UnitedCardists.com - The forum for Cardistry, Magic, Custom Decks and All Things Playing Cards.

Dent-de-Lion wrote:Hey Everyone who is interested in actual conversation,

Thanks to all the new backers who said hello on Kickstarter! Some of you we know very well from our previous Glitch, Leonardo, and 1001 Nights campaigns, and it’s just like seeing an old friend… and so many interesting questions!

So this from J. (a superbacker and cardistry enthusiast)

Question : Why did you choose to go with borderless backs with merlin? I’m rather agnostic about the choice between borders and borderless, but was curious about your decision. Also, what inspired the design for the back, it’s medieval, yet also somehow modern.

Merlin-Card-Backs-300-07.png

First let’s start with the borderless decision. This is always a huge decision and one a card designer can never take lightly. I’ve always felt that bordered cards look like “playing cards” - it’s the standard for playability for sure. There is something “official” about bordered cards.

Merlin-Flourish.jpg

Borderless is another thing entirely. They just feel more “artistic” and give the designer a little more room to create in. For MERLIN • Illuminations I designed both bordered and borderless backs at first, and after careful consultations with my daughter (and fellow designer), we just knew that borderless was the way to go. While we design our cards for playability, we are well aware that they are generally seen as “collectables” and brought out only for special occasions, they are not normally used for serious friday poker nights!

Moving onto the design part of your question, the initial inspiration came from a few sources… medieval tracery, filigree, and early silversmithing work I have long been interested in. People of this time were obsessed with Life and Death, as it was much nearer to them than us. So I knew I wanted to combine the life force of Nature with the instruments of death at this time…. Swords!

pasted image 0.png

Like all of MERLIN • Illuminations, the back is entirely made up of 3D models. A lot of 3D models! It was quite a process to get them all to fit together in a coherent way, and on top of that… to be 100% symmetrical! I would estimate it took about a month to get the backs done, this is all Zbrush.

Oh, and one other thing for today, yes we are now offering Uncut Sheets by popular demand.

Kind regards,

Dent-de-Lion

Räpylätassu wrote:...Dent-de-Lion had some kind of a messy campaign years ago with Leonardo, I don't remember what the issues were but at least the Leonardo deck in my collection is a fine deck and part of my TOP 150 decks list...

Mods, can we suspend TwoPiece for a few weeks for this kind of childish behaviour and personal attacks against a creator who is trying to have an actual conversation? Thanks.

theCapraAegagrus wrote:me for calling someone "poop".

shiroo56 wrote:

theCapraAegagrus wrote:me for calling someone "poop".

While I enjoy your Cartman-Tourettes like comments (+ good conversations about Scotch) on decks, you could tone it down when you're writting about a person! Some common respect should be given (bait and switch aside). Doesn't matter what you call another person, it is still name-calling and shouldn't be around in a somewhat civil discourse with a stranger.

theCapraAegagrus wrote:No respect for backers = no respect in return.

shiroo56 wrote:Bruh; you know you're wrong and there is no need to defend it. Simple as that. Would be simply cool if you could try to act like a grown-up and just let it rest.

shiroo56 wrote:

theCapraAegagrus wrote:No respect for backers = no respect in return.

You forgot the "But Maaaaaaam, he started it!"

Bruh; you know you're wrong and there is no need to defend it. Simple as that. Would be simply cool if you could try to act like a grown-up and just let it rest.

Dent-de-Lion wrote:1001 Nights is my daughter Soleil's project, and together we are Art Playing Cards. I am so proud of her and her work. We are both very grateful to all the United Cardists members who have collected our work over the last years.

Many collectors here don't post about our work, but they do pledge. So your kind thoughts are rare, but so very welcomed.

I am considering for my next work a hand painted version of this deck, as the second deck in the series. I hope that one you will like and want to add to your collection!

STLBluesNut wrote:So my complaint that I cannot justify is why they cost often double or triple plus of what a deck costs? On top of that then you get extra shipping charges, which I do understand. As far as rarity, the low number is due to the low demand.

hsbc wrote:

STLBluesNut wrote:So my complaint that I cannot justify is why they cost often double or triple plus of what a deck costs? On top of that then you get extra shipping charges, which I do understand. As far as rarity, the low number is due to the low demand.

Yep, prices for uncut sheets are ridiculous - shipping I also 100% understand, though

Personally I've never understood the appeal of uncut sheets apart from art decks like the Ultimate Deck - like, do people really want a poster of 56 backs of the same card? (Apparently they do )

STLBluesNut wrote:I do not get uncut sheets for any deck as I cannot justify the extra cost of the sheet. There are sheets that are printed with all of the other sheets for the decks and taken from that pile and are... uncut.

So they do not go through the final processes, therefore, not as much cost in labor and machine time. They do not come with a tuck, again a cost reduction. So my complaint that I cannot justify is why they cost often double or triple plus of what a deck costs? On top of that then you get extra shipping charges, which I do understand. As far as rarity, the low number is due to the low demand. Low number with low demand does not equal rare. You can print and pull off as many uncut sheets as you like so it would be an artificially created rarity anyhow. Rarity is certainly not a selling point for them.

For me it just doesn't add up and I cannot justify the cost of uncut sheets. I like some of them but I will not pay that much for them.

shiroo56 wrote:

theCapraAegagrus wrote:me for calling someone "poop".

While I enjoy your Cartman-Tourettes like comments (+ good conversations about Scotch) on decks, you could tone it down when you're writting about a person! Some common respect should be given (bait and switch aside). Doesn't matter what you call another person, it is still name-calling and shouldn't be around in a somewhat civil discourse with a stranger.

portcullis wrote:

shiroo56 wrote:

theCapraAegagrus wrote:me for calling someone "poop".

While I enjoy your Cartman-Tourettes like comments (+ good conversations about Scotch) on decks, you could tone it down when you're writting about a person! Some common respect should be given (bait and switch aside). Doesn't matter what you call another person, it is still name-calling and shouldn't be around in a somewhat civil discourse with a stranger.

Did somebody say scotch? Is there a thread devoted to such in the OT forum, cos I'd be a worthy contributor.

*sips Wild Geese Single Malt*

• Uncuts are way too expensive! Probably true, but there is a minimum order from the manufacturer and no guarantee of selling all the uncuts that I order.
  
  Almost to a person, everyone has said “Would never buy one!” and then mentioned one they bought or would love to buy! My interpretation of this phenomenon is that yes, they are “way to expensive” and yet some are irresistibly (and subjectively) collectible to each of us.
  
  Just because they are not cut, does not mean a gross reduction in labour… they must be moved through the factory, handled and shipped, and they are “special” so all this is non-automated. Plus, they are easily damaged. But yes, they are probably close to the same price as a finished deck.
  
  The rareness factor? Hmmmmm… Aren’t a large percentage of collectables artificially rare? Like all “limited editions”? Only old vintage things, which are often not limited editions, and often not even art, are “truly rare” - and this is due to old man Time, human destructiveness (aka ‘War”), misplacement, Lady Luck, among many other reasons.

Dent-de-Lion wrote:
The rareness factor? Hmmmmm… Aren’t a large percentage of collectables artificially rare? Like all “limited editions”? Only old vintage things, which are often not limited editions, and often not even art, are “truly rare” - and this is due to old man Time, human destructiveness (aka ‘War”), misplacement, Lady Luck, among many other reasons. [/list]

theCapraAegagrus wrote:

portcullis wrote:

shiroo56 wrote:

theCapraAegagrus wrote:me for calling someone "poop".

While I enjoy your Cartman-Tourettes like comments (+ good conversations about Scotch) on decks, you could tone it down when you're writting about a person! Some common respect should be given (bait and switch aside). Doesn't matter what you call another person, it is still name-calling and shouldn't be around in a somewhat civil discourse with a stranger.

Did somebody say scotch? Is there a thread devoted to such in the OT forum, cos I'd be a worthy contributor.

*sips Wild Geese Single Malt*

http://unitedcardists.com/viewtopic.php ... c&start=60

Dent-de-Lion wrote:Just because they are not cut, does not mean a gross reduction in labour… they must be moved through the factory, handled and shipped, and they are “special” so all this is non-automated. Plus, they are easily damaged. But yes, they are probably close to the same price as a finished deck.

STLBluesNut wrote:As for you having to order a minimum quantity of uncuts and the card company charging you about the same for it is part of the problem. I'm ordering 1000 +or- 10% prints, just pull some off the line "should" be less expensive. Oh no, I had to hand carry 20 sheets of paper 30 yards!

Magic Tapp wrote:The only uncut I have is Lorenzo’s Cartomancer. Otherwise, as others said, do not see much of a point.