The Secret Tale of King Arthur is a set of luxurious playing cards by the Dutch Card House Company currently funding on Kickstarter. The deck is the first in the brand new Secret Tale Playing Cards series with stories about legends that have never been told before.
We are all familiar with the Arthurian Legend of the young son of King Uther Pendragon, raised and educated by the sorcerer Merlin, who ascends to the throne of Great Britain after drawing the magical sword, Excalibur, from a sacred stone. But what if there was another story-a secret story-that told even more about Arthur’s fate?
That is the story the deck explores. The absolutely fascinating storyline and concept idea by Jannieke van Geet and beautiful narrative by Elizabeth Romeril.
The deck showcases old folk art combined with antique colors from the Middle Ages makes these decks of cards the perfect stage for the Secret Tale of King Arthur: ‘Merlins Confession’. The artwork is detailed with a clean modern design on the back, faces, and tuck case.
The card back features the keyhole that enters the cabinet where Merlin has hidden his admission to keep it a secret. It is richly designed with details from this Secret Tale of King Arthur. The custom courts are the main characters of this Arthurian story. Some already legendary and some hidden for centuries, from King Arthur, Lady of the Lake to Merlin, Lady Morgause, and Lancelot.
The Ace of Spades plays an important role in the narrative, showing a little peek at Camelot. The custom pips have been redesigned and some are arranged in non-traditional order.
For tuck box repeats the keyhole design element from the card backs, giving a sense of mystery and intrigue. Three colorways are available during the Kickstarter campaign- the Black and White Knight and a standard Blue Casino deck.
A beautifully designed deck suitable for every Arthurian legend-lover and Cardician. Also available is the booklet with the back story, Merlin’s Confession, the court-card illustrations, along with some background information of each character.
Printed by Cartamundi and available for $14 on Kickstarter now.
