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Hi All, Kevin Cantrell has asked me to partner with him to produce a series of decks for a new line called Cantrell A Priori (CAP). These decks will be produced with my current vendors and pre-sold on a microsite on TheGentlemanWake.com. The decks will be Luxury decks. Only 2 editions at pre-order launch. NO surprises. Edition size of 1000 for each color. The decks will be printed by Cartamundi with cold foil on backs and fronts and Gilded by Cartamundi. The tuck boxes will be foil emboss printed by Studio Pression in France. The price is still being worked out but in the $40 range per deck.

EDIT: I should mention that this will be the first in a line of decks by Kevin that will all have similar treatment.

Some WIP images below. The deck artwork will be complete soon. Kevin wants to do pre-orders in January.

"Only 2 editions at pre-order launch. NO surprises."

Thank you. Best to keep a fanbase long-term than give them fatigue! I appreciate this. The artwork looks great so far!

Fantastic news!

Idk if Kevin reads UC or not, or if he even cares about our thoughts lol, but I feel compelled to mention considering work in still in progress that the detail on the first king's face and the lack of any kind on the second does not mesh well together. Even if it's meant solely to communicate a difference in age, #2 needs a least a little hint of something, or #1 needs less. Just my opinion, for what it's worth if anything.

I thought that's the queen

bdawg923 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:21 pm I thought that's the queen

Wait a second, so did I

I also like Piazza's suggestion. Perhaps a happy medium of the shading style.

Yeah! Haha. He forgot to update the K index. It will be fixed! I've seen the other courts and the shading is consistent among the more grizzled men but the smooth skinned women don't have that as much. HOWEVER I will mention it.

Ooh. I'm really liking the look of these.

Sigh...roughly $40 per deck ? Really wish 1 of the edition is a non-gilded, lower priced one. This is a beautiful deck from what is shown so far.

Eric Lee wrote: ↑Mon Oct 31, 2022 1:41 am Sigh...roughly $40 per deck ? Really wish 1 of the edition is a non-gilded, lower priced one. This is a beautiful deck from what is shown so far.

All of the decks in the CAP line will be gilded and foiled at launch. Per Kevin’s vision.

kevork wrote: ↑Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:48 pm "Only 2 editions at pre-order launch. NO surprises."

Thank you. Best to keep a fanbase long-term than give them fatigue! I appreciate this. The artwork looks great so far!

So, lemme see... you're charging less than KWP pricing for totally custom, blinged-out decks.

...And KC is working in a style that is different from his previous work, stretching his skillz and, by the looks of it, totally rocking it.

...And you'll be using your established network of quality, reliable partners.

Yikes. I might have to be totally in for this one.

I, on the other hand, am totally out. I am all set with gilding. Makes no sense to me not to have a gilded version but if that's what Kevin wants... Too bad, these look great.

Looks great! I’m definitely in for this one. I have yet to be disappointed with anything TGW has been involved in.

vasta41 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 31, 2022 8:36 pm I, on the other hand, am totally out. I am all set with gilding. Makes no sense to me not to have a gilded version but if that's what Kevin wants... Too bad, these look great.

WORD. IMO, gilding has been so overused and MISused over the past years that it has decoupled itself from what I consider luxury. It turns a deck into something ostentatious, gaudy, and tacky. There are very few decks nowadays that I deem appropriate for gilding. Lee's Royales is the last I bought and I think I'm good for the foreseeable future.

Given the decks title it’s an appropriate choice. And on the TGW front every Dynastinae deck I ever produce (including the upcoming BeetleBacks and The Grave Witness) will be gilded.

Cartamundis gilding process protects the cards, looks great and handles well. The gilding actually increases the longevity of the decks.

TheGentlemanWake wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 12:41 am Cartamundis gilding process protects the cards, looks great and handles well. The gilding actually increases the longevity of the decks.

...and adds a price increase for a feature I don't even want.

While it's perfectly fine for card manufacturers to gild decks if they want I have never associated it with luxury or better card preservation. It's just a tool to inflate prices by making something more shiny. Common practice in all sorts of products.

Give me all the shiny; no judgement here! Based upon a lot of the feedback I see here and elsewhere, I get the impression that a lot of people make moral judgments about the TGW brand based solely upon the segment of the market it targets. IMHO that is completely off base, unnecessary, and harmful to the hobby at large. Why continuously harp on a brand for being exactly what it aims to be? Sounds like an epic waste of time, and a good way to discourage a creator from realizing his stated vision. I want to see a larger variety of cards to choose from, not a smaller one - even if that means I will like a smaller percentage of the available decks. I don’t like 95% (or more) of the decks I see here. But I am glad they exist, because they make this hobby much more interesting, with something for everyone.

CourtCurator wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:29 am Give me all the shiny; no judgement here! Based upon a lot of the feedback I see here and elsewhere, I get the impression that a lot of people make moral judgments about the TGW brand based solely upon the segment of the market it targets. IMHO that is completely off base, unnecessary, and harmful to the hobby at large. Why continuously harp on a brand for being exactly what it aims to be? Sounds like an epic waste of time, and a good way to discourage a creator from realizing his stated vision. I want to see a larger variety of cards to choose from, not a smaller one - even if that means I will like a smaller percentage of the available decks. I don’t like 95% (or more) of the decks I see here. But I am glad they exist, because they make this hobby much more interesting, with something for everyone.

I mostly agree. What you usually see with TGW is they produce a fantastic design with their partners and people love that design, but the complainers want the cheapest version of that design possible because they don't want gilding, or cold foil, or buying decks they don't want to get the one deck they do want. If the designs were crap, you'd just see some half-hearted digs and people would move on.

I too love the variety of playing card designs and versions being created, even though I'll never buy most of them. I will say that I'm getting priced out of the hobby because it seems like even the most basic decks come in at around $20 with shipping. But here we are.

MORAL judgements? lmao cmon dude.

Edit: If there exists a person who honestly believes that choosing to gild a deck makes a designer morally grey, that person is an idiot.

wingedpotato wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:47 amI mostly agree. What you usually see with TGW is they produce a fantastic design with their partners and people love that design, but the complainers want the cheapest version of that design possible because they don't want gilding, or cold foil, or buying decks they don't want to get the one deck they do want. If the designs were crap, you'd just see some half-hearted digs and people would move on.

I too love the variety of playing card designs and versions being created, even though I'll never buy most of them. I will say that I'm getting priced out of the hobby because it seems like even the most basic decks come in at around $20 with shipping. But here we are.

Oh, trust me I get where you are coming from with being priced out. I only really enjoy collecting decks that tend to be on the pricier side, so I’ve had to limit what I add to my collection. I only purchase decks that I absolutely love, and even then, I often have to pass in order to stick within my budget. For me, it’s a double edged sword because while I sometimes miss out on something I adore, it makes it that much sweeter on the rare occasion that I do pull the trigger. I don’t buy a lot of decks, but when I do I get a lot of joy and satisfaction with each purchase. The law of diminishing returns is working in my miserly favor.

PiazzaDelivery wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:54 am MORAL judgements? lmao cmon dude.

Edit: If there exists a person who honestly believes that choosing to gild a deck makes a designer morally grey, that person is an idiot.

Lol. It’s the impression I get with all the cash grab type comments I’ve seen. Positing that gilding is done solely to pump up the price of a deck for profit seems like a moral judgement to me. I could be wrong… If you ask Omar about it, I’d be willing to bet he has some feelings about some of the things people have said.

I don't think there is any doubt that Omar feels his moral integrity has been questioned on occasion.

Back to the deck, I love KC's stuff, but something about this doesn't quite do it for me.

wingedpotato wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:14 am Back to the deck, I love KC's stuff, but something about this doesn't quite do it for me.

I am not sure yet if this is one that I will buy, but I am excited to see how it turns out!

Is it just me or the Queen's head seems out of place?? I don't know, it looks too big when compared to the body, or even to the king.. Don't know if thats by design, but it doesn't look right,

With this release Kevin and I have the goal of printing 1000 of each color way. The final price is tbd but closer to $40 than $45. As usual we are being meticulous with the production and no doubt these decks will be gorgeous. Renders rarely ever do the cards justice.

To me gilded cards are the pinnacle of playing cards. It’s pretty obvious I like shiny things. I do wholeheartedly believe the decks look more beautiful, impress more and are more durable when gilded. And as I mentioned for a deck called “the Goldsmith” it makes more than enough sense.

TheGentlemanWake wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 11:41 am With this release Kevin and I have the goal of printing 1000 of each color way. The final price is tbd but closer to $40 than $45. As usual we are being meticulous with the production and no doubt these decks will be gorgeous. Renders rarely ever do the cards justice.

To me gilded cards are the pinnacle of playing cards. It’s pretty obvious I like shiny things. I do wholeheartedly believe the decks look more beautiful, impress more and are more durable when gilded. And as I mentioned for a deck called “the Goldsmith” it makes more than enough sense.

Gilding can be as much about artistic vision as it is about adding a level of luxury to an otherwise plain product (not that this would apply in this case). It matches perfectly with the theme of every deck you have had a hand in, and this one is no exception. Kevin came to the right man for the job when it comes to producing/promoting a custom luxury deck!

I will say this… I think it’s a misconception that every deck these days has a gilded version. Every time I show a non collector my gilded decks they always freak out and tell me how cool and fancy they are. It may be true of KS campaigns because I do think creators see it as a simple and easy way to add value and charge a bit more money. Often times simply gilding standard versions of the decks and call it a new edition. Even notable and respected creators like my friend Lorenzo G. Have done this (most recently with EOTOs gilded versions of the standard decks). But I’ve never added gilding to a deck as a singular differentiator from standard releases. The always include color way choices in the cards and tucks and even new tuck boxes and back designs. And you are right CourtCurator, in the case of TGW decks it’s always an artistic choice first, adding luxury second and whatever else in the periphery.

When the gilding is done right and you can faro and fan easily (as well as providing protection to the cards) it’s very, very nice

shunterino wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 6:55 am While it's perfectly fine for card manufacturers to gild decks if they want I have never associated it with luxury or better card preservation. It's just a tool to inflate prices by making something more shiny. Common practice in all sorts of products.

It's a fact though that the gilding process seals the paper fibres that become exposed after the cutting process and therefore protects them from humidity, mold and grime.
You're not wrong though either that it has been misused by some producers to crank up their margin.