Deck Review: Omegaland Tarot

Joe Boginski, Omegaland Tarot. Stamford, CT: U.S. Games Systems, 2015. ISBN: 9781572817616. (Link to publisher)

 

Genre: Tarot deck

Subgenre: post-apocalyptic

Format: 78 card deck with little white book, plus extra cards for game scoring.

Source: I own this one. 

 

This is the deck I used for the first time during August 2021. At the time, I wanted a deck that reflected a bit f the chaos of the Hard Times we currently live in. This deck certainly works for that. The deck's premise is that it is a deck for a time when society has collapsed; it is mainly U.S. society from the looks of it. Unlike other decks, like zombie decks for example, we really do not know how society collapsed in Omegaland. This is what we know: 

"This is Omegaland. Society has been brought to its knees. Resources are scarce and violence reaches everywhere; but humanity still presses on" (from description on the deck's box). 

The deck includes 78 cards, a little white book (LWB), and six extra double sided cards with rules and scoring for a game you can play with the deck. As of this writing I have not tried out the game. 

Let's start with the little white book. I know that certain Tarotistas ignore booklets and even toss them

Six of Coins

out. I do not. I take the time to read anything included with a deck be it a booklet, a full book, or a scribbled cheat sheet. I suggest folks getting this deck consider reading the booklet. The booklet goes along quite well with the deck's theme and art. 

The LWB is written from the point of view of a guy wandering Omegaland and meeting all sorts of folks, having various experiences. Some are good; others are not. Since it is not practical to use or even find a working camera, he "decided to document my travels through drawings" (3). So that also "explains" the hand drawn art style of the cards. About the booklet, the author writes, 

"In this booklet, I'll give you a little backstory on what's going on in the cards. I've written a couple of words, little lessons I guess, to give you an idea of what I learned from these encounters" (4). 

The Emperor-4

Card meanings in the booklet are short, meant to be read easily, and to the point. After all, in a post-apocalyptic landscape you may not have much time for fancy interpretations. In the booklet then, you get a short paragraph to explain the card's meaning and/or lesson and a keyword or two. Not much depth here, but it is enough to get you started. I'll add that some meanings in the booklet may give you new or different insights into the cards, a detail I appreciated. 

In addition, the booklet offers a spread to try out: the Survival Spread, which I have not tried out yet but it looks like a good spread for planning things or for problem solving. The booklet also includes the rules for a game. 

Next, let's look at the cards. Before I go further let me note the slight changes in the the Minor Arcana: 

• Coins (Pentacles): Cans of food (soup/beef).
• Swords: Guns and pistols.
• Wands: Crossbows and arrows.
• Cups: Canteens. 

 They did keep the Minor Arcana labels of coins, swords, wands, and cups on the cards. What changed is the objects depicted on the cards. The cards' art is a hand drawn style. They appear to be drawn with colored pencils, and the art style appears to be relatively basic. The cards look (or are meant to look) like an amateur with basic drawing skills drew them. Still, they are colorful, lively, and fit with the deck's overall theme. Situations depicted are daily life in a post-apocalyptic setting. If you are looking for elegant art and a lot of esoteric symbols, this is not a deck for you. On the other hand, if a more casual art style appeals to you with simplicity, this deck could be for you. 

 

I'd say some card elements are close enough to Rider Waite Smith (RWS) system, but the deck is not really an RWS clone. The more basic art can make interpretations fairly easy. This is a deck you can pick up and start using right out of the box. There are one or two cards I would describe as a bit strange or "trippy" such as Justice-11 and The Moon-18. By the way, the deck uses Arabic numerals throughout. Some favorite cards for me in the deck include The Magician-1, The Empress-3, The Emperor-4, the Six of Coins, and the Ten of Coins. 

Overall, I find this to be a very interesting deck. It certainly is different from many more "traditional" Tarot decks. It fits well with living in the"Hard Times." I enjoyed the simple art and more casual nature of the deck. It may work better for some Tarotistas than others, and that is OK. In the end, I really liked it, and it is one I may use again down the road. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

Appeal factors note. Here are other decks that may have a similar appeal: 

• The Zombie Tarot, published by Quirk Books. I have this one, but I have not had the time to work with it yet as of this writing.
• Tarot Z, published by Llewellyn. Where the Zombie Tarot is humorous in its zombie outlook, this deck is a lot more serious and somber. I did consider adding this to my collection when Llewellyn had their big Tarot sale this year. However, at the time, I ended up going with other decks. To be honest, I am a bit more interested in the deck's author other deck, the Tarot V, a vampire deck (I like vampires a lot more), but I may end up getting both down the road. We'll see. 
• The Corona Tarot, independently produced and published. This is a deck with a theme for the current Hard Times of the pandemic. It does seem to share some of the art elements as in the Omegaland Tarot. As of this writing, the 4th edition was sold out but they said a 5th edition would be out by Christmas 2021. I may consider getting it in part for the novelty of it and in part as a memento of the pandemic, maybe something I can pass on if we survive the damn pandemic. 

  

Note: card photos are my own from my copy of the deck.