The Illusionist & After Sound Playing Cards by ARK

[Adamthinks]

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/el ... n=f20effe5]

Preview page just went up.

I know the ARK stuff doesn't get a lot of love here, but I quite like these.

[Harvonsgard]

At least they have women on the courts oppossed to other magic themed decks. At first glance looks cool indeed and even if fancy packaging isn't why I collect cards, it sure is something worth offering to the card community.

[krystalie]

Decks are really nice, but I really wish they wouldn't jus throw in the boxes to jack the prices up. M bout to tap out next month's budget before the month even starts

[Eric Lee]

I know the ARK stuff doesn't get a lot of love here, but I quite like these.

Thanks for this. I think it's not so much their decks, but the fact that you must buy the fancy boxes and/or sets to get the decks that turns off many people here. In their previous campaign; I loved the Azure dragon deck and the fancy box. I would have gotten it, but I only wanted that deck, not the set it came in.

For this one , it looks like it's more of the same. I love magic and would get a deck if there was a choice, they are limiting the deck availability to the sets. So that's a pass for me.

[STLBluesNut]

the oriental set looks really good even with the thick banner separating the courts halves. i will echo the sentiment against the box sets. will probably pass on these as well.

[brownsl]

Sigh, another one of their campaigns I have no idea how many different decks there are. It should not take a backer multiple reads to figure it out.

[Strag]

Sigh, another one of their campaigns I have no idea how many different decks there are. It should not take a backer multiple reads to figure it out.

It wouldn't be Ark if it wasn't the most confusing campaign page possible.

[GandalfPC]

I have managed to keep myself out of most of their campaigns, going for just a loose pair of decks in one a while back - I’m liking the cards though and am at least in for the classic sets at the moment, which seem pretty reasonably priced - toying with the idea of some others as I do like the colors - no chance for me going in on the wood ones, but the trick box does seem fitting for magicians

[EndersGame]

Each of the campaigns Ark Playing Cards has done so far has been very successful, and each new campaign has raised more funds than the previous one. I'm not sure why they have been putting two different decks together in a single campaign, rather than having two separate campaigns. But they must be doing something right to keep attracting more funds each time.

Certainly their cards are as spectacular as they look in the promo videos. Coincidentally I just opened one of their Kingdoms decks yesterday and showed it to someone, and they were blown away by how spectacular the packaging was, and the cards, including stunning holographic foil and gorgeous artwork.

Here's some pictures from their current campaign.

The Illusionist

The Illusionist box sets are a tribute to the magic arts. Each deck has a magic theater theme, and the tuck box has an unprecedented design that consists of 7 separate pieces of cardboard, which unfold to produce a 3D theater, featuring the classic sawing-a-lady-in-half illusion.

The design of the cards is inspired by a 1958 Swedish film about a traveling magician. The Aces show common magic props, while the court cards each depict a different genre of classical magic, such as effects with linking rings, doves/rabbits, card manipulation, and more. The cards have coloured foil, and judging by what I've seen from the cards from previous Ark projects, this looks amazing.

[EndersGame]

After Sound

The After Sound box sets feature hand-drawn illustrations themed around the Peking Opera, an important piece of China's national culture. Two important traditional opera stages were the inspiration: the Changyin Pavilion inside the Forbidden City, and the Qingyin Pavilion in the Chengde Mountain Resort. The title "After Sound" represents something about the beauty produced by song after song, reverberating and lingering in these beautiful buildings.

Once again the tuck box consists of 7 pieces of cardboard and unfolds to produce a theater. The cards have color foil, and their designs are inspired by images from the opera. The card backs feature an extension of the stage pictured on the tuck box, where a scene from "Farewell My Concubine" is being enacted. The illustrations are all hand-painted and based on opera costumes, characters, and many other elements drawn from this theme.

[Smocito]

I don't think it's possible to go for both basic sets with a single kickstarter account.

After choosing your pledge it shows you a second page with all options. Be careful with what you select there.
I thought it was the add-ons page, chose the other basic set and ended up switching my pledge to the other set.

After finishing your pledge you should reload the kickstarter project page, to confirm if your pledge really shows what you want.

[GandalfPC]

That does not seem correct - I choose a basic set and was able to add on the other, along with various other items, same as any other kickstarter with add ons.

Not sure whether this was user error or if the system broke down on you, perhaps mobile vs web…

I would guess that you hit the CONTINUE button rather than scrolling down on the add-ons page:


First, choose manage pledge - you get this screen (Select your reward screen) - scroll down to choose a pledge tier:

Once you choose one you get this screen (Configure your reward screen) - scroll down and select add-ons (do not hit CONTINUE)

Once you have chosen all desired add-on, hit the CONTINUE button to the right to complete

CFB55397-6F15-49C9-AA2C-A1F97A17EA3C.jpeg (150.39 KiB) Viewed 4407 times

[Strag]

I just want to point out that the average pledge on this campagin is around $511! By comparison, the average pledge on Successor is around $273. The average pledge on Odd Fellows was $120. Eye of the Ocean was $155. Average pledge on LOTR was $80. Tale of the Tempest was $157.

[Smocito]

That does not seem correct - I choose a basic set and was able to add on the other, along with various other items, same as any other kickstarter with add ons.

Not sure whether this was user error or if the system broke down on you, perhaps mobile vs web…

...

Thank you
I re tried and saw what the problem was.

If I select the "After sound classic set" first and then add the "Illusionist Classic Set" it works.
If I select the "Illusionist Classic Set" first, I don't see the "After sound classic set" in the add-ons.

[STLBluesNut]

after sound is the deck that most appeals to me of the 2. i really wish you could buy 1 damn deck! i really don't want the second deck that looks black and white. $35 for the classic set isn't too bad for 2 decks and packaging i suppose, its the principle.

[Fenrir]

It’s funny, with ark I almost always like the classic sets best. The wooden boxes always seem too expensive even if I want just the deck by itself. Wish they would release them without the box.

I’ve backed a classic set of both but I’m not sure I’ll keep it. They are definitely innovative and unique. I would say the Chinese opera deck is the better of the two in my opinion.

We will have to see what happens. I’m torn at the moment.

[hsbc]

I don't like how ARK structures their campaigns either but it seems to be working well for them

[Harvonsgard]

I second this. Even if their deck design is intrigueing to me, their campaign layout lets me immediatly close kickstarter.

[GandalfPC]

I had a toe in, but I took it out - it seemed enticing, but I found it overly complicated - including the cards themselves - just a bit too busy.

[TheGentlemanWake]

Anyone have any idea why the Ark illusionist campaign dropped $160k or so in one day?

[kasuma99]

Anyone have any idea why the Ark illusionist campaign dropped $160k or so in one day?

Read the comments and you will understand, they have no communication at all and backers have flashback of the Origin campaign.

[TheGentlemanWake]

Anyone have any idea why the Ark illusionist campaign dropped $160k or so in one day?

Read the comments and you will understand, they have no communication at all and backers have flashback of the Origin campaign.

I’m sorry. No amount of communication deficiency will create 160k in spontaneous drops. It just doesn’t happen. I’d expect to see hundreds of comments. Evidently it was 10 backers at 15k each. More than likely they contacted those backers and moved them off the ks platform to save 10%. Probably at a lesser discount to the backers. If they were real.

[GandalfPC]

Honestly its a bid odd, as kicktraq shows only -12 backers that day

day before they only had 6, before that 15 - so they lost around 18 to 24 backers and dropped 160k?

[TheGentlemanWake]

Honestly its a bid odd, as kicktraq shows only -12 backers that day

day before they only had 6, before that 15 - so they lost around 18 to 24 backers and dropped 160k?


04E72C72-7162-411F-9D9C-E2678B1FD89C.jpeg

See my above theory.

[kasuma99]

THat's quite shady practice then, maybe i need to reconsider my pledge too

[GandalfPC]

Might have been that they were shills just to fund the campaign quickly and get momentum going - either way - does seem something underhanded is more likely than not.

[Strag]

I just want to point out that the average pledge on this campagin is around $511! By comparison, the average pledge on Successor is around $273. The average pledge on Odd Fellows was $120. Eye of the Ocean was $155. Average pledge on LOTR was $80. Tale of the Tempest was $157.

So this change dropped the average pledge to around $330. I think unprecedented in a KS Playing card campaign and if I was backing (which I won't back an ARK project so no worries there) I would be dropping just out of sheer nervousness plus their communication seems horrible.

[Harvonsgard]

Seems like a short-sighted gamble they took if they used some pledges to lush the campaign. When a drop like that happens it just makes real backers nervous. I don't have eggs in that basket though so I'll continue to eat popcorn.

[BaconWise]

I am not concerned about Ark delivering on the campaign after seeing how Azure Dragon turned out. I have to agree with Omar that some kind of wholesale deal must have been made outside of the Kickstarter campaign. It's very common to have agreements like that, but not necessarily have those wholesalers pledge in the campaign then back out. It's also odd because Ark wouldn't necessarily need to pad the campaign with fake backers. Very strange, indeed.

[EndersGame]

I don't have eggs in that basket though so I'll continue to eat popcorn.

Comment of the Day Award goes to this!