STORYTELLER TACTICS REVIEW: Archetypes
Pip Decks Archetypes Review — Unboxing
The new deck reaches the Glorious Antipodes!
∘ STORYTELLER TACTICS REVIEW: Archetypes
∘ The good, the bad, and the worry
∘ The good, better, best
∘ Coming attractions
∘ How to get aboard
When I heard about the first expansion pack to the Pip Decks Storyteller Tactics card deck, there was no way I was going to miss out.
As it happened, I was away on a retreat when the packs went live but I squeezed in a few minutes between meditation and forest bathing to order a couple of packs over the spotty internet of rural New Zealand.
I had a discount code already and there was a further discount for buying multiple decks so it was a no-brainer, really.
Today, a week later and a few days of hovering over and refreshing the tracking link, my cards are here!
The good, the bad, and the worry
The moment I unlocked my parcel locker — I was dressed and on my bike a few minutes after I received the notification from Australia Post — the worry set in.
Look at the package in the image above. Hardly pristine, is it?
Yes, I was worried about what I’d find inside. If anything. I thought back to the positive experience I had with my first order, where the packaging had been firm and taut.
That hole in the package looked like it could be big enough to let the contents escape, and the Archetypes deck — only twenty cards all told — was pictured as being in a slender box already.
Once I’d pedalled home I got out a knife and camera and photographed each stage of the unpacking.
The box was a different model from the sturdy package of my first two Pip Decks orders, and somewhere along the way, unskilled hands had wrapped tape around it. I was beginning to think that maybe the freight handlers had been playing a game of touch footy with the cargo, maybe zonking off on a pile of crushed boxes between shifts.
While I applaud the enviro-conscious brown-paper fill inside — so much better than a wad of bubblewrap — it didn’t look like it was anchoring or protecting the contents.
I pulled the brown paper aside and there were my two decks, apparently unharmed, each shrink-wrapped. I wasn’t too happy about the packaging, though; one side had only a couple of millimetres of frazzled cardboard holding it together. One more pass in the warehouse rugby match and the whole thing might have collapsed.
As it was, the boxes had a couple of crushed corners. Nothing major but still a little disappointing. I’ve managed to keep my treasured Storyteller Tactics and Laws of UX boxes pristine in the year I’ve had them.
Not to worry. The boxes are sturdy and meant to take knocks that would otherwise damage the cards inside.
The good, better, best
I came for the cards and once I’d admired the box and peeled off the cellophane, I was very happy.
Okay, you’ll agree with me that this is a solid box. The cards are well-protected. I can toss this into a backpack and be confident that after being run over by a bus, the cards will survive in good shape. There’s no room for jostling, plus the box has multiple layers of sturdy cardboard.
The cards themselves are thick stock, coated to resist wear. This is good, because I handle my cards quite a bit, shuffling through them to find the one I need, laying them out on a table, and occasionally pulling them out for no good reason but to fondle and admire them …
Ahem.
There is a Storyteller Tactics Archetypes card that explains the system, three Archetype Recipe cards that guide the user through different scenarios, twelve Archetype cards, and four cards from the original Storyteller Tactics deck, slightly modified for the new series.
One of the Archetype cards — The Magician — is best described as a shiny, with a reflective image and a gloss coating — at least on the front. It’s slightly different in card border colour from its fellows, but that’s okay. It’s special.
There’s also a bonus double-sided card of stickers showing the distinctive Pip Decks cartoon characters. I already have something similar on my laptop, allowing it to stand out from a crowd of space-grey Macbooks.
Coming attractions
I’ll examine the deck and possibly single out a few cards in upcoming stories. There is a system to this deck and it could potentially be used as a cheaper standalone way into the Storyteller Tactics system.
Good to dip your toe in the water, I guess, and there’s no question these cards don’t come cheap.
False economy, in my book. Buy Storyteller Tactics and Archetypes together. You’ll get a sizeable discount for bundling two boxes together and I can offer a 15% discount using my referral code.
I am totally sold on Storyteller Tactics. It’s a storytelling library you can hold in your hand, a system for creating compelling narratives, components that stand up to repeated use, and all told a hotline into creativity.
Work out what you want your audience to take away, run through a few combinations of cards until you get something that sings, and write your copy, plan your script, rehearse your presentation.
I’ve been using the original deck for a year. These Archetypes cards are confidence in a box. The system works.
How to get aboard
Use my discount code BRITNIPEPPER to get 15% off. I get a few dollars in return. The bold links above are affiliates, same deal. Or just go to the website, no strings attached, look around, discover the system for yourself.
My review series is free. I explore the cards, the systems, the tactics, link to independent reviews, and even show you how to get every word, every diagram, every dot point on every card for free, without paying a cent, with the blessing of the firm.
I believe in these cards. They are the wisdom of storytellers, passed on from ages past. The tactics work. They are a secret guide in the palm of your hand, and while they are expensive, they come with a money-back guarantee.
Britni
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