Kickstarter: Legends of the Four Kingdoms by Legends Playing Card Co.

If nothing else Legends Playing Card Company has shown its willingness to push the envelope and try different things with its designs and production, they’ve never been one to shy away from things that were said to be not possible or a slight challenge presented by designers in house or otherwise.

Today, LPCC is jumping into new territory once again, but this time it’s not just about card stock or finishes, this time it’s a complete standalone card game, not only that, but being produced on a Bridge size deck as well. The project is Legends of Four Kingdoms, a playing card strategy game based on an ancient Italian card game, but now with a bit of modernization. Four Kingdoms features a 40 card deck complete with custom artwork on every card and produced on a variation of the Classic Finish to help the handling for its more specific use.

I have to admit when Lawrence first mentioned the Bridge sized project I was intrigued but had my reservations as well. But one has to keep an open mind with things, so I patiently waited to see for myself. When I received the decks, well, without getting into the game itself, the deck is cool as hell. It has all those details and design you would expect from a Legends deck, but in a compact package. The tuck has a beautiful color pallet and nice gold foil accents that lend to the theme of the game really well. The tuck also features a “Flip Cover” opening with a small tab closure, on the inside of the flap you’ll find a glimpse of the card art as well as some gold script which reads “Legends of Four Kingdoms – Welcome to the most addictive strategy game of all time” 

There were a lot of questions running through my head while looking at this offering, so what better place for answers than from the source itself, Lawrence Sullivan.

What inspired Legends to go the direction of a standalone card game?
I was approached by a friend who loves card games, which was the perfect opportunity to collaborate and create custom packaging that really makes the game stand out!

You mentioned the game was inspired by an ancient Italian card game, how important was it to find the right game mechanics for Four Kingdoms?
Very. The challenge was to maintain the traditional and strategic qualities of the game while making it dynamic and intelligible. On top of this we had to fit it into a solid storyline so that every play makes sense in terms of the four kingdoms war.

Why the decision to print Four Kingdoms as a Bridge Sized deck?
Bridge cards are a close match in size to Italian game cards. Compact and easy to pocket, we also printed some special test cards alongside this deck, that you can pledge for in the higher reward tiers!

What can people expect from the game itself?
A lot of fun game play and compelling artwork right from the start, and as you progress you learn new strategies to increase your skill. L4K is a game of odds in terms of the chances that your opponent has a card that can do the most damage in relation to the one you want to play.
Advanced players can keep track of the game, how many cards are still in the deck, how many leading kingdom soldiers have already been played, and so on. This information will help players form a more complete strategy.

Will there be an expansion into this genre for Legends, whether it’s other games or expansions on existing ones?
Right now L4K is planned as a single and quite limited release of around 1,300 decks available. Depending on demand, we may release further editions down the road, and we are absolutely planning to experiment with new games and packaging design!

What do you hope people take away from the Four Kingdoms project?
Legends of Four Kingdoms wants to be a fun way to connect with people. In addition to being a collectors deck, it provides an interactive experience you can share with friends or random people you meet when travelling. At LEGENDS, we love playing cards, and strive to create the highest quality decks in the world, and L4K is a fantastic opportunity to experiment with new ideas that we think our customers will enjoy.

Legends of Four Kingdoms is now LIVE on Kickstarter so if you’re a fan of card games or looking for something unique for your collection, be sure to check out this very cool release from Legends Playing Cards.

We want to thank Lawrence Sullivan for the opportunity to bring Four Kingdoms to our readers, it’s a real honor and we can’t wait to see what else will be coming from Legends in the near future.

You can also check out all of Legends Playing Card Companies previous custom playing card releases on their Official Website.