As you’ve probably heard (or read), the Naked Truth Tarot Midnight Edition campaign has surpassed 250% funding — all thanks to you!
We truly appreciate your incredible support!
BackerKit will take a couple of weeks to collect your pledges, so please keep an eye on your inbox to ensure there are no payment issues that could delay your rewards when we start shipping.
Based on the poll results, we’re excited to confirm that two extra cards—the Lovers and the Tower from the first edition—will be added to this Midnight Edition deck to make it even more special.
If you encounter any problems, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
Eeeeeek, mine arrived today, and the shiny border before even taking them out if the box put the biggest smile on my face!!! Not only are the cards fantastic, and well worth the wait, but also the individual tarot card and handwritten note in the box was such a nice added personal touch too!!! Thanks for putting such a big smile on my face!!!!!!!!!!!
Our reprinted shipment of Vibrating Tarot arrived last week.
Over the past seven days, I’ve been opening units, and the cards look spectacular!
None of the manufacturing defects I reported from the first batch are present in this batch.
So, we’ve started printing labels and getting everything ready for shipping.
Fulfillment In Progress
We're getting everything out as fast as we can. A shipment of several dozen units are actually going out this afternoon.
Keep an eye on your email over the next few weeks for your shipment confirmation and tracking number.
Colouring Book and Vibrating Font: We'll be fulfilling these digital items as soon as the cards have been shipped out. Watch for updates on these items in the coming weeks.
Semi-Gloss vs. Matte
There was only one compromise that was made during the printing process. Now that the deck is here and I’m happy with the results, I want to discuss this detail.
It concerns the finish that was applied to the surface of the cards.
The printer changed the finish on the cards from my originally selected Semi-Gloss finish to a Matte UV finish.
Knowing that there were complications with the first printing, they did this to have greater control over their process and output quality.
And the cards came out excellent.
So, for this First Printing of Vibrating Tarot, we’re all getting a vibrant and very mature looking deck of cards with a Matte UV finish.
What’s the difference between Semi-Gloss and Matte?
Matte UV is actually the more popular choice for Tarot cards, and many decks out there are made with a Matte finish. It cuts down on the glare, offers more durability, and protects against fingerprints and scratches.
The difference between Semi-Gloss and Matte can be seen in the way the deck looks under direct light, and in the way the deck handles in your hands.
Let’s get down to the details.
Reflecting Light
In order to make a Matte finish, the card is coated with microscopic peaks and valleys that diffuse the light and scatter it in many different directions, thus creating a Matte finish with absolutely no glare.
By contrast, the Semi-Gloss has an ultra-smooth surface and reflects light to a greater degree especially when directly opposing a light source. This can be distracting and cause fatigue for people who are reading cards for longer periods of time.
Our new finish is also the camera friendly option as Matte UV significantly cuts the glare out of the picture. Because Matte cards are easier to photograph, this satisfies the high number of people who want to photograph their card reading.
Handling
Going back to my peaks and valleys metaphor, this formation causes the cards to grab hold of one another during the deck’s first handling.
These peaks and valleys act like little fingers, with each card reaching out, grabbing at its neighbour and holding onto one another during the “factory seal” portion of the deck’s life.
So, the deck can feel kind of stiff right out the box. It can be a bit clunky as soon as you open it up for the first time because it has never been handled before and it needs to break free from its rigid packaged formation.
But the deck learns to loosen up as it explores the world.
After it’s been shuffled from its initial formation, the deck starts to feel better in your hands and becomes more fluid with each use.
With time and use, Matte cards offer a superior shuffling experience because of microscopic air pockets that form between cards, and this finish is often associated with a smooth, fluid, and professional feel.
Durability
Greater protection against scuffs and scratches: Because the Matte application is made up of a tightly woven cross-hatching structure, it coats the card in a shield giving it protection against scuffing. Regarding outright scratches, while a Semi-Gloss finish will accentuate a scratch, making it pop out against the card’s otherwise smooth surface, the Matte card’s surface naturally works to hide a scratch and cause it to blend into the card’s network of microscopic cross-hatching.
Reduction of total surface contact: The microscopic peaks and valleys create small pockets of air, so the cards glide across one another, never really touching down on each other’s actual surface. Reducing the surface contact with its neighbouring card prevents the cards from ever sticking together if left untouched over long periods of time in a room with high humidity.
Resists oil absorption from finger smudges: The textured surface allows finger oils to be distributed across many peaks, keeping it away from the deeper card surface. Across many readings, these natural finger oils build up on glossy cards and can become permanent smudge marks.
Protection against warping due to atmospheric conditions: Matte UV also vastly improves the card’s structural integrity and significantly protects the card against warping due to humidity because of the way it keeps moisture away from the core of the card.
Recap
There were complications with the first printing that resulted in several manufacturing defects.
Part of the solution was to observe higher quality control, and the other part of the solution was to switch the finish from Semi-Gloss to Matte UV, which results in a better overall product with fewer complications during production.
I originally ordered Semi-Gloss. The proof was done in Semi-Gloss, and the (botched) first production run of 1000 units was in Semi-Gloss.
As you all know, significant smudging occurred on several card surfaces in the first production run due to the printer’s manufacturing process.
Because they knew how crucial it was to get this reprint of the project right, as it had already been delayed due to their negligence, our printer recommended to change the finish from Semi-Gloss to a Matte finish, a superior finish that they are more experienced in producing, and a finish that they have more control over in their factory.
The change was serendipitous because of all of the added benefits of a Matte finish described above.
A lot of people prefer a Matte finish and in this case, the Matte finish is a pleasant surprise.
I hope it’s a pleasant surprise to all of us.
A ton of Tarot deck creators select Matte for their finish. If you are a collector, it would be a good experiment to see how your own collection breaks down.
Do you own more cards with a Matte finish? Or Semi-Gloss?
Which finish do you prefer?
Vibrating Tarot: Now Shipping
As I said, I’ve been printing out labels and packing up boxes, and as you read this, I’m standing in line at the post office sending out the first wave of this brand-new deck of cards called Vibrating Tarot.
I hope it brings a smile to your face. That’s all I ever really wanted.
Look forward to our October update, where we'll begin to see the deck of cards out in the wild, and I'll share where you can find Vibrating Tarot in the retail world.
Sorry no big update this month, everything's just still underway with the manufacturer. The rep is being quite slow, not sure what's going on with that and well. I just gotta keep at it.
The plan remains to get the major arcana printed, then process orders with those but no minor arcana next. We've had a few requests to refund minor arcana so you can get into that bracket - we absolutely will do that, but only after we've charged cards for the other major arcana only orders. That's just so we can afford the refunds safely, right now I need to make sure we have the funds free for the card printing. I'll make a news post giving plenty of warning before we charge cards and give instructions on requesting refunds then. (Basically, the money tied up in the add-on store is for products we've already had manufactured and are ready to ship out, so we can use that money to refund minor arcana orders without potentially running out of printing funds.)
Otherwise its an uneventful month, sorry. I'll keep you updated.
Our shipping container that holds all the US + Canadian items got rolled back twice. Long story short, there are fewer ships coming from China to the US, likely due to all the tariffs and regulations and trade wars and political stuff. This means that anyone who wants their things brought over have to fight over limited space, and it means many containers get bumped to a different ship as space fills up. But we finally left China September 11th, with an ETA of September 30th. Knowing what I now know about the tarot container that arrived to the US and how it's taking time to get places, I am estimating...
US backers in the west could expect their packages between October 18th-30th. US backers in central + southern areas could expect packages between October 25th-November 10th. US backers in the Eastern US could expect packages between October 25th-November 20th.
Canadian backers can expect their oracle dice items anytime from October 25th-November 25th, I'd imagine.
Container arrives on the west coast, the west coast warehouse gets packages, and forwards the pallets of other packages to Texas and to New Jersey, where packages then go out from those areas.
International Backers
Information to me has not been crystal clear in the past for international orders, but now I have been told explicitly that your orders to the Rest of World items are heading out through our forwarder in the next week. This means all RoW oracle dice packages are being handed to the (new, better) shipping agent in the next couple weeks.
Our new shipping agent is great, you'll get tracking emails when labels are made, not when they are scanned at you country. So you should ideally have those in the next two weeks as well.
I am estimating Rest of World packages to arrive anytime late-October to end of November. Please understand this is an estimate, and will vary depending on your distance from China and the methods used to get the items to you.
FAQ
Will I Get Tracking?
Yes. It will automatically be sent to you by email, typically when it arrives to your home country and is scanned by mail carriers there for the first time. For international folks, you should receive this much sooner than when it arrives in your home country, as we've changed shipping agents.
I've moved or will move! Now what?
Email New Titan or me, emails below. Give us your new address in the email, and let us know which project you backed + tell us if you're emailing from a different email than the one you used to back with, if you can. Helps us make sure you're you. Depending on where your package is in the journey, we may be able to update the address for you. Otherwise, set up package forwarding if you can.
My order is marked as having Shipped already. What gives?
Our shipping partner does not have access to your Backerkit information directly. I mark you as Fulfilled (which you see as Shipped on the backer side) when your order was handed to the fulfillment center. That's all it means.
I don't know if I did my survey or if mine is in the packages that are fulfilling. How do I know?
Log into Backerkit and check your survey for this project. If it's marked as Fulfilled, it is in the shipment wave heading out now. Unsure how to find your survey? Check this link:
https://the-goblin-s-oracle-dice.backerkit.com/
I missed doing my survey in time to be in the "First Wave" of packages. How long will I have to wait for the "Second Wave" of shipments?
Not long at all. We are sending most of the extra printed dice sets/items to the US with the US orders. So once first wave goes out, I will send out the "Second Wave" as I see people get things in up to the end of the deadline.
My Order is labeled with a note that says "Consolidated" but I have a $10-40+ credit. What's that?
Because of how tax/VAT/GST are added to orders on Backerkit, even consolidated orders were tagged with taxes and fees. To make sure we didn't charge you those (since they will instead be charged on your consolidated order on another project), we just gave a blanket $50 credit to anyone whose orders were consolidated. You don't actually have extra money to get paid back, we just did that to avoid accidentally charging you more.
Who do I contact to ask about my failed charges or survey problems?
Who do I contact if I never get tracking or if I need to check in on missing or damaged items in my order?
New Titan, who is handling our fulfillment, will take care of that for you directly. Just tell them your name, the email associated with your pledge, and what project you backed so they can find your order: [email protected]
What are the final due dates for this project?
I am officially setting this first timer to start October 10th.
Once US & Canadian orders hit US shores, the timer will begin for people who have not gotten their surveys done or shipping paid for. This will be a 30 day final chance for people to get their surveys in or shipping handled. If the 30 days passes (November 9th) and anyone has not gotten their survey in, their order will be cancelled, and their pledge will be considered a donation to the campaign's success. This was shared in the project's Terms and Conditions since launch day of the project.
Similarly, everyone who did have their orders shipped will have 45 days from when it is marked as having arrived to contact New Titan Print about any missing items or shipments with your order. If we surpass that deadline, we will no longer handle any missing or damaged shipments, or missing items from shipments. So please open your package right when it arrives to check the contents, and when you receive your tracking number by email, be sure to give it a look. Thank you.
Lastly, The Goblin's Tarot will continue through. September 24th it will finally launch, after more than a year of the art all being ready to go. This is the last original deck I have planned to publish for some time. It is a standard, 78-card deck-- the only of its kind to be published by Publishing Goblin so far!
Additionally, I do want to note that the entire project is basically ready to print now. This means I will place the manufacturing order while the project is still live, and with luck, this should be the fastest turnaround I've ever done on a tarot project from funding to being at your door. The wait should be less than 4 months!
So if you want to cap off your Publishing Goblin divination collection, either already acquired or heading your way now, considering joining us on the lead up to the launch. I've been doing Youtube Livestreams showing off the deck and offering readings!
I was holding it until the current tarots were shipped, and when I picked September 24th, we'd expected the HHW + Misery Tarots to be shipped before September even began. Now, I'm accepting that the tarots will be arriving just before or after it launches, and the oracle dice will be shipping out to people while it's live.
Thank you for your patience as this project is coming to a close. There have been many challenges with this project and we are just a small two person team. Backers please see shipping and product updates in the "Backer only" section of this email.
PHYSICAL BOOKLET I now have a sample physical booklet in hand, and it is lovely! For those of you who would like a physical booklet they will be available at Dragon Con and on my website Tarot page soon.
DRAWN TO DRAGONS - THE ANTHOLOGY The time is upon us! For those of you who have been following my work for a while, you have most likely heard of the Anthology that many of these magical creatures inhabit. Find The Emperor and Empress, Goliath and Hiraeth as they quest to save their world.
The book is finally launching on Backerkit September 10th for Printopia.
A calamity looms, the gods have disappeared, and the realm's creatures left to fend for themselves. Or are they?
On the brink of all out war the mythical creatures of the world are dying as magic is vanishing. Cruel kings vie for the remnants of magic by seeking mythical creatures for magic is entombed within their very flesh.
Can Goliath save his people? Will Hiraeth find her place in the world? Join the world of Drawn to Dragons - The Anthology. A flash fiction book with illustrations to guide us in the telling of its many tales.
Estimated page count 150-200, 35,000 word count.
Those of you who would like to join the pre launch campaign can find it here.
First, please always check updates for the latest info. I know that for many of you, your Backerkit survey/pledge manager is telling you that your order Shipped. But that just means I handed it to the fulfillment center. This is because our fulfillment folks are a separate company and they have their own internal systems to track packages and packing and what not that I don't have access to. See the FAQ below if you want more info.
Second, we still have 11 people who have not done their surveys, and 17 people who have not gotten their errored cards fixed. Anyone who gets things fixed from here on, or a survey in, will be getting their order in the remaining 2nd wave of shipments at a later date.
Packing Complete
Packing was apparently even more complicated than I expected, putting us till today to be completed. But it's now done. So what we're expecting from here:
US & Canada
It will take 2 or so weeks to get forwarded to the company that puts us on a boat, and a few more days before the boat actually leaves China with all our items. That means the boat will likely leave China in the first days of September or thereabouts. It would then arrive in September, with pallets of items and orders distributing out to the US warehouses, and then direct to you through the mail system at the end of September and into October.
My estimate based on this timeline is that October 10th-15th should see all North American orders in hand.
International Backers
Knowing what it's looked like for the tarot campaigns, we will forward to mail forwarders who will take orders in various directions by various methods, from trucks to planes to boats. You should be in a similar boat (ha) as the North American orders, with orders arriving roughly....
I am estimating Rest of World packages to arrive anytime mid-September to mid-October, based on distance from China and method used.
FAQ
Will I Get Tracking?
Yes. It will automatically be sent to you by email, typically when it arrives to your home country and is scanned by mail carriers there for the first time.
I don't know if I did my survey or if mine is in the packages that are fulfilling. How do I know?
Log into Backerkit and check your survey for this project. If it's marked as Fulfilled, it is in the shipment wave heading out now. Unsure how to find your survey? Check this link:
I missed doing my survey in time to be in the "First Wave" of packages. How long will I have to wait for the "Second Wave" of shipments?
Not long at all. We are sending most of the extra set/items to the US with the US orders. So once first wave goes out, I will send out the "Second Wave" as I see people get things in up to the end of the deadline.
My Order is labeled with a note that says "Consolidated" but I have a $10-40+ credit. What's that?
Because of how tax/VAT/GST are added to orders on Backerkit, even consolidated orders were tagged with taxes and fees. To make sure we didn't charge you those (since they will instead be charged on your consolidated order on another project), we just gave a blanket $50 credit to anyone whose orders were consolidated. You don't actually have extra money to get paid back, we just did that to avoid accidentally charging you more.
Who do I contact to ask about my failed charges or survey problems?
Who do I contact if I never get tracking or if I need to check in on missing or damaged items in my order?
New Titan, who is handling our fulfillment, will take care of that for you directly. Just tell them your name, the email associated with your pledge, and what project you backed so they can find your order: [email protected]
What are the final due dates for this project?
Once US & Canadian orders hit US shores, the timer will begin for people who have not gotten their surveys done or shipping paid for. This will be a 30 day final chance for people to get their surveys in or shipping handled. If the 30 days passes and anyone has not gotten their survey in, their order will be cancelled, and their pledge will be considered a donation to the campaign's success. This was shared in the project's Terms and Conditions since launch day of the project.
Similarly, everyone who did have their orders shipped will have 45 days from when it is marked as having arrived to contact New Titan Print about any missing items or shipments with your order. If we surpass that deadline, we will no longer handle any missing or damaged shipments, or missing items from shipments. So please open your package right when it arrives to check the contents, and when you receive your tracking number by email, be sure to give it a look. Thank you.
Lastly, The Goblin's Tarot will continue through. September 24th it will finally launch, after more than a year of the art all being ready to go. This is the last original deck I have planned to publish for some time. It is a standard, 78-card deck-- the only of its kind to be published by Publishing Goblin so far!
So if you want to cap off your Publishing Goblin divination collection, either already acquired or heading your way now, considering joining us on the lead up to the launch. In the coming month, I will start doing Youtube Livestreams showing off the deck and offering readings!
I was holding it until the current tarots were shipped, and when I picked September 15th, we'd expected the HHW + Misery Tarots to be shipped before September even began. Now, I'm accepting that the tarots will be arriving just before or just as it launches, and the oracle dice will be shipping out to people while it's live.
For anyone who didn't know... Shipping rules changed again for both the EU AND the US. Tariffs and fees increased across the board, and there are new packaging rules coming into place. Its taken us a long time to figure out how to move forwards.
We think we've got it. The rest of the pin only orders are going out next week.
Please note that shipping costs will increase across the board by the time we charge the next lot of cards. EU import VAT/customs fees now have to be paid upfront, and the US tariffs have increased to 15% on pretty much all the products that we sell.
The new samples came back just this week, we're still debating how to proceed with the manufacturer. Its not a problem with our files, which is good news; it is a problem with the paper texture and matte finish combination, so we're troubleshooting. Hopefully we'll shortly be moving ahead with the major arcana print run, then shipping out orders that are just pins and major arcana decks. Then we'll do the minor, major and pin orders. Staggering them means its less likely the rules will change on us in the middle of getting orders out, we've already had a situation where we had to charge people extra and its not fair on backers.
Happy August, I hope you're all enjoying your summer. I don't have much scheduled for this update other than to say thanks again for sticking with us throughout our reprinting process.
In case you missed last month’s update, the entire Vibrating Tarot project had to be reprinted because a manufacturing defect was discovered in each deck of cards.
The good news is that our printer has already reprinted the project, and the new shipment is scheduled to start its journey to us later this week.
If we’re lucky, our new decks of cards should be here in late September, so look out for our next update, which will be coming on the heels of the delivery and hopefully full of good news.
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