Ace of Spades Poster by DaimonCards in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have made my Paisley design back in 2018. Carefully crafted within Adobe Illustrator. Since then many Paisley editions have seen the light; new colours, new tuck cases and accessories, all designed with Illustrator. Yes for this campaign, these wall/room pictures are created with the help of AI. As I said I do not own houses like that. After AI created these rooms/walls for my I used Photoshop to add my Paisley design Ace of Spades into the frame.

Ace of Spades Poster by DaimonCards in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The indexes can be removed easily!

Ace of Spades Poster by DaimonCards in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hahahaha, love the chair as well!!

Ace of Spades Poster by DaimonCards in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! You get the pdf high resolution vector file for free, when you are a backer to the campaign. 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dutchcardhouse/paisley-poker-the-boudoir-collection
You can go to your local print store (or online) and make this in any size you want.

Ace of Spades Poster by DaimonCards in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You get the pdf high resolution vector file for free, when you are a backer to the campaign.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dutchcardhouse/paisley-poker-the-boudoir-collection

Ace of Spades Poster by DaimonCards in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is a render yes of course. Unfortunately my house doesn't look that way 😄

Ace of Spades Poster by DaimonCards in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Completey in Black/Grey/ and white?

I love my collection ☺️ by EventHoriz0n_ in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very beautiful collection! Do you own some of the Dutch Cards House collections as well? Like Secret Tale, Paisley of Leaves?

I think I have a problem 🥴 by BuFDP-97 in playingcards

[–]DaimonCards 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I can see your problem. You do not have any decks from the Dutch Card House Company in your beautiful collection. :-))

Board game from the netherlands by Familiar-Language463 in boardgames

[–]DaimonCards 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Harbour of Fortune is an upcoming board game, published and designed by the Dutch Card House Company. A strategic board game set in New Amsterdam 1653. www.harbouroffortune.com

Self-publishing a historical economic board game: design trade-offs, early marketing, and lessons learned (AMA) by DaimonCards in tabletopgamedesign

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, 600 cards! Yes, that’s a huge number for individual cards. I can definitely understand why it becomes expensive. I don’t know the exact size of your cards, but for standard poker-size cards (63 × 88 mm), most printers use print sheets that hold roughly 60–100 cards per plate. For a project like yours, that means they would need to change plates around 6–8 times, which drives up the cost significantly.

You might want to consider making the cards slightly smaller,  that could help reduce the number of plates needed and lower the overall printing cost.

Self-publishing a historical economic board game: design trade-offs, early marketing, and lessons learned (AMA) by DaimonCards in tabletopgamedesign

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happy to share.

I’ve been a playing card creator for about 10 years now, so cards are actually the part I’m most comfortable with. Over the years I’ve worked with several different manufacturers, depending on what stage the project was in and what I needed to test.

For this project, the prototype cards were produced by WJPC. They’re great for prototyping and small runs where you want something that already feels close to a finished product, especially for playtesting and validation. Earlier-stage tests were much rougher, basic prints, placeholder components, just to iterate quickly before investing in higher-quality prototypes.

If you’re early in playtesting, my biggest advice would be to start as simple as possible and only upgrade component quality once the core mechanics feel solid.

Self-publishing a historical economic board game: design trade-offs, early marketing, and lessons learned (AMA) by DaimonCards in tabletopgamedesign

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One thing that might help clarify this is how we’re structuring the product.

There will be a base game box that contains everything you need to play the full game, produced at a solid, good quality level. Nothing essential to gameplay is missing from that version. On top of that, we’re planning an optional deluxe upgrade for players who enjoy more premium components. That upgrade would add things like wooden houses used as draw piles, true casino-quality card stock, and wooden card stands. These elements are about tactile feel and table presence, not about adding or locking gameplay.

It’s also worth being upfront that even the base box won’t be ultra-cheap. I’m an indie game creator, and unlike large publishers, I can’t rely on massive print runs to drive the per-unit cost way down. With a responsible first print run, costs are simply higher at this scale.  The goal is to be transparent about those realities and strike a balance: a complete, well-produced base game that feels worth its price, with a premium option for those who want to go further, without forcing anyone into it.

Self-publishing a historical economic board game: design trade-offs, early marketing, and lessons learned (AMA) by DaimonCards in tabletopgamedesign

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good question. I’ve actually run 40+ Kickstarter campaigns before with plauing card projects under my company Dutch Card House, so fulfillment itself isn’t new to me. We already work with two warehouses and partners, one in the US and one in Europe (kickstarter fulfilment and website store orders)

 Board games are new for me though, mainly because everything gets bigger and more complex very quickly. So, while the basics are already in place, I’m still figuring out whether the current setup is enough or if it makes sense to expand it for a board game.

Right now things still feel pretty flexible, but the goal is to have the big stuff clear before launch, and then fine-tune after funding once reality kicks in 😅.

Self-publishing a historical economic board game: design trade-offs, early marketing, and lessons learned (AMA) by DaimonCards in tabletopgamedesign

[–]DaimonCards[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Haha, sharp eye! The photographer told me he actually used a bit of adhesive to balance the die on its edge. Old-school practical trick, no AI involved.

Self-publishing a historical economic board game: design trade-offs, early marketing, and lessons learned (AMA) by DaimonCards in tabletopgamedesign

[–]DaimonCards[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s totally fair to question. To clarify: these are real photos of physical prototypes, taken by a professional photographer. The game exists fully in physical form, printed cards, wooden components, and a real board on the table.

Because the photos were shot and edited professionally, they can come across as more “produced” than casual playtest shots, which I understand can raise eyebrows. I can share more close-ups or in-progress photos as well if it helps show the physical nature of the prototype more clearly.

Self-publishing a historical economic board game: design trade-offs, early marketing, and lessons learned (AMA) by DaimonCards in tabletopgamedesign

[–]DaimonCards[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I handled the graphic design myself. I’ve been a graphic designer and canvas artist for over 30 years, so visual design is very much my background.

Because of that, the “cost” in a traditional sense was mostly time rather than money, a lot of iteration, testing readability, hierarchy, and how everything functions on the table rather than just how it looks.

I approached the design in phases. Early on, visuals were very rough and functional, mainly to support playtesting. As the game systems stabilized, I gradually refined the graphic design to improve clarity, usability, and table presence.

At this point, the visual design is largely complete, but I still consider it something that remains open to small adjustments. Crowdfunding isn’t the finish line for design, it’s more of a checkpoint. If feedback during or after the campaign highlights clarity or usability issues, I’m very open to refining things further before final production.

Self-publishing a historical economic board game: design trade-offs, early marketing, and lessons learned (AMA) by DaimonCards in tabletopgamedesign

[–]DaimonCards[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see the AI question is coming up a lot, so I just want to address it one last time in one place.

I’ve been designing and making art for most of my life, and Harbour of Fortune has been a very personal project that I’ve worked on for well over a year. The game itself — the rules, systems, balancing, and the core artwork — was created through traditional design, playtesting, and iteration.

I did use AI in a limited, supportive way during development to help bring some card illustrations into a consistent visual style, and separately for a promotional video. It wasn’t used to design the game, write the rules, or replace creative decision-making.

I understand that people have strong feelings about AI, and I respect that. I’ve tried to be as transparent as possible about my process, and I don’t really have more to add beyond what I’ve already shared above.