steampunkgoggles.com begins steampunk playing cards Kickstarter campaign

Cards packaging

by Jenelle Sosa for steampunkgoggles.com

Steampunkgoggles.com is proving that they’re more than just about goggles with a Kickstarter campaign to create a deck of Steampunk Playing cards, and some pretty sweet rewards for helping to support the project!

The website (created by cosplay supporter and marketing guru Dennis Consorte) has always sought to provide the Steampunk community with high quality goggles from the best Steampunk goggle artists in the business. After developing relationships with artists and Steampunk fans alike Consorte decided he wanted to go further in building a sense of community and so Steampunk Goggles: The Deck was born.

Ace of Hearts

First and foremost Consorte wanted to pay tribute to the goggle artists who had been creating the amazing works of art featured on the site. His vision was have each of the face cards in the deck wearing a different pair of goggles from one of four artists. With the help of Jenelle Sosa, SteampunkGoggle’s Editor and herself an avid cosplay enthusiast, Consorte set about assigning each artist to a suit. Sosa divided the four suits into four main Steampunk archetypes and then placed each artist in the suit that best matched their goggle style. The final pairings were, The Industrials (Spades) with goggles by Mac McGowan, The Aviators (Clubs) with goggles by Han Meier, The Lovers and Rogues (Hearts) with goggles by Graham and Stacy Faye Dehuff, and The Gliterati (Diamonds) with goggles by Debbie Rounds.

Consorte knew that the artwork was a top priority to be able to do justice to the goggles, and so he connected with Mike Lees, an artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Mike’s limited use of computer rendering and emphasis on hand drawn images made him the perfect candidate for the project. Consorte, Sosa, and Lees had several brainstorming sessions and within a matter of days Lees had come up with prototypes for five different cards.

The final piece of the puzzle was the Steampunk community at large. To create a deck of cards featuring Steampunk lovers, by Steampunk lovers, for Steampunk lovers Consorte wanted to give people a hand in its creation, and so a Kickstarter campaign was born! In addition to funding Consorte asked the Steampunk community for feedback, and backers were very eager to weigh in. Many ideas were incorporated and new ideas sprang up until the deck truly became the community project Consorte had envisioned. The response was overwhelming, with over a hundred responses left on the Kickstarter page as well as SteampunkGoggles’s social media sites. Word spread not only through the Steampunk community but also to playing card collectors, poker enthusiasts, magicians, and even the local news.

With 20 days to go the Kickstarter has reached half its goal and needs the continued support of people who want to see this deck come to life. Supporting the deck supports the work of many talented artists, but Consorte has ensured that the rewards for pledging to the project are more than just his thanks. Pledge rewards range from a collectible, limited edition, Bicycle-branded deck (the first 1000 LE decks are signed by the artist), all the way to the chance to be a part of the deck as one of the face cards illustrated by Lees. Special items such as dice and the goggles featured in the illustrations are also available as add-ons.

Support This Amazing Project and Get a Limited Edition Deck Here!