitating deck design.

[moonexe]

I like the tuck box, and the way it looks like it has a leather texture to it (I'm guessing that it's not actually leather, and just printed to look like leather, but I can't see perfectly from the pictures. I highly doubt they'd have a leather tuckbox anyway).

The description clearly says "leatherette", which is imitation leather, but on the pictures it just seems like texture cardboard to me. Oh well, I'll see when I get them.

[Don Boyer]

I like the tuck box, and the way it looks like it has a leather texture to it (I'm guessing that it's not actually leather, and just printed to look like leather, but I can't see perfectly from the pictures. I highly doubt they'd have a leather tuckbox anyway).

The description clearly says "leatherette", which is imitation leather, but on the pictures it just seems like texture cardboard to me. Oh well, I'll see when I get them.

Leatherette is a vague description.  It can look like a leather jacket, same texture, same softness, same drape (or only some of the listed attributes), but paperboard textured to look and feel like leather could also be called leatherette.

[Lushbob]

Leatherette is a vague description.  It can look like a leather jacket, same texture, same softness, same drape (or only some of the listed attributes), but paperboard textured to look and feel like leather could also be called leatherette.

Yeah, that's what I thought; it could be a number of different things. But when you look at the back of the box, it looks like smooth cardboard, like any regular set of Bikes. I thought it's unlikely that they would make the tuckbox front a different texture to the back of it. But who knows? I guess we'll find out when someone here gets their decks.

[Paul Carpenter]

Well, I don't think the pattern is from Photoshop - I've seen the Arizona plaid on the back of a vintage deck of Bikes.  If it's not identical, it's damn close.  I'd wager the same may be true of the California blue color.  The decks were well thought out - they're imagining the kind of deck you'd find in Dad's (or Granddad's) cabin in the woods by the lake, the one he pulls out after a long day of fishing and the evening meal for card games and a little bourbon with his buddies.  To me, this really does invoke that feel.

I think the issue is that you're working on idea that are out of the box, different, very unique.  Vintage, however, is based on the old, on what previously exists or existed.  While it does take some careful thought to make a good vintage deck while still giving it unique characteristics, I'm thinking your project is more ambitious and difficult, since you're more about reinventing deck design and they're closer to imitating deck design.

Yeah, I know they were going for that look, and they did do it well. It takes some thought to initially concept something well, but I guess I'm bummed that beyond concept, it takes them so little effort to construct, compared to something with some special features. Yes, in this case they are evoking the past so they lock themselves into the "standard" but I personally still find it lazy.


As an example, this sample was literally about 35 seconds. 10 or which was googling for "plaid photoshop pattern." Maybe if I spent an hour I could go through about 800 patterns and find the one that "spoke to me" as properly vintage.


The big card makers these days are just putting out SO many decks. They know people will buy them up regardless, so they just aren't trying to hard. I think that Ellusionist is by far the one trying new things, but D&D and Theory11 are just cruising and flooding the market with got-to-have normalcy, making it tougher for folks that want to try new things.


All that said, that collector-y part of my mind still wants the damn things...

[Evan]

I totally agree with you xmetal. D&D have had sooo many deck releases in such a short period of time. And some of them are nicely designed... but some of them are lazy. T11 has been lazy too with having standard faces on their decks which gets annoying. And Ellusionist is still making awesome fully custom, innovative decks.

[moonexe]

Xmetal, I don't think it's necessarily a "lazy" thing. Sure, if you or me designed the same deck, people would likely overlook it, but it doesn't mean a simple design doesn't have a place in the market. It's not just a lazy design, it's a design that because of its simple nature needs a big company behind it to be successful. They are, in a way, the only ones who can make such a design possible, as you and I couldn't print it even if we really wanted to.
(I'm not saying they're not doing it for money. But the deck is still a very nice one that is, in my opinion, worth printing regardless.)

Now, nobody ever says anything about official USPCC decks, yet in terms of originality they could be considered worse than even Merz decks... How many decks have they released that were PURELY recolorations in every single aspect?

[dmbaggs]

Yeah I don't see it as lazy because I see it as a deck designed more for cardists instead of magicians. These cards would look awesome for card manipulation which the Buck Twins specialize in.


I can see how it can be annoying when putting in so much time and they can put this out and "BAM!" they sell them all.

[Evan]

I really hope they sell uncut sheets of this deck because the fronts of the cards are awesome and would look really nice if they were framed!

[moonexe]

Um, every single face is standard except for the jokers and two extra cards...

EDIT: Nevermind, the court cards are slightly recolored. But that's pretty damn close to standard.