Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone!
Games Workshop have re-released the Dark Millennium playing card set. This set was on a limited release previously and has now been made available again, but for how long they will be available is anybody's guess.
The card set (not to be confused with the old CCG of the same name) is a set of 52 cards, plus a pair of jokers, in four suits, are of standard bridge size, and come in a card box.
So far, so normal.
What makes these cards stand out is that each one features a unique piece of John Blanche 40k art, spread over the suits Imperium, Chaos, Adeptus Mechanicus and Xenos. The artwork is in Blanche's loose, line and wash concept sketch style and each piece was painted exclusively for this set.
Obviously, the desirability of this set depends entirely on what you feel about John Blanche's art, particularly this style, and there's no doubt his work is very divisive. Some love it, others not so much but, whatever your personal tastes regarding his art style, there's no denying the influence his work has had. Simply put, his work has defined the GW style for more than thirty years, and no-one has had more creative input in the look and feel of GW's products in that time. Personally, I'm a big fan of his work (my signed copy of Ratspike is still amongst my most treasured possessions...) I admit I prefer his fully-painted work, but this style appeals in a different way, showing individual inhabitants of the grimdark 40k universe. As pieces of art they are a worthwhile collection in their own right but they also serve a greater purpose as inspiration for miniature conversions, or even to inspire other artists to create their own characters.
Also, you can play card games with them.
I really like this set. I like the design, I like the artwork and I like the way that each suite has it's own typeface for the numbers.
There are some that may balk at paying £10 for a set of playing cards (after all, they are just standard playing cards, when it all comes down to it) and I have to admit it would have been nice if they'd taken the time to present a few 40k-style rules, even if they were for traditional card games, presented in a 40k fashion but, as a collectible, I don't think the price is over the top. This is a quality set of cards, on good stock and I recommend them to collectors and fans of John Blanche's art. Fingers crossed for a set of Imperial Tarot to follow along soon!
The Dark Millennium Playing Cards are available here, but I recommend you don't wait too long...
Thanks for reading!
-Stu
Games Workshop have re-released the Dark Millennium playing card set. This set was on a limited release previously and has now been made available again, but for how long they will be available is anybody's guess.
The card set (not to be confused with the old CCG of the same name) is a set of 52 cards, plus a pair of jokers, in four suits, are of standard bridge size, and come in a card box.
So far, so normal.
 |
 |
 |
What makes these cards stand out is that each one features a unique piece of John Blanche 40k art, spread over the suits Imperium, Chaos, Adeptus Mechanicus and Xenos. The artwork is in Blanche's loose, line and wash concept sketch style and each piece was painted exclusively for this set.
Obviously, the desirability of this set depends entirely on what you feel about John Blanche's art, particularly this style, and there's no doubt his work is very divisive. Some love it, others not so much but, whatever your personal tastes regarding his art style, there's no denying the influence his work has had. Simply put, his work has defined the GW style for more than thirty years, and no-one has had more creative input in the look and feel of GW's products in that time. Personally, I'm a big fan of his work (my signed copy of Ratspike is still amongst my most treasured possessions...) I admit I prefer his fully-painted work, but this style appeals in a different way, showing individual inhabitants of the grimdark 40k universe. As pieces of art they are a worthwhile collection in their own right but they also serve a greater purpose as inspiration for miniature conversions, or even to inspire other artists to create their own characters.
Also, you can play card games with them.
I really like this set. I like the design, I like the artwork and I like the way that each suite has it's own typeface for the numbers.
There are some that may balk at paying £10 for a set of playing cards (after all, they are just standard playing cards, when it all comes down to it) and I have to admit it would have been nice if they'd taken the time to present a few 40k-style rules, even if they were for traditional card games, presented in a 40k fashion but, as a collectible, I don't think the price is over the top. This is a quality set of cards, on good stock and I recommend them to collectors and fans of John Blanche's art. Fingers crossed for a set of Imperial Tarot to follow along soon!
The Dark Millennium Playing Cards are available here, but I recommend you don't wait too long...
Thanks for reading!
-Stu
