talkmagic.co.uk

From: http://www.outlaw-effects.com/store/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=132&Itemid=188

Price: Currently on special limited time offer for 75$.

From the website:
Concept and design by Outlaw Effects and Cody Stoltz original art by Cody Stoltz

Tarot of the Dark Dawn is an original art twenty two card arcana deck. Hand aged and printed on very special 200 pound stock.

The cards measure 5 x 3 inches. They are marked and one way. They arrive in a hand made, hand aged velvet pouch with a numbered certificate of authenticity.

DDT is a limited edition of 150 units.

My thoughts:
I have been tampering with tarots for a while and wanted to buy a deck of marked aged tarots. After considering the Carnie Tarot for several months (they are quite pricey for a non professional like me), I decided that the Circus theme didn't fit me and fought my CUPS back. Unfortunately when this new deck appeared, I simply couldn't hold it any longer and bought it.

My overall impression is excellent: the cards are of the best quality and the aging is outstanding. I love the art (you can get a fair impression from the pictures on the site): it is evocative and has a nice 19th century feeling; the skeletonish theme it's not too stretched (as it looks like from the pictures on the Carnie deck, at least IMHO), so I really feel that the deck can be used for everyday readings as well as for bizarre effects and routines (and being not too over the top, I feel it is particularly well suited for this).
The back pattern is simple enough (maybe I would have avoided the star, but still) and I particularly like the fact that it has large simple shapes, which for me adds credibility; the marking system is extremely easy to read (provided you know the tarots, of course) and is really learned in minutes.
A very nice touch for me (I have been looking for this for a while) is the fact that the cards are rectangular in shape (no round corners), which adds a lot to the perceived age of the deck.

On the minus side: the velvet pouch is not on par with the deck (it feels a bit cheap to me) and you will receive no booklet whatsoever apart from a single page explaining the marking system, but of course if you need instructions on how to use a deck of tarots you shouldn't be buying this.
I would also have preferred the names of the cards to be printed in a language different from English (or no name at all), but I know it's just me.

Overall, I would say that this is an excellent product and if you are looking for a new item to add to your bizarre arsenal, this is definitely worth a look.

A small note on shipping times:
O have been reading around people complaining of items never shipped or arriving much later than expected; my impression is that Rick is simply overwhelmed by the amount of orders he gets. On the other hand he is an extremely friendly guy and even if he sometimes doesn't answer the emails when he does he really goes the extra mile to keep you satisfied (and often answers even very late in the night). So my suggestion is: if you are worried about your order, just drop Rick a line every few days. Keep in mind, though, that the aging process takes time so in any case don't expect to receive your tarots before AT LEAST two weeks. The quality is well worth the waiting.

MiKo wrote:O have been reading around people complaining of items never shipped or arriving much later than expected; my impression is that Rick is simply overwhelmed by the amount of orders he gets. On the other hand he is an extremely friendly guy and even if he sometimes doesn't answer the emails when he does he really goes the extra mile to keep you satisfied (and often answers even very late in the night). So my suggestion is: if you are worried about your order, just drop Rick a line every few days. Keep in mind, though, that the aging process takes time so in any case don't expect to receive your tarots before AT LEAST two weeks. The quality is well worth the waiting.

Ahh, how silly of me. It was my fault (technically my wife's fault, as the item I never got was ordered by her) that Rick never sent the goods he was paid for. We should have badgered him repeatedly until he fulfilled his side of the contract. I crazily assumed that a person who has been paid for an item will send it within, oh, three years of the order (I think it must actually be four years now).

Having said that, there's something I ordered from another supplier years ago that still isn't out yet. I think I will get it eventually, but who knows?

If/when you get your stuff from Outlaw, it usually is top-notch.

I was just expressing my opinion, you know? No need for sarcasm, I am not in any way connected to Rick and I'm sorry about your bad experience, I was just telling how I solved mine.

My point was that your solution involves a load of hassle on the part of the person who has already paid for something, which I believe should be unnecessary. My sarcasm was to highlight this absurdity (as I see it), but I am sorry if you felt it was too much. You are right that it can eventually get you your order, but it's a lot of work that the consumer shouldn't have to go through.

Like most people, I have limited finances, and I'd rather give my money to someone like Alchemy Moon, Lebanon Circle etc. where you get what you order without having to chase all the time. As an example, several months ago, I ordered from Alchemy Moon. A couple of weeks passed, and I didn't hear anything, so I got in touch. I got an apology, and an explanation that the item had gone out of stock, but was expected in soon. Sure enough, I got my order not long after. That's how it should work. Ideally, they'd have explained the position without having to ask first, but I can live with that.

In my opinion, if people support businesses with shoddy working practices (such as the sites that produce unauthorised copies, or ones that don't send items that have been paid for), then those businesses have no incentive to change their ways. With magic, however, sometimes an item is only available from one place and so you must either take your chances or not buy it. I have reached a stage where I'd rather not order something in those circumstances.

Back on the main subject of this thread, I am glad you got your cards and are pleased with them. As I always say, Outlaw produces some excellent stuff.

Part-Timer wrote:Back on the main subject of this thread, I am glad you got your cards and are pleased with them. As I always say, Outlaw produces some excellent stuff.

I agree, they do produce some really unique items, however I also agree with your other points. I've only ordered direct from Outlaw once, the other Outlaw items I own were second hand and the experience hasn't encouraged me to order anything else.

I feel I have to stick up for Outlaw a touch here... I've ordered quite a few bits from them, and yes, the delivery time can be extremely slow, but then the items take time to construct. The Decranom is just beautiful though! I've e-mailed Rick a fair bit with questions about his products before purchasing and after and he's been outstanding with his replies.

And when, after a couple of months my Showdown wallet didn't arrive, he posted another without any questions.

That said, I can understand that it can be a right pain to have to wait ages for a product, or even chase up the supplier.

As we're talking about the Dark Dawn Tarot... if I didn't already have the Carnie Tarot, I'd be ordering them...

artychris wrote:That said, I can understand that it can be a right pain to have to wait ages for a product, or even chase up the supplier.
...

Waiting I don't mind, being told something has definitely been put in the post multiple times when it hasn't, is something I do mind.

And I'm afraid no matter how good the product is, if I have to chase a supplier mutiple times after I've paid them then that's the last purchase I'll make with them.

Fair point Mr Heckler...

I only ordered a couple of things and must have got lucky! My hideout wallet arrived in 2 weeks and i had no problems.