What would be in an ideal deck review?

I'd like to start doing some in-depth deck reviews on my blog, and thought I'd ask...when you read a deck review, what information are you hoping to find? What qualities make a good review? What is it that is missing from reviews that have disappointed you? What have you seen included in reviews that you find irrelevant or annoying and that would better be left out?

Looking forward to feedback!

Names and details of the creative/publishing team.

A description of the style and "culture" of the deck.

You initial personal reaction to the deck.

Concepts and cards you like in the deck.

Concepts and cards you don't like in the deck.

What kind of people it might appeal to.

What kind of people it mightn't appeal to.

Whether or not the deck is useful to you, and why.

Whether you think the deck would be useful to other people, why, and who.

A conclusion that brings the whole review back to your personal opinion of the deck and any emotions concerning it.

Congratulations on this creative & useful new project of yours, Carla!

Obviously you already got some advice from an experienced review writer

Geographically challenged in a country where the tarot market is only shyly starting to maybe emerge, I have zero opportunity to handle decks in shops before buying them.

I always eagerly wait for the first AT people to get a certain deck and describe how the cards feel: size,type of lamination, whether they are very slippery thus hard to shuffle, heavily coated, super shiny etc.

My two cents

K

I might add to nisaba's excellent comments that I also like physical detail. Are the cards large or small? How did the cardstock and quality of lamination strike you? If there are any historical links in the deck, or references to something in literature (that isn't obvious), you should add that in briefly.

My approach (FWIW)...

What I like to include;

Things we're not allowed to say here. Not (I have to say) because of any censorship on the site, just because I find that some members do not always respond well to what we think. I find that if I am writing about a deck here, I often (not always) have to watch my p's and q's. Not a sensation I like. If you are writing elsewhere, you are free to be honest. And that can be gushing or personal or why you don't like it. I have never understood why honest opinion here is greeted with a stoney "we're all different/ it's a matter of taste etc." Yes I know...But on a blog you're not going to have to get into tiresome justificatory posts of what you really mean.

I have to say, I find writing reviews very stimulating and very tiring and it takes quite a long time to get your impressions just right. But a review which is well thought out and detailed is always a pleasure to read.

I get bored in reviews with descriptions of boxes and packaging. Just take a good photo of the whole kit laid out. That way we really get a sense of what the deck is like when we unwrap it from the Book Depository or wherever.

I like to see comments on the feel of the cardstock. V important. I like to read a person's impressions of the LWB or the quality of the accompanying literature. I always like it when a sample card meaning is copied out with a scan of said card somewhere in the review. That speaks volumes to me.

I suppose it is always tempting to explain the context/concept/ how the deck came about etc. I always feel I have to dutifully read all this though I never find it particularly interesting and when I myself am writing I always feel oppressed and bogged down by that part. Best bit for me is - plain and simple - that person's honest reaction in front of the deck. How they respond to it as the person they are. That is always interesting.

Basically, the more personal the review, the better. The more objective and "listy", the more dull I find it. I don't read reviews which are just descriptive. The box measures blah blah blah, the LWB has 168 pages, there are flowery borders..." Good scans are what it's all about and photos which give a feel for the package on the table.

I find comments such as "this deck would appeal to left-handed pagans with an interest in gardening cats" a bit useless as we never really know which decks appeal to us and why, so there's no point being prescriptive. And from good scans they'll know. I always do a quick research on which cards haven't appeared in other reviews and try to show some of the unseen cards.

In short, it's all about your personality and individuality.

Well said. And yes I know about the need for qualifications here, sigh. But, it keeps the shouting to a minimum.

I also enjoy personal reviews, your reactions, your insights but also why. A review, as Le Fanu posted, should have taken some time to write and you should have spent some serious time with the deck before you even start.

Also, there are a ton of reviews on internet. Read some and think, which were helpful to you? How did the author make that deck come alive for you?

Alta said:

... and you should have spent some serious time with the deck before you even start.

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Good point and one I didn't think of. It is very tempting when we get a new deck to want to gush. And that's fine. But it is worth noting that reviews of those decks which we have spent time with have a very different feel. Both are valid in their way. I like to read people's reactions as soon as they've opened up a deck. I also like reading reviews by those who have spent quality reading time with a deck. Two different types of review.

Recently I wrote a review imediately upon receiving a deck. Then another one - The Fire Tarot - a deck I had had for a while and let percolate a bit...Different reviewing experiences.

This is going to be an interesting thread, hearing everyone's experiences and thoughts.

I agree with Le Fanu. But on one point, I differ. I do like comments on card stock and size. I have small hands and I don't fare well with large decks. I also don't care whether the art work is huge in size, so there are two reasons why I prefer small decks. I have a terrible time shuffling thick card stock and if a deck is both thick and large---well, forget it. I might as well pour money down a rat-hole if it's one I've bought. I won't be able to use it. Also, I riffle my decks, so I don't like having to tediously make little piles and then put them back together or any other shuffle other than the riffle. The riffle is part of my "process", I think.

Aside from that, I pretty much agree with Le Fanu, especially the part about having spent some quality time working with the deck. I think it's good to say, "I was blown away by the beauty of the deck when I first unwrapped it" but then to go on to truthfully express your experience with it if it wasn't very positive. There are folks here who read a lot like I do so their experience with a deck is likely to be similar to what mine would be many times. Not always, of course, but it does give a pretty good indicator of how I'd react to it. I wouldn't like it if my friend gave a rave review to a deck he or she really didn't feel that way about.

I see nothing wrong with making comments here on AT that accurately reflect your feelings about a deck even if they're not positive, so long as you don't rip it to shreds and get nasty about the whole thing. I don't want to know only the positive things. I want an honest review but with compassion for the artist.

Thanks for all these ideas!

Le Fanu said:

My approach (FWIW)...

Things we're not allowed to say here. Not (I have to say) because of any censorship on the site, just because I find that some members do not always respond well to what we think. I find that if I am writing about a deck here, I often (not always) have to watch my p's and q's. Not a sensation I like.

Basically, the more personal the review, the better. The more objective and "listy", the more dull I find it.

Click to expand...

I totally agree with the above. I have read so many reviews that just don't say nothing. They are just too polite and all nice. For me the good review should be totally subjective, of course somebody else will have opposite opinion - that's fine, the point is that I could find like-minded reviewers and than I could trust their judgement possibly similar to mine, if they were honest. That would make sense. But there is too many that are so scared to offend anybody ending up all decks be equally great. And everybody loves everybody ;-)