Serious Play

Not a card game.An excuse to make someone smile.

The first batch sold out.
We have just launched a new limited set of 500 decks.

Get your deck $28 a deck · Ships end of October 2026

Free shipping on 2+ decks · Give some out, and if it's not for you, full refund within 30 days. Keep the deck.

000 / 500

decks claimed

Packed by Daniel

What you're actually buying

A deck of cards that travels the world.

Each card has a small, playful action on it. You do the thing, and then give the card to the next person.

Then you sit back and get notified, as your card gets passed from person to person, and country to country.

•Give a stranger a genuine compliment.
•Text the friend you have been meaning to text for a year.
•Sit in silence for five minutes and notice what happens.

How it works

All you do is
hand someone a card.

Pick a card

Each one is a small action, like complimenting someone.

Pass it on

Watch their face light up as you give it to them. The card is now theirs to give away again.

Watch it travel

All Players can scan the QR code, and watch their impact as the card moves through the world.

Three of the fifteen

Card Teasers

The other twelve you will meet when the deck arrives.

#01 PLAY

FREEDOM IS NOW YOURS

The only card in the deck that is yours to keep.

#21 Connection

Text an Old Friend

Message the friend you have been meaning to text for a while. Then pass it on.

#34 Kindness

MAKE SOMEONE'S DAY

Ever wished someone a good day? Well now you can do it with authority.

The movement

Most cards stop when the box closes.
Your cards ripple on.

Scan any card's QR code to see where it's been and where it goes next.

Get your deck

What early players say

Real smiles from people like you

One note from the person who made this

This was an idea I'd had for years, making notes in my phone, never really thinking I'd do anything about it. Then, burned out from my last startup, I took a sabbatical. Which mostly meant travelling South America and doing whatever I wanted. And that is where Department of Serious Play was born.

Over seven months of travel, iterating on this passion project, I watched these cards create so many smiles, laughs, awkward moments, a couple of tears, dance-offs, and a few angry grunts (when I skip the queue). The main thing I noticed: the cards opened up the world as a playground, in ways I could not have imagined.

This is the second batch: 500 decks, still packed by me, and the run that gets these cards properly out into the world.

You are not just customers to me. You are the people who decided this was a thing worth doing.

Thanks for getting these cards moving. And keep playing, seriously.

DanielDepartment of Serious Play

FAQs

What is an action card?+

Each card has a little thing that you do. It could be complimenting someone, or telling someone to have a good day. Once you've done the thing, you hand the card over. Cards range in difficulty and rarity.

Are the cards trackable?+

Yes. Each card has a unique QR code, which can be scanned as the cards float through different corners of the planet.

Who is behind this?+

Department of Serious Play, a small independent project started by Daniel while on sabbatical, travelling South America. The Founding 200 was the first run. This is the second.

When does my deck ship?+

End of October 2026. Every deck is checked by hand before it goes out. You get an email the day yours ships.

What if it's not for me?+

Give some out, and if it's not for you, email daniel@departmentofseriousplay.com within 30 days. Full refund within 48 hours. No forms, nothing to send back, keep the deck.

Why only 500?+

Each batch is made in one run, so every deck can be checked by hand. When these 500 are gone, they are gone.

What are the cards made of?+

High quality and laminated. Designed to be handled, passed around, and survive in your wallet on a night out.

Can I buy more than one?+

Yes. A second deck makes a very good gift.

Second batch · ships end of October 2026

Five hundred decks.
Your move.