What You Need to Play Disney Lorcana by Rebekah Pearson

Hey Illumineers!

Whether you're a long-time TCG player or a Disney fan, chances are you’ve heard the buzz about Disney Lorcana - the new Trading Card Game from Ravensburger - and you’re ready to jump in.

So, what do you need to actually play Disney Lorcana? Well, there’s only a handful of things you need to get started and I’ve got you covered!

My name is Rebekah and I run the Lorcana Illuminary account on Instagram. I share information to help new players, families and kids, Disney fans, and anyone interested in Lorcana learn more about the game!

Let’s jump in and help you get started!

WHERE TO BUY LORCANA

Of course the main thing you need is: CARDS. Which, I know, is hard to come by these days 🙃

Never fear! The next set - Rise of the Floodborns - is coming soon!

Photo Credit: Ravensburger

Rise of the Floodborns will have its Local Game Store (LGS) pre-release on Nov 17. It’s always great to shop local and you get the extra benefit of building a relationship with the store. Many LGSs also run Lorcana events - some more casual, some more competitive. These events are a great way to meet other players and get a little Dis-nerdy with other Lorcana fans!

The November 17 pre-release will also include the Disney resorts: Pin Traders in Downtown Disney at Disneyland, and World of Disney in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World.

The wide-release will be December 1st and includes retailers such as Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble,  as well as online retailers including shopDisney.

WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY

So… once you DO get some cards, what do you actually need to play? Just three things…

1. A DECK

You need a deck to play! But there are some rules and restrictions to know:

• Every Lorcana deck must be no more than two Ink colors. There are six magical Inks in Lorcana and they each have their strength - so choose wisely!

• You may have up to four copies of a card in your deck. More copies means you’ll have a better chance of drawing those cards during play.

• Your Lorcana deck must have at least 60 cards. You may have more, but the more cards you have decreases the likelihood of drawing the cards you might want to play.

2. DAMAGE COUNTERS

As your characters Challenge, or are Challenged by opposing Characters, you’ll need a way to track any damage your characters take during play. Any simple damage counter will do, such as six-sided dice or numbered counters.

3. A LORE COUNTER

To win a game of Lorcana, you need to be the first player to reach twenty Lore. So, you’ll need something to track the Lore your characters are questing for during the game. Some options are to use a twenty-sided dice, a playmat with numbers and token, or you can even use the official Lorcana companion app on your mobile device.

And that’s all you need to play Lorcana!

LORCANA STARTER DECK

One of the best ways to get started is to get your hands on a Lorcana Starter Deck!

Why? Because the Starter Deck comes with everything I mentioned above!

Photo Credit: Ravensburger

• A ready to play 60-card deck
  There are currently three Starter Decks available in The First Chapter: Amber and Amethyst, Sapphire and Steel, and Ruby and Emerald. The next set, Rise of the Floodborns, will have two Starter Decks available: Amber and Sapphire, and Amethyst and Steel.
  
  The decks come ready to play so you can jump right in!

• Damage Counters
  The Starter Deck includes several damage counters you can use during game play.

• Lore Counter and Playmat
  The playmat has numbers on it up to 20 and a nifty little counter to track your Lore during a game.

BEYOND THE BASICS

Here are some other items I would recommend you get. These aren’t necessary, but can be helpful!

• Card Sleeves
  This is the first recommendation I would make beyond the basics. Card sleeves help protect your cards and keep them in good condition so they last longer. You could invest in some nice sleeves (I recommend Dragonshield Matte Sleeves) or grab some “penny sleeves” (I like the Ultra Pro brand). You’ll likely find both at your LGS, so be sure to pop in and see what they have!

• Storage Box
  It would be helpful to have some kind of storage box to transport your cards and keep them safely stored when not in use. Most LGSs will have some simple cardboard boxes that cost a few dollars. Or you can splurge to get something a little nicer. A Binder is also a nice way to store your cards, but only for the cards you aren’t using in your deck to play.

• Playmat
  While not necessary, a Playmat can be a nice addition to your collection. A playmat is another way to protect your cards (especially if you might be playing at the kitchen table!), and as previously mentioned may also be used as a way to track your Lore.

There are official Disney Lorcana Sleeves, Deck Boxes, Card Binders, and Playmats which feature some of the amazing art from the game! Be sure to check those out!

Photo Credit: Ravensburger

ONE LAST THING YOU NEED

You don’t need much to start playing Lorcana. But there is one last thing which is absolutely essential to this game…

FUN!

Of course, it goes without saying, but I just had to say it! Lorcana is a great game for all - grown-ups, kids, families, and friends and it’s a LOT of fun. So bring your sense of magic and adventure and be ready to have a great time.

Thanks for reading, Illumineers, and… Happy Questing ✨

Prefer to watch this article as a Reel? WATCH NOW!

Rebekah, Lorcana Illuminary

Find me on:

• Instagram: @lorcana.illuminary

• Twitter: @theilluminary

Lorcana Card Focus: Merlin — Shapeshifter (Part 1)

We’re officially one month out from the Local Game Store (LGS) release of Rise of the Floodborn, the second set in the mind-boggling under-printed card game: Lorcana.

~37 cards have been spoiled at this point, and an interesting set of combos have already come to light.

And that’s the focus of this blog post! May I present…

MERLIN — Shapeshifter

“My prediction is: Merlin — Shapeshifter will create a new “Bouncing Archetype” of combo decks. Only time will tell if it will be competitive or not!”

- Vaughn Reynolds

On his own, the Shapeshifter may not look like much, but his ability is quite powerful because it is not limited to triggering only once per turn. This means if you were to return 2 characters from play to your hand in a turn, he would quest for 3 lore!

Combo decks tend to be centered around cards that have a triggered ability with a high limit or no limit on how many times it may trigger.

Along with Merlin, of course, the designers at Ravensburger have handed us some very straightforward synergy. For example:

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With Merlin — Shapeshifter in play, you can play Bounce or Madam Mim — Fox/Snake to bring damaged or “when you play this” characters back into your hand for some surprise Lore, or to help get you ahead!

Rise of the Floodborn is delivering some very spicy options for cards that trigger an effect when they play and leave play. That means if they hit the board, their ability is guaranteed to trigger twice! Talk about value!

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Another very important thing to note on Merlin — Squirrel/Rabbit/Crab/Goat is that they say, “when he leaves play”, meaning its triggered whether the card is returned to your hand, banished, sent to your ink well, or even shuffled back into your deck!

That last effect isn’t on a card YET, but may be one day!

Just after publishing this article, a new spoiler dropped and OH MY is he AMAZING for this combo!

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In Part 2, we’re going to discuss Chapter One cards from all 6 colors!

Please let me know in the comments anything you need clarity on and I’ll respond as soon as I can!

• Vaughn Reynolds

Lorcana Casual Format: Two-Headed Mickey (Unofficial)

Those who’ve played Magic: The Gathering, are likely familiar with a casual 4-player format for the game called “Two-Headed Giant”.

I’d like to adapt that to Lorcana for more fun playing this game at home and at game stores!

Here’s how it works:

There are 2 teams of 2 players, but rather than sitting next to your opponents, you sit next to your teammate, across from your opponents! Each team is effectively “one” player!

But, rather than just two brains like a two-headed giant, you also have two decks full of tricks to beat your opponents in a race to 40 Lore! (Don’t worry, Lore is shared with your teammate!)

To begin, decide randomly which team will go first. Then, each player follows the standard setup, including mulligan.

Once mulligans are complete, the first team proceeds to their first turn, which is shared.

Shared Turns:

The first team begins without drawing.

Both players on the first team take their turns simultaneously, adding ink to their shared inkwell and playing cards.

IMPORTANT: Each player can play 1 Ink to their Inkwell per turn as usual, but the Inkwell is SHARED. Yes, this means you can play two 1-cost cards turn 1, or a 2-cost card!

Shared Control:

• Inkwell

• Characters and Items in play

But players never mix or share cards in their deck, discard pile, or hand.

Ownership/Unshared:

• Cards in deck

• Cards in hand

• Cards in discard

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Card Effect Clarifications:

A Whole New World: As the card states.

Befuddle / Curella De Vil / Genie / Mother Knows Best: The character will be added to the hand of the player who owns it.

Flynn Rider: Either player on the targeting Team may discard the card.

Grab Your Sword: Affects all characters the opposing Team has in play.

Hades / Let It Go: The character will be added to the shared Inkwell for the target character’s Team.

Magic Broom: Whoever’s discard pile they chose returns the card to that player’s deck.

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EDITS:

• 50 -> 40 Lore suggested by Matt Gagliardi

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Please let me know in the comments any cards you need clarity on and I’ll add them to the article as soon as I can!

• Vaughn Reynolds

Meet the Games Outreach Lead at Kickstarter!

I had the privilege of interviewing Nicole Amato, the Games Outreach Lead at Kickstarter! They are a gamer and game designer themselves, which is always welcome to see in big companies!

They were able to share some insight on launching games on Kickstarter more effectively, the use of AI on campaigns, a revamped text editor, plus upcoming features that will be valuable to game content creators!

About Nicole Amato:

For our readers who may not have heard of you yet, what got you into tabletop games?

I’ve been playing tabletop games since I was a kid, starting with the usual family game nights (Pictionary and Trivial Pursuit) and moving to games with friends (Taboo and Balderdash) to games I played just out of college (Munchkin was the biggest one there!). I also started playing D&D when I was in elementary school with a group of friends - we played the Dragonlance campaigns all the way through and had a blast!

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Beyond RESISTOR_ and Lazer Ryderz, can we expect any new games designed from you?

You can! I have a game with Smirk and Dagger that is unannounced, and I’m working on an RPG with 9th Level Games that I’m really excited about! I’m also writing adventures for Wet Ink’s Never Going Home and Garbage & Glory. And I have a few more that I’ve been working on with other creators!

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Currently, what are your 2 personal favorite tabletop games to get to the table?

Right now, one of our favorites is Chicken by Keymaster Games, which we’ve just been having so much fun with. I also really love Flamecraft - it’s just such a chill, beautiful game.

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What's your favorite game night snack?

That’s a tough one! I have a sweet tooth so I love ice cream - Jeni’s High Five Candy Bar is what’s in my freezer right now.

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And lastly, what is one Kickstarter campaign you wish you had been the designer of? And why?

Just one?!?! That’s so hard to say. Most recently I’d probably have to say Panic Roll’s Townsfolk Tussle. The art direction is amazing. The game looks like it’s a blast, and the team is SO nice!

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“Sometimes we have over 700 games projects live at once”

— Nicole Amato, Kickstarter Games Outreach Lead

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About Kickstarter:

In regards to Kickstarter, what does a typical day look like for the Games Outreach Lead?

I don’t really think any day is the same for me! Some days I spend a lot of time in meetings with creators and other members of the games team, as well as members of our partnerships. My inbox is always bursting, so I also try to spend as much time getting back to those as I can! And I do spend a good amount of time looking at campaigns on the site. Sometimes we have over 700 games projects live at once, and it’s impossible to get eyes on every single one, but I do my best to see as many as possible!

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You joined the KS team back in the summer of 2022. Since then, what do you think is the biggest new feature that will benefit tabletop game campaign creators?

The one I’m most excited about is our revamped text editor. The way that creators build their campaign and build their project page and their story on the back end is through this editor where you can include text, images, and rich media. Our revamped text editor, which rolled out last week, is more intuitive and efficient. The changes give creators more ways to make their project story pop and create a strong first impression with backers.

I’ve already had so many creators email me in delight when it went live, and it makes me really happy to see something that makes their lives so much easier!

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If you were launching a new game on Kickstarter as a first-time creator, what new features would you utilize that weren’t available when you successfully launched yours back in 2015-2016?

This is something I think about all the time! Back then, we didn’t even consider pledge management, because we were so new to the scene that we didn’t know about - or couldn’t afford - all the tools that were available. If I ran my own Kickstarter today, I’d definitely tap into the pledge management services we offer through our partnership with PledgeManager. And I’d also look into marketing my project through the digital marketing services we offer through our partnership with Jellop. 

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We originally connected on Facebook over a discussion about the coveted “Project We Love” tag that some games get, but others do not. You advised people to email games [at] kickstarter [dot] com to help them see through the literal mountain of new games that are launched month after month. What other pieces of advice would you give those launching their first (or umpteenth) tabletop game campaign? And how does one land in the coveted “Projects We Love” newsletter?

Make the best campaign page you can, ask us for feedback and advice (and definitely ask other experienced game designers for their feedback and advice as well!), and send it along to us so that we can pass it on to our curation/editorial team. In terms of what can help you stand out: a well-organized and readable project page with a compelling story, compelling visuals and a bold vision.

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Now onto a touchy subject, do you know if Kickstarter has any plans to address the use of A.I. generated art, especially on board games? The community is seeing more and more games being made using it, while going through great strides to cover it up on their campaign so as not to raise suspicion.

Our new AI policy just went into effect August 29th. The policy was designed to address what backers and creators on Kickstarter told us they wanted most: transparency and the opportunity to be clear about how a project uses AI so that backers can make the decision on whether or not to support it. As AI technology continues to evolve and we continue conversations with our community, we’ll revisit how this policy is working and how we can iterate and strengthen it over time. 

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Community Questions:

Will Kickstarter provide the email list of those who sign up to be notified of a project launch? Would they allow a second (or multiple) email call out to those who signed up to be notified of the project launch - possibly removing those emails that have pledged? [Question submitted by PJ Parent in the Board Game Design Lab Facebook Group]

No, we don’t provide email addresses for people who have signed up to be notified that your project is launching. But there are a few ways that we help creators drive interested/engaged backers to support their project. When someone clicks “Notify me on Launch” on your project’s pre-launch page, we’ll send them an email about your project when it goes live, in the last 48 hours of your funding period, and in the final 8 hours of your funding period. When someone has “Saved” your project, we also email them in the final 48 hours and final 8 hours of your campaign. It’s our way of helping you convert backers who have already signaled interest in your project into backers who will back your project. 

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“We’re working with the biggest gaming companies in the world to find new ways to support independent creators.”

— Nicole Amato, Kickstarter Games Outreach Lead

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How does Kickstarter plan to remain competitive now that other platforms have become available to game designers, such as Gamefound and BackerKit? [Question submitted by Gonzalo Javier Campana Paez in the Board Game Design Lab Facebook Group]

We’re doing a lot to improve the core needs of the creators in our community when it comes to features and functionality on the site. Quality of life improvements that will make creators’ lives easier: access to digital marketing tools, better page editors, better analytics tools, access to pledge management tools. We recognize that it takes more than just funds to bring an idea to life and we’re being thoughtful about how to create more opportunities for us to support creators across their entire creative journey.

We’re working with the biggest gaming companies in the world to find new ways to support independent creators. Our Games team is also actively working on building out digital spaces for creators to collaborate and talk directly with Kickstarter. We care about Games deeply and want it to grow, thrive, and inspire other communities to create.

Thanks so much for the interview and insight Nicole! Looking forward to many more great years of crowdfunding in the board gaming space!

• Vaughn Reynolds