Kickstarter

See Update #2 for rewards update.
$20 gets 2 decks total, limited to 100 rewards.
$35 gets 3 decks total plus poster.
$75 gets 4 decks total plus posters.

See Update #4 for International Shipping update.
Additional International Shipping Costs
Quantity           Can/Mex     Int.
2-9 Decks               $3          $10
16 Decks                $9          $30
45 Decks              $12          $45
90-100 Decks       $18          $60

Hello Kickstarters,

First of all, I know this is a hard sell project because the goal for this type of project is high and the delivery date is far off. Both of these issues are due to the production process and I am at the mercy of it. However the final product will be of the highest quality and I am not willing to compromise on this. These are 100% plastic cards which cost much more to produce than plastic coated paper and have a much longer lifespan. I could have a cheaper product printed sooner, but I would not want that type of product to represent myself and my business. Once the goal is met I will sign a contract with the manufacturer. From there it will take 4-5 months to deliver the product. Please keep this in mind when making a pledge. I don't want to mislead anyone. There is a long wait for these, which I also have to endure. In advance, I thank all of you who understand the value and price of a plastic deck over paper decks. If you have ever played cards with Bicycle Prestige you will know why these cards carry a higher price tag.

This will be my first of potentially many projects I hope to throw at you guys. All of these future projects will relate to a common, long-term goal, which is to open my own pool hall. I've wanted to help change the image pool halls carry for a long time because I love the game of pool, billiards, snooker and the like and I feel it hasn't gotten a fair shake in the past.

I lack the start-up capital I need to open the parlor and decided to start selling the custom retail items conceived for sale in the pro shop before the pro shop actually exists. I hope this will help me build the capital I need to eventually open some physical doors on my pool hall and its pro shop.

This first project is a simple deck of cards. I want to have them printed on plastic, as most of the finer decks of cards are these days. I have been running my designs, along with the card qualities and styles through a focus group of nearly 60 friends, family members and coworkers for months now. I have settled on a manufacturer and I have finally come to the point where I think I can post my design here to gauge your interest and possibly obtain funding.

A minimum quantity of plastic decks is required by the printer. I have five different colored decks I'd like to print. Unfortunately, due to the cost, I can print only one color at a time at the minimum quantity. I would like to offer the option of combo sets of two different colors, but I will be unable to do so unless my Kickstarter goal amount doubles (admittedly unlikely). If there is enough interest in the set and I do reach twice my goal, I will print both of my initial colors of black and gold. Otherwise, I will print only the black, and everyone who pledges amounts enough to receive the multi-deck rewards will receive black decks. I apologize in advance for this, should it happen, but if you'd like to get a multi-colored combo set, I ask you to tell as many people as you can about the decks and help me get my goal doubled. If we get there, I will be more than happy to make every multi-deck reward a multi-color combo.

The other (3-4) colors will eventually come if I reach my initial or doubled goal. I will start the print runs of the other colors after I sell the majority of the first run(s). I will be back here to ask your help again in bringing those new colored decks to market. The other colors will be red, green and blue. Currently, black and gold will be the first two colors offered in a combo due to the contrast between the two when both decks are in play at the same table. The next favorite color is green, followed by blue and red respectively. The gold deck is a very nice contrast to all of the other colors, which is also why I am printing that one on the second print run. 

This pic shows the colors of the decks, what the numbered cards will look like and the face cards I have finished (all numbered cards are done). I will update a link to the high resolution, 3D rendered images for the faces as soon as I finish them. Please be advised the colors of the decks are a bit deeper than this picture illustrates. In a physical Pantone color book the PMS colors are Black, 457 Gold, 357 Green, 280 Blue and 1815 Red.

About this deck:
This deck will be printed by the United States Playing Card Company on their Prestige card stock which is 100% plastic with a very nice paper feel. These cards are fantastic to play with. I buy these cards exclusively for my poker games. You can find them at certain drug stores, but not everywhere. These cards will have a much longer life of play, crazy durability, and added security from marking over the paper cards. They will clean up from, and survive any reasonable liquid spill or mark from food or other dirt from usual handling or play. A simple wash down with a damp cloth will remove almost any dirt or smudge from food or grease.

I designed this deck of cards to suit the style and services of my future pool hall. I will obviously have pool tables, but I will also have dart board alleys and will host poker tournaments there, if possible. I will also have a pro shop which will provide accessories for billiards, darts and poker. The backs of the decks will illustrate this by incorporating elements of this trio of activities which I affectionately call the "Theatre of Misspent Youth." You will notice some recognizable things in the design right away and other details will show themselves upon further study.

The numbered and pictured faces of all of the cards in the deck will have a slightly rotated, 2-card look to them. I did this to simulate two cards on top of each other. Each of the suits' corner icons/pips is revealed in negative space instead of the traditional manner. I originally wanted to market these to the Hold 'Em playing community, so I designed them this way. When I realized how expensive it was to print them I figured I would have to open it up to everyone. I knew I couldn't do it without help from early orders or investors. Someone introduced me to Kickstarter, so I figured I would give it a shot. I think my design is unique, but not overly eccentric so that it cannot be accepted and used in almost any card game.

The face cards have stayed as true to an original deck of cards as possible with some creative license invoked. All faces which were holding swords, lances/staffs or axes will now be holding darts, pool cues and bridge cues respectively. If the swords were pointing up, the darts will be also. Pointing down on the original, down on the new design. One eyed faces will be in profile. Two eyed faces will be facing you. Two of the jacks will have mustaches, as will three kings. All of the kings will have beards. These are things that may go unnoticed by the average card player, but I wanted this deck to be used comfortably by anyone who has played cards before and uses their own slang for naming cards. Some people call the King of Diamonds "The Man with the Axe". K of H - "Suicide King." I've played poker with people who have called "Beards," which means Kings are wild. I've played with others who called "No Mo Wild" meaning the J of D, J of C and the K of H are wild because they have no mustaches, (I believe the Aussies call mustaches "mo's"). I just wanted these cards to fit everyone comfortably in any game they play, with very little compromise, but still be unique. I am still designing 4 of the face cards - KD, JH, QH AND KH. I will provide updates as I finish them up.

I put a lot of time and thought into the design of these cards (and all of my potential pool hall products and services) because I planned for them to reflect and promote my business' image. Now I can only hope that it helps to actually create my business' image along with helping to realize my goal of a physical space. With help from Kickstarter and its community I have a renewed spirit for bringing this dream, which has been financially out of reach for me and seemed likely never to happen, to life again.

I thank you all in advance for any support and/or pledge you can offer. My dream is also far greater than what the idea of a pool hall brings to mind. I just cannot reveal it all here because of the fear I have of losing my dream and my ideas to someone with the financial means to bring it all to fruition at one time. If my ultimate billiard parlor goal ever comes to fruition, I think you will all understand what an original idea mine is and how we can all help to change the poor image that billiard parlors and pool halls carry.

Wish us luck.

Thank you.

Chuck

P.S. I will record and save the names of every single backer of this and all future projects. Should my pool hall ever come to be I will etch every name into ceramic tiles that will adorn as many walls as necessary inside my pool hall as a permanent exhibition of my gratitude. I want you all to know you will be a fixture of this business-to-be.