EMPIRE Playing Cards - Now available again on Kings & Crooks

[Bikefanatic]

They're sold out but $50 isn't bad. I got it for $35 back then before it became a rarity.

[Mike Ratledge]

They're sold out but $50 isn't bad. I got it for $35 back then before it became a rarity.

Well, those have been waiting for 3 1/2 years (they came out in late 2013) and he's getting a total of $5000 for those 100 decks. I have no problem with that at all, and frankly I think it's just smart business. Lee has always been totally up front with us all, especially about the issues with the Warrior Armour (card clip) - which is likely going to beat him now that the production facilities are insisting that he has to make five times as many as he wants (and needs) to get them to market.

Not his fault, the original maker was just fine with doing 1000 of them. Of course you can argue that he has let it slide too long, the problem I have there is that it's still not his fault - at all. He went by the OG maker's quote, willingness and capabilities - and now he's got a mess. Unfortunately he's "caught between a rock and a hard spot", since it's way too late for him to refund purchases. Lee is a good man, always has been, and he - like many other artists - depend on these manufacturers to shoot him straight.

[Bikefanatic]

They're sold out but $50 isn't bad. I got it for $35 back then before it became a rarity.

Well, those have been waiting for 3 1/2 years (they came out in late 2013) and he's getting a total of $5000 for those 100 decks. I have no problem with that at all, and frankly I think it's just smart business. Lee has always been totally up front with us all, especially about the issues with the Warrior Armour (card clip) - which is likely going to beat him now that the production facilities are insisting that he has to make five times as many as he wants (and needs) to get them to market.

Not his fault, the original maker was just fine with doing 1000 of them. Of course you can argue that he has let it slide too long, the problem I have there is that it's still not his fault - at all. He went by the OG maker's quote, willingness and capabilities - and now he's got a mess. Unfortunately he's "caught between a rock and a hard spot", since it's way too late for him to refund purchases. Lee is a good man, always has been, and he - like many other artists - depend on these manufacturers to shoot him straight.

I think he always offered a refund or an equivalent of the Warrior clip. I got two Black decks instead. I would've got the Warrior clip anyway if produced in the future.

[Mike Ratledge]

Well, those have been waiting for 3 1/2 years (they came out in late 2013) and he's getting a total of $5000 for those 100 decks. I have no problem with that at all, and frankly I think it's just smart business. Lee has always been totally up front with us all, especially about the issues with the Warrior Armour (card clip) - which is likely going to beat him now that the production facilities are insisting that he has to make five times as many as he wants (and needs) to get them to market.

Not his fault, the original maker was just fine with doing 1000 of them. Of course you can argue that he has let it slide too long, the problem I have there is that it's still not his fault - at all. He went by the OG maker's quote, willingness and capabilities - and now he's got a mess. Unfortunately he's "caught between a rock and a hard spot", since it's way too late for him to refund purchases. Lee is a good man, always has been, and he - like many other artists - depend on these manufacturers to shoot him straight.

I think he always offered a refund or an equivalent of the Warrior clip. I got two Black decks instead. I would've got the Warrior clip anyway if produced in the future.

True, he has - I failed to point that out, and he has consistently allowed people to take that type deal instead (replacing the amount paid for Armour with decks instead of waiting). All around handled very well, in spite of the fact that he has been knocked down at every turn.

[Pablo393]

Lee has relaunched his website with 100 Empire decks available at cheaper prices then recent ebay prices but still a good chunk of cash. If you missed out here's your chance

https://www.kingsandcrooks.com/products ... ying-cards

Lee just put up another 100 decks from his private reserve. $50 each. Cheaper than ebay if you missed out on these and have been looking to add them to your collection.

[vasta41]

The cheapest one on ebay is around $100 and Lee is selling them for $50. Good for him but I can't pull the trigger.

[Bradius]

I was reading the first comments on this thread when the deck was first on sale for $15-$13 per deck. “Love the deck, but too expensive. Pass.” Lol. I wonder what you all think of them now at $50? I have an opened deck, so picked up an unopened deck.

69 decks left.

[Decknowledgy]

Beyond the timeline before I was into cards, so is this worth the $50 or is it a bit overpriced?

[Bradius]

I am not sure, but here is the only one I could find on ebay right now for $159, which is probably over-priced. 36 still available or 29 hours, whichever comes first. tick..tick...tick Not cheap, that is for sure.

[Decknowledgy]

I am not sure, but here is the only one I could find on ebay right now for $159, which is probably over-priced. 36 still available or 29 hours, whichever comes first. tick..tick...tick Not cheap, that is for sure.

Pretty likely a pass for me anyways

[Pablo393]

If you do a less specific ebay search (empire playing cards) there are others for sale. The two lowest are for $110 and $99.99

So, $50 is definitely a great deal, by comparison, if you are looking to pick one up.

[Bradius]

It is also a ton cheaper than anything I could find listed on our sell/trade section. I would say it is a very good deal.

[Decknowledgy]

Normally for a deck with that price, I would expect a semi-Lotrek artwork or gilded Jacksons, but I went on to check the artwork and decided I'd rather stick with Nicolai's Ragnarok/Helheim design. However, I dig the latest Outlaws deck.

[rousselle]

The original Empire deck was okay. The full bleed on the court indices meant that they were somewhat marked if you could see the edges, and that left me disappointed when I first received mine. I haven't opened them since, except to compare them to later editions.

Lee is a very good designer, and I'd love to see him continue to develop his craft. If I recall correctly, he was one of the principle designers of Ellusionist's Arcane decks, which were really quite stunning in their day. Although later Empire decks didn't contain the same mistake with the full bleed marking that the red edition did, I'm not seeing a lot of development in his style. Perhaps that's because he is spending less time on this craft than my favorite designers (which is not a knock; the demands of the day job can be quite distracting). Don't get me wrong, his work is very good, but you had asked if this deck is worth Lotrek-high prices. Clearly, they are for some people -- but, no, not for me.

I do not buy cards with the intention of selling them later, although I often buy *extra* decks of cards I am going to buy anyway, with the intention of lowering the per-deck price and selling the extras at some point or using them as trade bait. If the going rate of the Red Empires is $100 per deck, I'll be selling off my unopened ones sometime soon (or maybe using them to trade for other decks). Not because they are bad, but because I could use that money to pick up other decks that I want more.

Your mileage may vary.