OATH'S PATREON -details

[kevork]

These are velvet tucks in case anyone was wondering. I'll follow up should Lotrek have any updates.

So kinda like those ones Gio did last year?

Yes, and like the ones Lotrek did in 2016.

[KGthePrince]

Kev, I've tried asking Lotrek on several platforms and got no response. do you know if he still intends to send out Qalif for those of who decided to wait for Mystery III to be completed instead of paying 10€? I'm asking since you're our resident insider and seem to have the best means of reaching him

[CourtCurator]

Hmm, those tucks look cool, but don't live up to the hype at all in my opinion. Kinda glad I passed on those.

Definitely glad I missed these . The fomo has left my body and gone to its final resting place.

+1
I was a little worried I was going to miss out on something super creative that had never been seen before. I would not have been happy if I had spent the money on these.

[kevork]

Kev, I've tried asking Lotrek on several platforms and got no response. do you know if he still intends to send out Qalif for those of who decided to wait for Mystery III to be completed instead of paying 10€? I'm asking since you're our resident insider and seem to have the best means of reaching him

I can ask him if I get a response to my messages. If he posts a Patreon update about shipping soon, he tends to keep an eye on comments for a short period. Might be able to catch him then too.

[kevork]

Kevork's pic the tuck looks black and your pic it's blue. It's the dress thing all over again!

Bdawg was right! It's the dress thing all over again Lotrek confirmed it was a blue tuck, but I swear the photo makes it look black from that angle.

Kev, I've tried asking Lotrek on several platforms and got no response. do you know if he still intends to send out Qalif for those of who decided to wait for Mystery III to be completed instead of paying 10€? I'm asking since you're our resident insider and seem to have the best means of reaching him

He mentioned he has kept a record of the people who haven't paid the shipping and will include these decks with Rubaiyat. Hope that helps.

[KGthePrince]

Appreciate it homie

[bdawg923]

Don't tell me the gold is actually all white foiling too

[ALBERTO68]

I received player and deluxe Rubaiyat decks but no the Qalif deck

[Adamthinks]

I received player and deluxe Rubaiyat decks but no the Qalif deck

Those haven't been cut yet. They'll ship out after.

[PiazzaDelivery]

Lotrek announced production updates, once a week from now on. He's made similar promises in the past, I'll believe it when I see it. However, the pictures of the foiled sheets look cool.

[kenackers]

Did anyone purchase the "More" decks? Have not seen any commentary anywhere on these ones as yet.

[Adamthinks]

Did anyone purchase the "More" decks? Have not seen any commentary anywhere on these ones as yet.

I passed on them because of the price and I thought the tucks were super ugly.

[Lotrek]

Lotrek announced production updates, once a week from now on. He's made similar promises in the past, I'll believe it when I see it.

I don't blame you. The thing is that as I have finished production of MYSTERY III and having stabilized production method, I can finally focus more on communicating with you all. The big problem with me is that I'm literally doing everything, from design to preparing packages for shipping. I have a team of people helping but I always have to be present. For example, with MYSTERY III we had o go through all the decks one by one in order to spot and take out defective cards. It's very time consuming and exhausting, to the point that I'm seriously considering to completely abandon production here after I finish all Patreon pending rewards.

[Leachy19]

Lotrek please never stop making playing cards, you’re the reason I started collecting and why I am still in the hobby

[kenackers]

It's very time consuming and exhausting, to the point that I'm seriously considering to completely abandon production here after I finish all Patreon pending rewards.

Oh no, that's terrible for you. I hope you can find the joy back in what you do, it brings joy to so many of us.

[Lotrek]

Oh no, that's terrible for you. I hope you can find the joy back in what you do, it brings joy to so many of us.

I haven't lost the joy, on the contrary! It just seems that it comes with many many other problems that have to do with logistics, organizing things (I'm really bad at it, as you've noticed), outdoor and manual labor that suck up much of my time.
On the other hand, these so intricate and special decks cannot be done elsewhere, I think.

[kevork]

I will always follow wherever your heart leads you on this journey. I know the passion still remains true and steadfast! Personally, I love my craft, but if there was one thing I'd avoid if I could, is all the logistical stuff involved. I totally get it.

The Patreon format was a in a way a 5-year experiment. While the yearly rewards become finished and delivered, there is opportunity to recalibrate and find a rhythm that works for you moving forward and beyond.

Lotrek please never stop making playing cards, you’re the reason I started collecting and why I am still in the hobby

That's amazing. He really is inspirational.

[kenackers]

.
On the other hand, these so intricate and special decks cannot be done elsewhere, I think.

These are intricate and special, i expect removing the patreon yearly timeframes will free you up to create on your schedule. Perhaps taking off the pressure of expectation created. A new foiled deck becomes a treasured suprise and not a late obligation.

[KGthePrince]

Lotrek your loss would be massive to the community. Even the decks that don't appeal me are stunningly beautiful, and represent the highest level of technical excellence with hot foiling. No one else can replicate what you do.

I hope you can find a healthy work/life balance that allows you to rest more, and to follow through on communicating weekly. Believe it or not, the delays have never bothered me. Uusi's latest tarot deck is well over a year late. Life happens and art shouldn't be rushed. However, when we hear nothing, and have to rely on Kevork's informal updates, its understandable why folks get frustrated.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I wouldn't more delays if it meant you had time for a healthier work schedule, and weekly communication (including responding to emails, DMs, etc).

[Bradius]

Honestly I can deal with the delays. I just loved the Patreon program because I didn't have to try to purchase a new release in a half-second after it went on sale. I was never fast at such things and much slower these days. Anyway, whatever works for Lotrek, I am fine for going forward. Pre-sales also worked deck-by-deck so Lotrek could get an idea of how many to make before production began.

[Cardians]

Shipping this week!

[KGthePrince]

Shipping this week!

[Bikefanatic]

I won't be excited until these are in my hands. To ship stuff internationally (even domestically) to the US in December could come with many issues. Theft, weather conditions, new postal hires who aren't trained, facilities withholding and hiding mail because they can't handle the volume, are to name a bunch.

Mystery III were bought in February 2024, seems longer than that.

[Lotrek]

I just posted a new update on Patreon!

Production goes smoothly

[kevork]

Ooh la la

[CourtCurator]

Beautiful! Can’t wait for these!

Is the hourglass shape of the back design a form of self deprecating humor, or a a subconscious nod to your patrons’ willingness to wait for good things?

[Strag]

Mystery III were bought in February 2024, seems longer than that.

Almost 2 years feels pretty damn long to me.

[Lotrek]

Almost 2 years feels pretty damn long to me.

While I agree, let's not forget that this thing was printed 6 times, of which 5 were full print runs and two were partially or completely scrapped:

1st print was fine but not what I wanted (maybe I was too ambitious?)
2nd print didn't make it to the foiling stage. The sheets were stuck together causing the colors to chip off. Scrapped.
3rd print was Qalif.
4th print had problems with the foil due to the stock . It served as Final Test print. Most of the decks were scrapped.
5th print came out great but I couldn't cut it with acceptable precision. The sheets became too "wavy" because of the extended foiling. Not scrapped but sitting there. I may cut a few by hand as a sample but it's a job for prisoners...
6th print was done with a completely different process (which turns out to be the safest way to print such decks, both timewise and precisionwise). It makes varnishing extremely expensive but at least I can sleep at night.

So, 6 decks in 2 years isn't that bad...

Unfortunately, I see my work primarily as an art form and not as a job. This means that sometimes I do things that are absolutely UNnecessary for anyone else but me. I'm not happy about that, I don't believe it's a good idea from a business standpoint but if I don't do it, all the joy is taken away.

Plus, don't forget my self-destructive motto: "Bite more than you can chew, and then chew it".

[Timmargh]

I just posted a new update on Patreon!
IMG_20251212_163847.jpg
Production goes smoothly

Okay, even I, Mr. Skeptical, will admit that that looks nice.

[laitostarr777]

I just posted a new update on Patreon!
IMG_20251212_163847.jpg
Production goes smoothly

*gasps^ I think I will slowly develop asthma