I was finally able to go to a game store, ask game questions, and play my first game of Lorcana! The Disney Lorcana card game is created by Ryan Miller and Steve Warner. Ravensbuger released the game in 2023 with the first set, The First Chapter. We are introduced to the world of Lorcana with the video, “The Story Begins”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74nOdRwf92c. We see the poet, Shanzay, a young woman with purple hair, purple skirt (the color of Amethyst), and a half-moon necklace. The two patrons of the nearly empty poetry club are uninterested. Shanzay closes her poetry book and walks out into the night street.
There is a glow in front of her, the Lorcana symbol in white! She steps forward and opens her eyes to find that she is in the Hall of Lorcana with golden pillars. This is found in The Great Illuminary, a palace structure like a globe ending in a point, floating amongst the stars. We return to the story in “The Power of an Illumineer’; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI_HDlbgaak. Shanzay is suprised that one of the grooves in the floor glows and then trails into a dark room. She enters the atrium to find two men and the steampunk-like structure, Starcatcher, that descends fom the ceiling. One of the persons wears a green vest (Emerald) and guitar, Martin, and the other with his blue jacket (Sapphire), Venturo, and a knapnack around his shoulder. They greet her, their fellow new Illumineer.
This was created by The Curator, along with the first Illumineers, so he called these New Illumineers along with you. Venturo points out the Starcatcher which opens and brings in the light from a Story Star. It is focused and runs across the ceiling as another path is lit for Shanzay. She walks the path to another room where the light glows on a Lorebook. Shanzay takes hold of a staff, an Inkcaster, with a pointed edge. She strikes the end of the Inkcaster and the glowing Ink flows around the sigils of the Lorebook. An image of Hercules, a Glimmer, is formed and Shanzay touches Inkcaster to the Lorebook. Out of it leaps Hercules: True Hero! A Steel Dreamborn version that has Herc wearing the Nemean Lion, charged gauntlet, and golden shield! Shanzay has summoned her first Glimmer and is joined by the other Illumineers! An elaborate world building to set up the game.
There were three Starter Decks with the first set, The First Chapter; $16.99; Amber/Amethyst (Moana/Mickey), Emerald/Ruby (Cruella/Aladdin), and Sapphire/Steel (Aurora/Simba). The collectible card game has a starter deck of 60 cards that includes a rule book, 11 game tokens, and a booster pack with 12 random cards. The 60 cards includes 2 foil versions of the cards on the front. In the case of Sapphire/Steel it is Aurora, Dreaming Guardian and Simba, Rightful Heir. The booster packs are $5.99. The Lorcana TCG app gives updates, a Catalog to keep track of your cards, which ones owned, Standard and Foil, a Lore Counter to keep track of your games, and a Learn feature that has the game rules. Handy to keep track of your collection and decks. There is a gift set, $29.99, with oversized Hades and Mulan cards. It also contains four booster packs.
The Illumineer’s Trove, $49.99, has a storage box, two deck boxes, and eight booster packs. Plus a player’s guide with all of the cards shown and some strategies. Game accessories include sleeve packs, $9.99, a box of 65 card sleeves to protect your cards for game play. Deck boxes, $5.99, which features the card art and great to bring for games. Playmats, $19.99, which is another accessory for serious Players to play the game on a Lorcana surface. Players put together a deck of cards, at least 60 of one color up to two colors. These are Amber, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, and Steel (the gem connection works except the last one, a metal). There is a paper playmat that comes with the starter deck. The cards have several types; Characters, Items, and Actions. Characters from the animated films like Mickey Mouse: True Friend who is an Amber Storyborn Hero.
You can have four copies of each version of cards so there are other Mickeys like Mickey Mouse: Wayward Sorcerer, but there can only be four Mickey Mouse: Steamboat Pilots in a deck. The Glimmers allow for many of the same Heroes, Allies, and Villains to be in play. The First Chapter and other sets have cards from many films; Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Frozen, Hercules, Lilo & Stitch, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Moana, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, and a few others! The collectability is the diversity of cards with the many films. The different sets have an endless number of versions of cards with characters that are Storyborn, the classic depiction of the character such as Lilo: Making a Wish, Dreamborn, Scar: Fiery Usurper is a variant character, and Floodborn, strange and powerful variants like Hades: King of Olympus! They have shields next to their names which has Strength and Willpower value used in Challenges.
The Items are played like Dinglehopper which removes damage from a Character. Actions are played like Dragon Fire which Banishes a Character. This sends the Character to the Discard Pile. A Challenge that eliminates a Character’s Willpower also Banishes the card to the Discard Pile. The other special Action card is Song like A Whole New World that has every Player discarding their hand and drawing seven new cards! Some Characters like Cindrella: Gentle and Kind have the Ability, Singer, to easily play most Songs. On the side of the Character cards is their Lore Value ranging from one to three or more! A Player with 20 Lore wins the game! Cards are played by paying their Ink Cost. This is on the circle at the top of the character. The first hand has seven cards and a Player can put a card with an Ink value, it has a gold circle around the Ink Cost, into their Inkwell pile. One Ink per card. The trick in playing is to Ink a card that will take too long to play, expensive, or you may not need at the time!
When a Character is played, their Ink is considered drying so you can use them next turn. Once played, a card is Ready, placed straight on the game surface. A card is used by Exerting it, turning to the side, and then the Ability can be used or a Character is used in a Challenge. In a Challenge, Character use their Strength against a defending Character’s Willpower, this may Banish them if the Strength value is higher. The defender also damages an attacker. Also, a damaged Character will have a damage counter if the Character withstands the attack. This makes more sense than other trading card games where the cards just reset their attack and defense values every combat. Characters can be healed by Abilities, Items, or Actions on your turn. I’ve seen online play where it is just Challenges, but the objective is to gain Lore. The Character can also Quest by Exerting the card and gains the Lore Value, but of course makes the card vulnerable to a Challenge. Lorcana is very fun to play, collect, and build decks.
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