REN - designed by David Goldklang

[davegk]

Hey all,

I wanted to officially introduce you to a project I've been working on since I launched the original Vanda decks...

This deck is called "Ren" – a Swedish word meaning 'pure' or 'clean'. Minimalism never looked this sexy!
The idea behind this deck is to emphasize the natural beauty of the pips themselves and it takes inspiration from some of the very early decks of cards and their simple elegance, but with a modern touch.

More details and images to come soon...

-David

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[Marcus]

You need to stop using Swedish words like this, it's a mindf**k to come across unexpectedly.

[PrincessTrouble]

When does the Stimpy companion deck come out?

[Cbkimble]

When does the Stimpy companion deck come out?

Be careful, you show your age with comments like that.

[vasta41]

When does the Stimpy companion deck come out?

Be careful, you show your age with comments like that.

[jerichoholic]

Looks cool David.

[th4mo]

ANOTHER minimalist deck???

No offense, but it's going to have to be pretty amazing to turn my head.

So... amaze us!!!

[davegk]

ANOTHER minimalist deck???

No offense, but it's going to have to be pretty amazing to turn my head.

So... amaze us!!!

Believe me...I've seen all the "minimalist" crap that's been out there since the original Vanda decks launched almost 3 years ago. Ren is what minimalism should be: clean, simple, & elegant, with zaftig pips.

More images soon...

[davegk]

Here are the faces...

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[vasta41]

Some may like this but it's not for me. No indices? To me that's an essential part of a playing card.

[Eoghann]

I love the chubby pips. One thing I'm not too fond of is the complete lack of indices.

[Räpylätassu]

I love the back! As a person who loves salmiakki*, red/black/white diamonds not only make my mouth water, look really cool and actually quite original in a deck.

And I have been waiting for a deck with no indecies! Gives it a nice look.

Maybe the Aces could be bigger, but the pips look great!

Yep, I'm getting this one for sure!

*Salmiakki is a salty-sweet candy that contains ammonium chloride. You either like it or you don't have a good taste...

[MagikFingerz]

Chalk me up for a sadface on the lack of indices, and the courts are too simple for my taste.

I'm starting to think that minimalism just doesn't work with playing cards

[Travis Carter]

The fact that the indices are missing looks quite nice actually. I would say it makes the deck more of an 'art' deck rather than a deck for playing purposes. May not be a deck of cards for playing, but it's definitely a deck of cards for displaying and cardistry.

[Eoghann]

May not be a deck of cards for playing [...]

They're called "playing" cards though.

Thing is, Minimalism is about boiling something down to its bare essentials while still remaining functional. Not just hacking stuff off.

Dave, you've got a really good thing here. But please consider some form of corner identifiers, however simple. I can't remember who, but a while back someone suggested containing the letter/number within the corner pip. I think that was a fantastic idea which could work very well here.

[MagikFingerz]

I can't remember who, but a while back someone suggested containing the letter/number within the corner pip.

Tsk tsk, Dan. That was none other than our resident philosopher/inventor/visionary/playboy, sprouts

[Eoghann]

Oh! Should've known it was sexy, sexy sprouts.

[davegk]

May not be a deck of cards for playing [...]

They're called "playing" cards though.

Thing is, Minimalism is about boiling something down to its bare essentials while still remaining functional. Not just hacking stuff off.

Dave, you've got a really good thing here. But please consider some form of corner identifiers, however simple. I can't remember who, but a while back someone suggested containing the letter/number within the corner pip. I think that was a fantastic idea which could work very well here.

Not sure if you were referring to me or someone else...the original Vanda decks (and the new Violet deck) have letters/numbers contained within the indices.

Thanks for the input, folks! I would like to point out that this "minimal" design is actually more of a nod to some of the much older decks that were originally used to play Faro. These index-less decks were seen throughout the old west, when poker was played regularly - and yes, they actually did use decks without indices to play real card games for real money.

I did explore a number of minimalistic options for indices on this design, but ultimately decided to stick with the beauty of simplicity and really showcase the pips themselves. I've attached one example of indices that I experimented with, as well as a few photos of decks from the past from which I've derived some of the inspiration for Ren. I'm still considering the possibility of an edition of Ren that uses indices and 4 colors...

There are many decks out there (almost all of them) that do have indices, but as a designer I'm always looking at ways I can push the boundaries of what everyone else is doing while still creating work that I consider to be beautiful. The result is that every deck of Vanda cards is unique and really stands out from the crowd. I admit that I'm unlikely to use the Ren decks to play card games (we usually grab a deck of Mustache cards for that purpose), but I'm really excited to add these to my collection, and particularly looking forward to putting up an uncut sheet (which will look damn sexy, if I say so myself).

-David

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[th4mo]

Chalk me up for a sadface on the lack of indices, and the courts are too simple for my taste.

I'm starting to think that minimalism just doesn't work with playing cards

I have to agree with my Magik man yet again... Too simple.

And Dave, I think most of us actually ARE aware that people used to play cards without indices once upon a time. Same thing with one-way courts. People also used to rely exclusively on horses if they wanted to travel faster than by foot on land. But there are some innovations that are so powerful that people pretty much never look back. That's called progress. Many card games played today are pretty much unplayable with cards like this.

So, make all the style and artistic license arguments you want. But don't make the functional argument. I can totally see how some people may like these from an artistic standpoint, but again, it's just not for me.

Cheers!

[davegk]

Chalk me up for a sadface on the lack of indices, and the courts are too simple for my taste.

I'm starting to think that minimalism just doesn't work with playing cards

I have to agree with my Magik man yet again... Too simple.

And Dave, I think most of us actually ARE aware that people used to play cards without indices once upon a time. Same thing with one-way courts. People also used to rely exclusively on horses if they wanted to travel faster than by foot on land. But there are some innovations that are so powerful that people pretty much never look back. That's called progress. Many card games played today are pretty much unplayable with cards like this.

So, make all the style and artistic license arguments you want. But don't make the functional argument. I can totally see how some people may like these from an artistic standpoint, but again, it's just not for me.

Cheers!

Just to be clear, I'm not advocating for using this deck for game playing. Different decks have different strengths and weaknesses. Ren is great for cardistry and magic, and appeals to collectors and designers (and design enthusiasts). I respect all your opinions and I realize this deck won't appeal to everyone, and I'm okay with that Don't worry...there are more Vanda decks to come and I'm sure you will all find at least one deck from the collection that you like.

[Eoghann]

On that count you're absolutely right. You can't please everyone.
The deck isn't as functional (in the playable sense) as I'd like it to be, but I really like what you've done. So I'm still in. This will be the first Vanda deck to be honest.

[davegk]

On that count you're absolutely right. You can't please everyone.
The deck isn't as functional (in the playable sense) as I'd like it to be, but I really like what you've done. So I'm still in. This will be the first Vanda deck to be honest.

Thanks, Eoghann!

Also, I will point out that I'm planning to launch this deck on Kickstarter. Primarily because I'd like to offer some upgrades to the tuckboxes and a few fun extras...there will be stretch goals! Artwork will be pre-approved with USPC in advance to cut down on time between campaign ending and fulfillment.

[shermjack]

Though I agree that this deck is not really as playable as other decks, I still like the style, especially the nod to the old time decks, and will definitely be backing

[Travis Carter]

I'd also absolutely be in on this one. There's plenty of playing card decks out there. This one's for showing off, not playing. But, I would actually find it to be pretty humorous trying to play with a deck with no indices.
I'll be honest, I'm not usually one for minimalism, but this catches my interest.

[volantangel]

Indices aside, what will make or break this deck is how you approach the courts, from experience minimalism doesn't always work well with courts. Number cards and aces are just the easy part.

[vasta41]

I would actually find it to be pretty humorous trying to play with a deck with no indices.

Playing Asshole would be near impossible!

[davegk]

uncut sheet mockups...

[volantangel]

I guess with those courts.. You can say my interest is minimal.

Really makes it absolutely unplayable. And the jokers are spades ? And the gaff is a big spade ??

[schfifty5]

I like the design, the gaff and jokers just look confusing though.

[davegk]

No jokers - all gaffs. 8 gaff cards for the magician folks out there. Jokers aren't really necessary for a deck that isn't intended for card games.

BTW, the original Vanda decks and the Polaris decks each have 4 gaffs & no jokers.

-David