The creators of Wolves & Crows Playing Cards, Misery Dev, has smashed its funding goal of £6,500 on Kickstarter. The Wolves & Crows of Chernobyl are those who dare to put their own existence at great risk by venturing deep into the Exclusion Zone in the search for valuable artifacts.
Wolves & Crows are meant as a spiritual tribute to the fictional universe of the Ukrainian video game series called ‘S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’ that serve for poker purposes but also as memorial artifacts and collector’s item for everyone who is a fan of the franchise. According to Marianne Larsen, who is helping Misery Dev with the Kickstarter campaign,
A S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-inspired deck was an obvious choice for us, as passionate urban explorers. Every abandoned location tells a story and carries a whisper that draws us. Some locations are shrouded in mystery, while others have been abandoned due to disasters such as the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Our activities and projects serve to keep our minds fresh of the people affected by the tragedy. With the Wolves and Crows playing cards it is our ambition to release a product that is a lot more than simply poker playing cards.
There are 2 decks on offer during the Kickstarter campaign. The Wolves edition has a slight golden color scheme with iconic rail tracks on the tuck box. Meanwhile, the Crows edition has a cool grey color scheme with the iconic Pripyat Ferris wheel on the tuck box.
Inside, the deck if fully custom, the pips and indexes are illustrated in a classic, 2-way design with a special Chernobyl font. Illustrated by hand, the courts are portrayed as daring, male survivors and explorers.
The aces are designed with a classical layout of a centered, large pip showing for each suit in large format. The two editions have a difference in the overall background tone, but with identical layouts.
Both editions of Wolves & Crows come with an embossed tuck box, with metallic copper foil and sealed with a uniquely numbered stamp. Printed by NPCC and pledge starts at £11 (USD$14) on Kickstarter. Add-ons such as brick box, half-brick box, and dealer coin are available.
