Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio Playing Cards - Character Encyclopedia

The character cards that come with the deck are such a nice touch — I kept flipping back to them to match each illustration to its tale from Liaozhai. Spent way longer than planned just reading through the little encyclopedia entries.

The character encyclopedia cards are what sold me — each one has the tale's name and a short summary on the back, so I actually know who I'm looking at instead of just admiring the art. Shuffling through them feels like flipping through a tiny ghost story anthology.

I've been reading Liaozhai since college, so seeing each card pair a story character with encyclopedia notes on the back made me tear up a little. The stock is thicker than most art decks I own, and they shuffle without that plasticky clack. Genuinely lovely tribute to the source tales.