The Opulent deck is more of an artistic deck, and was created by George Williamson with the
assistance of Will Roya and artist Jennifer Bennett. The word opulent is synonymous with
extravagant, and that epitomizes what George wanted to pack into this creative deck.
Our
admiration begins with the luxurious looking tuck box, which features the gold and blue colours that
are synonymous with this deck, and has an individually numbered seal.
The design of the
exquisite card backs is based on the interior ceiling design of the Dome of St Aubins, a church in
Belgium. It's also worth mentioning that all of the Aces are patterned after the style of the Ace of
Spades, with highly detailed and oversized pips.
While the courts clearly are based on
traditional designs, they have been given a very original look, with the help of ornate details and
lavish artwork that adds to the overall feel of opulence that this deck is intended to evoke.
Despite the extravagant detail, the lines are bold, and the shapes are clear, so there is an
immediate sense of the familiar. Yet the overall look conveys the sense of an exquisitely crafted
woodcut, which is amplified with the use of a very simple colour scheme.
All the cards are
framed with a highly patterned background that goes all the way to the borders, while an oval shape
in the middle ensures that the decorative pips stand out in sharp relief to the background, and are
immediately noticeable, while still rewarding the attentive observer with lots of intricate detail.
The indices continue the theme of sophisticated detail combined with practical clarity, and
are immediately recognizable and easily identifiable. My only concern is that while the use of
single colour for all the suits is a good choice artistically, it does make the traditionally red
and black suits more difficult to distinguish at a glance.
The two Jokers can be used to
reveal a selection of the 6 of Clubs, and it's details like this that magicians especially
appreciate. The two gaff cards included are a double backer and a double faced Jack of Hearts and
Three of Clubs. One subtle easter egg that many will miss is a bar code reveal, which cleverly
features the Four of Spades.
Printing of this deck was done by USPCC, an industry leader
that has once again not disappointed, with consistent printing and nicely embossed cards that handle
smoothly and pleasantly. - BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGame
An extravagant deck for collectors
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