DICECARDS - Hoping for feedback / reality

[sago]

[First post, please let me know if I've committed a faux pas somehow...]

Four years ago I wrote some software to create a set of unique card designs featuring a range of random generators, rendered with some neat raytracing software I'd worked on.

I was aiming to make the geekyest dice bag on a deck of cards.

It took software because the probability distributions of everything on the cards is identical to the real things (e.g. proper /36 distribution of the craps dice), and so everything had to be both random, but also arranged so that no information was obscured and everything fit.

I messed about with it, got a couple of decks made up via digital print, I've had a dozen or so extra decks printed for friends who've raved about the cards when I've produced them at game events. But life caught up and they've sat on my hard drive for three years without me thinking much about them.

So I got pointed to you guys, who together know about as much as there is to know about cards.

They're obviously novelties, they are effectively marked from the side because of having no border (I could trivially shrink everything down and add a border if that is a deal-breaker normally - I didn't because the print accuracy of digital is around 1mm, so borders always look slightly off). It is a 54 card poker-size deck with 2 jokers.

Is this the kind of thing that is worth having a thousand decks made up? Would you buy a deck, just for being so unique? Is it something collectors might collect, or is it only worth a moment's smile and then move on? Should I just be glad I amused myself for a couple of weeks



Incidentally, the image here, and the website at http://dicecards.com, is not final artwork. The final artwork has a different pattern of what numbers are on what cards. Every time I run the software it builds a slightly different combination.

Incidentally the 'series one' thing was just an amusement: I have a set of 3D models to do a casino themed 3D deck with the results of roulette, paigow, slots, and so on instead of the dice: but I didn't get round to actually making 'series two'...

[Don Boyer]

First, welcome to the Discourse.  And no, you committed no faux pas.


It's actually a cool concept.  At one time in my life, it might have been my cup of tea.  Gamers might go for it.


Design-wise - first, this needs a border.  If you're using the deck to draw random dice throws and such, the cards need to look identical from the edge.  And what's the back going to look like?  With this deck, I suggest simple and fully symmetrical.


Second, shop around for printers.  Get various quotes for different quantities.  In some cases, you'll find printing 5,000 is cheaper than printing 1,000.  I recommend Brahma Playing Cards at brahmaplayingcards.com.  You can print with US Playing Cards, but you'd be looking at a bill in the low five figures and a higher price for the decks.


Third, consider a Kickstarter project.  If you can make the deck inexpensively enough, you might generate enough interest in it to get it funded there.  Talk to companies like Paizo, see if they'd be interested in carrying some.  Go to kickstarter.com to see what it's all about, if you haven't already.


Good luck to you.

[MSimonart]

As the deck looks now, I don't really like it. But the concept is good. Like Don said, add borders and show us some backdesign if you already have one. Be sure your project is almost finished before considering putting it on kickstarter. Honestly, I think the concecpt like I said is good, but I'm not really a fan of those real looking images. It certainly isn't maint to be the best looking deck, it's meant to be usual. So knowing there are lot's of deck collectors here, know that you may have some negative feedback like mine. But like Don always says, we represent only a very small part of the market. Your deck could be a very usefull deck for multiple games. Knowing that people who print at uspcc want to print there because it has higher quality and thusfore is better for the magic and collecting world, know that's it's much more expensive and that printing at Brahma for example would be much less. I think you don't really need an outstanding quality, cause I think this deck is more aiming to 'normal' people, playing some games, who don't really care about quality of the cards. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[sago]

Dom - thanks for the feedback. I was asking with half a mind to Kickstarter, or similar (since I'm not in the US, I can't do KS). I'll add the border. The back was geometric and symmetric, yes, but I'll work it a bit with a border to match the front.

Simon - thanks too. No worries that its not your cup of tea! It is aimed at 'normal' people yes, and seems to go down with gamers well. I was thinking it didn't need to be a USPCC top quality finish too.

Thanks for the feedback. Anyone else stumbling on this, feel free to add your 2c!