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Pipmen: World - a real World First! (Funded on KS)

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:48 am
by Fud
Hi Everyone,

I have waited to make this post for almost 3 years. This project is the culmination of literally everything that EPC has made so far - everything we have done has been an experiment towards or a tangent of this...

It is with great excitement that I present to you: Pipmen World!
flashcards wrote:
Now, you are probably thinking: "Another Pipmen deck, you made one of them already (3, actually), what makes this so special? Why is this a world first?"

Well, this deck is not an ordinary deck. It has a secret, something that no other deck in the world has. It is this secret that makes Pipmen World incredible, and I can't wait to share it with you! Rouselle and ecNate guessed it first - Pipmen World is made up of awesome self-contained scenes which join together to form a giant scene - a picture of the Pipmen's World!

As we go continually spoil this deck, the uncut sheet below will be updated. I have made the card borders transparent so you can see all the detail that goes into these cards (including hidden detail in the card borders). Make sure to click the picture for a larger res version!

Image

The campaign preview page is now up (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/58 ... n=e2c93a92" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), so make sure to check it out for every little detail, including the following:

Image

Here are some pre-promo cards to get you in the mood.
2oS (Small).png
2oS (Small).png (440.39 KiB) Viewed 3729 times
AoH cropped (Medium)2 (Small).png
AoH cropped (Medium)2 (Small).png (455.91 KiB) Viewed 3729 times
20D (Small).png
Pipmen world will be launching on Kickstarter on February 14th! Check out the preview page for all the details: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/58 ... n=e2c93a92" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EARLYBIRD PRICING will be available for the first 18 hours! This covers the most popular 3 rewards: 1 Pipmen world deck, 1 world and 1 collectors deck and 1 world, 1 collectors and 1 uncut sheet. Make sure to get in on the first day for the best deal. The 2 decks + 1 uncut is only $53 including shipping - that is SUPER CHEAP of decks + an uncut! Don't miss out :)

Pipmen world goes live February 14th, 4pm UTC, 8am PST, 11am EST. Make sure to get in on the first day for the best Earlybird deals!

Ben

(This thread was originally created by ecNate.)

Re: Pipmen v2 - Feb 2017

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:58 am
by Räpylätassu
I wasn't a huge fan of the original Pipmen deck, but this one looks pretty sweet.

Re: Pipmen v2 - Feb 2017

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 2:00 pm
by rousselle
Whereas, I did/do like the original Pipmen. Color me intrigued by this one. :-)

Re: Pipmen v2 - Feb 2017

Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 2:18 pm
by RichK
rousselle wrote:Whereas, I did/do like the original Pipmen. Color me intrigued by this one. :-)
+1. First Pipmen a fun way to play around with the pips. This looks much more intricate in design.

Re: Pipmen v2 - Feb 2017

Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 5:16 pm
by Azid
RichK wrote:
rousselle wrote:Whereas, I did/do like the original Pipmen. Color me intrigued by this one. :-)
+1. First Pipmen a fun way to play around with the pips. This looks much more intricate in design.
+2 New Pipmen Image

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 4:45 pm
by Fud
Hi everyone,

Just letting you know that ECNate has handed over this thread to me for a progressive reveal, *hopefully* the likes of which you have never seen before :)

To start with, here is the last of the pre-promo card pics before we get into the spoilers proper, the 2 of Diamonds:
20D (Small).png

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 12:16 am
by LouCipherr
Loved the first Pipmen decks, and am definitely on board with these. :mrgreen:

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 12:46 am
by ecNate
This is at the top of my must buys for 2017, of which there will be but a few.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:37 pm
by MagikFingerz
I like Pipmen, but the whole "colorful graphics with a jarring white indices-background" just isn't doing it for me. But I guess there are few other ways that would work with graphics like these, so I can't really propose a better alternative.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 11:28 am
by jsantafe
Or... NO INDICES at all! That's bold, that gives room to more awesomeness and Pipmenness.

I know it's not canon, but just sometimes... Like getting back to prior triplicates and saladees and squeezers.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 1:45 pm
by ecNate
Well considering he's probably doing a collage like grand design, where all the cards make up part of a larger image most likely which resembles the back (that's my official submission into the never been done - although I would argue the Escape Map already did something similar) it may be needed. Looking at the colors and design of the back seems to show that the cards shown so far could slip into position and match somewhat.

However, if I'm wrong then I would much prefer going back to the black/red on plain white look most of the original Pipmen deck had. Although I'm in either way!

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 3:44 pm
by JuFiN
I dunno about matching the card back but I really hope the big collage idea is correct that would be dope. Could you make it in such a way that uncut sheets show the image correctly? That would be amazing.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 2:56 am
by hblaizek
I notice the AoH and the 2oH are both quite 'cosmic'.

Perhaps several scenes made up from the deck!

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:50 am
by ecNate
I suppose another way to look at it might be an ongoing story, like a comic strip, one per suit. That would explain the non white back and how the images seem to extend off the edge of the card because it's meant to be continued with another card next to it.

Although I still think it's possible that they form more of a poster structure with the card back as a guide, especially with the colors used in the mountain and the dark in the middle. However, this wouldn't be a direct pixel by pixel match.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 8:15 pm
by shaitani
My suspicion is a combination of the two things mentioned here, that it's one giant comic, and where 4 different themes are connecting the 4 corners of this PipWorld.
It seems like too much of a coincidence that the AoH and 2oH are space themed.
So my guess so far is that that the Hearts showcase the space-themed part of this world, the Diamond is probably Earth-themed, the Spades would be something like Sky and Mountains, the Clubs would be Sea and Water (the pipes in the 4oC is a slight stretch, but plumbing could follow that theme).

The back seems to support that theory, since each of the 3 visible sides focuses on one of those: Sky/Mountain, Earth, Sea/Water. My guess is that Space appears on the other side that we can't see yet.

Cool idea, I feel like its success will be determined by the picture of this world that comes together with all the faces, and we'll be able to tell how it's laid out once we see some more of them.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 8:54 pm
by Fud
I love the interest, and am intrigued by your theories!

Let's start getting some more out onto the table. 3 you have already seen and 1 new one...
2oS and D (Small).png
2oS and D (Small).png (414.69 KiB) Viewed 3276 times
AoH and C (Small).png
AoH and C (Small).png (489.39 KiB) Viewed 3276 times
MagikFingerz wrote:I like Pipmen, but the whole "colorful graphics with a jarring white indices-background" just isn't doing it for me. But I guess there are few other ways that would work with graphics like these, so I can't really propose a better alternative.
I agree - I prefer the white-backed Pipmen designs - much neater. Unfortunately it just wouldn't work with this project.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:04 pm
by shermjack
Very much looking forward to this deck release...all I know is that there better be uncuts available! :ugdance:

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First! (wap)

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:39 pm
by Cbkimble
I would like to see the rest of this deck as well.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 1:23 pm
by RichK
It's the highs and lows the Pipmen can go! Mountain top to underground, the stars to ocean floor. I wonder if they'll get closer as the number cards get higher?

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:06 am
by vasta41
I wanna know what this "worlds first" is. Does it relate to the cards or the tuck?

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:29 pm
by Fud
Some 10's - always fun.

These were some of the hardest because they had so many pips!
3 10oD and 10oS (Small).png
3 10oD and 10oS (Small).png (190.78 KiB) Viewed 2220 times
vasta41 wrote:I wanna know what this "worlds first" is. Does it relate to the cards or the tuck?
You'll see soon enough :)

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:30 pm
by Fud
Some different terrains ;)
4 7oC and 3oH (Small).png
4 7oC and 3oH (Small).png (227.32 KiB) Viewed 2165 times

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:16 pm
by Fud
Yes, there is a Pipman City!
5 9oC and 3oD (Small).png
5 9oC and 3oD (Small).png (351.57 KiB) Viewed 2113 times

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:29 pm
by shermjack
Really like how this deck is panning out! Very excited for this campaign, so get on with it! :ugdance:

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:16 am
by Fud
shermjack wrote:Really like how this deck is panning out! Very excited for this campaign, so get on with it! :ugdance:
But no one has guessed the secret (with proof, not speculation)! I'm so excited to get to it, believe me!

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:12 am
by rousselle
Well, I know it was guessed earlier (by ecNate), and it seemed like a spot-on guess. Here's the proof that what we are looking at is a big picture that is formed when you arrange all of the cards in a specific order:

The "low" hearts that have been revealed occur where stratosphere meets space. I believe these are in the upper-right-hand side of the mosaic, insofar as the grading of the 3H shows the demarcation between sky and space starts in a gentle curve from upper left to lower right, and the AH is all starry space (and therefore, the Ace would appear to the right of the 3H -- the fragment we saw of the 2H makes it obvious that it would fit between the AH and 3H, so that fits with this theory, and implies that the Ace is the upper-right-hand corner of the mosiac).

The lower spades are clearly high above sea level (mountain top on 2S), and while higher spades are also above sea/ground level, I still suspect they are in the second row from the top (and the lower spades and lower hearts are in the top row) given the shading of the blue sky... I believe the shading gets lighter as we get closer to sea/ground level. Witness 10S.

The higher clubs and higher diamonds are *at* sea/ground level, showing the city above the sewer system (9C), the boats upon the sea (7C) and the dunes above buried tunnels (10D). The lower clubs and lower diamonds are *below* sea/ground level, with the AC on the ocean floor and the 2D and 3D clearly deep below ground. Also, note that the right hand edge of the illustration on the 2D fits perfectly against the left hand edge of the illustration on the 3D. Since the 3D is to the right of the 2D, that means the Ace of Diamonds is to the left of the two, which implies that the Ace of Diamonds is the lower-left-hand corner of the mosaic.

So, yeah. There it is. A mosaic. A collage. A big picture.

And, as was also noted, there are a few other decks that did something similar, although none of them anywhere near as colorfully: The Escape Map deck from USPCC and the Unrest series of decks from R.L. Tomlinson (four different decks, each with a different "big picture"). The major difference I see here is that in the Pipmen World, each card has its own self-contained illustration as well as combining to make a larger picture, whereas with the others, the illustration part of each card is indecipherable without putting it in the context of the big picture. Plus, in those other decks, the big picture was in the background, whereas with the Pipmen World, the big picture is front and center.

I like it, and I'm looking forward to getting it into my collection!

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 12:03 pm
by ecNate
Ah, yup. Exactly. I just wasn't sure it would mimic the back of the card, but I thought I was pretty clear they all form a larger picture.

Considering I have the uncut for the first one this would be a natural additional one, especially since as an uncut you hopefully will really see the larger image. As a deck the way they bleed to the edge isn't great, but as an uncut it should be awesome.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 8:45 pm
by Fud
rousselle wrote:Well, I know it was guessed earlier (by ecNate), and it seemed like a spot-on guess. Here's the proof that what we are looking at is a big picture that is formed when you arrange all of the cards in a specific order...

So, yeah. There it is. A mosaic. A collage. A big picture.
Correct! I was hoping it would take a little longer, but Rousselle (and ecNate) have got it :) Pipmen World is made up of self-contained scenes which connect together in series to form a large picture - the Pipmen's World.

And here are another 2 cards to get us started in the second stage spoiler:
7 AoD and 6oC (Small).png
7 AoD and 6oC (Small).png (414.81 KiB) Viewed 2000 times
So what happens now is that Rousselle gets first crack at directing the spoilers. I will update the front page with the Uncut sheet - but only the parts we have seen so far, and he will be able to pick 2 steps following the yellow arrows (left, right, up, down) and the next cards in that direction will be revealed. I'll have some Pipmen trivia to see who gets to reveal the next ones :)

So, Rouselle, starting at the Ace of Clubs (almost the bottom right) which direction do you want to go?

Image

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 8:15 am
by vasta41
Well I've seen enough- Best Uncut Sheet of '17, hands down.

Re: Pipmen: World - a real World First!

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 11:55 am
by rousselle
Well, at the risk of sounding political... let's go to the left!

:D