If you missed the campaign, now is the time to pre-order the Normal Tarot's third edition!
It includes the brand new third edition in full color, the 2nd editions in gold or silver foil as reprints, and the 1st edition deck! Get all your Normal Tarot goodies at the link below, we're aiming to ship in or by October!

https://the-return-of-the-normal-tarot.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Note that the above link should NOT be used by backers, as it will create a whole separate order for you, so you'll be charged shipping a second time. It's ONLY for people who missed the campaign.

Thanks!
7

Hello tarot folks! And welcome to our The Campaign Is Over Update! Woo!

We ended with $155,006 and 1903 backers! We broke the funding held by the project's 2nd edition deck on both counts, and that's awesome. Let's take a look at our final numbers.

At this time, I'm not looking to overprint too many extra decks. The biggest part of this was funding the creation of the 3rd edition and some reprinting of the older ones for conventions and general sales. Because these decks are not-limited to one-time-printings like the Alleyman stuff has been, we can always print more in the future as people are interested!

Also these numbers can change due to pre-orders, or wholesale interest, or any other reason!

From the whirlwind of the Wandering Tiers, that messy final hour included, we saw 74 1st edition decks find a home, 108 Gold 2nd Edition decks head out the door, 125 Silver 2nd Edition decks fly into the night, and 67 of the third editions sneak into people's carts. And then there were like, 16 community copies and 61 sets of tarot stickers and 33 art print sets and 185 guides and-- okay, maybe I was going a bit wild yesterday! Those $8 deck tiers with guidebooks were a financial loss, so it's a good thing that final hour wasn't a bit more attended. : P

Community Copies are now locked up, sort of. When I put pre-orders up, and send out surveys, y'all can still add some more community copies to the pool, but we actually did really good at this!

Y'all unlocked 98 Community Copies! And I added 20 on top, so that's almost 120. Let's just add the two and make it 120 even! And with 129 people signed up, that's almost everyone. I think as pre-orders open and people nab a few on the side, we'll just about cover everyone signed up before we go to shipping. And that's amazing. Thank you all!

I am still in computer hell. I need access to my SSD with all my work files and art and documents from my work computer, so I have a SSD->USB connector on the way. When it's in hand Monday, I will be able to get work into the post-campaign pledge manager here on Backerkit and get our surveys and pre-orders moving.

For the actual decks though, I'll be able to sit down with the guidebook and update with the new art as it comes in. At this time, Ezra is finished with the Major Arcana, Winter and Spring suits, and has a few cards down in Summer. Once Summer is done, then it's Autumn and the two Jokers, the Masterless Knight and Nameless Goddess. As I noted in stream last night, we should be heading to print fairly quickly overall, as the guidebook is just some small updates and a new forward from the Caretaker, and the other decks are all just reprints of the old print files. I'll keep you all up to date in monthly updates as always with my campaigns to let you know our schedule.

But it should look something like: End of April, the guidebook and all print files for the old decks and boxes are done. mid-May, Ezra is done with work, and print files are consolidated for that. June, we begin manufacturing. Mid-July, we look at shipping costs after taking addresses. September/October we ship.

Now, as of this moment, the above link doesn't work. It's being approved by Kickstarter. But when it is, you'll be able to sign up to be notified of its launch here!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/publishinggoblin/the-hot-housewives-tarot

In the stream for the final hour, I shared that the Hot Housewives Tarot will be my next project. Once print files for the Normal Tarot are over to the manufacturer, I go back to having nothing to do! And June is my birthday, so I wondered... what if I did a weird project?

So in June, I'll be launching the early-bird Hot Housewives Tarot project on Kickstarter. Backers will be able to grab the full-foil deck and guidebook for just $35! Then, over the course of the campaign and for the 10 or so months thereafter, you'll join me on a journey through the updates as I research our topics: The Occult symbology of Tarot, and the American Exceptionalism Myth that finds its home in the nuclear family of the 50s. You'll join me as I create a language of symbolism for the deck, and design the cards, and write the guidebook, with weekly updates of the process. And because you'll be there for the ride, you can pop in and make suggestions, question my choices, and push the project further.

Then when the deck is assembled (or nearly), we'll do the official Launch Campaign with a second Kickstarter next year. People who back on that campaign will be paying full price, $50 for the deck and guidebook. And any add-ons we develop on the way to that project, or during it, will be available at full-price for them, but early-bird price for you on the Pledge Manager. Then we'll grab shipping from everyone and ship everyone's things all at once.

If you loved the Queen of Bombs from the Alleyman's, join me in reimagining it and its context into a full deck. And who knows, if the funding goes well enough, we may have a second Alleyman card find its home...

The Pins!

Speaking of, the Alleyman Pinset is still live here on Backerkit right this moment! And new pins are being added as we speak, so go check it out if you're of enamel-pin-mind!

And in October, for my game lovers, don't forget Confluence will be happening right here on Backerkit! ZOETROPE and WHAT WE POSSESS will be in people's hands well before then, so I'm hoping anyone following along with my games will be hyped and ready for Confluence!

Alright friends, that's all for now!
7DA
your pub gob

We are in the final 24 hours for the Normal Tarot's Return! If you haven't yet backed, now is not only the last moments you have a chance to do so, but it's also when all the good deals are going to appear! Be on the lookout!

Then come join us here on Backerkit! And after you back, get a first glimpse at the full Spring Suit!

Tech issues done, we are now live here on the campaign and on twitch!
Come say hi, enjoy final visiting wandering tiers, and help us get a backer train which will extend the life of the campaign until the backer train ends!

Hello friends,

Still without my work computer unfortunately. No worries though, I will be on live one way or another for the final hour of the campaign, and past the end to whatever the final moments are in case we get a backer train and it keeps us live for a bit longer.

However, we did it! We broke the funding of the 2nd Edition Normal Tarot, and soon we'll break the backer count as well! Something tells us we're going to have a momentous final 24 hours...

So stay tuned for those clues!

Please continue to share the project far and wide, and let's see if we can get enough people in here to break out shares on Twitter and Facebook goals! And check out Confluence while you can!

Talk tomorrow, where we'll take stock on where we're at item-wise, community copies, and more : )!

7DA
your Pub Gob

First off, I'm sorry but no video today. Tried to sit down and get work done but the work pc turned on, spun its fans for 20 seconds, and then shut off. Every time. No bios, no bootup, no blue screen, just said "no thanks" and went back to sleep. It looks like there's a good chance I won't have it back until Friday next week, which is no good! For the most part though it means I'm a week delayed on ZOETROPE and What We Possess printfiles, but overall not too bad.
Wish me luck!

We've had 3 Omens, 4 Maidens, 5 Dreams, 6 Books, and 7 Dead Kings. Today we finally have the 8 Moons, the final cards of the strange Major Arcana of this deck. From New Moon, through the Waxing, the Full Moon, and the Waning. Each speaks of the cycles of motion and movement in our lives.

Now that we've done it, explored all the Majors, I suppose that means now we will need to start looking into the Seasons themselves! And I think that means this weekend, getting a look into the first Season that awaits us, Winter.

We are just short of the financial and backer count achievements to unlock more wandering tiers! Consider popping down the page here to the Confluence achievement as well to add the old Furiously Prognosticating cards to the lineup as well. There's always room for more cards! : )

Thanks all, and talk again shortly,

7DA
your pub gob

Come learn about the history of Tarot and other occult topics, and ask questions of the designer for the Normal Tarot! The Caretaker will be here for around an hour and a half to two hours, and we're excited to have them live with us!

You can take part here on the campaign page!

7DA

Hello diviners,

We are now confirming that the livestream with The Caretaker will be here on the page Wednesday, tomorrow, at 6pm PST/7MST/8CST!

Caretaker will be present with other occultists to discuss the history of Tarot from an academic occultist perspective, and will be available to discuss tarot and the Normal Tarot of course, which they designed! I know it will be an informative evening, and will be available for later viewing over on twitch.tv/jame7t, and we'll get a link for it. That is Caretaker's friend's Twitch, so I think you can generally ignore the gaming content that's there unless it's of interest to you! 

I'll be present in the chat, but the stream will not include my beautiful face or voice. I'm hoping you understand. 

I'll be back tomorrow to remind y'all, and to share the 8 Moons, as we finally begin to move into the Seasons. And to share new numbers, as well as see where we are on those achievements... 

7DA
your pub gob

Early this morning, 2AM Mountain Time, She Who Brings Silver came by, along with She Who Brings Gold and She Who Brings Color. What a nice gift for us! Looks like we have plenty of goals still going along at the bottom of the update here, Achievements yet to be achieved...

Welcome in the 7 Dead Kings, my friends. 
The Suicide King, The Drowned King, The Charred King, The Lost King, The Frozen King, The Courteous King, and the Betrayed King! As always Ezra is masterful with the people, each emerging from their spaces with glamor and grace, all while dying. The Kings are my favorite of the Majors, because the courts of the seasons have no Kings! So before you even ask where they went to, you see the 7 Dead Kings. The Patriarchy is dead, but even in death, they haunt the deck with their passing.

Which is your favorite?
The Suicide King, facing intimacy and tragedy hand in hand, a loss of hope, finally ending in self-destruction?
The Drowned King, caught in tragedy and hubris, the overconfidence of ambition, but then washed away in the overwhelming waves?
The Charred King, caught between tragedy and metamorphosis, purification in rebirth, and destruction?
The Lost King, seeking closure but not finding it among the tragedy, caught in mystery, the unknown, and anxiety?
The Frozen King, tragedy in his non-moving, his stagnation, his denial, grief, and decay?
The Courteous King, tragic in his compassion and kindness, his hospitality and mercy his own downfall?
or the Betrayed King, caught in his revenge, taken by treachery, locked in his obsession?

As always, watch the video update if you want to see the Gold and Silver takes on the Kings.

Check for the next update when we set our date for The Caretaker, the designer of the Normal Tarot, to go Live and discuss the history of Tarot, and the creation of the Normal Tarot! It will be a live, and you'll be able to chat and ask questions!

Let me know what questions you might have in the comments, and we can plan to talk about those topics!

Thanks all,
7DA
your pub gob

We'll take a look at the Seven Dead Kings soon (tomorrow? tomorrow), but I wanted to take a moment and share what we're aiming for.

A few years ago, we did the 2nd edition decks on Kickstarter. It made $131,197 with 1,674 backers. Now, we're definitely going to overcome that in the coming weeks as we head into the end of the campaign, but we haven't yet crossed those thresholds! So I am putting some Wanderers up for grabs for our campaign for when we break that goal, both in funding total and backer total!

When we make $131,198, I am going to give hints leading to an incredible Gold Wanderer. 
When we make 1,675 backers, I am going to give hints leading to an incredible Silver Wanderer.

This is a great time to remind people that we also have goals for sharing the project on Twitter and Facebook, and these goals will bring in some REALLY GOOD Wandering Tiers. Sharing the project is the best thing you can do after pledging to help us reach our goals and make more things available!

I know some of you are hoping to see this Wanderer, bearing the Chest of Decks. Then please help spread the word, get friends to come help share it using the buttons on the achievements below (even non-backers can share!) Harass friends and family, it'll be worth it, I promise!

Confluence is a project that means a great deal to me. I have worked on it on and off for so long, well over a decade in various forms. I tried to fund it years ago. Okay, more than once. More than twice, even.

It was still early in my crowdfunding career, and I didn't quite know what I was doing in a million different ways. But I still saved up every cent I could beyond paying rent and bills and grocery and paid for art each month from dozens of artists. It's a Table Top Roleplaying Game, which I know isn't what everyone necessarily is interested in. But hear me out.

Confluence is not just a game, it's a World. The game will feature several small booklets with the rules to get the game moving, but it will also feature an impossibly gorgeous in-world Atlas, written by people from the world of Ajurea (the world of Confluence!), and doodled in and sketched in and with marginalia notes from people who live there. It's an exploration of a living place, and Ajurea is an incredible world where 40 of my worlds from my games and myths converge in a Confluence of beauty, strangeness, and impossibility made real.

So why does this matter to yall? After almost 3 years in development with a team of 15 now, the full, real version of Confluence is going to go to crowdfunding in October. So check out more on the website, and then help us reach 350+ followers on the presave page here on Backerkit!

When we reach that point, I'm going to add some really fun old art cards to the project as an add-on option! Those who know about Furiously Prognosticating will be excited!

And that's it for today, but stay tuned. The Dead Kings are approaching!

7DA
your pub gob

Hello my friends!
Friday was a messy day and I didn't get an update out, then I do my best to not work weekends, so here we are! It is Monday, the 18th. We still have just a bit over half the campaign left ahead of us, and last week, we did it. We broke 100,000. So there should be some rewards for that, I think!

But first, we should take a moment to appreciate the books of the Normal Tarot!

We have the Book of Flowers, the Book of Songs, the Book of War, the Book of the Lost, the Book of Chaos, and the Book of Secrets! The books represent and interesting slew of secrets and information. 

Which do you feel most at home with? 
The tender wisdom of the Book of Flowers, offering guidance and treasured memories?
Or perhaps the harmony of the Book of Song, offering its friendship, music, and revelry?
You can never forget the Book of War, which rewards your cleverness, planning, and strategy.
And while the painful revelations of the Book of the Lost may hurt, they offer relief and closure...
The Book of Chaos may suit some of you who work with Loki, offering new insight and an eventual end to the confusion through inversions.
Or is the Book of Secrets, itself a test of your cleverness and flexibility of mind more your chosen space?

As always, check the video update to see the books of the other decks!

Ahh yes, the 100,000 break. Well, first I think we should add some community copies to the pool, another 10!
Then, I suppose, it means She Who Bears Silver should make an appearance.

Not today, not tomorrow, nor the next. And Thursday is no good, either. Friday is boring, and Saturday is bland. Sunday feels no better than the rest. But on days that shine so bright, there's no way to spot the silver in the dark. So we need a night, or morning as it is.

A pop artist popularized this song about an exciting day when she was just a teen, and lived down the infamy of its terrible music video for years until she had the space to create new songs. That's our day.

And I think it's not been fair of me so far to offer things only in nice timezones for us here in the West, so I'll break my promise and stay up just late enough for my cat's food to dispense and release her then. I am thinking it's nice to spend time with my cat even late into the night, Grover Washington Jr style, but more Will Smith-like.

I want the numbers of tier to tier to count upwards, please. That's how many we'll have.

And because one is the loneliest number, I will not let her appear alone. That's more a hint that more is to come than a clue to be discerned, so don't tear it apart for meaning. You'll see when you see.


Well then friends, talk again yet this week. Oh what's that? It's time to see where we're at in counts? Okay, let's take a look.

So far, we have

And our Community copies are up to 85 with the extra unlocked ones! With 86 people signed up, almost every single person is receiving a deck and guidebook! And that's amazing, awesome work friends.

Thanks again
7DA
your pub gob

Today, we look upon the 5 Dreams. The Dreams are signified by an Eye, and include the Masquerade, The Burning Garden, The Lantern and The Well, The Ghost, and The Observatory. The mystery and intrigue are so significant in this set of cards. In the original edition, these were more wild cards than anything, scattered throughout the deck. In the second edition, the Caretaker revised their spot in the deck, and I think it serves them well.
The Masquerade signifies hidden meanings and intentions, illusions, and the subconscious.
The Burning Garden is chaos! It can mean it's time to mulligan the reading, or mix up the reading or deck. It is cleansing destruction.
The Lantern and The Well is temptation, a lure into the dark, and the capacity for evil in all of us.
The Ghost signifies the past, loose ends left un-followed, the returns of memory or the past.
The Observatory is a reminder that there are bigger things at play, mysticality, possibility, or the world beyond.

Which of the 5 Dreams resonates with you the strongest? I adore them so much-- as always, check the video and I'll share the Gold and Silver versions of the cards.

And so a wandering oracle approaches.

When last we met, I bolded the clues-- how crude.
In verse we may yet contain the clues to learn
when in the late Mountain morning it may yet
approach. The Gleam of the cards, edge and all, Glow
in their grouping, matching the time of coming.

I think the day is yet quite close, so I wait a day more.
(That was the clue, my friend, count it well. No repeats.)

Figure out the clue to determine what the offering is, how many there will be, what time, and yes what day! Hint: It's not today or tomorrow!

Trying to embed one more time!

Youtube Video Here!

First, we had our wandering pledge tier come through! The clue in yesterday's update was the repeated number "3" being bolded, letting us know the time was 3. We know it was PM because at the bottom of the update I noted that I wasn't getting up at the crack of dawn to post it, and I noted that it was MST time zone there as well. So we knew 3pm MST. But how did we know what items it was, or how many? 

I also bolded "new edition of the deck" at the top of the update! So we knew it was the 3rd edition deck. And later in the update, I bolded "10... of the deck". Now this was a pretty simple and straightforward set of clues, bolding just the obvious info, and nothing else in the update. Future clues may be harder to figure!

Congrats to the 10 folks who got the new deck at just $25! This same tier may show up again by the end, but we will definitely have other wandering tiers for other items! : )

Now, for new backers to grab these wandering tiers, it's easy to go into the Pledge Tier area and simply click 'back it' under that new tier. If you've already backed the project, there is another step to this. You can either go your account's settings to "Your Pledges and Surveys", then pick our project and edit your pledge-- or on the campaign page here go to the pledge tier page and select the one that shows "Current Pledge Level."

For example, here on Realm Runner's campaign page, I have selected the "Pledge Levels" tab and it shows the one I have backed for with the button that says "Current Pledge Level". When I select it, I am taken to the next page.

Here it shows me my pledge, and it gives me a button "Edit Your Pledge." Select that one! This is roughly the same page you'd see if you'd done the other method, selecting "My Pledges and Surveys" from your account menu.

And on this page, I can hit the drop-down menu for the pledge tier I picked, and select the new one! At that point, you just grab the wandering tier, which I am calling "She Brings ____". And that's how you grab 'em!

My friends, let's take a look upon Ezra's incredible works on the Normal Tarot thus far, by revealing the Major Arcana of the new edition of the deck! Today we look on the Four Maidens!

First, the comment was heard and taken into account. No worries, we are adjusting the frames and text placement to let the text be larger and easily readable for print.

The Normal Tarot's major arcana continues from the 3 Omens to the 4 Maidens, with The Librarian, The Huntress, The Sorceress, and The Traitor. Ezra has opted to use symbols at the top of cards to show what suit or grouping they belong to, and the 4 Maidens are signaled by feathered/root-like silhouettes, suggesting a dress--clad person. I adore the patterning in the Huntress here, and the beacon of light of their aim and eyesight-- what a cool card! The water in the Sorceress is my favorite part of that card, and I think the Traitor is always so sneaky with the dagger behind her back. The Librarian is so fun, and reminds me that I had started to make the third edition originally! So here, take a look at the Librarian I was going to include!
 

I'm quite happy that Ezra stepped up haha, I think my take was alright but Ezra's has such elegance to each card. As last time, check the video update if you want to see the Gold, Silver, and OG deck's 4 Maidens to compare!

Please keep sharing the project when and where you can!
I'm seeing that people can't seem to share more than once with the big button. However, if you select the share button below the bigger one, it should work the same, as that's where I got the URL that went into the big button. All the same, I think 1000 shares when we don't even have 1000 people seems a bit unfair, huh? Not to mention backers who are on here but don't have those social medias! So let's adjust, why don't we?

500 seems a bit more fair! And I've also unlocked it so that non-backers can share! So please share around and see if friends and family can help us get closer to that 500! I think these will be big unlocks when we do get them, so don't disparage! They'll be very worth it, even if they only get completed near the end.

  

So far, we have

Alright friends, I think I'll see you again very soon! Look forward to the 5 Dreams, which will be our next reveal.

Thanks again
7DA
your pub gob

Come join us here on the campaign page and join the live stream! 
Let me know what you want from the campaign, how excited you are, and how your day has gone! : )

7

https://youtu.be/jhvubv9BXHg (I see the embed is broken, this link works!)

My friends, let's take a look upon Ezra's incredible works on the Normal Tarot thus far, by revealing the Major Arcana of the new edition of the deck! We'll start today with the Three Omens!

The Normal Tarot's major arcana begin with the 3 Omens, with The Sinner, The Mourning Queen, and The Empty Throne. Ezra has opted to use symbols at the top of cards to show what suit or grouping they belong to, and the 3 Omens are signaled by the very black birds we all associate with omens. My favorite thing about the decks is how as new designs come out, I find new favorite versions of certain cards, and I can say without reservation that the Mourning Queen in this set is my favorite version so far. I'm a sucker for veils and candles! If only I could have 10 versions of the deck!

Which of the 3 Omens is your favorite?

The Sinner who talks of guilt, self-flagellation, and punishment for our mistakes?

The Mourning Queen, who speaks of loss and our endurance through difficulties?

or The Empty Throne, which speaks of struggles, imbalances, decline, or a thing to be fought over?

Tomorrow I'll be live at 1pm MST to say hi! Pop in, say hi, ask questions, let me know what you desire! : )
The live stream will be here on the project, but mirrored from Twitch, so you can go to either spot.

I'm sorry if I didn't clarify how this works, but we need you to share from the button on the achievements here in the update. So scroll down to those achievements and hit the Share button, and help us spread the word while also unlocking mysterious wandering goals! And while you're at it, consider that it may be possible we are already looking at clues for the first wandering tier in this very update. I'll share more tomorrow.

Oh boy friends, last time I looked people had already added 30 copies to the community pool, which I was shocked by! Today I checked... and you have added 50 copies to the pool! That's wild. And we broke 50,000 in funding, so I'm adding 10 more copies for a total of 60. At the moment, we have 55 potential recipients signed up for copies! So we have extra available copies in the community pool, and that's amazing. Thank you so much for being so giving. That's such a kindness, and we can only do that with your help. You help cover manufacturing, and I'll foot the bill on shipping. It's amazing how giving this community is!

I'm keeping a running tally of how many decks and items are being sold to track finances, and so why not share with you here? I'll try to keep the tally running and share with you here at the end of each update. Just a fun thing to note!

So far, we have

I'm impressed so many are going for the stone dice sets, they're not cheap! But Im in love with how even it is across the older normal tarot decks. I always expect the Gold to sell the most, it's shiny and all, but look at the sales on the OG edition and silver! That's amazing!

Alright friends, I think I'll see you again tomorrow! Maybe we'll have a look at the 4 Maidens!

Thanks again
7DA
your pub gob

It might be as good a moment as any to point out that I do not wake up at the crack of dawn to post wandering tiers, and this time around I do need to manually run them. And also I live in Colorado, so if you're curious about time zones, look for Mountain Time! Clues will grow weirder as the project keeps going, but today we're keeping it simple.