Zephyros
Very eagerly expecting it!
Tabula Mundi Tarot: formerly Tarot "M"
frac_ture
Hey I am still here, and just wanted to say that I am making major progress on the minors
Just wanted to give you that update. More to follow soon!
I've been quietly watching since your first posts about this deck began to appear, and I remain excited for the final, full deck. I'm just not a "Majors Only" person, but it took some real force of will to not snap up that version. I'll be all over the complete deck as soon as you pronounce it officially for sale, though! Your work on this one is really creative, innovative, and thought-provoking. It seems already poised to enter my personal little circle of Most Favorite-est Decks Ever...
Babalon Jones
Hey frac_ture, long time no see!
I know, Majors only is well, not so popular. I actually love reading Majors only in the European tradition, and with my own style, so I can work with a Majors deck, or at least this one. I probably should not have printed it as a Majors deck though, or even shown them, all things considered. It was just after almost three years of work I wanted to have something to show for it. Just in case I like, died or something before it was done. And it gave me something to be excited about, before starting the minors. I got into designing the card backs and fancy boxes and the LWB and extras and stuff. It raised energy...
But it was a mistake to think many people would appreciate and use a Majors deck, and worse mistake to spend the cha-ching to have the attribution symbols done in silver foil. Part of me is still glad I did it, though. Because I like it, and wanted the silver symbols on my copy, and now it exists. And it is super unlikely the full deck will have cards that big or get that bling, as it would be that many more symbols and dies to make. So while printing the Majors was a bad business decision it was a good spiritual decision.
I hope you like the minors when you see them!
Zephyros
I don't know how these things work, but don't you have the proper dies already? I mean, the symbols for the Majors and Minors are the same, except that the Minors have two of them...
Anyway, for what it's worth, I think you made the right decision in going all out in terms of creating a Majors presentation piece. Truly an act of Will. I'm sure it must have cost you an arm and a leg, but it is definitely something you can be proud of. There are also means to cover these kinds of expenses, for example going through Kickstarter or TGC. I have no doubt something like this would easily be funded. I am certainly intent on getting any deluxe edition that's put out.
As for size and bling, I actually think a simpler full deck would actually work to its advantage. This has the potential to be a "workhorse" deck, one that too much bling would actually detract from.
Anyway, for what it's worth, I think you made the right decision in going all out in terms of creating a Majors presentation piece. Truly an act of Will. I'm sure it must have cost you an arm and a leg, but it is definitely something you can be proud of. There are also means to cover these kinds of expenses, for example going through Kickstarter or TGC. I have no doubt something like this would easily be funded. I am certainly intent on getting any deluxe edition that's put out.
As for size and bling, I actually think a simpler full deck would actually work to its advantage. This has the potential to be a "workhorse" deck, one that too much bling would actually detract from.
Babalon Jones
I thought so too, that the dies could be reused since the symbols repeat, but not so.
The way the dies work, is there is not one for each symbol, but one for each card. Each card is stamped with a die. The die for the Priestess has Gimel and the Moon on it. So the die can't be reused for any minors that have the Moon, since they would have a zodiacal symbol instead of Gimel.
Plus even if I could get 56 more dies made and just reuse those 22 for the full deck, it would mean the full deck would have to be the same size as the Majors deck. While the size of the Majors deck is perfect for what it is, to showcase the art and pathworking, I want the full size deck to be riffle shuffleable.
So though the dies are being saved for me it is unlikely I will get to use them again.
I probably will try a Kickstart when done rather than taking out a loan or foolishly using a credit card, like I have done in the past to pay for printing . Though I am dubious i can crowd fund, since I don't use Facebook or similar social media.
Anyway I too am glad in a way the Majors exist, though as a business decision it was not so good.
gregory
Quite a few people without facebook have done OK there. Don't lose heart.
frac_ture
(thanks for the welcome back, Babalon Jones! I've been here, but mostly in lurker-mode...)
I definitely didn't mean to imply that Majors Only decks are somehow inherently inferior! And I believe a lot of people do actually like them and use them. For me personally, it's just issues of a) basic greed, I guess, in that I want my deck storage space and my deck-using bandwidth to go to decks with as many cards as possible, since I just simply love cards so much...and b) I already have a tendency to have a knee-jerk favoritism for Majors over Minors when I'm doing readings. I don't mean to, but there it is. I try to be aware of it, and adjust accordingly...but I doubt that picking up Majors Only decks will help with that internal imbalance!
I'm really glad that you posted the images you did, though, as I've been tremendously impressed by your work on the deck, and eager to snatch it up once it's done. I'm especially taken by the more modern elements you've woven in that feel very original and striking, but never forced or ham-fisted (like...The Magus is a DJ, and the Charioteer is a surfer, and Adjustment is an ice-skater, and it all works beautifully, while your artwork has never been better...plus, as a multiple-Scorpio, I was completely knocked out by your hybrid creature on the Death card that combines aspects of all three major manifestations of Scorpio, what with Scorpion, Serpent, and Eagle parts -- I love that one!). I've pointed several metaphysical-minded friends at your Tabula Mundi page, and not one has come back less than utterly sold on it...
I don't know much of anything useful about crowd-funding, and I have no idea how much it would cost to publish a deck independently, but could you even float an inquiry here on the Aeclectic boards as to whether a very small group of investors might be willing to rise up from out of the AT ranks to help you cover the printing and distribution costs? Or is that not permitted here and/or just crazy-talk...?
I definitely didn't mean to imply that Majors Only decks are somehow inherently inferior! And I believe a lot of people do actually like them and use them. For me personally, it's just issues of a) basic greed, I guess, in that I want my deck storage space and my deck-using bandwidth to go to decks with as many cards as possible, since I just simply love cards so much...and b) I already have a tendency to have a knee-jerk favoritism for Majors over Minors when I'm doing readings. I don't mean to, but there it is. I try to be aware of it, and adjust accordingly...but I doubt that picking up Majors Only decks will help with that internal imbalance!
I'm really glad that you posted the images you did, though, as I've been tremendously impressed by your work on the deck, and eager to snatch it up once it's done. I'm especially taken by the more modern elements you've woven in that feel very original and striking, but never forced or ham-fisted (like...The Magus is a DJ, and the Charioteer is a surfer, and Adjustment is an ice-skater, and it all works beautifully, while your artwork has never been better...plus, as a multiple-Scorpio, I was completely knocked out by your hybrid creature on the Death card that combines aspects of all three major manifestations of Scorpio, what with Scorpion, Serpent, and Eagle parts -- I love that one!). I've pointed several metaphysical-minded friends at your Tabula Mundi page, and not one has come back less than utterly sold on it...
I don't know much of anything useful about crowd-funding, and I have no idea how much it would cost to publish a deck independently, but could you even float an inquiry here on the Aeclectic boards as to whether a very small group of investors might be willing to rise up from out of the AT ranks to help you cover the printing and distribution costs? Or is that not permitted here and/or just crazy-talk...?
Babalon Jones
Thanks gregory! I shall take your word for that, as you probably have seen many more of them than I have. I look occassionally, and have backed at least one, but of the very successful ones I've seen are all linked to various social accounts and have followers. But, I have not lost heart and it is worth a shot. I have an email newsletter that people subscribe to so there is a mailing list, but I think the software it uses must be lousy because only a small percentage of the emails I have sent out even get opened so I suspect they end up in Spam. Still, I probably will do one, if I can get over my fear of making a video!
Frac_ture, I am glad you came out of lurker mode to post here, and thanks for your comments on the cards and for showing it to others. Funny as I thought of you a couple weeks ago and wondered that I didn't see you on AT anymore. And no worries, I know you are not dissing Majors decks. I do hear a lot though from people, that they love the deck but don't use Majors only, etc and they are waiting for me to finish it. To which I privately think, hey wow they are assuming I will, and soon, or are very patient. Now I have every intention of doing so, and make progress every day, but who knows what life has in store for us with a project of this size, anything can happen. Hopefully what happens is, I keep my nose to the muse's grindstone, and get through the rest of the cards and what comes after. I think it will be done this year, if I work like one possessed
Chiska
As soon as you post a link for crowd funding, I will be there.
Alta
I will be as well. And happy to add links on Facebook for you.
