Pros and Cons Thread #2 - Enabling and De-Enabling

GlitterNova

Rhinemaiden said:
I have this deck, the art is delightful.... I don't use the deck often, but I like having it in my collection. My only dislike is the overly plastic cardstock. The deck is available, often quite reasonably, I see one on Ebay now under $10 plus shipping. For that price, go for it! :thumbsup:

Here's more information on the deck and artist, Maggie Kneen...

http://www.maggie-kneen.com/Maggie-Kneen-Old-English-Tarot.aspx
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Thanks! I hadn't realized she illustrated Psycards as well, another beautiful deck. Old English will remain firmly at the top of my wishlist.
 

Dee Ell

Aeric said:
The Universal was the Waite deck I used for years. I find the softer colours and rich shading much more conducive to meditation than the harsh, flat colours of the RWS. RWS' predominant colours are a bright yellow and a bright cyan, that clash. The starry backs are much more beautiful than the hideous playing card-style tarotee.

Compared to the Radiant Rider Waite, the colours aren't as rich, but Universal's character faces are much softer. Radiant's Empress looks positively bored, and the High Priestess looks like she's smelling a fart in the air. Universal also preserves Pam Smith's drawn titles where Radiant uses typeset.

The natural con is that details aren't always as clear on Universal as on versions coloured with solid, flat tones. It also doesn't depict the darkness of some cards' night skies as well as Radiant owing to the choice of gradient blue shading. The Hermit, the Star, and the Moon look like hazy afternoon or pre-dawn skies rather than night.
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Mahalo Aeric - I agree about the Radiant's drawings - thanks for making me smile :) I also don't like how technicolor everything looks in the Radiant.

And yes, they could have definitely deepened the sky on those night cards in the Universal Waite! Perhaps their colored pencils were down to the nubs ;)
 

Morwenna

To me the only drawback to the Old English is that the Cups suit isn't as fully "illustrated" as the other suits. But I love the feeling of illuminated manuscripts.
 

GlitterNova

Morwenna said:
To me the only drawback to the Old English is that the Cups suit isn't as fully "illustrated" as the other suits. But I love the feeling of illuminated manuscripts.
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Yes, this is my only trepidation, as it would be my first deck that didn't have fully illustrated pips. At the same time, though, I get the feeling that I might really like the freedom of the illustrated (or not fully illustrated) pips. Of course, there's only one way to find out :)
 

Aeric

Golden Dawn Temple Tarot

Please go to town on this deck for me. I'm looking for an alternative to the Golden Dawn Regardie-Wang deck that is faithful to Book T rather than a personalized system like Waite or Crowley.

I find GDTT very attractive, an excellent colour scale teacher and the figures more lifelike and dynamic than the creepy R-W characters. The colours explode with all the pomp and pageantry of a Golden Dawn ritual and from what I understand are very accurate. What else about it?
 

dancing_moon

Universal Wirth Tarot

I've been drooling over this deck for a while now, but the money is quite tight right now. :) I'd love to hear some opinions for and against this deck, how it reads, any challenges, etc. Just in case, I don't mind the element switch. :)

Thanks!
 

Tarot Orat

Golden Universal

I really, really dislike the original Universal Tarot (LS), for a variety of reasons that I won't bias the thread with, but I'm having an itch for the Golden Universal after reading some threads and hearing others rave about it.

Partially, I think I'm just being attracted to the shininess...."ooh, pretty, want!" But I don't think it's *just* that, the way the gold is applied to the different cards gives them a lot more interest and visual appeal than I ever saw in the original. I don't know if I'll ever get past the toad-like Queen of Swords, but maybe if she's gilded it'll distract from her dour face...

I'm really on the fence here. I have very mixed feelings: fear that I'll still dislike it, hope that it stands on its own. And, well, SHINY!
 

emmsma

Aww, just buy it. If you don't click, pass it my way. :)

On the fence with this one too. I'm indifferent to the Universal, but wonder if I'll like it better blinged.

I'm waiting to hear that it HAS been redone without the intentional flaws before i buy. I know I won't care for that.
 

Tarot Orat

emmsma said:
I'm waiting to hear that it HAS been redone without the intentional flaws before i buy. I know I won't care for that.
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Yeah...there's a good point. I'll hold off too, maybe put it on the wishlist but not the "buy" list....
 

La Force

Tarot Orat said:
I really, really dislike the original Universal Tarot (LS), for a variety of reasons that I won't bias the thread with, but I'm having an itch for the Golden Universal after reading some threads and hearing others rave about it.

Partially, I think I'm just being attracted to the shininess...."ooh, pretty, want!" But I don't think it's *just* that, the way the gold is applied to the different cards gives them a lot more interest and visual appeal than I ever saw in the original. I don't know if I'll ever get past the toad-like Queen of Swords, but maybe if she's gilded it'll distract from her dour face...

I'm really on the fence here. I have very mixed feelings: fear that I'll still dislike it, hope that it stands on its own. And, well, SHINY!
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Do you have the raven/crow gene in your DNA, attraction to shiny, glistening, bling. I Cann't blame you :) I say "go for it"
 
Deck ID, please! Book of Thoth Etteilla (LoS)