Passione Playing Cards closes

[OVSUB]

Sad to see this I wasn't able to buy your decks, but enjoyed seeing your projects come to fruition. Perhaps if the world starts picking up once again we will be able to see you rise up again... perhaps but it will still be nice seeing you in the comments.

[RichK]

Another shame on losing you Riccardo is you have a fresh take on the standard courts. Will miss their possible use.

[MagikFingerz]

Another shame on losing you Riccardo is you have a fresh take on the standard courts. Will miss their possible use.

Maybe he can sell single-use licenses for the court artwork? No idea if there's a market for that.

[Conturbia]

Another shame on losing you Riccardo is you have a fresh take on the standard courts. Will miss their possible use.

Maybe he can sell single-use licenses for the court artwork? No idea if there's a market for that.

there is a market indeed for designers, this would mean disband the team, because... I'm not the artist and we collaborated with several illustrators. But I would be happy for them.

[Conturbia]

I've collaborated with many talented people, let me praise them here:
- Marco Guerrieri, author of Love is a Smoke Christmas Edition;
- Maurizio Toccafondi, the man behind 99% of my projects, he designed Teliad Alfrin almost from scratch and reinvented Love is a Smoke in the Standard Edition;
- Stefano Protino, eclectic author of Avernum, Inferno Dite and Cocito and... Pizza;
- Federico Bollo, a traditional painter and illustrator who designed Teliad Heren;
- Sofia Bolognesi, exceptionally talented illustrator who designed Vivaldi;
- Elettra Deganello, vulcanic illustrator and entrepreneur, author of Pinocchio, Florentia and now, in a solo project live on Kickstarter: Bold. I wish her the best and I love her as a daughter
- Giordano Loddo, the man who reinvented Equality, Justice and Integrity, starting from the design of John Cho, and create our standard Passione courts.

I really hope that some of them can continue in this field. Elettra is on the right track already

[Eric Lee]

Thanks for introducing so many great designers to the hobby. Hope to see others follow Elettra steps in the future.

[rousselle]

Riccardo, you are an individual of strong integrity and your Passione projects have a distinct style. I hope that, like Sunish, you will continue to participate in the hobby with the rest of us here at UC, but either way, I look forward to getting one last project from you into my collection and wish you all the best on your future endeavors. Stay awesome!

[Elettra]

Passione will always have a special place in my heart, and I'm sure I can say it on behalf of quite a lot of people. I'll miss you a lot, Riccardo.

Indeed I'll keep on sharing every single thing I do with you, in our multiple chats, as if this conversion had never occurred.

[PipChick]

Riccardo, this seriously breaks my heart... I can't overstate enough the respect and admiration I have for you and the integrity by which you've lead Passione cards.

There is and always will be the universally inescapable truth that we all must face; that everything, even the very best of things, eventually come to an end - last day of summer, final chapter of a great book, season finale of an amazing tv series.... and now, the ending of an era with Passione... it's really painful to say goodbye and let go especially when we all don't want to... being the insatiably greedy person that I am lol, I've always hated endings and can never seem to get enough but, just as leaves begin to fall and I close a book, I've learned to try to be better at appreciating all that you've given - not only to us here at UC but in the contributions to the hobby as a whole - and have most certainly left your mark with a legacy of beautiful decks and art that will not only be loved and appreciated by all of us card-nerds but also inspire the next generations of future card designers for years to come. Elettra is already carrying the torch on and, like her, a part of Passione will also always forever be with us and I take solace in knowing there's great things ahead of you too.

However, even though this may be the end for Passione, I'd like to also believe that this is far from parting ways with a really good friend. I feel honored to have shared ideas and excitment for new projects and cannot appreciate enough the time we spent at the IPCS convention geeking out over everything and nothing card-related among other card-friends and -family over wine lol - that was the best ever and I'd like to believe it won't just be the first and last time we cross paths outside of a screen lol (but just to warn ya, i'mma still def be hittin' ya up in DMs forever and always lol )

Thanks again for everything and can't wait to see what the future holds for you, my dear friend! Best of luck and stay forever awesome! <3

[Conturbia]

Passione will always have a special place in my heart, and I'm sure I can say it on behalf of quite a lot of people. I'll miss you a lot, Riccardo.

Thank you!

Indeed I'll keep on sharing every single thing I do with you, in our multiple chats, as if this conversion had never occurred.

I'm counting on that!

[Conturbia]

Riccardo, this seriously breaks my heart... I can't overstate enough the respect and admiration I have for you and the integrity by which you've lead Passione cards.

There is and always will be the universally inescapable truth that we all must face; that everything, even the very best of things, eventually come to an end - last day of summer, final chapter of a great book, season finale of an amazing tv series.... and now, the ending of an era with Passione... it's really painful to say goodbye and let go especially when we all don't want to... being the insatiably greedy person that I am lol, I've always hated endings and can never seem to get enough but, just as leaves begin to fall and I close a book, I've learned to try to be better at appreciating all that you've given - not only to us here at UC but in the contributions to the hobby as a whole - and have most certainly left your mark with a legacy of beautiful decks and art that will not only be loved and appreciated by all of us card-nerds but also inspire the next generations of future card designers for years to come. Elettra is already carrying the torch on and, like her, a part of Passione will also always forever be with us and I take solace in knowing there's great things ahead of you too.

However, even though this may be the end for Passione, I'd like to also believe that this is far from parting ways with a really good friend. I feel honored to have shared ideas and excitment for new projects and cannot appreciate enough the time we spent at the IPCS convention geeking out over everything and nothing card-related among other card-friends and -family over wine lol - that was the best ever and I'd like to believe it won't just be the first and last time we cross paths outside of a screen lol (but just to warn ya, i'mma still def be hittin' ya up in DMs forever and always lol )

Thanks again for everything and can't wait to see what the future holds for you, my dear friend! Best of luck and stay forever awesome! <3

I really appreciate your kind words, PipChick! And I know they come from your heart
I count you among my friends and I'm sure we'll meet again and chat often!

[Conturbia]

Hi friends, I would like to the same pre-sales deal I give to the members of my mailing list to you as well: this link is to pre-order Inferno Acheronte 2020, a remastered edition of Acheronte (out of stock). It will have the same cards, but in a luxurious double-box that benefits from all of our design iterations.

Photos of the cards and rendering of the box at the link
(the paper is the same of the Integrity Limited Edition)

[portcullis]

I'm in for the double deck.

Reading the email I kinda hoped the "finishing deck" was Pinocchio double in green. But I'l be glad for one last shot at anything.

[Conturbia]

I'm in for the double deck.

Reading the email I kinda hoped the "finishing deck" was Pinocchio double in green. But I'l be glad for one last shot at anything.

That's not impossible, Elettra could develope that path herself, since after the closure the Pinocchio brand will be her intellectual property.

The last Passione deck will be a new Love is a Smoke

[VXD]

Any business or project closing is sad....when I see a niche / unique small store closing, it makes me think about the way the world is going. Amazon and the like taking over our entire planet. It's all a bit sick really! It has of course been accelerated by this whole covid thing and small businesses all over the world are on their knees.

In the last 3 years since we started, I have once or twice considered the possibility that we wouldn't make it either. So I can feel your anguish. I hope whatever you move onto from here is a success and makes you happy, Ricciardo.

All the best from us at VXD.

P.S - I have just read a little more of the thread and see that Sunish is also packing up (after getting the remaining decks out). Well, this just emphasises the point I made above. Things are tough out there currently. I do not believe Ricciardo and Sunish will be the last to throw the towel in, but I do hope I'm wrong. Guru - all the best to you as well and congrats on having a daughter. A blessing, as you say! Take care.

[Harvonsgard]

Pre-ordered. That new Ancherote box looks amazing.

[james001a]

Pre-Ordered. These look lovely.

[brownsl]

I think these look nice, I have also pre-ordered.

[Conturbia]

Thank you guys! And yes, the new Acheronte will look awesome, we gained so much experience on this special double box

[Harvonsgard]

Æterna from your last campaign already hit it out the ball park. This one will be more than a worthy succesor. I'm very pleased that you decided to go that route.

[james001a]

What a classy way to go out on what looks like a high note. Its so nice to see someone with such a strong sense of ethics. No matter what you choose to do that approach will take you far. This is just a speedbump. Obviously if you made the decision to close, you have thought out all the alternatives. Sometimes you have to kill a business before it kills you. And that will make you stronger for going through the process. I've been there brother. Much respect to you and your decision. Everything in life can be a learning experience. And that's not a bad thing in the grand scheme of things.

[GandalfTheWhite]

@Conturbia - Guess I'm too late to pre-order? The link states pre-orders are over? Any chance there will be another link to pre-order? Thanks!

[portcullis]

Well that was a pleasant surprise!! Living in a far-flung corner of this blue marble, I expected a hefty shipping bill, but US$10 is very, very manageable.

[intlgrrl]

I and Riccardo shared a lot since we "virtually met" in 2014.
Strategies, ideas, new projects, printing techniques, suppliers, frustrations, delays, shipping issues, creative swears and a lot of jokes.
We also met in person sometimes and we ate pasta (Molto Italiani)

Probably it would have not been the same without him, so this is a very sad news for me.

I still hope (and actually I think, knowing you ) that someday you'll restart doing crazy stuff.

Ad maiora!

After all that and no deck collaboration!!

[intlgrrl]

I'm sorry this is happening, I was hoping for more decks inspired by other classical musicians and such... Glad you're ending on a high note

[Merlebird]

A real shame for all of us who loved your work, but no shame at all in the oeuvre(? catalog? portfolio? brick house??) you're leaving behind. To have helped produce Elettra Deganello's charming Pinocchio, Sofia Bolognesi's painterly Vivaldi, or Stefano Protino's evocative Inferno... if these are the fruits of an "unsuccessful" venture, then who needs success? Ten, twenty, fifty years from now, somebody will pick up one of Passione's decks on eBay, or at a flea market, or from amidst the charred wreckage of this thrice-damned, ill-starred death march of a year, and decide playing cards are worth collecting. So that's, you know. Pretty cool, I guess.

I'm already hoping for a comeback special

+1

may I copy-paste and use your text next time when I decide to say goodbye?

Only if you sign it "Bocopo."

[acetofive]

Oh no! That's a shame. I love my Passione cards. I was late to the campaign but you made sure I was included. Best of luck to you and your team.

[portcullis]

Is there any news from Riccardo?

[Harvonsgard]

No update since October.

[brownsl]

He did make an update on the KS Florentia campaign on Jan 10. Also, I sent him an email in early December asking about the status of the Inferno Acheronte 2020 edition. He replied that GW is late. Nothing about those decks since then. Hopefully, we will be getting them soon.