FAQ

The decks

Which Pip Deck should I start with?

If you run meetings or workshops, start with Workshop Tactics. If you need to communicate ideas, present, pitch or write, start with Storyteller Tactics. These two are the most-loved decks in the range and the ones our community most often recommends to first-time buyers. Or take our deck finder quiz, it will point you to the right deck for the work in front of you. Browse the full range in our shop.

Are any decks discontinued?

We sometimes retire older decks as we focus the range. Our currently-shipping decks are listed in our shop. If a deck you are looking for is not there, email support@pipdecks.com and we will tell you whether a digital edition is still available or whether a successor deck has taken its place.

What is the difference between a Tactics deck and an expansion?

A Tactics deck (such as Workshop Tactics or Storyteller Tactics) is a complete toolkit for a discipline, usually 54 cards. An expansion deck (such as Archetypes or Retros) is a smaller themed add-on. Expansions can be used on their own, but they are designed to extend a primary deck you already own.

Can I use Pip Decks on my own, or do I need a team?

Both. About half our customers use them solo to plan, prepare or solve a problem at their desk. The other half use them with teams in workshops, one-to-ones or planning sessions. Many cards include suggestions for both modes. The format works either way.

Do Pip Decks work for remote and online workshops?

Yes. Pip (at pip.app) gives you all-access to every Pip Deck, with AI assistance to find the right tactic for the room you are about to walk into. Whether you are running a remote planning session, a virtual retro or a hybrid workshop, you have the right framework on hand. We are also rejuvenating our Miro templates and re-releasing them inside Pip for customers running exercises on a virtual whiteboard.

Format and access

Are Pip Decks available digitally?

Yes. Pip (at pip.app) gives you all-access to every Pip Deck, with AI assistance to find the right tactic for any situation, so you know you are using a trusted resource. Every physical deck purchase also includes a PDF download of all the cards, yours to keep on any device that opens PDFs. Sign up at pip.app.

What is Pip?

Pip (at pip.app) is our digital library. It gives you all-access to every Pip Deck plus AI assistance to find the right tactic for the situation in front of you, so you know you are using a trusted resource, not a guessed one. It runs on web, phone and tablet.

What is included when I buy a physical deck?

The premium 54-card deck (or expansion size, where applicable) shipped to your door, plus a PDF download of the full deck delivered via email. The PDF is yours to keep and use on any device that opens PDFs.

Can I buy just the PDF?

Standalone PDFs are not sold separately. To get a deck PDF, either buy the physical deck (which always includes the PDF), or get all-access to every deck through Pip.

Is there a free version of Pip Decks?

Yes. Our free Teaser Pack contains a handful of sample cards from across different decks so you can try the format before buying. Grab it from our shop. Beyond the Teaser Pack, full decks are paid. Our PDFs are always the most up-to-date version of each deck. If you find a 'free Pip Decks PDF' floating around online, it is pirated, outdated content from older deck versions, almost always a counterfeit copy.

What about the Miro boards and templates?

We are rejuvenating our Miro boards and templates and re-releasing them inside Pip. They have been a customer favourite and we want to bring them back better than before.

Does Pip work offline?

Pip needs an internet connection to load. If you know you will be working offline, downloaded PDFs (from any physical deck purchase) work on any device that opens PDFs.

I am an existing customer with the old Pip Decks app. Where do I log in?

If you bought digital access before Pip launched, your account is still at app.pipdecks.com. Sign in there to access decks you already purchased. New customers should use pip.app.

How Pip Decks are made

Are Pip Decks written by AI?

No. Crafted by people, never by AI. Each deck is written by a named expert with decades of practice in their field, then tested with real teams before printing. We release one or two decks a year because we make them like handmade furniture, built slowly to last your whole career. AI cannot replicate the lived experience that goes into each tactic, or the real-world testing that turns it into something you can rely on when the stakes are high. Every illustration is hand-drawn by our in-house art team, not AI-generated.

Who writes the decks?

Each deck has a named expert author. Storyteller Tactics is by Steve Rawling, a former BBC journalist and storytelling consultant with 25+ years in the media industry. Negotiation Tactics is by Sue Williams QPM, formerly head of Scotland Yard's Kidnap and Hostage Crisis Negotiation Unit, who personally helped free over 700 hostages in her 30-year career. Innovation Tactics is by Tom Kerwin. See our About page for the full team and author lineup.

How are Pip Decks made?

We work with a single expert author per deck, drafting and re-drafting the cards while testing the exercises with real teams in real workshops. Every deck goes through rigorous testing with our customer base before being launched for general release. Behind every card is a practitioner with their hard-won real-world experience, distilled into a tactic you can trust.

Why does it take so long to release a new deck?

Because we would rather release one or two decks a year that work than ten that do not. Every deck goes through rigorous testing with our customer base before general release, and each card has to survive contact with people doing the actual work. That takes time, expertise, and the willingness to throw out drafts that do not earn their spot. We take our time.

Buying, pricing and shipping

How much do Pip Decks cost?

Current pricing for every deck and bundle is in our shop.

Why are Pip Decks priced the way they are?

A Pip Deck is not a pack of flashcards, it is a tested professional toolkit that represents an expert author's hard-won real-world experience, distilled into a portable toolkit you can use the moment a tough meeting lands on your calendar. Many customers tell us a single deck has paid for itself many times over in better workshops, sharper pitches and faster decisions. Read our testimonials and reviews for what people say in their own words. Our 30-day money-back guarantee means you can try a deck risk-free.

Do you offer bulk or team pricing?

Yes. Many companies buy multiple decks for facilitators, managers or onboarding kits. For team or B2B pricing, email sales@pipdecks.com with how many people you are equipping and what you are trying to achieve. We also offer Pip seat licenses for teams who want all-access digital across the whole library.

Are there discount codes?

We run occasional sales, bundles and seasonal offers, all visible in our shop. We do not have a permanent discount code. If you find a coupon code on an unaffiliated coupon site, it is almost certainly invalid. Those sites scrape codes that often expired years ago, or invent codes to bait clicks.

Where can I buy genuine Pip Decks?

Direct at pipdecks.com, or our official Pip Decks Amazon storefront. Both ship the genuine product. Anywhere else (eBay, AliExpress, DHGate, Temu, Etsy, Wish, third-party Amazon sellers not branded "Pip Decks") risks being a counterfeit. See "Spotting counterfeits" below.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes. Pip Decks ships worldwide, with regional warehouses in the UK, EU, US and Canada to keep delivery times and costs reasonable. Customers in North America are dispatched from a US warehouse to avoid customs fees, EU customers from an EU warehouse for faster delivery. Full details at our shipping policy.

What is your refund policy?

30-day money-back guarantee on physical decks. If you are not 100% happy, email support@pipdecks.com within 30 days of delivery and we will refund you in full and cover return shipping. Full details at our refund policy.

Spotting counterfeits

Are there fake Pip Decks?

Yes, sadly. Counterfeit Pip Decks circulate on third-party marketplaces. They are cheaply made, low-quality reproductions with inaccurate and outdated content, and they use our copyright illustrations to trick buyers. The only places to buy genuine Pip Decks are pipdecks.com and our official Pip Decks Amazon storefront.

How do I know my Pip Deck is genuine?

A few practical checks. Card stock should feel thick and tactile, not thin or glossy. Print should be sharp and in-register, not blurry or washed out. Primary decks contain exactly 54 cards (expansion decks vary). The digital PDF or Pip access link that came with your deck should work first time. And note: counterfeiters sometimes REMOVE our logo, deck name or trademark symbols from packaging to evade detection, so missing branding is itself a red flag rather than a reassurance. If anything looks off, email photos to support@pipdecks.com and we will verify.

I bought a deck somewhere else, is it real?

Email photos to support@pipdecks.com and we will tell you. Common counterfeit giveaways: ships from a country you did not order from (often China for non-Chinese listings), price seemed too good to be true, the box has a QR code (we do not use them), the digital access link is dead, the cards feel thin. If it is a fake, ask the marketplace for a refund and consider buying the genuine deck direct.

Comparisons and alternatives

How are Pip Decks different from books or online courses?

Books are great for deep learning. Courses are great when you have hours to spend. Pip Decks are different, you do not read or finish them, you grab the right card when you need it. There is nothing to complete, no modules, no quizzes. Just 54 tactics you can pull from when a tough meeting lands on your calendar. Many of our customers have read the books too. The deck is what they actually use in the moment.

How are Pip Decks different from method card decks like SessionLab or IDEO Method Cards?

Other method card decks give you titles and brief explanations. Pip Decks give you the full step-by-step framework on the back of every card, designed to be picked up and used in the moment by someone who is not yet an expert. You do not just see the name of the technique, you see how to run it, what to say, what to watch for, and how to close it out. They are a working tool, not a reference.

Will Pip Decks work for my industry?

Pip Decks are used at companies as varied as the BBC, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, Stanford University and Ogilvy, by people across consulting, product, design, marketing, leadership, education, healthcare, non-profit and many more. The frameworks are transferable, they are about how humans communicate, decide and create, not about a specific industry. Browse our case studies and testimonials and reviews for examples from different roles.

I am an experienced facilitator / designer / leader. Will I learn anything new?

Probably yes, but more importantly, you will have the right tactic in your hand at the right moment. Most experienced facilitators tell us the value is not always "I learned a new technique," it is more often "I had the structure right there when I needed to remember the steps under pressure." Pip Decks are a memory aid for experts as much as a primer for beginners. Read our testimonials and reviews for what experienced practitioners say in their own words.

Will I look unprofessional pulling out cards in a meeting?

The opposite, in our experience. Customers tell us pulling out a Pip Deck reads as preparation, not gimmick. The cards are designed to be high-quality enough to look intentional, and the framework you are applying is the work you would be doing anyway, just structured better.

Help and support

I cannot access my digital deck or my Pip account.

First, check which app you are signing in to. New customers (since the launch of Pip) use pip.app. Existing digital customers from before the Pip launch use app.pipdecks.com. If you are still locked out, email support@pipdecks.com with your order number and we will get you sorted within one working day.

Where can I find guides and tutorials?

Step-by-step guides for getting started with each deck live at guides.pipdecks.com. Real customer case studies showing how the decks get used in different roles are at our case studies blog.

How do I contact Pip Decks?

For order help, returns or general questions, email support@pipdecks.com. For team, B2B or partnership enquiries, email sales@pipdecks.com.