Discussion Thread for: The Making of a New AT Collab Deck

PS Dropboxes have privacy level settings... If everyone is okay with the idea, I thought workflow might go like this:

- Artist drops a hi-res work in the box
- I get a notice
- I move it to a private box that only the artist has access to and start the post-production (borders, titles)
- The artist also make a low res copy and posts it... somewhere here? So others can ooh and ah...

annabel398 said:

PS Dropboxes have privacy level settings... If everyone is okay with the idea, I thought workflow might go like this:

- Artist drops a hi-res work in the box
- I get a notice
- I move it to a private box that only the artist has access to and start the post-production (borders, titles)
- The artist also make a low res copy and posts it... somewhere here? So others can ooh and ah...

Click to expand...

That actually sounds pretty cool. I didn't know that about dropbox.

Marirowana said:

Well, we definitely don't want anyone to be unhappy in the project IF we go for printing, it will probably be for deck creators and/or AT members only, with a limited time for ordering - after that period of time, the orders will stop and it will only be available on=line. It won't be available for just anyone to buy, that would be a whole different project. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, gregory, we'll take everything in consideration.

Click to expand...

When I voted for print, I was thinking of a very limited release, just the collaborators. I wouldn't want it to be available for the general public. Not for selfish reasons, or to be exclusive - but out of a feeling that this is a small project, just for fun, just for us.

Imagine in a couple years, some eBay mini-mogul with a stockpile selling them for a huge profit? How obnoxious would that be? Let's keep it a very small release please!

daphne said:

But why not anyone interested could get a copy?
Paying only printing costs and shipping. Not profit anyone.
It is a great advertising tool for AT forum.

Click to expand...

Well, why should it be? It's called an Aeclectic deck, and it will be created in Aeclectic Tarot Forums (well, Fora for some grammatically straighlaced people ) by some members of the forum, but why should it be available to all members? I'm not trying to sound offensive here, just really trying to see it from another person's perspective. Also, some could abuse this. Someone might get copies of the deck, and a few years from now, we might see it pop up in Ebay (yes, no matter how queasy one would feel about one's art for the deck).

Which is why I think this issue should be decided early on. Imagine if I'm a contributor who thinks the way I described, and have committed my art to the project, only to find out that, by majority vote, the deck gets to be made available to people interested in it? should I pull out my artwork?

Personally, I'm okay with at least making the deck available to people online, in a downloadable format. With the printed one available for all - well, I used to think that way, that it's okay, but I still have reservations (because it might be opening the project to abuse). I actually used to push for something like this (the deck being made available to people) in some of the collaborative projects I did in the past, but some contributors were outright flat against it. I couldn't really see their misgivings back then, but I respected what they wanted. It's also their art, after all.

(A bit of trivia, I the first deck was unofficially called FACT - First Aeclectic Collaborative Tarot, the second SACT, and then people started wondering just how long it would be till the names sound sillier )

tarotbear said:

We're going to go down a deep rabbit hole with this discussion.

TGC is a POD printer, but a deck still has to have an 'account' and 'someone' that account belongs to. BTW - TGC does not pay a royalty in cash - it can be sent to someone's PayPal account once it reaches a certain level (means taxes have to be paid on the profit), or the owner of the account can 'take it out' in points they redeem for free decks. It is not like a deck can be on TGC and no one gets anything nor is responsible for it.

Yes - if it costs $18 to produce the deck the selling price could be set at $19 POD sale but most of the profit (70%) still goes to the owner of the account. (TGC gets 30%)

This is why (with permission from Solandia) if someone goes through Makeplayingcards or Printers Studio and a finite number of decks are produced at a time, sent to a central person, and shipped out all over the world that the 'profitability' factor will drop. However - you would need people willing to do this - and someone to run it.

Just my two cents; your mileage may vary.

Click to expand...

Actually, it can be done with no profit whatsoever. We just need someone who has an account in TGC (like you or me ), provided this person commits to receiving orders. Someone could message him, make a personal order and then have the deck sent to the address of the person who ordered. The recipient could pay him the cost+shipping in advance.

blue_fusion said:

Actually, it can be done with no profit whatsoever. We just need someone who has an account in TGC (like you or me ), provided this person commits to receiving orders. Someone could message him, make a personal order and then have the deck sent to the address of the person who ordered. The recipient could pay him the cost+shipping in advance.

Click to expand...

Quoting my grandfather: "Money sticks in the hands of Saints -- and I don't see any Saints here!"

Not that I'm saying you or I would work the TGC system. However - if this was a limited edition release and someone took it upon themselves to put in an order for 100 decks from MPC or PS and charged cost and shipping to everyone - and shipped them out - there would be no profit gained or possible grift. That way if someone in OZ wanted 10 decks to sell down under that USA person would ship 10 decks to (let's say) Nissie - who paid for 10 decks plus shipping to Oz and the people of OZ would buy them through her.

tarotbear said:

Quoting my grandfather: "Money sticks in the hands of Saints -- and I don't see any Saints here!"

Click to expand...

True. It's cuz Halloween's coming up, so there are more devils around.

I was just giving one non-profit (though quite effort-expending) scenario if folks decide to have the deck printed by TGC.

tarotbear said:

Not that I'm saying you or I would work the TGC system. However - if this was a limited edition release and someone took it upon themselves to put in an order for 100 decks from MPC or PS and charged cost and shipping to everyone - and shipped them out - there would be no profit gained or possible grift. That way if someone in OZ wanted 10 decks to sell down under that USA person would ship 10 decks to (let's say) Nissie - who paid for 10 decks plus shipping to Oz and the people of OZ would buy them through her.

Click to expand...

I think this is the way things were done in our TCF decks. Someone just ordered by bulk and had the decks sent out individually. There are several options (and schemes) available to us, actually.

(I still hate this whole printed deck thing BUT) I know what Ly is saying here - when he first put up his Maria Celia deck there, ONLY he could make the orders with TGC; we had to email him; he'd order on our behalf; TGC sent an invoice and the deck was mailed to the person ordering. As long as whoever handles the orders here can tell who here is ordering 10 to make a quick profit on resale and who does it to share postage with genuine friends on AT it should be OK. Maybe require the person ordering to list the people they are ordering FOR - to be confirmed in a thread.

Either that or be blunt and say only one deck can be ordered by one person, the end.

blue_fusion said:

I think this is the way things were done in our TCF decks. Someone just ordered by bulk and had the decks sent out individually. There are several options (and schemes) available to us, actually.

Click to expand...

Yes that is how it happens there. And usually SOMEONE reneges and doesn't pay up... and she has to sell the deck to another participant or destroy it - as the deal is that ONLY deck artists (and a tarot museum, actually) can have a printed copy. Which is what I would favour here if we MUST run with print.

If people are going to say "Why shouldn't I have a deck, I am a member here" - all you have to do is do a card, and then you can have a deck. If you don't want to do one - then no deck. Simples.

gregory said:

(and a tarot museum, actually)

Click to expand...

And one for Adam? Which is a thought. Why not one for Solandia for this round, yes?

@blue fusion funny name for deck!))

btw i still dont get why is a printed deck big deal? did any previous colab ATD had printed edition?
maybe if we make it limited/one print edition only? or awalable for sale limited time?)
btw why did i get wrong idea that GC sell it and send it for you? facepalm