Why Does Quality Matter?

When you open a new card game, what’s the first thing you do? You don’t just look at the art. You reach in, pull out the deck, and run your thumb along the edge. You feel the weight, the texture, and the "snap" of the card stock. Before a single rule is read, your hands have already told you if this is a premium experience or a cheap imitation.

In the development of A Life In Purgatory, we obsessed over this physical sensation. We didn't just want to "fix" trivia games by adding strategy and lying; we wanted to create a tactile experience for our audience.

The Global Hunt for Quality

Finding the right home for our cards took us on a journey across the world. We vetted dozens of printing companies, reviewing card stock options, ink saturation, and varying box constructions. There were many iterations of this game—some versions stayed, and many were scrapped.

Every decision was filtered through one question: Will the player feel this was worth their money? In fact, we aimed to exceed expectations. To achieve this, we made choices that weren't as “cost-effective" but were "quality-effective":

• Premium Card Stock: We chose a thicker, more expensive stock to ensure the cards could handle hundreds of shuffles without losing their "snap."

• Tactile Life Tokens: Instead of cardboard punch-outs or  3D-printed heart tokens we chose wooden heart tokens to give players something substantial to hold.

• Physical Pouches and Materials: Every component, from the instruction booklets to the storage pouches, was selected for its durability and feel.

The "Happy Accident" Box

The most iconic part of our packaging actually came from a moment of desperation. Originally, we planned for a standard cardboard box. However, after two separate print runs from our initial supplier came with errors, we were at a crossroads.

We refused to let our Kickstarter backers wait any longer. We had a design for a "Deluxe Edition" faux-leather box, and in a snap decision, we made it the standard. It was expensive, and it definitely wasn't in the original budget, but it fit our "quality first" vision perfectly. Now that we have the Deluxe box as a standard we wouldn't have it any other way.

Why It Matters

We want A Life In Purgatory to be the game you’re proud to pull off the shelf. We want it to be the deck you show to your friends not just because the game mechanics are fun, but because the game is unique and of great value.

Quality isn't just a buzzword for us—it's the foundation of the game. Whether you're playing a high-stakes "Fact or Lie" card or stacking Level 3 attacks in an advanced game, the physical weight of the cards should match the weight of the strategy. 

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