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.
