According to the origin of the astrological sign, your personality is far from coincidental. We all have personality traits…and so do games. Now, don’t just play astrology games for adults, discover which popular adult board game or card game you are based on your sign!
Astrology Games
Aries
(March 21 to April 19): Cards Against Humanity Card Game
Attributes: headstrong, born leader, outspoken
A person with the first sun sign, Aries, reflects the card game Cards Against Humanity. They may come across as arrogant, just as this card game can appear offensive because of its politically incorrect content. An Aries’ blunt and bold behavior translates well with the risqué tendencies portrayed in this popular card game.
Taurus (April 20 to May 20): Monopoly Board Game
Attributes: independent, persistent, enjoys luxuries, strives for wealth
While you may not think of Monopoly as an astrology game for adults, its objective is to drive your opponents into bankruptcy without letting yourself get bankrupt in the process. A Taurus is often described as “good with money,” which comes in handy when having the most money at the end makes you the winner.
Gemini (May 21 to June 20): Scrabble Board Game
Attributes: creative, communicative, intellectual
People born under this Sun are often writers and journalists, as they are excellent with words. The board game Scrabble reflects the intellectual and creative mind of a Gemini. In this game, you create words (found in a standard dictionary or lexicon) from your quantity of seven tiles. A Gemini’s common love for reading means they are constantly exposed to new concepts, ideas and vocabular, making it easy for a person with this sign to come up with words that will earn them the highest points.
The board game title Sorry! comes from the apologetic “sorry” issued when a player consistently negates their opponent’s moves. It’s the perfect astrology games for adults who are unapologetic Cancers. The game’s theme is to bump other board game pieces back to their starting position, so your pawn can move ahead and win the game. Whichever type of Cancer you are, you’ll have a great time whether you mean it when you say “sorry” or not.
Leo (July 23 to August 22): Pictionary Board Game
Attributes: theatrical, competitive, inventive, love the spotlight
During the board game Pictionary, you draw hints for your teammates, and they guess the word you are trying to depict. While a Leo may or may not be your average Picasso, their unwavering passion for tasks and projects mean they always strive for the gold medal (never satisfied with silver). And since they’re comfortable being the center of attention, they won’t crack under pressure when asked to draw something intense…like a carburetor.
Virgo (August 23 to September 22): Sudoku Puzzle Game
A Virgo’s weaknesses can sometimes be inflexibility, which is actually a strength while playing the logic-based, combinational number-placement puzzle Sudoku. Just like their astrology board games for adults, Virgos look into relationships, problems, games, etc. with a magnifying glass, and each task they perform must be free of imperfections. This game honors a Virgo’s concentration through numbers and calculation. Not to mention, a common Virgo career is a financial analyst.
Libra (September 23 to October 22): Diplomacy Board Game
Attributes: diplomatic, open-minded, balanced
Both the Libra astrology sign and the board game Diplomacy focus on pure negotiation and peace. These positive strategies emphasize a Libra’s sense of balance in never wanting to hurt or demean anyone. Their loyalty plays well during this military game, as the objective is to make negotiations and alliances.
Scorpio (October 23 to November 21): Clue Board Game
Attributes: investigators, trustworthy, devoted
A Scorpio can be trusted with your darkest secrets, but they will never reveal their own. Often lawyers and investigators, a Scorpio’s detective skills match the board game Clue. This game for adults is perfect for this astrology sign, since navigating from room to room through a clue-filled mansion to expose a perpetrator…is perfect for the mysterious Scorpio mastermind.
Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21): Apples to Apples Card Game
Attributes: flexible, idealistic, great sense of humor, enthusiastic
To winApples to Apples, seven of your cards must be picked by your opponents over the course of the game. It’s important to completely understand the player choosing the cards because everyone’s humor is different. Some may go for literal, comical or even the most outrageous choice. Their adaptable personality allows them to easily change their viewpoints and, in terms of this card game, play a card the player will most likely choose.
Capricorn (December 22 to January 19): Battleship Guessing Game
When a Capricorn takes risks, they don’t do so blindly. Strongly influenced by one’s unwavering ambitions, they rarely act impulsively. While Battleship is primarily thought of as a guessing game, it actually calls for applied strategy. Even though you are unable to see the ships you are trying to sink, you can still increase your chances of winning by carefully placing your own ships in a way that will evade your opponent. Someone born Capricorn thrives in this game setting, for their patience and calculating capabilities lead to ship-sinking fruition.
Aquarius
(January 20 to February 18): Candy Land Board Game
Attributes: easy-going, friendly, spontaneous
Aquarius’ are seekers of the new. The children’s board game Candy Land complements this sign’s desire to constantly move forward, even if that means venturing into unfamiliar territory. While not necessarily an adult board game, this astrology sign’s spontaneity allows little time to react to certain instances. Plus, their hopeful nature means they excel on any path they find themselves journeying (even if that means strutting amid candy cane skies and alongside sweet princesses).
Pisces (February 19 to March 20): The Game of Life Board Game
Attributes: imaginative, desire to escape reality, compassionate
By nature, a Pisces is a dreamer; an escapist in life. As they often focus on their inner journey, they spend a lot of time soul-searching. The Game of Life embraces a Pisces imaginative mind and need to pursue the beauty in life. As this game navigates through the many ups and downs life throws in their direction, a Pisces views this cardboard world of life, and life itself, through rose-colored glasses.
Make Your Own Astrology Game for Adults
If your zodiac sign does not completely represent your personality and attributes, and the particular game listed above is way off, then consider personalizing your very own game! After all, you know yourself better than anyone else. Create custom astrology games for adults that fully represents exactly who you are.
As the temperature drops, and the leaves change from green to orange and then to yellow, dismiss your pumpkin spice latte cravings and channel autumnal essences into your customized playing cards, personalized tarot cards and card game designs.
Typically, the commencement of Fall hails for decorative pumpkin socks and T-shirts, and although incredibly spirited, they just aren’t going to be enough this year. Think bigger; think spookier.
Here are 6 suggestions to consider while creating your own Halloween-influenced product with Shuffled Ink.
52 HALLOWEEN RECIPES
Preparations for the holidays can be a bit overwhelming, especially when you have to remember all of your family traditions, including the yummy desserts and dishes. Consider printing your Halloween recipes on a deck of cards. Easily mobile and accessible, you’ll be whipping out the creepy crawling spider cupcakes and zombie-finger cookies just in time for Halloween parties. And when your family and friends are “dying” to know how exactly you perfectly molded the dough to resemble a skeleton head, you can supply them with their own deck of scary good recipe cards.
FORTUNE TELLER TAROT CARDS
Channel your inner psychic abilities if you plan on dressing as a mystic fortune teller this Halloween. But handpicking the perfect outfit is only a fraction of your costume responsibilities. Don’t forget the most important accessory: Your one-of-a-kind deck of personalized tarot cards (Halloween style, of course). Personally equipped with distinctive symbols and designs, your original artwork will leave people wondering whether you truly practice the art of divination. Consider going above and beyond by setting up a fortune-telling booth. After all, it’s Halloween – where you can dress however you wish and, perhaps, end up looking into the future, too.
“ACE” TRICK OR TREATING
While every other house in the neighborhood passes out the same old basic candies, you can fill those buckets with Halloween-inspired playing cards! Customize your own unique artistry with help from our expert design team, and give the trick or treaters something that’ll last longer than a chocolate bar. The cards, reflecting your very own creative purposes, will channel your take on Halloween’s notorious entities: pumpkins, ghouls, candy corn, flying broomsticks, etc. Not to mention, parents will thank you for saving them a trip to the dentist.
COSTUMES OF HALLOWEEN’S PAST
Whether your kids have dressed up as a pumpkin, ghost or Demogorgon, search through your Halloween archives and print those terrifyingly adorable photos on playing cards! Much like a holiday card, feel free to send these decks to relatives, family friends and co-workers. It’s the perfect way to reminisce on the costumes of Halloween’s past while also showing your family completely “decked” out.
MATCHING CARD GAMES
With candy-filled tummies and faces oozing syrup-based blood, allow your kids to enjoy Halloween even more so with fun card games. Matching games promote cognitive development like memory enhancement, classifying skills and imaginary growth. And just because you’re customizing a children’s game doesn’t mean your Halloween designs have to be limited. It’s Halloween after all, so make artwork as frightful, friendly or ferocious as you desire!
BOARD GAME THRILLS
One of the most important aspects while developing your own board game, especially one with a Halloween theme, is there can never be enough creativity. Rather than seeing candy corn as a treat, know that it can just as easily be used as a game piece. Determinate upon your target audience, allow your board game to truly come to life with a spooky storyline, and make sure your visuals are as spine-chilling as you see fit. Perfect for a cozy night at home or a thrilling Halloween party, your originally designed board game will send your guests running home to create a game of their own!
Hopefully, these ideas have sparked your desire to bring Halloween to life with custom playing cards, card & board games and tarot cards. Whenever you’re ready to begin working on your personalized project, know that our team of designers will help you from start to finish. Shuffled Ink can’t wait to turn your idea into a reality!
We know what makes our family and friends laugh, cry and tick, especially when we’re playing endless rounds of card games. With no shortage of entertainment and gathered personality types, we’ve put together a fun list of “players” you will most likely encounter on a typical game night!
The Sore Loser/Winner: Be sure not to pinpoint this player to just toddlers…they come in adult sizes, too. Game night wouldn’t be complete without accusations of cheating and at least two meltdowns. Not to mention, this player’s “losing” episodes are just as bad as their “winning” ones. We’ll let you decide who you’d rather deal with: Someone who displays intense gloating or walks away from a game in anger. All joking aside, most of us have experienced “angry bursts” while playing a game — when you draw the “Go to Jail” card and can’t collect $200 in Monopoly; when someone makes you “Draw Four” cards in UNO — so we understand your pain, and we don’t judge.
The Dynamic Duo: Typically dealt with during team games, these two players allow their one-of-a-kind bond to be known. Their complete starter pack includes an elaborate handshake, intense staring and, of course, twin telepathy. When this duo participates in a game, their competitors often feel two emotions: envy or loathing. They either wish they had a partner in crime of their own, or they simply can’t stand the pair’s obnoxious tendencies.
The “Wannabe” Pro: This player never misses an episode of Family Feud (including the reruns), tunes into Jeopardy every night at 7 and, in their spare time, researches cheat codes on popular games. And while you’ll have to deal with their smack talk before the game and during their brief winning streak, count on no words uttered when they’re losing.
Silent but Deadly: For this player, silence is key. Most of the time, it’s easy to forget about this player because they don’t openly make their presence known. Nevertheless, they often show no remorse for the game pieces that block them from what’s “rightfully” theirs: eternal glory. And while they share similar characteristics to that of The “Wannabe” Pro, it’s their tremendous gaming skills and mysterious persona that separates them from the mere hopefuls. By the time you realize their true intentions, it’s always too late.
The Happy-Go-Lucky Butterfly: This player would rather receive a sportsmanship award than a first-place trophy. Generally focused on life’s simplest pleasures — enjoying the company of friends and family — they often socialize more than playing the game, which can be frustrating for the players who must nudge them when it’s their turn. Regardless, inviting them to game night has more positives than negatives. This player’s happy-go-lucky attitude outshines their nonexistent competitive drive.
The Ferris Bueller: (For those of you who haven’t seen “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” it’s a movie about a teenager who plays hooky instead of going to school). Now, we all have that one friend who is constantly blowing up the group chat with messages to hang out, but when a plan is finally set, they never actually show up. And while you may not physically encounter this “player” on game night, their absence is still relevant, as their flaky actions can disrupt the flow of the game and result in unbalanced teams.
The Glue: Like The Ferris Bueller, this person technically isn’t a player, but they do play an active role in the game as mediator. Ensuring everything runs smoothly, they typically appoint themselves with the position, as they would rather observe than partake in the game. Even so, your game night wouldn’t be the same without this key “player,” for their calming energy in a room full of various gaming personalities is much needed.
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Ever tired of playing the same games over and over again? Consider building your own custom card or board game with Shuffled Ink! The same personality types may continue to show up, but at least you’ll have something new to play, and it’ll be your own unique product!
Now, whether you find yourself fitting in all, one or none of the categories listed, Shuffled Ink hopes you have an unforgettable night of fun with these “players” …so much fun that you’ll end up doing it all over again!
It’s game night! With tablets in hand, your family discusses which game to pick, and even your dog decides to bark his own suggestions, too.
Finally, you all agree on the classic game, Life.
Once all tablets are synced into game mode and each avatar is chosen, they move around your living room. As they investigate their surroundings, they sit on your couch, countertops and even your dog, Scout. But Scout doesn’t mind; he doesn’t even realize it. While your avatar is simply an added layer over our reality, it still shrieks at the sight of your dog…for everything in the living room can be seen, felt and heard by your avatar. Not to mention, the gaming experience feels real to you (the player), too.
When you roll the dice, your avatar moves five spaces on the very real board game in front of you. Then, an interactive bubble with text appears in your living room and a voice says, “You got a raise. Collect $1,000.” Even a short video pops up, featuring your avatar in a series of scenarios that show how you received the raise. With that, your avatar reaches down and from the square platform it stands on, pulls out the money earned and throws it in your direction. You flinch (you always do). Your tablet lights up in celebration, and the remaining cash falls, true to size, from your own ceiling as your digital gaming bank account increases.
You are still as shocked and overwhelmed as you were the first time you played. It continues to amaze you how revolutionary this degree of augmented reality has made your board game experience.
The game, so vivid and insanely real, makes for a spellbinding game night!
Instead of manually moving game pieces with your hand from space to space; instead of just reading a card with words to describe your next task, you experience something far less trivial than “winning”. You become immersed in your very own reality; it’s just kicked up about a dozen notches.
AUGMENTED REALITY
When we think about the future, our immediate thoughts go to stereotypical ideas often portrayed in books, movies and television shows: driving hover crafts; wearing shiny, silver jumpsuits; using holograms…fearing world domination via robotic artificial intelligence (plausible, but we won’t go there).
With the world’s many technological advances, it appears we are currently living in the “future”. But when you really think about it, no matter how much a game’s outward appearance is improved or altered, the ultimate inner objective is always the same: win. Now consider this…what if the future of games didn’t even revolve around winning at all?
In the future, perhaps the driving force to play board and card games will not be to “win,” but instead the focus will shift from “competition” to “experience”.
Augmented reality means to enhance our real-world environment by using screens to display overlaying images, sounds, etc. to create an added dimension to our reality. While the essence of gaming, both the winning and the experience, will remain the same as it has been for generations, the application and evolution of card and board games is constant and dynamic. Augmented reality will certainly be a focal point of how many games are developed, consumed and enjoyed.
So no matter what dimension or reality you are looking to create and share with the world, Shuffled Ink is the perfect partner to help bring your “future” card or board game concept to life!
In the past, when restaurants and bars promoted that they offered entertainment, they usually meant live music, karaoke nights, and the occasional arcade machine. More recently, a new trend is emerging that’s bringing in new patrons: bars and restaurants where you play card and board games.
It should be clear by now that card and board games are making a comeback in a big way. Classics like Monopoly and Sorry! remain popular, while newer titles like Settlers of Catan and Cards Against Humanity are finding their way into people’s living rooms around the world. Video game companies, once seen as the murderers of analog entertainment, are even making original card and board games based on their hottest properties. Eating and drinking establishments have noticed, and some are responding by becoming gaming establishments as well.
NOTABLE EXAMPLES
Some ambitious entrepreneurs are even opening brand-new bars and restaurants to cater to this crowd. For proof of this trend, we at Shuffled Ink don’t need to look much further than our hometown of Orlando. Cloak and Blaster, opened in 2014 by two married gamers, is a fantasy-themed pub stocked with more than 200 different board and card games. The wide selection, ranging from standards to rarities, shows that this isn’t a cash-in, but a passion project.
If you’re still asking yourself whether there’s really a demand, the creation of this bar was funded through a Kickstarter drive. It raised more than double the amount of its initial goal, which it reached in 36 hours.
Cloak and Blaster is also far from the only example. The Toronto-based Snakes and Lattes, which calls itself “the first board game café in North America,” sells games in addition to coffee. Kingmakers, which also opened its first of two locations in 2014, provides “Board Game Sommeliers” who help customers find new games and explain the rules. From The Playroom in San Francisco to The Uncommons in New York City, you can find tabletop gaming on countertops anywhere you look.
WHY IS THERE SUCH A DEMAND?
There are a few possible reasons for this hot new trend. The surge in the popularity of card and board games might be part of the retro craze in general. All things ‘80s and ‘90s are coming back, and geek is chic – not to mention lucrative. Restaurants and bars have been riding that wave for a while now with weekly trivia nights and pinball games. Making space for shelves with Candy Land and Exploding Kittens is a logical next step.
However, there could be a deeper reason. Wondering why there’s a demand for bars and restaurants where you play card and board games is sort of like wondering why there’s a demand for bars, restaurants, and board games. They all seem to have different functions, but something they share is providing a space – and an excuse – for social interaction. Hana Schank wrote in The Atlantic that cafes and pubs with board games help customers “connect with people in a public/private space” and “work with friends and family toward a clear goal.”
If you love board games and card games enough that these places interest you, Shuffled Ink can help you actually make your own. Learn more about our custom board and card game services, then request a quote today.
Looking for the most family-friendly fun you can pack into game night? Then take a look at our picks for the top five fun games for family night!
Family-fun nights are a great way to keep your kids close. Moreover, board games have a number of surprising benefits ranging from strengthening your kid’s critical thinking to helping them build better vocabularies and learn about finances. Here are 5 fun games for family night that are sure to make your kids want to turn off their phones and turn on the smiles.
WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT BOARD GAMES?
Recent research suggests that playing casual, light-hearted board games can have some surprising benefits for childhood development. These include:
Board games can help your kid’s problem solving abilities.
Game night is great for family bonding.
Board games are some good ole fashioned, family-friendly fun.
5 FUN GAMES FOR FAMILY NIGHT
This is somewhat subjective. People tend to like the games that they grew up with. It’s also important to consider the age of your children and when determining what game to pick. Is it all about fun? Or are you trying to subtly insert some education into your gameplay? Here are 5 of our favorite board games for family night.
MONOPOLY
Probably the most iconic American board game of all time, Monopoly is a family-friendly, multiplayer classic dating all the way back to 1903. The game’s lessons range from personal finance and social skills to managing risk and basic math. There is also (as those who lose like to point out) a bit of luck involved, especially when the cards are in play. Monopoly is a must for any family night.
RISK
War huh, what is it good for? Having a bunch of fun with your family, that’s what! Risk is a strategic military game where the players go to war (on the board using military-themed thimbles) with one simple goal: conquering as much territory as possible. According to the box, Risk is great for all ages, but it’s probably better for those over the age of at least 8. Any younger and it might be too complicated.
CLUE
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable,” according to Sherlock Holmes “must be the truth.” Know this and you’ll never fail to win at a game of Clue. Clue is a crime-mystery board game where players acquire clues about who did what and where they did it. These clues are gained based on die rolls. Eventually, players use those clues to determine the guilty culprit. If you choose correctly, you win. If not, you lose. Clue is a fun way to help your children hone their deductive reasoning skills.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT
This one is great for when your children get old, like when they come home from college. It may not be as easy to get them to agree to game night. But if you can, Trivial Pursuit is a great option.
OPERATION
While Operation may not technically be a board game, it is a great way have fun with your family. It can also be surprisingly fun for adults: try nudging your kids while they reach for the funny bone and give yourself a good laugh. Hey, you probably deserve it!
Now that you know our picks for fun games for family night, why not create your own? Find out how simple it is to create a customized board game by clicking below. Then choose your own design and get started!
After much brainstorming, you’ve found a unique card game idea that you just know will fly off the shelves. But how do you get from concept to (real or virtual) shopping cart? Shuffled Ink has got you covered with five effective steps toward creating a successful custom card game.
STEP 1: NARROW DOWN YOUR THEME
Whether your custom card game idea involves a fun twist on learning historic wars, a hilarious game of comparisons, or something else altogether, your game needs to break your topic down to the absolute basics. This will allow you to properly streamline the concept and then transform your game idea into reality, preventing anyone from becoming confused or uninterested in participating.A big part of narrowing your theme is researching rules or additional elements you can add into your card game idea to provide clarity for your users. Inspiration often comes from pre-existing games, including tabletop games, video games and other forms of interactive entertainment, so be sure to think about why those rules or elements attract you to the game and see how you can incorporate similar ideas into your own game (without flat-out stealing the idea).One of the most important things to be mindful of with your theme is that you’ll want to make sure the design and rule ideas always match up. For example, if your card game involves a lot of rules of one card trumping another card (such as the card game Coup), you’ll want to ensure you have established the rules right away and possibly create a cheat sheet of sorts to help users remember them.If you find yourself stuck, try adding or removing certain parts of your game idea and see if that makes it more clear. How does it change? What is essential? What was a good idea until it threw off the main goal of the game? How did that element interrupt the game flow? Answering these questions will get your brain thinking about the mechanics of your game design and ultimately how well your users interact with it.
STEP 2: WRITE IT DOWN
After step one, your game idea is rushing around in your head. The best way not to forget anything is to write it all down—even if you end up trashing it later on. Everything from rules and setting specifics, to the card design and other aesthetics should be written down or drawn out.With these elements at hand, you can begin to tweak, eliminate, add in variations, simplify or embellish your game. By solidifying how your game is played, you’ll be narrowing down the concept so that it’s actually playable. Here are some questions to ask yourself when narrowing down the logistics of your game:
What do you want players to do?
How can they win the game?
What are the rules?
Are there exceptions to the rules?
How many people can play at once?
What is the minimum and maximum amount of players?
Is it meant for teams or individual play?
Can there be a tie?
Is the game timed?
How does the game progress (turn-based or rounds)?
How will the players interact?
STEP 3: DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE AND TEST IT
With a solidified idea of your game written down, you’ll then want to continue on to the next step (and arguably the most important step)─producing a prototype and testing it out. No one wants to make the investment of mass producing a custom game only to have it backfire with flaws in the rules, missing cohesiveness in the story or other problems in functionality. And although it’s easy to have family and friends test it out, it’s also very important to get non-biased parties to test it as well, preferably those of various ages and experience levels. This will help you set your game up for the best possible chance of success.So to recap this step: you’ll need to first create a fully functional, fully designed prototype that includes every piece of the game. Then, you’ll need to test it out on real people.Not sure where to find them? Try posting your game in a playtester section of some popular gaming forums. In your post on the forums, tell how you will deliver the game to them, as well as how and when you need it back, as well as how to send feedback. Here are some great playtester discovery resources:
One thing to note: Be open to all feedback, criticism and compliments, and keep notes of what goes right, what goes wrong and what people react positively/negatively to. Find answers through user feedback to questions like: Are there rules that are confusing? Does the general goal make sense to your test group? What does the group have the most trouble grasping? Do they have any suggestions? What was their favorite component of the game?
STEP 4: PERFECT YOUR DESIGN
After obtaining all the helpful feedback you can get, you’ll then want to transform your prototype into Prototype 2.0 (or 3.0 or 4.0, depending on how many rounds of changes are needed). Design each card by hand or digitally. You’ll want to create a logo for your game title to brand your game via the instructions and packaging. Branding is very important in keeping everything unified across the entire packaging and play pieces of your game! Decide on fonts, a color palette, design style, characters, etc. and create a branding guidelines packet for yourself to refer to later (for possible expansion packs or other related elements).If you don’t want to tackle designing the game yourself, there’s no shame in having someone do it for you! Just ensure they keep a central focus on your goals and vision.
STEP 5: PRINT AND PUBLISH
Now, you’re finally ready to make your custom card game dreams come true. Once your designs are finalized, it’s time to print and publish your game. With experienced and professional custom playing card and board game manufacturers like Shuffled Ink, this is the easy part. You’ll be able to simply and easily upload your designs online, choose the materials you want your game to be made with, select your favorite custom packaging, enjoy our ultra-fast turnaround—all at a highly competitive rate.
Interested in turning your custom card game idea into a reality? Request a free quote today and see how Shuffled Ink can help make it happen.
To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on your custom quote request form.
Playing cards have been around since we all can remember. Many of us grew up playing games like Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Spoons, Gin Rummy, Solitaire, Bridge and much more. Some of us love cards so much, we’ve even invested in customized playing cards of our own design!
But what are some of the fun facts that make these cards so extra special? We’ve found seven fascinating facts you might not have known about playing cards and their history.
THE FIRST DECKS OF CARDS WERE CREATED IN IMPERIAL CHINA SOMETIME DURING THE 9TH CENTURY.
It is believed that the first printed card deck was made around 13 centuries ago and consisted of only 32 cards, which included all combinations of a pair of dice. The decks were initially printed on paper, wood and even bone.
THE FRENCH SUIT SYMBOLS WE USE IN CARD DECKS TODAY WERE ORIGINALLY DERIVED FROM GERMAN ONES DURING THE LATE 1400S.
The French suit symbols we are most familiar with (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades) are a variation of the German suit symbols used in the late 1370s. Those symbols include Acorns, Leaves, Hearts and Bells. Even earlier than that in the 14th century, the symbols were Cups, Swords, Coins and Batons, which were copied by the Italians. It wasn’t until the 1480s that the French suit symbols became popular and are still widely used today in America and other regions.
FACE CARDS WERE LATER ASSOCIATED WITH PROMINENT FIGURES.
While historical and literary figures were often associated with face cards, this was not the original inspiration for the courts. We developed this theory after the modern deck was established. For example, the French card decks (the version we use today) recognized the court cards as these figures: King of Hearts, Charlemagne; King of Diamonds, Julius Caesar; King of Clubs, Alexander the Great; King of Spades, King David from the Holy Bible.
THE FIRST BICYCLE® PLAYING CARDS WERE PRODUCED IN THE LATE 1800S.
The most iconic card deck known to Americans is the Bicycle brand. Dating back to 1885, Bicycle cards were used by (and continue to be used by) magicians, gamblers and card players across the globe.
MOST CASINO PLAYING CARDS ARE MADE OF 100% PLASTIC.
It is very common for casinos to have plastic cards for two main reasons: 1) they are better for frequent handling and last much longer than paper cards, and 2) they are significantly more difficult to write on, which in turn, makes it hard for players to try and cheat.
PLAYING CARDS ONCE HELPED AMERICAN WAR PRISONERS ESCAPE TO FREEDOM.
During World War II, the government partnered with the United States Playing Card Company to produce and ship out specially designed card decks to help lead American POWs to freedom. The cards were designed to peel apart when wet, revealing pieces to a secret map that helped them escape.
THE U.S. USED ACE OF SPADES CARDS TO SCARE THE VIET CONG DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
Playing cards didn’t just help American soldiers during World War II. They also assisted them during the Vietnam War in 1966, two U.S. lieutenants had an idea to create psychological warfare among the Viet Cong. The lieutenants knew three very important things: 1) that the French used playing cards to foretell the future, 2) that the Ace of Spades signified a forewarning of death, and 3) that the Viet Cong were very superstitious people. So, they decided to use this information to create a very methodical scare tactic for their enemies. After contacting the United States Playing Card Company, they coordinated a shipment of thousands of crates full of only Ace of Spades cards to be sent to the warzone areas of Southeast Asia and dispersed throughout the jungles to frighten the Viet Cong. They were successful in their scare tactic.
Want to learn more about playing cards and how to create your own customized card decks? Click below for details!
According to the origin of the astrological sign, your personality is far from coincidental. We all have personality traits…and so do games. Now, don’t just play astrology games for adults, discover which popular adult board game or card game you are based on your sign!
“ACE” TRICK OR TREATING
Playing cards have been around since we all can remember. Many of us grew up playing games like Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Spoons, Gin Rummy, Solitaire, Bridge and much more. Some of us love cards so much, we’ve even invested in 
