The artist behind Albino Dragon's Playing Cards brings you a terrifying vision of the Cthulhu Mythos...The Writhing Dark.
"...And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark
Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark is a very special collaborative community project from Shane Tyree.
Working in conjunction with Shane on this project are:
- The amazing people at Chaosium Games who have officially licensed this product, making it the true successor to Shane's initial foray into the weird with the popular Cthulhu Mythos Playing Cards that he worked on in 2012.
- Special thanks to CUR3D for the remix.
Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark consists of three distinct offerings, each designed to bring fans of the 'Weird' together to combine imaginations and ideas and to create something truly unique.
The Writhing Dark: The Eldrich Tarot: The first of the three part project is a Tarot Deck, based off of the commonly used and recognizable Rider-Waite model. The Tarot Deck will feature 78 unique illustrations, iIncluding all 4 suits (Swords, Wands, Cups, Pentacles) as well as the Major Arcana. All of these illustrations will incorporate ideas from the community, and some may even incorporate members of the community themselves. With this deck you will feel as though the eldritch lore of the writhing dark is close to hand.
Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark from Bicycle: The second piece of the project is a Bicycle branded deck of traditional playing cards. These cards will feature some of the art from the Tarot deck, as well as some unique art for Aces and Court cards, taking into consideration feedback from the community. Initially the only difference in the editions is the tuck box. It would be great to have all original card artwork in both, however cost prohibits that from being an option right away. All of our cards are printed on the highest quality card stock in the world. Bicycle cards are prized by collectors and players for their quality.
The Writhing Dark: The last piece of this project is what makes it truly unique. In honor of NaNoWriMo we will be creating "The Writhing Dark Anthology". This anthology of short stories will be comprised entirely of submissions from our backer community. Our editor will assist with pairing down selections, and offering basic assistance, but in essence this will be your story. Your tribute to the weird, the horrific, and the unknown. Your 4-5,000 word contribution will be included if they are suitable (reasonably legible, make sense, and follow a horror/weird fiction theme) in an E-book. As the project progresses we will unlock illustrations, celebrity contributors, and other awesome upgrades to make The Writhing Dark as beautiful as it will be horrific. You must be a backer to contribute. The final product will be printed, bound, and interred in the Lovecraft collection. A lasting tribute to his legacy.
The Cards
Coins
Add - Ons
Stretch Rewards
What are stretch rewards? They are special items I can add on if we're fortunate enough to reach higher funding levels. The costs of these extras and cool things forces us to have to consider carefully what features to "stretch" for. This project will also be different in that there are rewards that are unlockable through our Alternate Reality Game. The details of which can be found in the FAQ, or Here.
Investigation Rewards:
Who is Shane Tyree?
An artist and illustrator with years of experience illustrating game products amongst other things. Shane has lent his work to companies such as Monte Cook Games, Fantasy Flight Games, Alderac Entertainment Group, Catalyst Game Labs, Wizards of the Coast, and more.
As the lead artist and creative force behind Albino Dragon LLC, Shane Tyree created some of the most successful playing card projects in Kickstarter history prior to leaving the company in Oct. 2013. Those projects include:
And now hopefully with your help, Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark.
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
As with every project, there is always the possibility of fire, death, or the frailties of the human condition interfering with manufacturing and shipping schedules. The purpose of this project remains firmly focused on bringing the product to our backers and maintain the trust that you place in us as supporters.
With only my wife and myself, if something happens to either of us, that will run the risk of impacting the project. So arrangements will be made to the best of our ability to plan for that eventuality with supporters, friends, and family.
Having been a part of a few successful Kickstarters previously, I have seen the inner workings of what it takes to make one successful. That said, this is my first solo attempt and accidents can happen. I can show that I demonstrably deliver where my direct work is concerned, however unforeseen events can and do sometimes affect the work of others tied to the project.
I am using the same vendors I have worked with previously. This gives me an excellent idea about their costs and turnaround time so that I have been able to plan accordingly.
FAQ
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Send your submissions to:
Use the title - Submission - in your subject bar.
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To be considered acceptable your entries should be:
**3-5 Thousand words long. (shorter entries will be considered such as poetry, haiku, etc)**
**Weird, Dark-Fi, Horror, or Dark Fantasy. No unicorns, lollipops, or friggin rainbows. To keep in the spirit of Lovecraft these stories should put an emphasis on the unknown and the bizarre. While not necessarily horror, they should definitely be disturbing.**
**Titled, credited, and formatted. We need to know who you are, and what you would like the story to be called. Please format the story in the following formats: .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .txt, .rtf**
**Not Hentai. There is a place for tentacle porn. This isn't it. Erotic fiction may be considered, out and out nasty or offensive fiction will be omitted.**
On the odd chance that your story is not accepted fear not, you will still be credited and we will include a link to your story if you'd like to host it online. Strong 'R' Rating maximum please.
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Susan Ferrara, our editor, has graciously offered to help you build your stories from scratch if you want some feedback. Instead of - Submission - in your email title, use the - outline - tag instead. That way she knows that you might need a little extra feedback.
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You will need to supply an image brief. A brief is a short summary of what you would like to see in your illustration. This is typically something related to the content of the story, but does not necessarily have to depict something from it. Once you have created the brief, email it to twdsubmissions@gmail.com with the title - Image Brief (Your Story Title Here) - in the Subject bar.
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All entries must be received by January 30th 2014.
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An ARG (Altered or Alternate Reality Game) is a game played in the real world using all manner of different media. Fake news articles, blog posts, social media accounts, just to name a few. They allow the players to immerse themselves through suspension of belief as they hunt for clues, or take part in fictional events.
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In that case dear investigator fear not. Simply email the Whateley House Service Desk for assistance. Our friendly staff will be there, 24/7 to assist you here: whateleyservicedesk@gmail.com
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Clues are like leaves. They move, then settle, and sometimes they are buried. But in this case, when you have found something of note. There will be a leaf present. Either textually, or perhaps hidden in an image.
Every investigation will reach a point where Mr. Constantine must become involved, or at least his surrogates. So that your progress can be tracked. Feel free to ask for help, and guidance. Just don't expect to always be given the truth. After all what fun would that be?
When you have found the goal of an investigation, it will bear a particular symbol. Always the same one, either hidden or plainly visible somewhere in the media in which it has been found. This will both tell the good people helping run the game that the objective has been uncovered (thus unlocking an investigatorial stretch goal) or tell you the date to be watching for The Chosen pledge level to become available.
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For this particular ARG all you need to do is reach out to the Mr. Weatherford Constantine. His email is as follows:
Express your interest in playing, and you will receive your instructions to begin.
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Every dollar helps. At this level you'll be able to see 'Backer Only' updates and comment on the page. You will not unfortunately be able to purchase add-ons at this level. However you will have my thanks.
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Early Bird - 1 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will also have your name in the anthology as a Novitiate in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. Early Birds also receive an autographed card for being my first supporters. ==Shipping within the US included==
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The Chosen. The machinery of the universe has unlocked the stars. Added on Midnight periodically throughout the project. If you are lucky enough to snag one of these levels as they become available, you get everything. Every item produced during this Kickstarter, for the cost of a single deck. Shipping anywhere in the world is included if you are among the chosen. You will also have your name listed in the Anthology as "The High Hallowed Chosen"
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2 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card decks. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as an Initiate in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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1 - Limited Edition Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as an Initiate in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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"The Heart of Darkness" - Black Friday Special You will receive, 1 Unlimited Deck, 1 Limited Deck, 1 Coin of your choice, and 2 6-sided dice. You will have your name in the anthology as an Enforcer in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. To be listed in the anthology you must also submit proof of mischief against a fellow human to twdblackfriday@gmail.com . You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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1 - The Writhing Dark: Eldritch Tarot deck. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as an Initiate in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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3 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card decks. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as an Initiate in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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1 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck. 1 - The Writhing Dark: Eldritch Tarot deck. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Member in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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2 - Limited Edition Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card decks. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Member in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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5 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card decks. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Member in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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1 - Limited Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck.1 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck. 1 - The Writhing Dark: Eldritch Tarot deck. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Member in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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Double Double - 2 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card decks. 2 - The Writhing Dark: Eldritch Tarot decks. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Member in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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1 - Brick of the Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing cards. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Master in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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ALL THE THINGS: 1 - Signed Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck. 1 - Signed Limited Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck. 1- The Writhing Dark: Eldritch Tarot deck. 1 - Unsigned Limited Call of Cthulhu:The Writhing Dark playing card deck. 3 - Unsigned Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card decks. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Master in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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To Become the Dark: Your likeness will be added to the Tarot and Playing card decks. You will join the ranks of those lost souls who have dared the Writhing Dark. You will also receive: An autographed print of the card bearing your likeness (18x24"), 2 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark playing card decks, and 1 signed Limited Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck. 1- The Writhing Dark: Eldritch Tarot deck. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Master in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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To Become the Dark: Your likeness will be added to the Tarot and Playing card decks. You will join the ranks of those lost souls who have dared the Writhing Dark. You will also receive: An autographed print of the card bearing your likeness (18x24"), 2 - Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark playing card decks, and 1 signed Limited Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing card deck. 1- The Writhing Dark: Eldritch Tarot deck. A PDF copy of "The Writhing Dark Anthology". You will have your name in the anthology as a Master in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. You will also receive any of the "Freebie" stretch rewards we unlock during the project. ==Shipping within the US included==
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Funding period
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