having said all that
(previous post on open readings)
i do have to mention that Not All Decks are created equal or are equally suited to every type of reading. this is something i've definitely written about before, either on my old blog or in personal conversations, so apologies if i'm harping on.
if you want the cards to interact with each other, they must be clearly, somewhat simply illustrated. easy distinction between foreground and background, easily identified main elements, characters and symbols. a variety of stances, passive and active people engaging in activities (not just portraits or static, staged arrangements).
many a deck nowadays is comprised of breathtaking, fully detailed paintings, each a world unto itself. they draw you in with their intricacy and invite you to dwell in each little detail. in my experience those decks do better in positional readings. if the card is so richly illustrated, then perhaps the context of question and spread position is enough to tease out the relevant story. and it doesn't necessarily turn into a "words only" reading, either. whatever you're asking about can be broken down by and recontextualized into all the elements in the image, revealing new relationships, trends, interpretations. wonderful!
but those cards don't tend to visually speak to their neighbors. if you want to read "in between the cards", simpler is better. yes, you need more cards per answer, but the story is richer, more nuanced. many older decks are mostly pretty good for this, stuff published in the 90s and before. obviously marseille-style historical decks. if pips are intimidating you can always narrow it down to the 22 triumphs, for the longest time that's how the cards were read and still often are e.g. in france. or majors and courts, or maybe even aces - anything that clearly communicates something to you. but scenic decks as well - any waite-smith or close clone (morgan-greer, robin wood). thoth is good, even though it leans pip-ish, but other thoth-based decks as well, like the urban tarot. basically if it looks kind of a like a picture book (in any aesthetic, even a very grown-up picture book) it will probably do the job!
