Robin Hood Playing Cards

Like most Kickstarter playing card projects, the Robin Hood deck has several variants. The three main versions, which differ by size, are the standard (Nottingham), large (Longbow) and mini (Little John) decks. The Nottingham deck (shown here) has single-figure courts featuring figures from the Robin Hood legend and ornate suit signs on the pip cards (the signs on the court cards are far less ornate). The artwork is a flawless emulation of the Bayeux Tapestry style.

The Nottingham deck’s two jokers form a diptych of Robin’s first meeting with Little John that resulted in a quarterstaff duel, while the backs are a gorgeous design with maroon, green, and gold colors. An accompanying extra card shows a “King Richard coin” evocative of pennies from Richard the Lionheart’s reign with the words “Aim small, shoot straight.” It seems to be a twist on the marksman mantra of “Aim small, miss small.” To be honest, it doesn’t make much sense considering the Robin Hood of legend did not aim small in life or in archery.

Cards from Robin Hood Nottingham deck designed by Jackson Robinson and produced by Kings Wild Project, 2025 (click jokers to zoom).

Things get curious in the larger Longbow deck, which has the same courts but with extra artwork on the top and bottom of each card similar to the Bayeux Tapestry. For some reason, the Longbow deck employs two suits: the usual French ones and a “reimagined” set of swords, cups, coins, and arrows. These resemble Italian suits patterns like the Trentine pattern. According to the project’s Kickstarter page, “the suits are reimagined to reflect the Robin Hood legend. Swords (Spades) represent the clash of justice, Cups (Hearts) symbolize Robin's unmatched devotion to his community, Coins (Diamonds) signify the wealth redistributed to the poor, and Arrows (Clubs) embody Robin's unmatched skills with the bow.”

Lastly, the smaller Little John deck has the court figures reduced to faces only.

Links

Kickstarter : Robin Hood Playing Cards ►

Wikipedia : Bayeux Tapestry ►