Military Deck now live on KS

[th4mo]

With both decks part of your initial goal, you might also want to add a bit more information about this part:

"We're working closely with a production facility to produce a great quality product that will simulate the finishes seen with USPCC...."
and "Printed by the Tomlinson Playing Card Co...."

These certainly raised my eyebrows...

Edit: In case it isn't clear to all, only one of the two decks is a USPCC "Bicycle" Deck...

[rjtomlinson1977]

We found a production facility that produces for many casinos around the world and had them send us their best work. The samples they sent were amazing and had "fresh from the factory" smell. We're working on adjusting the varnish coatings to produce a better fan result but other then that we're extremely happy with the results. The edges on the samples were very smooth (more so than Bicycle)... it was like rubbing your thumb down a side of a glass (opposed to paper).
Chances are, we'll be using only this production facility on one of our next project due to the fact we can set a much lower goal. As we see per deck prices growing towards the $14+ mark we decided it's time to do something about it. I know going without USPCC will hurt the number of backers we get but I think once the word spreads about the quality, future projects won't have the same problem. For a Bicycle deck we need to set a KS goal of around $14,000 just to cover the USPCC production costs and fulfillment. Without USPCC, we could set the goal around $3,000 or $4,000 and that price includes the fulfillment.

[vasta41]

We found a production facility that produces for many casinos around the world and had them send us their best work. The samples they sent were amazing and had "fresh from the factory" smell. We're working on adjusting the varnish coatings to produce a better fan result but other then that we're extremely happy with the results. The edges on the samples were very smooth (more so than Bicycle)... it was like rubbing your thumb down a side of a glass (opposed to paper).
Chances are, we'll be using only this production facility on one of our next project due to the fact we can set a much lower goal. As we see per deck prices growing towards the $14+ mark we decided it's time to do something about it. I know going without USPCC will hurt the number of backers we get but I think once the word spreads about the quality, future projects won't have the same problem. For a Bicycle deck we need to set a KS goal of around $14,000 just to cover the USPCC production costs and fulfillment. Without USPCC, we could set the goal around $3,000 or $4,000 and that price includes the fulfillment.

I for one vote USPCC. If you want to be a bear be a grizzly, right? I sure hope this funds!

[Bikefanatic]

Besides the shipping issue which has been handled I guess, I don't see why this is struggling at the moment.

[rjtomlinson1977]

Who knows? It's hard to say what has happened. It's a good solid deck so I'm not sure what's going on. It could be the shipping issue at the start. You have your best opportunity in the first few hours of a campaign. It might not have the same appeal as other decks. I don't know.

[rousselle]

One reason why it may be struggling at the moment is the holidays. Are other card projects seeing heavy action these past few days?

However, I will note that I am backing this project for less than I have backed previous projects of yours, and there's a couple of reasons:

While the design is good, it's not grabbing me the way your previous decks did. I think part of this is the design itself; the courts are much more of a "variation on the basic, common courts" than the completely original (and interesting/fresh) courts of the previous decks. Being a variation on the common courts is not a bad thing, and I do like your take much more than I've liked some other designers', but they don't bring *as much* new to the table as your previous efforts.

Another issue may be the theme itself not being as strong or specific. Your first three decks had very specific themes: the *conflict* of the principal powers during three very specific wars. The courts highlighted some of the key individuals involved. They had personality. On at least one deck, the background of the face cards made up a map of the geographic area in conflict. And the Titanic deck commemorated a very specific, resonant event. You brought in themes of life and death within that context. By sealing each deck with a specific passenger's/crew member's name, you made each deck personal. That deck resonated so much, it is one of the deck series I have spent the most money to back. (And, I remain very eager to get my hands on it!)

(I will note that the Hounders deck was also very specific, and had great personality, and I remain both surprised and annoyed that it didn't fund the first time. Oh, and on a related note: your first deck didn't fund on the first try, either. Please don't give up on the Hounders, okay? )

The Military Deck is a good deck. Solid. I do look forward to having it in my collection, and once I see some more faces, I am likely to up my pledge. (I will also note that during your previous projects, I also upped my pledge over the course of the campaign.) However, I am also not likely to spend as much on it as I did your conflict series. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't quire resonate for me as awesomely as the others do. I think part of that may be that it is shooting too broadly. It's not, "The Marines! Hoo-ah!" It's, "The Military." It's not, "ATTEN-SHUN!" It's, "At ease."

I've said this already, but it bears repeating: I like this deck. It is a good deck. I want this deck. I will likely raise my pledge. Please do not give up on this deck.

That said, the theme of your Military Deck doesn't resonate as much as your previous decks. The personality isn't quite as interesting/fresh. You've got me to thinking about the kinds of decks I like, and I realize that it really does come down to theme and personality. The tighter the theme, the more opportunity to bring out the personality. This deck does have theme, and it does have personality, but it doesn't grab me quite as masterfully as the others.

Remember Occults? Why did that do so well, when it was, on the surface, so similar to more traditional courts? I think it's because the designer had a specific story to tell, and that came through in the design. Origins? Holy cow, that deck focused on its theme with a laser-like focus and man, does that deck pop. Requiem! Oh my goodness, what a story that deck had!

You are hamstrung by going after the military without having the licensing to the specific icons of the various military branches. Even so, what elements can you bring in that would make this deck specific, rather than generic? This is not a rhetorical question. Could you have each suit represent a different, specific branch? A different, specific era? A particular arena of combat? You could have each suit represent something resonant like:

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines
Open land, Urban, Sea, Air
Ancient Greek, Viking, Spanish Armada, Modern US
Phalanx, Castle siege, Trench, Guerrilla
Boot Camp, Deployment, Combat, Return
Boot, Grunt, Officer, Command
Intel, Strategy, Supply Chain, Combat

Once you have your theme, then you can bring in the details that make it snap. I think if you aim for specific, you will find your key to authentic and, therefore, universal. And *that* is what will draw people in.

Again, that's just my opinion. I love your work. Please don't be discouraged. I'm impressed at how you keep learning and improving. I hope there's something here that you might find of value to keep moving forward.

[rjtomlinson1977]

Thanks for all your great advice. I agree, that it seems like the projects that are more in-depth seem to do better. My next card project should meet that expectation. Well, my next playing card project I should say... I have a family card game I plan on launching soon but it's more for fun than it is collecting. After that project I should be ready to launch my next Civil War deck. I've had several phone calls this past year asking if I have any Civil Unrest left. I wish I did but I sold out quickly. I think the Civil War buffs are finally catching wind of the cards. I have a lot of cool things I learned with Titanic that I hope to carry on with the next edition of Civil Unrest (Edition 2). The next edition will be more specific.... I'm currently working on the Gettysburg edition since that's the nearest battle to me. Plus my great great grandfather on my moms side died in that battle.
In my research of Civil War stuff I came across another subject matter I would like to do but I'm kind of stuck on what to do for the Queens. There was a steam boat called the SS Sultana that was supposed to only have 300+ passengers but the owners were greedy and filled with over 2,000. Only 700 people survived (between 1.300 to 1,900 people died) making it as deadly as the Titanic disaster. It technically happened a few days after the Civil War. It was transporting Union POWs from the South back North to their homes. It was largely forgotten in history because Abe Lincoln was shot the day before... so all the press coverage was focused on that instead.
I'm also slightly stuck on the two Confederate queens for the Gettysburg edition. For the Union side there's several females but none on the Confederate side. Right now, I'm leaning on just using some of the wives... for example the wife of Robert E Lee. But other than those two queens everyone else would be specific to Gettysburg.

[jerichoholic]

I personally think this might have had a better chance of funding if it was launched on your account since you have a much larger customer base than the wife does, but then again who knows.

[Bikefanatic]

I personally think this might have had a better chance of funding if it was launched on your account since you have a much larger customer base than the wife does, but then again who knows.

I agree 100% this is the issue. I know you sent out the update from previous KS projects but people don't read or they want a project directly from you.

[rjtomlinson1977]

We'll probably cancel funding and relaunch later on under my account. But first I have a family game called Buttinski I'll be launching. After that my Gettysburg project should be ready to roll.

[samurai007]

There's also the fact that the Titanic decks haven't shipped yet, and many people have a policy of not backing someone who has not completed their previous KS before launching another one.

[vasta41]

There's also the fact that the Titanic decks haven't shipped yet, and many people have a policy of not backing someone who has not completed their previous KS before launching another one.

Which is probably why this campaign isn't under his account. But RJ has successfully run many KS campaigns so is that really an issue? Maybe the reason this isn't doing well is a little bit of what everyone has touched on. Or maybe it's something else. Either way, if these don't fund I hope RJ redoes the campaign heeding some of the advice offered here because I would LOVE to see these decks created some day!

p.s. Why is it that every Army themed deck I've pledged for never seems to get funded?

[walrus]

We'll probably cancel funding and relaunch later on under my account. But first I have a family game called Buttinski I'll be launching. After that my Gettysburg project should be ready to roll.

Gettysburg sounds fantastic. Have you ever visited it. I've been a number of times. If you want some obscure history how about a king Phillips war deck.

[Strag]

I didn't back it because the theme just didn't work for me.

I didn't back Titantic because I could only get in on 3rd class decks and well... I no longer travel 3rd class

[ecNate]

I didn't back it because the theme just didn't work for me.

I think this was actually a huge part of it. This deck has a bit of whimsy to it, the courts look a bit cartoonish and fun looking. I have Diane's cat deck and pledged for the dog one, so to me it was a good fit for her and liked those decks. The problem is these kind of decks have a limited fan base the way it is, but adding a serious theme of military to a traditional court style comes off as a parody and thus cartoonish and fun instead of a serious style like Unrest and others from RJ. It's still a great job, but doesn't work for me and I think many others because of it. Maybe putting it under RJ will help with exposure, but the style is so different and more like Diane so hopefully that doesn't blur the lines between them and hurt them both in the long run.

[rjtomlinson1977]

Gettysburg sounds fantastic. Have you ever visited it. I've been a number of times. If you want some obscure history how about a king Phillips war deck.

Yes, I've been to Gettysburg many times. It's about a 4 hour drive but it's worth it. On top of that, my wife likes shopping at the outlet stores.
We've done a lot of ghost tours also... so a lot of that will be spilling into the deck. Not the ghost stuff but the real life stories. For this deck, I'm leaning towards only two female queens... mainly because there's nobody I can use as the Confederate queens. I know of two women that did fight for the Confederates... but not their names or likenesses. For the two union queens I'm using Jennie Wade, the only Gettysburg civilian killed during the battle and Elizabeth Thorn who dug graves while 6 months pregnant.
I wanted to do a deck based on the SS Sultana or the prison camp "Hellmira" that was based an hour north of me in Elmira NY.... bu there's very little to go by with those stories. With Gettysburg the story is well known and very interesting.

[walrus]

Gettysburg sounds fantastic. Have you ever visited it. I've been a number of times. If you want some obscure history how about a king Phillips war deck.

Yes, I've been to Gettysburg many times. It's about a 4 hour drive but it's worth it. On top of that, my wife likes shopping at the outlet stores.
We've done a lot of ghost tours also... so a lot of that will be spilling into the deck. Not the ghost stuff but the real life stories. For this deck, I'm leaning towards only two female queens... mainly because there's nobody I can use as the Confederate queens. I know of two women that did fight for the Confederates... but not their names or likenesses. For the two union queens I'm using Jennie Wade, the only Gettysburg civilian killed during the battle and Elizabeth Thorn who dug graves while 6 months pregnant.
I wanted to do a deck based on the SS Sultana or the prison camp "Hellmira" that was based an hour north of me in Elmira NY.... bu there's very little to go by with those stories. With Gettysburg the story is well known and very interesting.

Beautiful idea. Your taking a great project and putting twists on it. If I may, I would like to suggest the inclusion somehow of Alonzo Cushing a soldier at Gettysburg who held his position at the high water mark and was just last year given the medal of honor. Having been their I'm sure you have seen his monument. Your idea of mixing in some of the interesting ghost stories that have been coming out of Gettysburg since the park was dedicated is brilliant. You have me psyched for a deck, thanks. Why don't you drop everything and get that deck out ASAP, after all, I want it and as I'm sure you know it's all about me.