Unboxings and First Impressions

[Agnes]

9 hours ago, AlbaTross said:

Once again, a deck flattered me by saying I’m The World.  I believe another deck said the same thing.  I still disagree, but I’ll take the compliment.  

 

Perhaps if you are the only person who has ever read with this deck you are (for now at least) its entire world?

[AlbaTross]

13 hours ago, Agnes said:

 

Perhaps if you are the only person who has ever read with this deck you are (for now at least) its entire world?

I suppose that is one way of thinking of it.  Thanks for the perspective.😄 I'm choosing to dwell on the positive side, and not the notion that this deck knows nothing other than living in a wood box and being transferred to a closet after being read with one time.  How much one sees a deck as a living entity might warrant its own discussion.  

[Agnes]

9 hours ago, AlbaTross said:

I suppose that is one way of thinking of it.  Thanks for the perspective.😄 I'm choosing to dwell on the positive side, and not the notion that this deck knows nothing other than living in a wood box and being transferred to a closet after being read with one time.  How much one sees a deck as a living entity might warrant its own discussion.  

I hope you know that was meant as a joke! But just a thought in case being called the World was too much pressure.

[AlbaTross]

13 hours ago, Agnes said:

I hope you know that was meant as a joke! But just in case being called the World was too much pressure.

I'm aware.  I just took the thought you offered to as far an extreme as I could.  More to the point though, I see it less as pressure, and more as just flattery.  I don't think I'm anywhere near the perfection the deck seems to think I am, but perhaps it does see a quality in me I don't see.  

[stephanelli]

I was at my local esoteric shop at the weekend for a craft workshop (needle felting in case you're wondering) and this deck decided it needed to come home with me.

 

Chakra Wisdom Tarot by Tori Hartman

The deck comes in a box with a pull out section which has the book and the deck underneath. Fairly standard presentation box type thing.

 

The back of the cards has this beautiful rainbow leaf design which is an extension from the World card.

 

First impressions are good.  The imagery is relatively similar to RWS but in a digital art meets photography style.  There are a few exceptions, but in general that has made it easy to do a first reading with.  I'm very drawn to all the colour in the deck.  I work with the chakras as part of the yoga part of my spiritual practise and so this deck makes perfect sense to me.  I think it is best to have some idea of chakras before working with this deck otherwise it won't really make sense.

 

The Guidebook seems well written but instead of going through the minor arcana cards in the traditional format, it takes you through them in the Chakra order.

So for the First Chakra you have the 1s and 8s, the Second Chakra the 2s and 9s, the Third Chakra the 3s and 10s etc.  It makes a surprisingly amount of sense actually.

 

 

I'm looking forward to working with this deck more.  I think I'm going to get along well with it.

 

[Niobium]

Sabotage Tarot retrieved from the post office! 

 

The folks at Modern Magic always do such nice packaging. This was in a twine-wrapped paper bundle.

 

 

The bag is a little silly but I have plenty of great alternatives.

 

 

A few example cards, plus Lir my helper (who was *terrified* of the twine when I took it off the bundle).

 

I would call this a 'lightly illustrated' pips deck, where there's more than just pip-level illustration, but not full illustration. I decided I could accept it because I love the style otherwise. Forgot to include the card back, it's a pair of opposed rabbits (rabbits are a recurrent theme in the deck, see The Fool there). Card stock is rose petal finish, bendable though sturdy. I'm always concerned about how the soft finishes will hold up so I tend to use them less frequently to keep them cleaner. 

 

The box was labeled MAY BE OPENED OFFICIALLY but since the interior packaging was fully intact I seem to have been spared customs prodding around.

[ilweran]

The Tarot aux Ramures Étranges arrived today.

 

Google translated from the back of the box:

From trees with intertwining treetops to oceans as deep as they are lush , travel its winding paths , under the glow of the stars and let yourself be guided by the mysterious characters who inhabit all these enchanted landscapes ... They hold the ancestral teachings of the arcana  of the tarot.  Inspired by the Rider-Waite, The Strange Antlers Tarot invites you on an initiatory journey, told by the powerful messages that the cards whisper to you.  Thanks to its accompanying book of 176 pages, all in color, and its 80 dreamlike and fabulous cards, this tarot will be a true inspiring spiritual companion.

 

 

The set comes with a cotton bag and a full colour book.

 

 

Card stock is quite thick, I don't think it's going to be the easiest to shuffle, but I love the art, and I think it really benefits from being borderless.

 

Have spent some time looking at the deck and peering at the book while occasionally waving the Google translate app at it. The two extra cards are Above and Below and the courts are Page, Knight, Queen and Goddess.

Edited August 22, 2022 by ilweran

[ilweran]

And I had another parcel today...

 

The Gentle Tarot pocket deck and the full guide book, and it is beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Agnes]

I visited a local metaphysical store with the intention of buying a deck & came home with Jake Richards’ Conjure Cards. I’ve been eyeing them online and it was nice to be able to buy them locally. 

I really like the look of these — hand drawn cards with added mnemonic for the meaning. I wish the backs were hand drawn as well; I like the moth on the box better than the ones on the card backs. 

 

 

The box is modeled after a cigar box and like so many of them it doesn’t stay completely shut. It’s very sturdy, though, and has a nice texture. I might put a weight on top for a while and see if that helps. 
 

The booklet included with the deck is very interesting. There are some similarities with tarot and Lenormand but in a very distant cousin sort of way. I look forward to reading more of it. 
 

 

[Niobium]

My Watership Down tarot arrived! This one was done via Game Crafter and is really a top-notch design:

 

 

I love the art style, it really evokes the book for me. My only quibble is with a few of the cards:

 

- The Tower is Efrafa. I feel like Sandleford Warren was the obvious choice here, and I don't know that I agree with the reasoning for Efrafa in its place. Sandleford's destruction and the escape of Hazel's band so perfectly mirrors the Tower I'm surprised it wasn't chosen.

- Ten of Pentacles is the Iron Road, which seems bizarre when the third Warren founded at the end of the book makes much more sense for 'legacy' and 'foundations'. That warren is the Chariot; kind of a weird choice which I think is better matched with the plan to use the dog against the invaders, or even the Iron Road.

 

These things aside, it's a great deck for fans of the book. 🙂

 

[stephanelli]

36 minutes ago, Niobium said:

My Watership Down tarot arrived! This one was done via Game Crafter and is really a top-notch design:

 

 

I love the art style, it really evokes the book for me. My only quibble is with a few of the cards:

 

- The Tower is Efrafa. I feel like Sandleford Warren was the obvious choice here, and I don't know that I agree with the reasoning for Efrafa in its place. Sandleford's destruction and the escape of Hazel's band so perfectly mirrors the Tower I'm surprised it wasn't chosen.

- Ten of Pentacles is the Iron Road, which seems bizarre when the third Warren founded at the end of the book makes much more sense for 'legacy' and 'foundations'. That warren is the Chariot; kind of a weird choice which I think is better matched with the plan to use the dog against the invaders, or even the Iron Road.

 

These things aside, it's a great deck for fans of the book. 🙂

 

What a fascinating deck!  I haven't read Watership Down for a few years now, but it sits on my bookshelf and gets re-read occasionally.  I don't think the art style is for me, but I'm fascinated by the idea of this deck!  I look forward to hopefully seeing you use it around the forum occasionally!

[Niobium]

I shall endeavor to do so. 🙂 I'm so happy TCG to see offers such nice production options; the box is really well made. Not what I'm used to from most of the POD places, in all honesty.

[Chariot]

@stephanelli and @Niobium - OMG. This should be in the De-Enabling thread!  Dang.  I really want that Watership Down deck.  Aaaargh.  It's the first deck that has inspired me to want to buy it for a LONG time.  Wow.  The artwork is very 'Pixie' and consequently easy to follow.

 

I can see what you mean about the cards you don't really like ...that's frustrating, but most decks have a couple of cards that aren't quite right, don't they?  But wow.  I will get this deck.  I'm not a huge collector of decks ...I only own about 30 decks.  But this one seems 'necessary.'

 

The additional insight the book gives to these card meanings is fantastic.  For example, Fiver as the Hermit is a fantastic choice, because it adds to the meaning of the Hermit ...in that the Hermit is often regarded by others as being a bit mentally unhinged, when, in fact, the Hermit is often doing exactly what is needed at the time.  Yes.  What a great deck!

........edited.  Just checked it out, and discovered that it would be quite difficult for me to get it from that company, as I'm in the UK.  The customs charges, never mind anything else, would be horrendous.  I will wait until perhaps it comes out as a mass-produced deck at a more affordable price and easier access to buyers.  Whew....narrow escape!

Edited August 31, 2022 by Chariot

[stephanelli]

52 minutes ago, Chariot said:

OMG. This should be in the De-Enabling thread!  Dang.  I really want that Watership Down deck.  Aaaargh.  It's the first deck that has inspired me to want to buy it for a LONG time.  Wow.  The artwork is very 'Pixie' and consequently easy to follow.

You can always post inthe De-Enabling thread 😉

Although you seem to have done a good job yourself with discovering it'd be expensive to get in the UK!

[DanielJUK]

Yes beware Gamecrafter from the UK, they never use a more local hub and every deck I have bought there has had high delivery charges and I have been stung for customs every time 😞 .

But it's a cute deck for Watership Down (my Parents fave book when we were young, they read it to us a lot when we were old enough to handle it 🙂 ).

[KiMo]

So today I treated myself to a copy of The Weiser Tarot, just released yesterday and already in stock in the lovely Atlantis Bookshop in London. I have to say, I am really, really pleased I did! 

 

 

The photo doesn't do the colours justice, they are so vibrant and full of energy without being gaudy. I love how the artwork has been reimagined without losing the drawn symbology of the original RWS. 

 

The cardstock is excellent, it has a fine matte finish (so definitely has some 'slide' but is not shiny) and the thickness feels solid and up to lots of shuffling.

 

I can't wait to start using it!

[AnomalyTempest]

That is really beautiful and I love the kind of watercolorish(?) look it has.

[KiMo]

@AnomalyTempest I keep opening the box to look at it, it's so lovely! The colour was indeed done with watercolour, and it has a very flowing feel to it. Each of the suits has its own colour correspondence, in slightly different tones, that adds another layer of recognition when you're piecing together the story in a reading. I'm so happy with it 🤩

[Therese]

Wow, that's really beautiful, @KiMo !

[KiMo]

Isn't it @Therese? 🤩 I'm seeing more good reviews of it so I think it's going to be popular...

[Therese]

Couldn't agree more, @KiMo ! It is very tempting. 

[Hedera]

Received the French edition of the Void Moon tarot recently, and I am.. well, over the moon with it!

 

It's virtually identical to the self published 1st or 2nd edition, which is great because I am not so interested in the completely re-drawn 3rd edition, the one with all the pink.

 

The production value of this set is outstanding!

Beautiful box, smaller sturdy 2 piece box inside, nice book.

The cards are a bit on the stiff and slippery side for me; not plasticky though, fortunately - I think they will break in very nicely.

 

And it turns out that if I go slowly, I can grasp most of the companion book as well!

 

Edit: looks like I tried to attach too many images, will add the remaining in a new reply

 

 

[Hedera]

Two more pictures.

 

It reads beautifully, very well suited to introspective spreads.

 

[Niobium]

Woo, quite the haul for me yesterday. First up, the gorgeous Nightingale Tarot by Vietnamese artist Luong Vu Anh Duy:

 

 

This is a 92 card deck with a few extras like the four elements, 'Chaos', 'Faith', and more. The art is so rich and colorful, I fell in love with it instantly. Modest weight, soft-touch stock which shuffles easily. The guide is in Vietnamese but it's also a PDF, so automated translation shall be the order of the day.

 

Next up, the Oze69 Watchers Tarot by Ninecats Wu:

 

This is a fairly rare deck, especially outside of China, Taiwan, or Japan, so I count myself lucky to find one in great shape at a reasonable price. There are a few extra and alternate cards, and some have gold foiling. I've wanted an anime themed deck for some time, but I specifically wanted one made by an East Asian artist, and this fit the bill perfectly.

 

Finally, the mass market Fyodor Pavlov Tarot:

 

It's quite stunning. Larger than the KS deck, allowing for better viewing of the art, with a slightly heavier card stock which ought to hold up well to use. The box has an angle-cut to make it easier to open, and a ribbon to access the book and deck. The gilded edges are fine; I'm not generally a fan of those but they complement the deck visually. The cool blues of this packaging are a nice contrast to the red of the indie edition.

 

Whew! Quite a bit. 🙂

[Aliki]

On 11/21/2018 at 9:20 PM, Raggydoll said:

Could it be.. the Queen Alice Tarot?! Oh yes! Such vivid colors and exactly the kind of playful deck that I so badly need at the moment  ^-^

I need 😯 a deck with my name in it 😅 since i stumbled upon this deck what's your thoughts on this one so far?