Occults decks. A hidden story behind each card

 

Gambler’s Warehouse is an experienced company in the playing cards industry. Nevertheless, they are quite new on crowdfunding, although they couldn’t have a better premiere. Their very first project, Double Black, was a true success.

Answering to the high demand of a colored version of the Double Back deck, GW brings us a colorful and detailed and nice set of cards: Occults.

 

 

Designed by John Powell, this deck and its creator have an interesting story behind it I’d like to share with you. This is what John told to me:

“I originally built the deck for Circle City Cards who contacted me thinking I could produce a deck for them after seeing some previous work I had done. I was (and am) really excited about the project as I thought it was an awesome opportunity to get to do a custom set of courts.

I grew up in a super strict mormon house and we weren’t even allowed to have face cards in the house. I’m a pretty devout atheist now but I’ve always been particularly fascinated by each of the courts thinking each one had such and peculiar little story to tell. Doing a little more research I learned that the playing cards and tarot cards had evolved roughly at the same time and much of the symbolism of the courts is carried over from them and vice versa. I a huge fan of geometric symbolism and hidden stories told by a single mark or device. I’m really fascinated with secret societies (especially having grown up mormon which is filled with them) that have marks, symbols or logos that carry a huge story along side them and that was my main inspiration for the Occults deck for me. Each of the courts have a secret or two hidden away inside their robes. Some of the secrets intertwine with other courts and carry over. Some are really obvious and just nods to genre’s or works I’m really inspired by others are a little bit more hidden and have a little more history to them.

I just wanted each of them to have a little story behind them that everyone could imagine hopefully as vividly as I did when I was kid and wasn’t allowed to see or handle them it was like such a forbidden treasure I just remember being enraptured.

After finishing the deck I never heard from CCC for over a year I even tried to contact them to see if I could buy the deck back and produce it myself. I was still so in love with what I’d built I wanted them to be seen. I still never heard a word until Eddie from Gambler’s Warehouse contacted me telling me they had bought the rights and wanted to involve me in it and help polish up some unfinished bits they had with the Double Black Deck that just got fulfilled on Kickstarter. I think its because of the community that he found me as I don’t think CCC communicated who I was or what my involvement with the deck had been so far. So I’m really immensely grateful to all the fans who kind of kept it alive and pushing for the full colored deck to get produced so if it weren’t for them this wouldn’t be getting made in the original way I intended it to.

Eddie and Alysha at Gambler’s Warehouse have been incredibly helpful and wonderful to work with and I’m thrilled to be working with them and feel like they are really pushing to make the finest quality product and trying their hardest to listen to what everyone has to say about the deck. If it was just me I’d do it my way to hell with the consequences but ultimately I think they’ve produced a much better deck than if I were to have just do it on my own. They have a lot of really awesome stretch goals in mind as well as some really beautiful additions to the deck that I think everyone will be able to appreciate.

Thanks for the opportunity to talk about the deck Max! Much appreciated.”

 

 

It has been a pleasure to hear this story from the own John. I hope you like the deck as much as I do.

You can also view a time lapse video of the King of Hearts being built.

 

[youtube fdULWCzCeA]

 

There will be two editions available, one Bicycle branded and another limited unbranded, both printed by the USPCC on Bicycle stock and air cushion finish.

If you like the deck, visit the project website and raise your pledge.

Good luck!