Forbidden Forest Playing Cards by Humble Raja

[MagikFingerz]

Listed in Graphic Design rather than Playing Cards.

[GandalfTheWhite]

Thanks for posting this!! I loved their Kings of India playing cards. I really like these as well.

[shermjack]

I also loved the Kings of India Playing Cards and am definitely interested in these, but the price is a little off-putting...can't say that I am surprised at the price as AoP and the Buck twins are involved

[Eric Lee]

I also loved the Kings of India Playing Cards and am definitely interested in these, but the price is a little off-putting...can't say that I am surprised at the price as AoP and the Buck twins are involved

Yeah, but don't forget that they went straight for Metaluxe as well. It's a very nice deck that hits all the right points for me. I think they would have easily met the goal if they had put Metaluxe as a stretch goal or went with another fulfillment like PCD if they didn't want GW.

But AoP definitely has the instant cache compared to the others, IMHO. 55% there already.

[rorschach]

Also a bit ironic that they are based up in Canada, but shipping is cheaper to the US. It might be a bit presumptuous, but you'd think shipping would be a bit cheaper - like most Kickstarter decks based in the US are for US customers - so it leaves me a bit sore.

Anyway, having said that - if this project funds it will most likely be cheaper to pick it up secondhand/thirdhand for anyone outside the US. AoP is awesome, but for the love of god don't involve them in fulfilment.

[e10li]

I also loved the Kings of India Playing Cards and am definitely interested in these, but the price is a little off-putting...can't say that I am surprised at the price as AoP and the Buck twins are involved

I agree that the price point is a bit high for my taste (still probably getting a deck or two though), especially the shipping costs to Canada considering it is a Canada based project. Out of curiosity, what is it about AoP and/or the Buck Twins that causes the price increase? I've noticed in the past that some decks released by AoP were a little bit pricier than I expected (Lepidopterist, Tempo, etc). Does AoP just charge higher fees for fulfilment? I'm relatively new to the hobby so I'm not sure if there's some historical context I'm missing here. Additionally, I'm not sure if I missed something or not, but I don't see what the Buck twins are contributing to the project other than the few clips in the project trailer; kind of weird how its presented like a collaboration.

[Eric Lee]

I agree that the price point is a bit high for my taste (still probably getting a deck or two though), especially the shipping costs to Canada considering it is a Canada based project. Out of curiosity, what is it about AoP and/or the Buck Twins that causes the price increase? I've noticed in the past that some decks released by AoP were a little bit pricier than I expected (Lepidopterist, Tempo, etc). Does AoP just charge higher fees for fulfilment? I'm relatively new to the hobby so I'm not sure if there's some historical context I'm missing here. Additionally, I'm not sure if I missed something or not, but I don't see what the Buck twins are contributing to the project other than the few clips in the project trailer; kind of weird how its presented like a collaboration.

Here's my take on this. Others please do correct my errors.

The Buck twins are legends in the cardistry community. Generally seen as one of the pioneers and giants as they are also the organizers of Cardistry Con.

They also entered into the magic field until they sold of their Art of Magic brand a few years back. Their recent Summer mystery decks sold out in less than 30 minutes. So that shows just how big they are in the collectors field as well.

So you can say AoP and Buck twins names have cross-over appeal to the 3 main areas of the playing card hobby: collectors, magicians, cardists.

Having AoP as your fulfillment partner, means that your extra decks will be stored by AoP and sold via their website where all 3 fields will visit regularly. So no worries on logistics of having your own store as well.

Here's a couple of links that can help you get up to speed on them.

https://cardistry.video/talking-cardist ... dave-buck/
https://dananddave.com/blogs/news/what-is-cardistry

[STLBluesNut]

the history is that AoP over price all of their decks so it is no surprise here. i really like the court art but the backs and the price are a turn off. likely will not pull the trigger on these.

[rorschach]

Similarly, J&T have used AoP for the last few Kickstarters, and i've managed to pick up the decks for about 10USD cheaper second/thirdhand vs the initial campaign. I'm not a huge fan of doing this, but you can save quite a bit.

Update: Apparently shipping to Canada it $2CAD more than anywhere else in the world, despite being a Canadian creator? That really rubs me the wrong way.

[shermjack]

Update: Apparently shipping to Canada it $2CAD more than anywhere else in the world, despite being a Canadian creator? That really rubs me the wrong way.

If you live in Toronto, you can use the local pick-up add-on and then it is free shipping, but if you don't, then you are out of luck.

[rorschach]

Honest question: I'm assuming the bulk of collectors are US based - so is it out of the question for me to somewhat expect creators to ship their kickstarter decks locally if not stateside? Being international, that's what i'd do as it's a nice perk of being local with your customers. After all, if you are doing a kickstarter you know you'll be putting in alot of work - and it's exactly what Graham did with his Newfoundland Deck - I paid less than half for shipping than what Humble Raja wants as he shipped (at least) all the Canadian decks himself.

Reading through the campaign, is seems like outside of the card design they have handed off everything else to AoP which would explain the shipping. Am I out of line here? I might just be sore from all the years of Kickstarter campaigns offering free US shipping while international customers pay crazy fees, only to suffer almost the same fate locally.

Update: Apparently shipping to Canada it $2CAD more than anywhere else in the world, despite being a Canadian creator? That really rubs me the wrong way.

If you live in Toronto, you can use the local pick-up add-on and then it is free shipping, but if you don't, then you are out of luck.

[shermjack]

@rorschach I definitely don't think you are out of line and I would also find it annoying and offensive that fulfillment to Canada by a Canadian creator not only costs more than US shipping, but costs more than anywhere else in the world. WTF! Seriously, how hard can it be to ship the Canadian orders from Toronto? Like you said, the majority of backers will be from the US, so I don't see the Canadian orders being that overwhelming.

You are also Graham did it right and that is why I backed his project while I am still on the fence about this one...

[Harvonsgard]

Playful but the tuckbox leaves me wanting.

[Eric Lee]

Update: Apparently shipping to Canada it $2CAD more than anywhere else in the world, despite being a Canadian creator? That really rubs me the wrong way.

If you live in Toronto, you can use the local pick-up add-on and then it is free shipping, but if you don't, then you are out of luck.
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Have you tried DM the creators themselves to see if they are able to sort out the Canadian shipping issue? This isn't their 1st time doing this so hopefully they've learnt something about shipping.

[rorschach]

Have you tried DM the creators themselves to see if they are able to sort out the Canadian shipping issue? This isn't their 1st time doing this so hopefully they've learnt something about shipping.

I haven't, but it might be worth a go? Although, since AoP is involved i'm guessing that outside of the design they aren't really doing anything in regards to shipping/fulfilment. I'll give it a try, but more than likely i'll just pick it up for cheaper secondhand.

Update: Have given it a go.

[Fud]

I'm surprised there is such pushback about different CA shipping rates to the US. The decks are warehoused in the US, shipping will occur from the US, and Canada is international. Pretty simple.

Not many people want to go through the headache of personally fulfilling their local orders when they could have a warehouse do it for them. CA would account for a fraction of overall orders so it's practical and time saving for the creators.

But I suppose in every campaign I've run there is always a few people who say "I just can't understand why you don't want to do all this extra work so I can save a few dollars!" Though if you think about it, the cost of my non-bulk shipping rates plus my materials plus my time to pick, pack and ship will be a lot more than the warehouse price increase.

[STLBluesNut]

I'm surprised there is such pushback about different CA shipping rates to the US. The decks are warehoused in the US, shipping will occur from the US, and Canada is international. Pretty simple.

Not many people want to go through the headache of personally fulfilling their local orders when they could have a warehouse do it for them. CA would account for a fraction of overall orders so it's practical and time saving for the creators.

But I suppose in every campaign I've run there is always a few people who say "I just can't understand why you don't want to do all this extra work so I can save a few dollars!" Though if you think about it, the cost of my non-bulk shipping rates plus my materials plus my time to pick, pack and ship will be a lot more than the warehouse price increase.

i understand what you are saying here. to me it is silly to crab over a couple dollars. the decks are shipping from the US whether the creator is in canada or zimbabwe.

however, for some, it isnt the money it is the principle of the matter. i am sure we all have something that we feel strongly about. i know i have plenty of things like that. there are some decks/creator/companies that i would not even take a free deck from. not if i had to walk 5 ft to get it or someone were actually handing it to me and i had to do absolutely nothing.

this seemed to be one of those principle things to me more than the couple bucks shipping.

[rorschach]

I'm surprised there is such pushback about different CA shipping rates to the US. The decks are warehoused in the US, shipping will occur from the US, and Canada is international. Pretty simple.

Not many people want to go through the headache of personally fulfilling their local orders when they could have a warehouse do it for them. CA would account for a fraction of overall orders so it's practical and time saving for the creators.

But I suppose in every campaign I've run there is always a few people who say "I just can't understand why you don't want to do all this extra work so I can save a few dollars!" Though if you think about it, the cost of my non-bulk shipping rates plus my materials plus my time to pick, pack and ship will be a lot more than the warehouse price increase.

i understand what you are saying here. to me it is silly to crab over a couple dollars. the decks are shipping from the US whether the creator is in canada or zimbabwe.

however, for some, it isnt the money it is the principle of the matter. i am sure we all have something that we feel strongly about. i know i have plenty of things like that. there are some decks/creator/companies that i would not even take a free deck from. not if i had to walk 5 ft to get it or someone were actually handing it to me and i had to do absolutely nothing.

this seemed to be one of those principle things to me more than the couple bucks shipping.

It's somewhat about both - but yes, mostly principle. Higher shipping rates are something everyone who is outside the US are used to. But what alot of folks in the US do not see are how much duties/taxes are - and it's not just a couple of bucks. But as a collector i've always taken this into account. The fact that the creator is local and i'll still be burdened with these costs just leaves a sour taste in my mouth, even if the reasoning is totally logical.

[STLBluesNut]

It's somewhat about both - but yes, mostly principle. Higher shipping rates are something everyone who is outside the US are used to. But what alot of folks in the US do not see are how much duties/taxes are - and it's not just a couple of bucks. But as a collector i've always taken this into account. The fact that the creator is local and i'll still be burdened with these costs just leaves a sour taste in my mouth, even if the reasoning is totally logical.

i get it. i just got the $2 difference from an earlier post.

[hsbc]

This past Friday, the USPCC finished printing the decks.

The first batch of decks has been shipped to Art of Play's kitting facility (where the decks will be assembled in the letterpress tucks and sealed), the limited edition batch is currently in transit to the gilder, and the remaining decks are making their way through the final quality check.

[hsbc]

[Harvonsgard]

Still not a fan of the tuck box and the card back, while okay-to-nice with the foil, isn't a selling arguement either but the courts are still super fun and I oddly like the seal for the same reason, ahah.

Those pictures again super nice.

[hsbc]

Credit to Zlexander on the /r/playingcards Discord for help with this, any clarification would be great

On the seal

गुड लक, Hindi for "good luck" -- I'm not sure the loanword status here, but phonetically it's just... gud lak

On the ad card

प्रस्तावना (prastaavana), Hindi for "preface" or "foreword"

On the tuck front

दान्द्रः सुपर्ण व्यदेशद्ददायुधः
करालजिह्वोच्छसितायलोचनः

This one is Sanskrit, means something like "Dandra gave Garuda a weapon with a terrible tongue and dark eyes" or "the teeth of Garuda, the weapons of the teeth, the terrible tongue and the eyes of the sword"

On the tuck back

फर्स्ट क्लास, meaning (and phonetically spelling) "first class" in Hindi

[hsbc]

The tuck itself was inspired by old book covers, some of which had a quote written on the back alongside a gold-pressed illustration.

The quote is written in Sanskrit, an ancient language that predates Hindi. It's from an old text that retells the story of the multi-headed snake Kaliya (the Queen of Clubs card). It sort of abbreviates to:

"As he raised his numerous heads, showing his ferocious tongues and his horrible eyes, Kāliya then bit Garuḍa (our Jack of Hearts) with his weapon-like fangs."