More Kickstarter decks for your thoughts

[DanielJUK]

I finally own my first Minchiate 🥰 Hooray!

I think you don't know a campaign has been fully funded until the end of it from KS themselves. It needs the KS Campaigner to send a message or write an update post. I had an email about it met it's amount this morning but it was a campaign update!

[Therese]

Congrats, @DanielJUK ! I can understand that feeling well. 

[Saule]

What are your thoughts on Nine Lives Cat Tarot? The Kickstarter ends in 66 hours so I've been really debating if I should grab this deck... It looks so fancy and royal, and I'm such a big fan of cat themed decks...

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/azuramagic/nine-lives-cat-tarot

[gregory]

So am I - but this one leaves me a bit cold. The majors are too mug-shotty for me, for a start.

[Niobium]

On 11/14/2023 at 12:30 PM, Saule said:

What are your thoughts on Nine Lives Cat Tarot? The Kickstarter ends in 66 hours so I've been really debating if I should grab this deck... It looks so fancy and royal, and I'm such a big fan of cat themed decks...

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/azuramagic/nine-lives-cat-tarot

 

I wanted to like this one, but I have a lot of very GOOD cat decks and this didn't really measure up to warrant a spot. I opted for Sinagtala instead, we'll see if that pans out.

 

Alas, it does look like the Tarot Palmira will be a bust for everyone--I'm not especially upset on my own behalf, but I feel for anyone who did spend a good deal on it. I'm not clear on the Fortunae Tenebris situation, so we'll see who gets those.

 

 

 

[MarineMurine]

I’ve done a little search, but haven’t seen anyone mention it yet - the Grounded Wisdom Tarot looks STUNNING.  And according to the Kickstarter page it’s not going to be reprinted after the campaign rewards are filled.  As a nature and science nerd I’m going to be crooning over this one like Gollum.

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gabbyamorris/grounded-wisdom-tarot-deck

[Rodney]

21 minutes ago, MarineMurine said:

I’ve done a little search, but haven’t seen anyone mention it yet - the Grounded Wisdom Tarot looks STUNNING.  And according to the Kickstarter page it’s not going to be reprinted after the campaign rewards are filled.  As a nature and science nerd I’m going to be crooning over this one like Gollum.

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gabbyamorris/grounded-wisdom-tarot-deck

I looked at that and it didn't move me primarily because the individual cards aren't identified, and I know I would be 🤬🤬🤬 up a storm trying to figure out what cards I was looking at in a reading. OK, I see the creator made an update about adding numbers to the Minors, but not to the Majors. Um, just because YOU as creator know what every card in the deck is doesn't mean that everyone else will... If you backed it, I hope you enjoy it when you have it in hand (since it has more than met its funding goal). EASY pass for me! If EVERY card were identified, I probably would've back it though...

[gregory]

Crumbs - I see what you mean. Not one for me !

[MarineMurine]

Oh golly, I hadn’t noticed!  I don’t think it’ll bother me, though - I’m sure a few days’ work with it will give me at least a broad sense of which major is which.  No, I’m still looking forward to it just as much.   Shuffleability, if that is a word, matters more to me, which is my only complaint about the equally beautiful Botanica deck by Kevin Jay Stanton.  Boy is its cardstock ever chunky.  And sticky gilding………

[Rori]

The reason I'm not sure about this one (though I love love love it, visually) is because to me it's not really transparent if it's actually hand-drawn or if it's AI. The creator writes (in a reply to a comment):

 

Quote

For the design process of the visuals everything starts with a sketch, then it's a lot of digital mix-media. Some of it using rendering, procreate to draw some of the stuff on to the images, other images blended in, the symbols are made using my own hand drawn elements drawings and then vectorised. The final artworks are far from AI generated but at points on some elements, I have used some assistance in thinking about how something might look for example, a microbe.

 

So there's definitely some AI involved ("at some points on some elements, I have used some assistance"), and I don't think their explanation really gives you an idea of how much. At which points? And were those AI generated elements then put into the artwork, or were they only used as inspiration before the initial sketch?
I find it strange that someone who has enough confidence in their ecological knowledge to create an ecological tarot deck (which is, allegedly, so deeply grounded in nature that the majors don't even need numbers because it's going to be self-explanatory) would need the help of Midjourney et al. to figure out what a microbe looks like.

 

I don't mean to sound salty and I think the deck is absolutely stunning (though the lack of numbers/titles on the majors kind of bugs me too), but I think that if you use AI (which meshes up = steals other people's artworks) then the absolute least you can do is be very, very transparent about where and to which extent you have used it. 

 

So yeah, it's a bummer. And to me, the lack of numbers and the phrasing of that comment as well as most of the campaign, to be honest, screams "designer trying to profit from the raising popularity of tarot and sustainability". I'm getting the vibe that the creator is probably not a tarot reader. And those decks never end up working for me.

 

Also, it sounds very greenwash-y, imo, especially the section where it's made out to be some kind of revolutionary tool for "futurists and designers" ("Each card in this deck encourages you to consider environmental and ecological aspects in your designs." - does it? really? how? It's pretty pictures that don't even come with messages). As I work in the sustainability field, this is a personal pet peeve of mine.

[gregory]

On 11/17/2023 at 4:04 AM, Niobium said:

I'm not clear on the Fortunae Tenebris situation, so we'll see who gets those.

 

 

And wow just got email - his courier has asked for everyone's phone numbers (as they do for international, though he and I are both in the UK)  so there is light at the end of that tunnel, perhaps.

Edited December 1, 2023 by gregory

[rylla]

Only7 days left 'till the end of the campaign on Kickstarter, so I just backed 

The Sinagtala Tarot Deck

[DanielJUK]

Here is a link to it:-

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fictionminds/sinagtala-tarot-deck

[Natural Mystic Guide]

I just backed this oracle deck on Kickstarter.  I am an avid and competitive Mahjong player (Chinese style).  I'm not wild about the design but other people might really like it.  There is an out of print mahjong divination deck that I would LOVE to get.

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fengshuieasy/3-in-1-mahjong-deck

[gregory]

On 12/1/2023 at 3:26 PM, gregory said:

 

And wow just got email - his courier has asked for everyone's phone numbers (as they do for international, though he and I are both in the UK)  so there is light at the end of that tunnel, perhaps.

 

My Fortuna Tenebris is HERE ! And I LIKE it.

[Saule]

Hi all! What are your thoughts on this deck? Wild Reflections Tarot.

 

http://kck.st/41gMtZb

 

Super pretty but I'm not sure if I actually NEED it. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Saule

[gregory]

I'm - not wild about the faces.....

 

AND IT HAS GILDED EDGES.  (and I am also avoiding KS from the US because of postage and customs...)

[Raggydoll]

1 hour ago, Saule said:

Hi all! What are your thoughts on this deck? Wild Reflections Tarot.

 

http://kck.st/41gMtZb

 

Super pretty but I'm not sure if I actually NEED it. 

It’s like Green Witch meets the Light Seer’s tarot. I feel like I’ve seen it all before and it leaves me feeling ‘meh’. 
 

Another thing that stands out is the way they’ve approached the diversity. Almost all the majors are of Caucasian-looking individuals, and then there is the Emperor.. Very tribal. The same with the Sword courts. Native Americans and indigenous spirituality in a deck that feels very Wiccan. And the five of swords.. it doesn’t sit right with me. I feel like several of the cards show stereotypical diversity. 

[akiva]

1 hour ago, Saule said:

Hi all! What are your thoughts on this deck? Wild Reflections Tarot.

 

http://kck.st/41gMtZb

 

Super pretty but I'm not sure if I actually NEED it. 

"Olga, our tarologist, drew upon her extensive experience and profound respect for Tarot traditions to create an authentic and insightful tool."

 

Not sure what traditions Olga has been following... The Hermit is a woman doing yoga, so is the Hanged Man (there's more off cards than these but you get the idea). That's the very opposite of respecting tarot traditions, imo 👀

 

It seems too nice? And possibly a bit forced/in your face about it too... It looks readable, but like it could have the voice (reading style) of an over zealous life coach! 🤔

 

Also arrows in place of swords, why? It makes sense in the wildwood, but here? In a modernish deck? And why are they still called swords? So many questions... 🤣

[Eugenie]

3 hours ago, Saule said:

Hi all! What are your thoughts on this deck? Wild Reflections Tarot.

 

http://kck.st/41gMtZb

 

Super pretty but I'm not sure if I actually NEED it. 

 

I don't feel attracted to it. To me, it is too pretty in a bad way, really too much. Also, the deck is a mix of cultures, as I see it, and not a very successful one; I am not sure what they wanted to reflect as a main idea.  Frankly... it is ridiculous how much I dislike it lol but of course it is just me. Other people might view it differently, I understand it may work like a charm for someone.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Eugenie

[Eugenie]

3 hours ago, gregory said:

 

My Fortuna Tenebris is HERE ! And I LIKE it.

Congratulations! Such a cool deck!

[gregory]

Yeah. I hope some others got it - it seems like he's not even half way through mailing.

[rylla]

On 12/20/2023 at 8:17 AM, Saule said:

Hi all! What are your thoughts on this deck? Wild Reflections Tarot.

 

http://kck.st/41gMtZb

 

Super pretty but I'm not sure if I actually NEED it. 

Ordinary (nothing special about it). Sorry!

[FindYourSovereignty]

On 12/20/2023 at 11:17 AM, Saule said:

Hi all! What are your thoughts on this deck? Wild Reflections Tarot.

 

http://kck.st/41gMtZb

 

Super pretty but I'm not sure if I actually NEED it. 

Hi @Saule, I was backing it, but cancelled after taking the time to look at each of the images. I started to see too many ‘look alike’ cards with other decks: Light Seers, Tarot of Oneness, and The Great Outdoors all seemed to be showing up in some way. I mean, they aren’t exactly alike, but similar enough that I decided I didn’t want it any more. 

[Natural Mystic Guide]

3 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

but cancelled after taking the time to look at each of the images

This answers an important question for me.  I had buyer's remorse after backing a deck.  But, I didn't know if I could back out.  Thank you.