Is it possible to make a good 'theme' deck?

Cats, animals in general, angels, vampires, fairies, Arthurian legend, HP Lovecraft, dragons...there's any number of 'theme' categories the publishers keep on churning out decks for. Are decks like this doomed to be commercial crap? Are they even tarot?

Or is it possible to craft a good theme deck?

Off the top of my head, there's a few theme/novelty decks that regularly get good reviews on this and other sites:
- The Fey Tarot
- Fantastic Menagerie
- Baroque Bohemian Cats
- International Icon Tarot
- Dark Grimoire Tarot

I'm sure not everyone will agree with that list in its entirety, but it does seem possible to create a theme deck and have it be regarded as 'good tarot.'

So: What, if anything, can make a theme deck a good tarot deck?

(Not good as in 'if you are into banana slugs, you must buy the Ancient Tarot of the Banana Slugs', but good as in 'every tarot enthusiast should take a look at the Ancient Tarot of the Banana Slugs - you will be surprised and pleased.')

What are examples of good theme decks? What makes them stand out?

What typically impresses me beyond a simple "theme" and onto a good "use" deck is the inclusion of some symbolism.

I like the Dark Grimoire deck, to pick one from your list. There are a lot of common symbols and themes that go beyond the primary gimmick. Books. Paintings. Research. Some cards are almost depicting theatrical performances. You can almost start to see a language of both creation and destruction in those images.

I own other decks that are absolutely gorgeous to look at, but which lack that depth. In many cases, the LWB almost needs to be studied because there's nothing to go in in the card itself. In too many of those instances, the scraps of imagery on the card and the text in the LWB exist in dire contrast to each other.

To me, personally, it comes down a sometimes very fine line: drawing from the best elements of the classics (cohesion, language, symbolism, and even a story found in the cards) without simply putting a new paint job on an old design.

It's too Wednesday for me to form any coherent thoughts beyond these two:

Aren't all "tarots" variations on a theme anyway?

and

I would *totally* drop money on the Ancient Tarot of the Banana Slugs.

Great question mentalista. I think the majority of theme decks do fail for a variety of reasons, but primarily because they lack substance. I think a theme deck can work IF it does two things....allows the user to learn more about tarot, AND allows the user to learn more about the theme, but in a way where learning more about one basically means you have learnt more about the other. I'm not sure if that is even going to make sense, but I'll give two examples of decks that I believe fill these criteria.

Firstly, the Alchemical tarot by Robert Place. Place understands the structure, symbolism and history of tarot and so designed his deck to fit with and expand upon those principles. Also, with a good knowledge of alchemy he allows you to learn more about both tarot and alchemy simply by working with the deck.

Secondly, the Renaissance tarot by Brian Williams. This deck I guess has a Classical Mythology theme and allows the user to learn more about the myths in a way that enriches your understanding of tarot.

Decks which fail for me are ones where the creator simply takes the RWS format and, to take your example, turns each card into a copy of the RWS image but this time featuring a banana slug. No depth of symbolism or knowledge and probably unlikely that the combination of theme and tarot will add much to your knowledge of either. These kind of decks, to me, are more style than substance. I will refrain from giving specific examples.

What I don't like at all is theme decks where the creator uses the RWS/Golden Dawn format but at the same times tries to say the deck contains no Christian themes and/or is unique and/or breaks with tradition. As long as you use those same formats I think it's critical not to try and pretend away the very system they are based on.

I remember some time ago a discussion on decks with substance, or it may have been recommended study decks. I'm sure Scion may have explained what I've tried to say WAY better at the time. It's an important question though, because many people have a theme deck as their first deck. I did. Anyway, sorry, I'm probably rambling and may or may not be making much sense. I think this is a really good question for discussion and will be interested to see how others feel.

This is just my opinion but the Halloween Tarot is my favorite themed deck. The artwork is great, can be used everyday and it's a very good reading deck.

I am a BBC freak and I don't generally like theme decks. I guess BBC shows it can be done correctly...maybe it is a certain type of alchemy that it takes to make a theme deck work...whatever it is I don't know.

hmmm...I gotta pull it out and see my beloved '4 of Coins' tom. I should do some meditations of this little devil...I need some money lol...


Freddie

i think it is possible

i agree with sapienza there that a deck has to have substance.

that constistues a lot to a lot of people.
the bothemian gothic tarot is an awesome example of a theme deck,
for me it has great artwork, had an awesome book that explained everything, and it made some sense.

but with all theme decks you will never be able to please everyone,, i rember the defunct buffy the vampire slayer tarot , there was some scenes i didnt' agree with that i would of changed. that is the nature of undertaking a new tarot, you have to stick with what you get, which is why one should do their research and look at the deck images and read reviews before buying a new theme deck.

sapienza said:

I think the majority of theme decks do fail for a variety of reasons, but primarily because they lack substance. I think a theme deck can work IF it does two things....allows the user to learn more about tarot, AND allows the user to learn more about the theme, but in a way where learning more about one basically means you have learnt more about the other. I'm not sure if that is even going to make sense, ...

Click to expand...

Makes perfect sense, and I agree entirely.

I would say the Ancient Egyptian (Barrett) is a good theme deck. By learning about the deities in the deck, you can apply that knowledge to how you can interpret the cards (e.g Thoth/Magician, Set/Devil etc). But it's also firmly based on the Golden Dawn system, and the cards have been carefully designed to incorporate astrology, cabbala and esoteric themes so you can learn more about these areas if you wish. However it's done in a subtle and clever way, which shows that the author (Barrett) has a real grasp on these themes and tarot in general.

Is the International Icon a theme deck? I would have thought it's deliberately trying NOT to be a theme? Or am I missing something...

teomat, I agree that the Ancient Egyptian is another great example of where it can work well.

I also thought the International Icon deck wasn't really a theme. I thought its aim was to reduce the RWS images to universal symbols, but maybe I'm missing something too.

I would say theme decks - in general - flounder gloriously.

I also would say that Baroque Bohemian Cats isn't a theme deck. MRP choose their tarot "ideas" (I'd rather not call their decks themed) to be all-embracing and wide enough for all manner of things to fit in. What's the theme? Cats? (very wide then), Baroqueness (wide and subjective), Bohemia (more a setting/background). It isn't just cats. A deck which can depict cats doing things is no more narrow than a deck depicting humans doing things.

Theme deck for me are those narrow ones - like Unicorns, Vampires, Crystals, Dragons. How easy is it for a Crystal or Unicorn to carry 10 staves or pour liquid from one vessel to another (because they're invariably RWS)? With Cats we're used to them being almost human. I find it hard to do with Lapis Lazuli.

The secret is for the "theme" to be a wide and unintrusive one. Like Prague. All manner of things can fit into the concept of "Prague". All manner of things can fit into the concept of Cats, or if not Cats, then Baroqueness. If not Baroqueness or Cats then at least Bohemia. The secret is to keep it ample.

Sapienza mentions the Alchemical, a deck I love. It works because the topic isn't primarily a visual one, but Place has made it one; it works around processes, reactions, scientific cause and effect, concepts which work in tarot. Like the Quantum. That works too; The Devil is your own Black Hole, swirling, unending chaos. It doesn't need to be a picture of something doing something. That alone is just too flimsy.

So often with these supposed theme decks I don't know what the theme is. I love Dark Grimoire but what's the theme there? It can't be Lovecraft because I keep seeing that you don't need to know Lovecraft to understand it. I remember Ric trying to steer the conversation away from Lovecraft and to get people to see the deck away from that theme.

I can't bring myself to look at the Unicorn Tarot and I can't begin to think what they do with it. I was gifted the Suckling Dragon Tarot and it really is just Dragons and then unillustrated pips. The sound of steam running out...