https://www.thegamer.com This is where you'll find all of TheGamer's coverage, guides, and informative lists for the very best tabletop games — from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic: The Gathering, and everything in-between. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:46:19 GMT en-US hourly 60 For each and every mainline Pokemon game that sees the light, a corresponding era is formed in the Pokemon TCG – this isn't just a way to capitalize on the inherent popularity of each game, but a solid method of structuring competitive seasons without making arbitrary cutoffs.

]]> Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:46:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-tcg-best-x-y-expansions-sets/ I had never heard of Funko Fundays when my friend, a San Diego Comic-Con veteran, invited me to go this year. Even as he explained it, I struggled to fully grasp what exactly the event was. “It’s like a party and a game show with lots of prizes,” he said. “Audience participation is required. It gets very loud.” Sign me out. The last thing I need is to be surrounded by a few thousand people screaming their heads off for free Captain America Funko Pops. Then he explained what Fundays is really about. “On a bad year, I’ll make enough money to pay for my entire trip, hotel and all,” he explained. “On a good year, I’ll make a few thousand bucks on top.” Sign me back in.

]]> Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:43:12 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/sdcc-funko-fundays-comic-con-money/ There are numerous deadly locations and planes in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, but the Infinite Layers of Abyss always stands out among the rest. This chaotic evil plane is home to many demons, harsh environments, evil deities, and anything else that would like to kill your players.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 22:15:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-and-dragons-best-tips-for-running-an-adventure-in-the-abyss/ Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons are the two most popular tabletop RPGs currently available. D&D is in its Fifth Edition, and Pathfinder is in its Second. They're direct competitors, and while the decision to play one over the other is up to the player, each has plenty of good points to recommend.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 22:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-or-pathfinder-which-ttrpg-is-right-for-you/ The player characters won't always succeed in Dungeons & Dragons. If they did, there would be no need to roll dice! However, failing a die roll at a critical time can demoralize the players or even derail the story, neither of which are things that you want as a DM.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 19:45:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dm-tips-for-dealing-with-failed-rolls/ Disney Lorcana’s Starter Decks are a great way to learn how to play the game, or an even better way of kickstarting your collection. All three of them are full of powerful pieces that could become staples, increasing the temptation to tear them apart and build whole new decks with the cards.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 19:34:37 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-best-cards-amber-amethyst-starter-deck/ Try as I might to understand what a planeswalker is or what the heck Red/Green means, I’ve never been able to get into tabletop games. Even bringing out a deck of cards at a party makes my brain turn into sludge and my head sink into my hands. Magic: The Gathering has been getting awesome Secret Lair sets based on things I love like Street Fighter and The Walking Dead, but it’s still never been enough to fully dedicate some brain space to it and turn myself into the card boy that I’ve always wanted to be.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 15:46:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/kingdom-hearts-is-perfect-for-disney-lorcana/ My son is ten years old, and one of the many things I have learned about him is that — much like me — he’s easily swayed by shiny objects. Even if he doesn’t have a personal interest in something, it doesn’t take much for him to become obsessed with it. One surefire way for him to take notice of something is for me to show an interest in it first.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 15:30:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/lorcana-regret-sharing-collection-with-kid/ I am no longer participating in this charade. Throughout TheGamer's Lorcana Week I have written a heartfelt summary of why Elsa matters so much to me, looked at the ruleset from a beginner's point of view, experimented with (Elsa-infused) deckbuilding, explored the narrative power of the cards, and written about why the game has so much charm in the first place - and steps it must take to keep it. My colleagues have been helping you all construct a perfect deck, analysing the game, offering their insights after 100 games, landing major interviews with game designers, and having existential crises about magic mirrors. But I can pretend no longer: I just wanna write about Big Tink.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 14:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcanas-big-tinker-bell-card-giant-fairy/ Disney Lorcana’s First Chapter spans an impressive range in the Disney canon. It would’ve been understandable if Ravensburger stuck with the big names like Frozen and Beauty and the Beast, but instead it decided to include a few deeper cuts, like Robin Hood, The Emperor’s New Groove, and The Three Musketeers.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 13:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcanas-first-chapter-proves-any-character-can-have-a-card/ Challenging is the core of Disney Lorcana. It’s your primary way of interacting with your opponent and throwing a wrench in their gameplan. However, it’s also very risky, as you’re putting your own characters on the line to try and hurt your opponent’s chances of winning.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 13:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-challenger-keyword-guide/ Commander Masters is an all-reprint set aimed to reprint cards from Magic: The Gathering's immensely popular Commander format. The set features cards from all throughout Magic's history, with powerful cards and much-needed reprints all available in the set. Commander Masters comes with plenty of cards that support multiple archetypes to give them access to some of their strongest cards.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 08:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-black-cards-commander-masters/ Creature tokens have been a part of Magic: The Gathering since the very beginning, with Richard Garfield introducing the type to enable the Wasp-spawning antics of The Hive back in Alpha. Since then they’ve grown in both quality and quantity, appearing regularly in new sets and typically playing a role in key archetypes, be they typal strategies or Aristocrats builds.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 20:46:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-best-creature-tokens/ You bought your TCG deck and are starting to build your collection; now, it is time to start looking at where you will put that deck, and what better choice than a stylish deck box? Choosing the correct deck box is essential since some are made to support sleeved cards while others keep in mind that some decks go over one hundred cards.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 20:00:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-tcg-deck-box/ The launch of Disney Lorcana is mere weeks away, and at this point, most of our questions have been answered. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the game when those first seven cards were revealed at last year’s D23 Expo, but in the months that followed we learned all about the Inks and discovered that decks would be limited to just two of them. We saw our first Action card in December, then shortly after that saw all of the products that will be available for the first set. Then, TheGamer got to learn about the story from narrative designer Samantha McFerrin. We also broke the news on the Quick Start Rules, which finally gave fans the info they needed about how the game is played. We even got to reveal a few cards of our own, but don’t tell anyone.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 18:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/unraveling-the-mystery-of-disney-lorcanas-floodborn/ It's a good thing my addictive personality drove me towards Dungeons & Dragons rather than heroin, otherwise I'd have nothing to write about today. Also I'd be addicted to heroin. Having spent the previous couple of years dabbling in playing D&D and having D&D-adjacent interests (Dragon Age, board games, fantasy stories), the last few months have seen me fall in deep, first trying my hand at DMing then quickly writing my own adventures, and mixing business with pleasure by frequently writing about Dungeons & Dragons and planning the site's coverage - another thing I could not do with heroin. But as I find myself drawn deeper and deeper into the pit of D&D, writing more and more, I realise there's nothing more stressful than other players.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 17:01:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dm-dungeons-dragons-dnd-errors-issues-mistakes-players/ They say two's company, and three's a crowd. I don't know who they are, and clearly they couldn't handle being around too many people. However, there are times when they are right. Sometimes you just want to chill with that one other special person in your life, be they a friend, family, partner, or whatever other relationship you may share.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 16:00:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-two-2-player-card-games/ If you're someone who loves to entertain guests often, you might want to mix things up from the usual dinner-and-drinks. While game nights are fun, they often require a relatively smaller group and for people to focus on the rules and mechanics. However, with tabletop party games, you can enjoy the thrills of a board or card game with more people; and you won't have to think too hard either.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 14:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-tabletop-party-games/ If you've been reading anything I’ve written about Disney Lorcana during TheGamer's Lorcana Week, or indeed before it started, you'll have read a lot about Frozen’s Elsa. And if you haven't, you obviously know who she is anyway because she's probably the most famous Disney character of this century. She's not technically a Princess, but nevertheless acts as the lynchpin in my various hypothetical Princess Decks.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 14:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/elsa-disney-lorcana-most-important-card/ Not every character in Disney Lorcana is going to hog the limelight. For every courageous hero or despicable villain, there are allies stood on the wings, lending their support. Thankfully, even the little guys of Disney are immortalised, thanks to the surpriusingly powerful Supporter mechanic.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:30:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-support-guide/ In Disney Lorcana, sometimes speed ia ll you need. Your opponent count spend forever setting up the perfect synergies, carefully managing their resources, and working out the perfect combos… only for you to rush in and take the win before they know what hit them.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:00:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-rush-guide/ Commander Masters is a Masters set that instead of reprints focusing on multiple formats, focuses exclusively on cards meant for Magic: The Gathering's Commander format. The set features plenty of strong cards from throughout Magic's history. It also included plenty of welcome reprints, with blue receiving some of the best ones.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 08:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-edh-best-blue-cards-commander-masters/ One of the newest classes to hit Dungeons & Dragons, the Artificer deals in arcane contraptions, infusing their magical energies into mechanical devices to create living constructs, alchemical reagents, or deadly new weaponry. The Battle Smith Artificer leans more into the latter camp, using their knowledge of the arcane to enhance their martial abilities.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 21:45:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dnd-battle-smith-artificer-guide/ Come on in y'all, have a seat. Lorcana 101 is now in session. I’ve spent the last five weeks smashing the starter decks into each other and studying the card list, and now that the entirety of The First Chapter has been revealed, I’m excited to be able to share some of the things I’ve learned. The first lesson is about Evasive, a keyword that immediately struck me as an especially powerful one when it was first revealed. Evasive characters can only be challenged by other Evasive characters, which makes them particularly difficult to deal with if you aren’t prepared.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 21:18:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcanas-evasive-keyword-isnt-as-scary-as-it-seems/ Through numerous generations, kids have fallen in love with their own generation of Pokemon. It's hard to overlook the importance of the original 151 creatures featured in the first generation. The Kanto native Pokemon hold a special place in the hearts of many fans as well as the franchise itself.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:30:34 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-tcg-most-expensive-generation-1-cards/ With the launch of the Disney Lorcana companion app earlier this week, The First Chapter’s full list of 204 cards has finally been revealed. Players and collectors can now examine the entire roster, practice constructing decks, and build their wish list of most wanted cards ahead of the game’s September 1 launch (August 18 for local game stores in the US). Soon, the game will be in our hands, and we’ll all take our first steps into the magical realm of Lorcana, follow the call of the Great Illuminary, and become ink-wielding Illumineers. If that sounds like gibberish to you, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to know about the story of Disney Lorcana.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:06:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcanas-story-explained/ While most board games give us a great time with their fun mechanics and settings, there are those that stimulate the strategic part of our minds. That's not to say that they aren't fun in their own way; after all, what's more satisfying that crushing your opponent with a move that you initiated three turns ago? We all love it when a plan comes together.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:00:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-strategy-board-games/ One of my favorite cards in Disney Lorcana’s The First Chapter is Captain Hook, Thinking A Happy Thought. Even though the card has lore text, it tells an entire story just with its art; in Peter Pan, the curmudgeonly captain is frequently thwarted by Peter, largely because he has the advantage of flight. Being stuck on the ground while Peter torments him from the sky eats at Hook, reminding him of his lost youth and the freedom that went with it. When he calls Peter a coward for flying away during their duel, he’s clearly betraying his jealousy. Captain Hook will never fly. He has no pixie dust, and he certainly doesn’t have any happy thoughts.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 18:59:57 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcanas-the-first-chapter-belongs-to-the-villains/ Disney Lorcana’s Starter decks are a great taste of everything The First Chapter has to offer. They might not be the most optimised decks ever designed, but they give you a look into how both of their ink colours work, and give you a nice way to give your collection and early booster.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 17:59:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-emerald-ruby-starter-deck-best-cards/ Trading card games were banned in my primary school (elementary for you yanks). Even the rural wastelands of Wales couldn’t escape the allure of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. The former was banned before my time, but Konami’s effort was all the rage just as I was old enough to appreciate the draw of collecting rare cards and using them to battle against my friends. We would gather behind one of those shoddy looking temporary cabins and sit down by the steps with our decks in tow, ready to whittle down our life points in pursuit of victory. Well, mostly we just looked at the cool pictures and never bothered playing by the rules. Or at least used the anime’s logic.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-pokemon-yugioh-nostalgia-trading-card-game/ Wizards of the Coast has given us our best look yet at the final three Magic: The Gathering releases of 2023, with extended previews for Wilds of Eldraine, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and Universes Beyond: Doctor Who.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 15:23:28 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-magiccon-barcelona-eldraine-doctor-who-ixalan-previews-reveal/ No Disney movie is complete without a macguffin. Something for the heroes and villains to fight over, or something that kicks off the whole story. Disney is full of items, and so it only makes sense that Disney Lorcana gives pride of place to these doohickeys.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-item-card-guide/ As the launch of Disney Lorcana rapidly approaches, there has been a lot of speculation about the next chapter of the game. Humans are inherently greedy, and so we're always thinking about the next thing. These new cards are great! When are we getting more? Lorcana had some great reveals in the run-up to the entire unveiling (TheGamer's reveal of Rapunzel being my unbiased favourite), but now that we know what all the cards are, attention has turned to what will come next. Disney has a deep bench, and there are classic songs and characters absent, but amongst all the requests, there's one I have above all - please keep Star Wars and Marvel out of it.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/star-wars-marvel-disney-lorcana/ Settlers fo Catan, now simply known as Catan, is one of the most popular board games available today. There are several reasons for this, first being the negotiation aspect of it. No matter the position you find yourself in, or how scanty your resources are, a good negotiator can convince other players to help them out.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:00:26 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/settlers-of-catan-similar-games/ One of the key elements of Disney Lorcana is protecting your characters. They help you keep your opponent at bay, have abilities you’ll want to use, and, most importantly, they’ll quest for lore to net you that precious victory. However, they’re also incredible vulnerable, as using them will open them up to be challenged and potentially even banished.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:00:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-bodyguard-keyword-guide/ As a Lorcana Illumineer, you have a tough decision ahead of you. You'll need to use your Inkcaster and summon glimmers to save the world and restore the missing lore in Disney Lorcana. Of course, your Inkcaster requires ink. With six inks, you may be struggling to decide which color is right for you to play.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 13:30:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-deck-color-based-on-zodiac-sign/ We recently did a feature for Lorcana Week asking who we at TheGamer most wanted to see get a card from across Disney’s evergrowing catalogue of IP–my answer was Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction because I’m a prick, to which Tabletop Editor Joe Parlock DM’d me, “You’re a nightmare I swear to god”.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:37:47 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/lorcana-week-eighth-doctor-who-tv-movie-disney-fox-universal-bbc/ Commander Masters probably holds the record for most colour-fixing cards in any one Magic: The Gathering product, and includes a huge number of multicoloured cards to leverage that, but it embraces the less vivid end of the spectrum just as tightly. From unassuming artifacts to Eldrazi titans, grey gets its day in the sun in this set.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:31:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-best-colorless-cards/ Hobgoblins. It's like Goblins, but bigger. That's how they're portrayed in Dungeons & Dragons, at least. They're a famous type of enemy to fight against at low levels, but they also feature stronger variants that can challenge even level six players. As their popularity grew, they became a playable option thanks to Volo's Guide to Monsters, later reworked in Monsters of the Multiverse.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 08:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-tips-on-playing-as-a-hobgoblin/ Monopoly is arguably one of the most popular board games in the world. This can be chalked down to a number of reasons; firstly, it has very simple rules, allowing for all ages to enjoy it. It also gives everyone the illusion of being successful - at least till they go bankrupt - and who doesn't want that?

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-board-games-like-similar-monopoly/ Combat in Dungeons & Dragons is based around small skirmishes, usually with no more than a dozen or so combatants at a time. Despite the game's origins as a modified tabletop wargame, it can be tricky to portray the large-scale battles that make epic fantasy so exciting. With some rules tweaks or creative storytelling, however, you can put your players into the midst of a fight just as enormous and desperate as Helm's Deep.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 19:16:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-how-to-run-large-scale-combat-mass-battles/ Planeswalker Party is one of the four pre-constructed decks released alongside the main Commander Masters set in Magic: The Gathering. Planeswalker Party is built around the "Superfriends" archetype - a Commander theme that is focused on the planeswalker creature type.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 18:15:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-planeswalker-party-precon-budget-upgrades/ One of my favourite things about Disney Lorcana is how pure it all feels. I’m sure it will make lots of money, with millions of cards printed as people in expensive suits sit in boardrooms and discuss manufactured scarcity and player retention rates, but versions of that are true for everything you loved as a kid. The Little Mermaid exists because someone at Disney in the '80s thought the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale could be made into a movie that would be a hit at the box office and lend itself to toys, merchandise, and VHS spin-offs. That's just the way the sausage gets made.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:31:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-old-magic-nostalgia/ Slivers are back on the menu. Commander Masters' Sliver Swarm preconstructed deck will offer newcomers to Magic: The Gathering a quick and easy way to grab one of Commander's most venerable strategies. Slivers get bigger and badder with every Sliver played as they all share their abilities with each other. Amass a big enough army and you'll become unstoppable.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:15:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-sliver-swarm-precon-budget-upgrade-guide/ My biggest fear for Disney Lorcana when it was first revealed was that the cards would just end up being screenshots taken from the movies. What the cards look like doesn't impact how the game plays - just ask the guy who recreated Magic: The Gathering from memory while in prison - but relying on old screenshots would dilute the affection the game had for its characters, and in turn, the affection I had for it. I quickly got bored of The Simpsons: Tapped Out because it relied on soundbites from the show rather than trying to tell a new story. Thankfully, Lorcana features all new art, all perfectly curated. As TheGamer's Lorcana Week draws to a close, there is one in particular card and character I want to highlight.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:00:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/belle-inventive-engineer-key-disney-lorcana-dreamborn-cards/ When making a trading card game, it’s impossible to know for sure how the playerbase will interact with it. You can gauge consumer interest, and focus-test it to see whether Elsa looks frosty enough or Kronk is a big enough himbo, but it’s anybody’s guess what will happen once the cards are in the wild. “I think we truly won’t know what players will gravitate toward until the game comes out,” Steve Warner, co-designer of Disney Lorcana tells me.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:43:50 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-steve-warner-rules-bans-combos-interview/ While it’s easy to get sidetracked by Disney Lorcana’s many characters and items, sometimes the most powerful thing you can pack in your deck is the humble action. Representing moments from iconic Disney movies, actions could easily be the difference between an embarrassing defeat and victory.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-action-song-cards-guide/ In Disney Lorcana, the only thing better than playing your Character cards is playing them for even cheaper. Why bother spending all your ink on one card, when you could save a bit and maybe play two or three instead?

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:30:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-shift-guide/ So you've been summoned to the magical realm of Lorcana as an Ilumineer. Significant to your quest as an Ilumineer is your inkcaster, a magical device meant to help you save Lorcana. It pulses with ink creating magical versions of Disney characters you know and love. It's time for you to play Disney Lorcana.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:00:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-all-ink-colors-explained/ As the name suggests, Commander Masters is a set-sized celebration of Magic: The Gathering's most popular format. Featuring an eye-watering 400 cards, many of which are storied staples on the Commander table, the setlist reads like the longest greatest hits album in history.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:00:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-best-commanders/ Whether it's with your spouse, child, or introverted friend, sometimes the best way to play Dungeons & Dragons is with one player and one dungeon master. With just one member in the party, this can significantly change how you play the game and what kind of story you will tell together.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:45:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-one-on-one-campaigns-tips/ Disney Lorcana’s starter decks are a great way to learn how to play the game in a nice, controlled environment. More importantly, though, they’re a big box full of cards you can take apart and mix together to make some killer decks straight away.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:30:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-sapphire-steel-starter-deck-best-cards/ Charging into battle on the back of a horse, readying your spear, and yelling into the fray is a type of combat that is rarely experienced in Dungeons & Dragons, but for players that are looking to make a character with a focus on mounted combat, deciding which mount to use is half the battle.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-every-mount-ranked/ Planeswalker Party is one of the four pre-constructed Commander decks released alongside the main Commander Masters set in Magic: The Gathering. As the name implies, the deck is built around a planeswalker theme, often referred to as "Superfriends."

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-planeswalker-party-precon-commander-masters-most-valuable/ Small and deadly, Kobolds are a quite famous species in Dungeons & Dragons; as low-level enemies, you can put them against your players if you get sick of using Goblins. Eventually, the short, Dragonborn-like creatures became an option for players, a common trend for many humanoid species in the game.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 09:31:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-kobold-playing-tips/ Whether they're facing deadly traps or vicious monsters, player characters in Dungeons & Dragons risk their lives with every adventure they undertake. Depending on the type of campaign you're playing, player character death could be a common mishap or an earth-shaking tragedy. Either way, a good DM will have a plan for what happens when a hero bites the dust - expectedly or otherwise.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 00:45:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-ways-to-handle-character-deaths/ Dungeons & Dragons may have a reputation for being one of the most complex games in existence. Despite the fact that it's meant to take place in a fantasy world with fantastical creatures, both are still under the iron fist of physics.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 20:15:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dual-wield-guide/ The gish archetype has long been one of the most beloved playstyles in all of Dungeons & Dragons going all the way back to the earliest editions of the game. The term "gish" translates as a melee combatant spellcaster and is used by the D&D community to describe any character build that includes near-equal usage of both sword and sorcery.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:45:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dnd-bladesinger-wizard-build-guide/ Ask any veteran of Dungeons & Dragons, and they'll tell you players spend most of their time working on their characters. Classes are balanced between strength and endurance, defense and dexterity, physical and mental, while there are also options to create balanced and versatile characters.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:15:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dnd-clizard-build-guide/ Unlike most Masters sets, Commander Masters also include pre-constructed Commander decks for new players to play. The decks feature new cards to Magic: The Gathering and a plethora of reprints from throughout the game's history. The decks all have a fair share of powerful cards of varying values in them.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 18:30:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-enduring-enchantments-commander-masters-precon-most-valuable/ When I think of Disney, I think of the Princesses. They’re in a league of their own for how iconic they are, not only in their own right as legendary movie characters, but as symbols for Disney itself. They rank as highly as Mickey as representations of Disney’s movie magic, and collectively are probably responsible for creating more Disney fans than any other group within the House of Mouse.Naturally, they already have a lot of Lorcana cards.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:01:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-build-princess-deck-elsa-ariel-moana-aurora-belle-jasmine/ Upon its release in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the Circle of Stars Druid was lauded as one of the best Druid subclasses in Dungeons & Dragons. With years of experimenting with the subclass, it's safe to say that this initial reaction was largely true.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:45:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dnd-circle-of-stars-druid-build-guide/ I first fell in love with Disney Lorcana because it has pretty pictures. Exactly how it worked, or even what it really was, didn't matter to me - it was a shiny new thing and amongst its first things revealed were Stitch as a rockstar and a mystical picture of Elsa in a silk hood with ice magic twirling around her fingertips. I didn't need to know anything else - I was in. I kicked off TheGamer's Lorcana Week by discussing how and why the game would become my first TCG, but that was far more about vibes and connection to the game than actually playing it. Now that it approaches, however, I really should knuckle down and figure out how it plays.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:31:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/newcomer-reaction-disney-lorcana-rules/ The Monk in Dungeons & Dragons is a disciplined martial artist who harnesses the power of ki to perform extraordinary physical and mystical feats. Unfortunately, Monks tend to be viewed with skepticism for their heavy Multi-Attribute Dependency (MAD). Relying on Dexterity for damage, Wisdom for saving-throw DCs, and Constitution for their low hit dice, they can struggle to match the frontline prowess of other martial classes.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:15:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-way-of-the-astral-self-monk-build-guide/ Ensuring you have all you need before your adventure into Dungeons & Dragons, the starting Equipment Pack is a minor but handy choice you'll make when building your character. After all, every good adventurer has a few rations and extra clothes on hand for camping in the great outdoors when your adventure takes you camping.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:15:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dnd-equipment-pack-best/ Ever since Disney Lorcana was first revealed ahead of last year’s D23 Expo, one of the most popular topics of discussion among fans is debating which characters will appear in the game. Disney is a vast media empire that has spent the last decade gobbling up smaller studios and expanding its IP library so significantly that it now owns everything from 12 Years A Slave, to House MD, to Dog the Bounty Hunter. And while we can be fairly confident that Napoleon Dynamite isn’t getting a Lorcana card of his own anytime soon, there’s still a lot of gray area. How far into the Disney vault is Lorcana going to reach?

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:02:34 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-co-designer-addresses-the-pixar-question/ I wasn’t expecting to have a philosophical nightmare thanks to Disney Lorcana. It’s a colourful card game where I can make Tigger and Cinderella fight, and maybe find a fun card of Stitch dressed up as Elvis Presley. There shouldn’t be any room for pondering the status of life or how murky the classifications between the animate and inanimate can be, and yet here we are.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:01:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-existential-horror-of-disney-lorcana-magic-mirror/ Unfortunately, or fortunately, not all Marvel characters are huggable. Some of them have sharp and pointy armour, others have too many weapons on then, and a few are just too angry to hug. So, how do we get past this Avengers-level threat of not being able to hug our favourite superheroes? Plushes, of course.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:01:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-marvel-plushes/ When Disney Lorcana brand manager and co-designer Ryan Miller arrived at D23 Expo last year to present the new trading card game to the world, he didn’t know what kind of attention to expect. “We were unprepared for D23,” Miller says, laughing. “We did not know that we were going to have the kind of reception that we had there. If we knew, we probably would have brought more of those collectors sets to sell.”

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 15:40:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-ryan-miller-interview-launch-gen-con/ There are some of us who may be put off by tabletop games because they either take multiple sessions, like Dungeons & Dragons, or are long-drawn-out like Monopoly, or even have ridiculously complicated rules like Magic: The Gathering. However, that is not the case - there are a number of board and card games which last for just about an hour per session.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:01:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-quick-tabletop-games/ Disney Lorcana lets you play with your favourite Disney characters, songs, and thingamabobs, but before you can shuffle up and crank up that lore, you’ll need to get your hands on a deck. While you could play with one of the three Starter Decks, there’s nothing more satisfying than brewing your very own deck, unique to you.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 13:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-deck-deckbuilding-guide/ There are plenty of challenges to being a game master in Dungeons & Dragons. You set the stage for your players to become whatever fantasy selves they so choose. And for better or worse, you also challenge these characters to see if they have what it takes for their grand adventure.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:46:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-balance-combat-storytelling-tips/ One of the most exciting aspects of Disney Lorcana is seeing which characters you’ll be able to summon to help you out. With Simba, Goofy, or Rapunzel on your side, your opponent won’t know what hit them as you rack up that lore and keep your opponents’ own forces at bay.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:31:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-character-cards-guide/ Disney World opened the EPCOT Center in 1982, a new theme park intended to appeal to a more adult audience. At the time, Disney had decided that featuring Disney characters in a park that sells alcohol would be inappropriate for the brand, so the company forbade park designers from including any images of Mickey, Minnie, or any other animated character. Some imagineers took this as a challenge, and decided to hide Mickey Mouse iconography all throughout the park.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-first-chapter-every-hidden-mickey/ There are a lot of facets to running a game of Dungeons & Dragons. As the Game Master, you help bring the world to life and help your players have a fun and exciting adventure.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:30:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-music-sound-effects-tips/ Magic items generally aren't the easiest to get your hands on in Dungeons & Dragons, but when you do they can enhance your experience while playing like nothing else. Whether they're making you stronger, helping you deal more damage, or generally just doing something interesting, you likely can't help but want the best.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 07:30:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-and-dragons-best-magic-items-for-clerics/ It's time to give your beloved players a beautiful item for them to treasure. It's one of the best things a DM can do during their Dungeons & Dragons campaign, after all. Especially when the item is magical but not a good kind of magic. Instead, you can give your players a powerful cursed item.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 05:30:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-how-homebrew-cursed-item/ Very little in Dungeons & Dragons helps to fulfill the high fantasy feeling more than the plethora of magical items in the world, regardless of how difficult they are to find. When you find one that complements your character well, it can enhance gameplay to such an amazing degree, especially if you rely on a certain amount of spell slots like the Sorcerer.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 00:45:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-and-dragons-best-magic-items-for-sorcerers/ One of the most rewarding feelings as a dungeon master for Dungeons & Dragons is completing a long-term campaign with a dedicated group of players. While 'long-term' can be anywhere from six months to ten years, all contain memorable adventures with characters your players will never forget.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 22:15:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-tips-running-long-term-campaign/ I am in constant awe of Resident Evil’s prevalence in our lives. How one of the first games I fell in love with as a kid, a campy zombie shooter, is somehow still around and constantly gaining momentum. Not a year goes by without a new Resident Evil game, film, or TV show, and while they aren’t always successful - like the recent Netflix adaptation - the fear of oversaturation hasn’t slowed Capcom down at all. Another live action movie is reportedly in development, while Resident Evil: Death Island, the fourth canonical Resident Evil animated film, releases today.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 21:17:34 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/resident-evil-death-island-review/ Board games are a great way to spend time with the family. However, not all of them are suitable for kids as they may deal with adult themes - primarily monsters and murder. You need to leave those board games for a night out without the children, or wait till they're asleep.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:01:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-board-games-for-adults/ 2023 has multiple TCG games to get into, from MTG to Yu-Gi-Oh and even Digimon! You got your cards, your sleeves, so what are you missing? A playmat to put on the table to both protect your sleeves and showcase unique artwork that goes with your taste. Your playmat can inspire you to play better, and it's an extension of how you personalize your card's aesthetics.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 18:01:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-tcg-playmats/ If you know one thing about Warhammer 40,000, it’s likely a big, blue Space Marine. The Space Marines, more specifically the Ultramarines, are the Pikachu of Warhammer’s science-fiction wargame, minus the ears and plus a rifle filled with ammunition that explodes on impact. Don’t give Pikachu one of those.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:16:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/games-workshop-is-finally-retiring-space-marines/ Mounted combat in Dungeons & Dragons can be a dream come true for adventurers. The idea of rushing into battle on a trusted steed is a scene that has played often in media and in our imaginations. Whether it's a horse or a griffin or even your Infernal War Machine, mounts can revolutionize how you approach your latest adventure.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 15:45:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-mounted-combat-mounts-guide/ I don’t know what’s harder: waiting for Disney Lorcana to launch so you can finally start collecting cards and playing games with your friends, or having a whole bunch of Lorcana cards you can’t tell anyone about. I’m sure no one is going to feel bad for the guy that got the starter decks early, but trust me when I tell you sitting on this info and not being able to play with others has been torture. The only reason I didn’t lose it and start screaming about Mufasa and the Mad Hatter to anyone that would listen is the fact that I have a wonderful wife that loves Disney, and due to my persistence, now loves Lorcana too.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:06:37 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/ive-played-100-games-with-the-lorcana-starter-decks-heres-what-i-learned/ Disney Lorcana looks whimsical and colourful, with all those characters, magic spells, and songs, but there’s a surprising amount you need to learn before shuffling up and playing your first game. Don’t let the Winnie the Poohs and Flounders (just sayin'...) fool you, this is just as deep and strategic as any other TCG.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:01:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-how-to-play-beginner-guide/ Slivers are back in vogue! Magic: The Gathering's Commander Masters has given us another set of preconstructed Commander decks, and Sliver Swarm is all about Slivers. These needle-nosed creatures share their abilities, so the more you play, the better they all become, until you eventually have an army of unstoppable super monsters.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:01:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-most-valuable-reprints-commander-masters-sliver-swarm/ When starting out with Disney Lorcana, there's a large chance you'll be playing one of the three starter decks. These pre-constructed. 60-card decks are a great way to learn the game and familiarize yourself with many of its mechanics and strategies. The Mickey and Moana starter deck is a Amber/Amethyst deck that's all about powerful combo and dominating your opponent by keeping your hand size healthy.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:01:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-amber-ameythyst-mickey-mouse-moana-starter-deck-guide/ As the very first set for Disney Lorcana, The First Chapter has a lot to live up to. It needs to be deep enough for TCG enthusiasts, without being offputting to newcomers. It needs to introduce the themes of the game, but still be wide enough for experimentation. A lot has been riding on The First Chapter, but now, at last, we can finally see everything this debut set has to offer.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:00:50 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-first-chapter-visual-spoiler-every-card/ Disney Lorcana's first set, The First Chapter, includes over 200 cards across six inks for you to brew decks, test out ideas, and get to grips with the game. However, if you'd rather skip the theory-crafting and get right to shuffling up, the three starter decks are the way to go.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:00:44 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-sapphire-steel-aurora-simba-starter-deck-guide/ Disney Lorcana's starter decks are a great way to get your feet wet in the trading card game. If you're prepping for a tournament, getting ready for an event at your local store, or just want to get a leg up in your home games, this guide will get you started.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:00:35 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-ruby-emerald-aladdin-cruella-de-vil-start-deck-guide/ You'd be hard pressed to find a better Disney Lorcana teacher than the man who co-designed the game. Last month, I spent an afternoon with brand manager and co-designer Ryan Miller for an extended interview and to play my first ever game of Lorcana. For the second day of TheGamer's Lorcana Week celebration, we're releasing our full gameplay session. Click play on the thumbnail below if you want to get right into the game, or keep reading if you'd like to see some of the cards featured in our match.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:00:28 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/lorcana-co-designer-ryan-miller-schools-us-and-shows-off-some-new-cards/ With the launch of Disney Lorcana's The First Chapter, Ravensburger is releasing three starter decks: a Mickey and Moana deck (Amber/Amethyst), a Cruella and Aladdin deck (Emerald/Ruby), and an Aurora and Simba deck (Steel/Sapphire). These decks will help ease you into the game by showing off a variety of mechanics and teaching many basic, and even some advanced, strategies.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:00:24 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-starter-decks-ranked/ When it was first shown off at a convention earlier this year, a few eagle-eyed fans noticed a QR code. The description next to the code referenced as TCG Companion app, but at the time, the QR code only linked to the Lorcana website. Not much was known about the app... until today.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:00:13 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/disney-lorcana-companion-app-launches-today-ryan-miller-gives-us-the-details/ Designing enticing locations for your players is one of the most satisfying jobs of a Dungeon Master, but it's also one of the most complex. Dungeons & Dragons is the perfect game to witness all kinds of places to venture, and cities can be as interesting as even the darkest of dungeons. In fact, they can be more interesting than these places, with all the people, places to visit, and dangers not as obvious as a group of monsters lying around.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 07:30:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-tips-for-designing-a-city/ Most adventure modules in Dungeons & Dragons are built to offer the players a fun and exciting challenge, but if you're the forever Dungeon Master, you may want to spice things up for yourself with a challenge without necessarily committing to homebrew. Homebrew can offer slightly too much freedom at times, enough so that it may not actually be difficult.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2023 23:45:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-hardest-campaigns-to-run/ Magic: The Gathering’s Commander Masters set includes the return of some of MTG’s most terrifying entities: the Eldrazi. These faceless, otherworldly monstrosities are some of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, and as such, their cards are both extremely potent and usually quite expensive in terms of both mana and money.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2023 18:00:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-most-valuable-reprints-commander-masters-eldrazi-unbound/ The 1980s can be considered as the golden era for board games. Some of the games released during that time have not only inspired modern tabletop games, but are still played even today. Of course, they've since received cosmetic makeovers and a bit of polishing with the rules, but they are essentially the same as they were four decades ago.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2023 18:00:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-board-games-of-the-80s/ For many Magic: The Gathering players, there’s no greater feeling than playing a giant monster and watching your opponents’ faces break into a sweat. Eldrazi Unbound is the perfect preconstructed Commander deck for just such a player, and it’s coming in Commander Masters.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:16:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-eldrazi-unbound-budget-upgrade-guide/ As lovely as family game night is, it can get a bit vanilla after a while. Sometimes, you just want to let loose and drop the filter when you're among friends. Whether it's accusing them of debauchery, pointing out their weird habits, or just turning on each other, there are card games that add that extra bit of zing to game night.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2023 16:00:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-adult-card-games/