H4ml3t Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 What's your favorite Fate Deck and Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phinn Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I own only a single Fate Deck (I know, I am a disgrace.) and that is Malifaux Retro Fate Deck. I liked how ingeniously designed it is - 11 forms a letter J, 12 Q and 13 K, Rams actually look like hearts, Tomes like clubs, Crows like spades and Masks like diamonds. BUT... but if I were to purchase a Fate Deck now it would definitelly be Bad Ink. The cards are marked Weak, Moderate and Severe and their illustrations reflect that as well: Masks. And I love illustrations of Jokers. (Photos are from G Mort's Unboxing Malifaux - Bad Ink Fate Deck.) Iconic Fate Deck, which is currently unavailable, would probably win silver medal becuase of how grim it looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnomezilla Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 The Iconic deck has a wonderful texture. It's plastic, but with a bit of roughness so it doesn't slide everywhere. It's a pleasure to cut that deck. My current deck is a Classic with paper cards, which has the same convertible numbers and suits as Retro but doesn't have the pips for damage. Not being a tournament-goer, I don't know the event names for their door prize decks, but the one with the Justice jokers (Lady J red, Dead Justice black) is my favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengt Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I have two, one of the original paper ones, which I don't particular like because the black colour on the back started coming of immediately so I had to sleeve them and I find it awkward to shuffle sleeved cards. Then I got Bad Ink, because I liked the art, but the cards are very slippery. And while that is better than sleeves I wouldn't go so far as referring to it as a "favourite", "lesser evil" would be more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetid Strumpet Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I have 2 of the original paper decks, as well as the puppet deck and the retro deck. Retro deck is my favorite above even the recent releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky_squirrel Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 For the top ones I have, Bad Ink deck for its illustrations is in my top three. I also picked up (courtesy of tournament scene) a Gadzooks Gaming deck that has some awesome illustrations while being a nice high-vis deck for twitch/photo ops and ease of reading from across the table (my current go-to, for visibility), and another tournament custom deck that was made for twitch streaming at Dead Man's Hand that is incredibly easy to read--the only flaw with it is the fronts and backs look similar enough where sometimes the people using them accidentally shuffle one half upside down or pitch discards onto the draw stack (when mentally fried, typically). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artiee Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I have a lot of Fate decks. The one I like the most is a Deck from Adepticon 2013 (TTB).. but do not use it because I don't want to wreck it. I as well like the retro deck which has started to crack. (Yes plastic decks do wear out). I started rotating between the retro deck and the Iconic Fate one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogmantra Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I'm actually not a fan of the Bad Ink fate deck like most people seem to be. But I do agree with a general consensus that the Retro deck is my absolute favourite. Love it. Unfortunately, I had to retire mine recently. A while back I accidentally got a crease in the 13 of Rams, which was invisible for a while but over time and more use, the ink on that crease got worn away and it became so obviously marked I couldn't even force myself not to notice it. I picked up the Classic fate deck to replace it which is great in that it's made of card, but isn't quite as good as the Retro (I much prefer the Retro Jokers over the Classic ones). But even though the classic deck is card rather than plastic, it's still plastic finish. Wyrd, make a deck with a linen finish!!! Please!!!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky_squirrel Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 4 minutes ago, Dogmantra said: I'm actually not a fan of the Bad Ink fate deck like most people seem to be. But I do agree with a general consensus that the Retro deck is my absolute favourite. Love it. Unfortunately, I had to retire mine recently. A while back I accidentally got a crease in the 13 of Rams, which was invisible for a while but over time and more use, the ink on that crease got worn away and it became so obviously marked I couldn't even force myself not to notice it. I picked up the Classic fate deck to replace it which is great in that it's made of card, but isn't quite as good as the Retro (I much prefer the Retro Jokers over the Classic ones). But even though the classic deck is card rather than plastic, it's still plastic finish. Wyrd, make a deck with a linen finish!!! Please!!!!!! I second the request for a linen finish. I've got the Classic and Arcane Fate decks as well, and the Arcane Fate cards were too slick to properly and quickly shuffle until they were well broken in. I've also seen the same creasing effect on one of the other plastic finish decks I have. Unfortunately, the creasing is one corner of the Red Joker.. so yeah.. I won't use that deck, and I generally won't hand it to someone else to use because I cannot help but notice it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnomezilla Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I sleeved my first deck (Arcane Fate, plastic, very slippery) in some sturdy plain sleeves from Japan due to a dog-eared marked card*, but even though I am slow at shuffling a regular deck I found shuffling the sleeved cards intolerable. I could not sufficiently randomize those between rounds without accusing myself of slow play. Now that's my deck for demos. It worked out well, since Arcane Fate has the suits written out people don't try to call tomes books, etc. and it's a quick visual of some models. *13 tomes. Why must it always be important cards which get marked? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Loki- Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 I've got five so far. Two Arcane decks, two TTB decks and the 1.5e deck. I plan on getting the Retro, Bad Ink, Twisted and Iconic decks as well. The one I use is the 1.5e deck. I liken them to pretty dice. While I usually don't use my pretty dice, they're fun to collect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfpact Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 I only own the one, but I love my Iconic deck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
necroon Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 That's a tough one. My go to recently has been the Foil-backed original fate deck. I like the style of the art and am fond of shiny things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phinn Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 I do not understand why is the Retro Fate Deck out of production. There are two Arcane Fate Decks available that are just differently coloured - Arcane and Arcane (Black). All other Fate Decks that are currently available - Bad Ink, Seriously Twisted, (Iconic), the ones contained in M2E Starter Set - they are all unique, but Classic Fate Deck is very similar to the retro one.Now I am a little bit confused. In the description of Classic Fate Deck it says that the material is 100% plastic, but Gnomezilla and G Mort wrote that the material is actually card. I am not complaining, just genuinely curious. @Gnomezilla, apparently there actually are symbols for Weak, Moderate and Severe damage Pictures from G Mort's Unboxing Malifaux - Classic Fate Deck: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengt Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 To me, for actually playing the game, there are really only two things that matter, clarity and easy handling. Pretty pictures are fine for one flip through but after they become an annoyance if they interfere with clarity (which almost all Wyrd's decks are guilty of). I prefer the suits to look like they do on the stat cards (plain text like "Seriously Twisted" is fine too), if they get too distorted and artsy they get harder to decipher than regular playing cards! When it comes to handling, I find cheap convenient store playing cards made from coated paper stock much easier to handle than slippery plastic cards and a lot more durable than the one Wyrd paper deck I have. I've not used the plastic deck long enough to get a feel for their durability. 9 hours ago, Gnomezilla said: *13 tomes. Why must it always be important cards which get marked? What card first had the black colour on the back chip off from my paper deck? The black joker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marke83 Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Bought the classic fate deck. Love it! A bit on the expensive side, but nevermind, the quality seems really good. I use it without sleeves because a deck of cards should wear out (for some reason :D). I riffle shuffle, so sleeves are mostly out of the question in that regard as well. After my classic is done, I think I'll stick to regular poker decks due to cost and as the classic helps to learn the converted symbols quite nicely. (clubs = tomes, diamonds = masks etc..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goth Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Retro fate deck (my daily driver), foil Sonia MalifauX deck (which is sleeved but I'll never use thanks to identifiable chipping even when first removed from mint packaging), and a curated 54 card Tarot deck, in that order... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeJones Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Of the decks I own, I'd rank them Classic first, then Bad Ink and Arcane (Black), in order of aesthetic preference. For ease of shuffling, Bad Ink, Classic, then Arcane. The Arcane deck was extremely slippery at first, but did get better as it was broken in. Also, I had to retire my first Arcane deck because several cards had been scuffed or damaged enough that I felt they were effectively marked, the worst being my Red Joker with an obviously bent corner. As I have ten thumbs when it comes to shuffling, my Classic deck has become curved over time, so I'm using it less these days. My Bad Ink deck is still holding up fairly well, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H4ml3t Posted January 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 My Arcane deck was basically frictionless to start with but after a half dozen games handles and shuffles fine. For readability, handling and looks I'd like to get an Iconic deck but may pick up one of the others until it's available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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