#01
PLAY
FREEDOM IS NOW YOURS
The only Quest that doesn't explicitly say you need to give it away (because you may need it to complete your other quests).
Join the list for the next drop
Serious Play
Not a card game.Cards you give to someone to make the moment more real.
Your mom, your crush, your friend or a stranger.
Sold Out
Founding 200 · 001–200
The first drop is gone. The next batch is coming soon, and the list gets it first.
Hand-numbered · signed · packed by Daniel
What you're actually buying
Not a card game.A movement you set in motion.
Serious Play is a deck of cards that travels through the world. You do the Quest on the card, and then you pass the card to the next person.
You then sit back and get notified as your card crosses oceans and mountains. You literally track your impact.
- •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
NO RULES. JUST QUESTS.
Your one job: Give them all away
Draw a Quest
Give someone a specific card or let them choose at random. This is their Quest and they become a “Player”. Quests are never homework, but they can challenge.
Pass it on
The Player will keep the card, until their Quest is complete, and then they can pass it on to the next Player.
Watch it travel
All Players can scan the QR code, and watch their impact as the Quest moves through the world.
Three of the fifteen
Quest Teasers
The other twelve you will meet when the deck arrives.
#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
Watch the cards travel
Scan your cards into your profile so they are registered as yours. As you pass them on, watch them move. From a bench in Madrid to a bar in Brooklyn, the kilometres are tracked the whole way.
“A stranger told me
I have a golden smile. And then walked on”
“Did the eye-contact Quest with my best friend.
Feeling connected.”
YOU LET GO OF THEM. THEY KEEP GOING.
YOU ARE NOT JOINING A MOVEMENT.
YOU ARE STARTING ONE.
What early players say
Early hands
“
I let a friend choose a card. He had fought in several wars and was pretty wrecked inside. He picked the hug-a-stranger card, so we hugged for thirty seconds, and he started crying. Then he told me he was already excited about who to pass it on to.
ZachEarly player
“
I handed them out all over a festival and lost a few while I was running around having fun. When can I get more?
EmilyEarly player
“
They put you in this curious, excited headspace. You stop walking around stuck in your own problems, and start thinking about what you could do for the people around you.
DecaEarly player
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.
The Founding 200 is the very first batch. Every deck is hand-numbered, signed, and packed by me. After this, the decks change. Different art, no numbers, just sold to whoever finds them. So these 200 are the only ones that will ever carry the provenance of where this all started.
You are not just customers to me. You are the first 200 people who decided this was a thing worth doing. Your number is yours forever. It lives in your profile and follows your cards wherever they travel next.
Thanks for getting these cards moving. And keep playing, seriously.
DanielDepartment of Serious Play
Questions, answered
The fine print, made unfine
What is a Quest?+
A small real-world action on a card. Do it, then pass the card to someone else. That is the whole game. No winning, no scoring.
Are the Quests 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 is the first product.
When does my deck ship?+
July 2026. The decks are made after pre-orders close, so every one can be numbered and checked by hand. You get an email the day yours ships.
Why pre-order instead of buy now?+
The first 200 are made to order, in one batch. Pre-ordering is how you hold your number before someone else does.
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 is a second number, and makes a very good gift.
What if I'm not in South Africa?+
Decks ship worldwide from South Africa. Your shipping cost is shown at checkout.
Sold out · next drop coming
Two hundred decks.
Your move.
Sold Out
Founding 200 · 001–200
The first drop is gone. The next batch is coming soon, and the list gets it first.