Tag: mtg

26 September 2025

Baldassare’s Quest is an solo adventure for Sorcery: Contested Realm. It uses the rules and mechanics of Sorcery with a few twists. Can Captain Baldassare and his pirates conquer the Isle of Avalon and claim its treasures for themselves? This adventure can be played solo using the provided AI rules or against a human opponent piloting the Avalon deck.

The scenario has a unique setup, special mechanics for playing and obtaining cards, and an AI rule set. I have tried to be as nuanced as possible with the rules, so the initial read might be daunting. I recommend setting up the game and playing along as you learn. With the core rules and objective in mind, the flavour and intent of the scenario should unfurl naturally.

Note – this scenario is a work in progress and I would greatly appreciate any feedback to clarify and improve these rules. Sorcery is a complex game, and to get the AI functioning sensibly is quite the challenge.

Disclaimer – this scenario is a fan project, using the rules and mechanics of Sorcery: Contested Realm, a game by Erik’s Curiosa. Thank you to the design team and all the artists whose hard work and creativity make this such an incredible game.

This scenario can be played on Tabletop Simulator, which is available on Steam, but I highly encourage players to buy and play with the physical cards. I’ve prioritised cards from the recent set, Arthurian Legends, and given love to some underplayed cards from Beta. One of the goals in creating this scenario was seeing how I could showcase underplayed cards. It’s a testament to the creativity that underpins Sorcery that there were so many flavourful cards to use. Escyllion Cyclops is a great example of this. Because of its inherent drawback, it doesn’t get used too often, but it’s a powerful card in Limited formats and perfect for this scenario.

Baldassare’s Quest Lore

The infamous pirate captain Baldassare has heard rumours about the mythical Isle of Avalon and the treasures it holds. He’s already gained a foothold in Tintagel, capturing the castle and its surrounding holdings. However, the next part of his mission will not be so easy. He’s roused the ire of the champions of Avalon, who are preparing themselves to repel this invading force and drive them back into the sea from whence they came. Will Baldassare be able to triumph against these mighty figures of legend, such as Merlin and King Arthur?

The very land itself rises up in defiance, and the Druids of Avalon work tirelessly to summon forth its ancient magic. Warriors and monsters have been drawn together in the defense of their homeland. Ever ready for a fight, the Knights of the Round Table have taken up arms to fulfil their oaths and claim glory and honour.

As the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Blunderbore, the ferocious giant has finished pillaging the Dome of Osiris, and armed with a treasure of great power, is spoiling for another fight. Will he help or hinder the cause of Avalon?

However, weakness has settled in the heart of Camelot. Distracted by the quarreling between the Pagans and Christians, King Arthur has failed to defend his shores. Will the pleas of Avalon fall on deaf ears? Will the King remember his oath to the sacred isle and rally in time?

But those are not your problems; you are the pirate captain Baldassare. You’re here to pillage and plunder these lands and claim its treasures and magic for yourself. Rally your Sea Raiders and prepare your weapons of war. It’s time for battle.

How to Play

The core rules and goal of this solo scenario is the same as a normal game of Sorcery with a few important rules twists and a different initial setup. You have to reduce the opponent to zero life from 20, and then deal a finishing blow while they’re at Death’s Door. You must achieve this without dying yourself. If the player is reduced to zero life and is dealt damage at Death’s Door, they lose the game.

Assume normal rules for the game with the scenario rules taking priority. The Captain plays mostly the same as a regular game of Sorcery, but Avalon has a very different turn structure to create challenge and random outcomes against an AI opponent.

Important Rule Changes:

The Pirate Rule – after the Captain player casts any spells from the Avalon deck through the effect of either Captain Baldassare or Sea Raider, place the cast cards into the Captain’s cemetery instead of Avalon’s cemetery. Any remaining card(s) that the Captain does not cast from these effects go into Avalon’s cemetery. This is how the Captain player gains access to new cards and powerful spells.

Refresh Rule – if either the Captain’s Spellbook or the Avalon Spellbook is empty and you need to draw a card, take the corresponding Cemetery, shuffle it facedown to reform the Spellbook. Neither the Captain or Avalon loses if their Spellbook is empty. If you’ve played a deckbuilding game like Dominion or Ascension, you will be familiar with this mechanic. The second time the Avalon Spellbook is emptied and reshuffled in this manner, Escalation occurs and all Avalon minions gain Movement +1.

The Captain Rule – Captain Baldassare is not an Avatar or Minion in this scenario. Captain Baldassare is not an Avatar, so cannot tap to draw or play Sites. Captain Baldassare has three power, as printed. Captain Baldassare cannot be destroyed by card effects or damage. This rule is important for how the AI operates and evaluates the board. Captain Baldassare cannot be submerged, burrowed, or enter the void.

Importantly, as the Captain is not an Avatar, he does not have Spellcaster. At setup, the Captain player has no Avatar and thus cannot cast cards without special casting conditions, such as stated on Grievous Insult. This is the first puzzle the player must overcome.

Building the Deck

The deck list for this scenario can be found here: https://curiosa.io/decks/cmfok2qeq006aih04skkw4a2p

The deck list is structured in a way to facilitate being loaded into TTS and for ease of setup. There is a 59-card Avalon Spellbook, a 11-card Avalon Atlas, and a Pathfinder Avatar for Avalon to use. The ‘Sideboard’ comprises of both the 10-card Pirate starting deck and 19 setup cards. The scenario contains 100 total cards. Do not duplicate the cards in the Maybeboard. These 10 cards in the Maybeboard is the Captain’s starting deck to be taken from the Sideboard during setup.

Tabletop Simulator Setup

This scenario can be played using either physical cards or using the Sorcery module for Tabletop Simulator. I recommend building these decks and playing in real life, but for ease of testing, TTS is a useful tool.

Making sure Thresholds are correct is critical for playing the scenario. Keep in mind the effects of Avalon and Bailey’s impact on Pristine Paradise.

Tips for using TTS:

Drag cards belonging to the Avalon AI into the hand of the second player at the top of the screen. This will switch control of the card. This allows you to use the threshold tracking and ‘start turn’ functions of the mod.

Setting up the game in TTS:

To create the game in TTS, go Create, Single Player, load Sorcery module in Workshop, Load. Then in the Sorcery module, Constructed.

Load the Decklist in game using: https://curiosa.io/decks/cmfok2qeq006aih04skkw4a2p

Move the 11-card Atlas and 59-card Spellbook to the opponent’s side of the board.

Setup

Take the cards from the Sideboard and place them on the board in the following positions under the control of the appropriate player.

Avalon Player – 13 cards and the Pathfinder Avatar. All these cards come into play under the control of the Avalon player except for Ruby Core, which begins on the site and thus isn’t controlled by either player at the start of the game.

Site 1 – Four cards: Camelot, King Arthur, Fine Courser, Four Waters of Paradise. King Arthur is carrying the Four Waters of Paradise. Fine Courser is carrying King Arthur.

Site 3 – Two cards: Island Leviathan, Belfry.

Site 5 – Three cards: Dome of Osiros, Blunderbore, Ruby Core. (Note Blunderbore does not start the game carrying the Ruby Core, and thus doesn’t provide mana and threshold for Avalon in the first turn of the game)

Site 8 – Two cards: Avalon, Pathfinder. (Note you can use any Avatar card to represent the Avalon Avatar, but Pathfinder is the most appropriate to use as a rules reminder for how sites will be placed)

Site 13 – Three cards: Merlin’s Tower, Merlin, Merlin’s Staff. Merlin is carrying Merlin’s Staff.

Captain Player – 6 cards.

Site 17 – One card: Autumn River. (This can be any of the ordinary River sites. Change the tone of the game by changing the season.)

Site 18 – Two cards: Tintagal, Captain Baldassare.

Site 19 – Two cards: Pristine Paradise, Bailey (note because of the Bailey, the Pristine Paradise won’t provide mana or threshold for the Captain player)

Site 20 – One card: Hamlet.

After setup, shuffle each of the three decks, Avalon Spellbook, Avalon Atlas, and Captain’s Spellbook.

The Captain player draws three cards (from the Captain’s 10-card deck) to form their opening hand. The Captain player can mulligan up to three cards as per normal mulligan rules. The Avalon player does not draw cards from their Atlas during setup or at the start of their turn, so don’t draw a starting hand for the Avalon player. There should be zero sites in the Captain player’s Atlas. Captain Baldassare is not an Avatar, so cannot tap to draw or play Sites. The Captain player is always the first player and takes the first turn of the game.

For the rest of the game, follow the normal turn order and structure as outlined in the Sorcery rulebook noting the exceptions below. There are special rules for how Avalon will draw and play cards from its Spellbook, and then AI rules on where it will place minions, how it will use the ‘Move and Attack’ action, and how it will use its minions to defend.

Keep the Avalon Spellbook and Cemetery distinct from the Captain player’s Spellbook and Cemetery. When using the effect of Captain Baldassare or Sea Raider, make sure to refer to the Pirate Rule and place cards in the appropriate cemetery. The Captain wants to retain his loot.

Captain Player’s Turn

In the solo mode, the player will take control of the Captain deck, led by captain Baldassare.

The Captain’s turn is identical to a normal turn of Sorcery. Follow the turn order outlined in the Sorcery rulebook. Once the player has access to a Spellcaster, they can play cards from their hand following normal mana and threshold rules. The Captain’s Atlas is empty at the start of the game. As the Captain is not an Avatar, he does not have the ability to tap to Draw or Play a Site.

AI Turn, Glossary, and Notes

Direction Rule. When AI minions need to Move and there is a choice of sites, if Avalon is on Death’s Door, go to the lower numbered site, otherwise go to the higher numbered site.

Threshold. Tracking threshold is important. The game is designed to have roadblocks and randomisation created through both players’ access to threshold. Also once the Avalon AI has eight Water threshold, Island Leviathan will activate, so make sure to keep track of this carefully.

Threatened Site. The Threatened Site is the singular Avalon site that contains the Captain’s minion(s) with the highest total power (including modifiers from abilities and artifacts). In a tie, the higher numbered site is considered the Threatened Site. The Dome of Osiros cannot be considered Threatened.

Site Number. For example ‘Site 8’ refers to the site that’s in the grid space numbered 8 on an official Sorcery playmat. Sites go from one to 20. If there are conflicts between numbering orientation across various mats, refer to the Valley of Delight playmat.

Forces Pile. A temporary zone used during the ‘Forces Gather’ step of the Avalon Main Phase.

Captain / Pirate Deck / Invaders / Player – are all synonymous terms for ‘player one’, which will always be a human player. Consider these terms interchangeable to represent this faction. These terms might be used at different points in the document to mean the same thing for flavour reasons.

Avalon / AI – are synonymous terms for the opponent in the solo mode, designed to be governed by the AI rules. These can be used interchangeably at times. The disparate setup of ‘Avalon’, ‘Camelot’, ‘Blunderbore’, AI, etc, as all components of the opponent.

Avalon Turn

In this section, the rules will be written from the perspective that the game is being played solo with the full set of AI rules in force. If there is a human player piloting the deck, then you can substitute choices such as Minion placement and activation with human agency. The turn structure and how Avalon plays cards from the Spellbook remains the same even with a human playing Avalon.

Sorcery Rule Book: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sgQo0xf0N2teIR0zlyl91g9j6LVncZnr/view

The AI player takes their turn, following the turn sequence as outlined in the Sorcery Rule Book page 16, with Start, Main, and End Phases. The Start and End Phase function mostly the same, but the Avalon Main Phase has extensive changes to allow the AI and the scenario to function.

Avalon Start Phase:

Steps One, Two, Three as per normal. Skip Step Four of the Start Phase. The Avalon player never draws a card at the beginning of their turn. 

Avalon Main Phase:

Step One. Place a Site. Activate and tap the Avalon Avatar. The AI draws and places sites similar to how the Pathfinder Avatar functions with a few minor exceptions. The Avalon Avatar can replace Rubble sites. Tap the Avatar and reveal the top Site from the Atlas. Place this site in an adjacent empty (or Rubble) grid spot following these considerations –

1. Ignore Site 16. (Avalon does not want to move next to the Captain’s stronghold)
2. Move horizontally before vertically.
3. If there is a tie between sites it can move to, prioritise the higher numbered site.
4. If the Avatar cannot place a site following these rules as they are on Site 14, they teleport to Site 13 and attempt this once again.

Essentially, the Grid is formed through the Avalon Avatar moving clockwise through the Realm. This creates opportunities for both players to attack and engage with each other. Avalon will play a site each turn until it runs out of Sites.

On its first turn, Avalon’s Avatar will tap, reveal the top Site from its Atlas and play it to spot nine. This is because of the rules prioritising moving horizontally over vertically, and then since there is a tie between sites 7 and 9 on either side of it, it will go to the higher number, which is 9.

If the Grid is full of Sites, excluding Site 16, or the Avalon Atlas is empty, the Avalon Avatar will move in the most direct route to a site where they have the most number of untapped minions nearby to it without being adjacent to the Captain’s minions. If there is a tie, it will move to be adjacent to their strongest untapped minion. This is where the Cruel Rule is important, if the AI has a choice, it won’t move to a location where it will be dead on board.

Step Two. Forces Gather. This step is the most different to a normal game of Sorcery. In this step, the Avalon AI attempts to muster forces to protect itself from the invaders. The Forces Pile is a special zone to facilitate cards moving from the Spellbook to in play. Cards discarded from the Forces pile always go to the Avalon Cemetery.

1. Draw five cards from the top of the Avalon Spellbook to the Forces Pile. If there are any cards in the AI Player’s hand, place all such cards into the Forces Pile.
2. Reveal the Forces Pile. If there are no Minions in this pile, discard all the cards and return to Step 1.
3. Calculate the threshold and mana the AI player has access to. (During the first turn of the game, the AI player does not generate mana or threshold from the Ruby Core as it’s not controlled by them at this stage as it’s not carried by their minion.)
4. Discard all Minions in the Forces Pile that the AI player cannot play due to Mana and Threshold requirements exceeding the available Mana and/or threshold available to Avalon. Make an exception for any Minion that can be played to a Site with special rules such as Tournament Grounds.
5. If there are no Minions in the Forces Pile at this point, stop, discard the Forces Pile and start again at Step 1.
6. Discard all Magic and Aura spells. For each card discarded this way in this step, deal one damage to the Player’s minion with the lowest power. This can only affect one minion at maximum. Captain Baldassare is not considered a Minion.
7. Choose the minion with the highest Mana Cost in the Forces Pile (if there is a tie, randomly select one) and play it to the Grid Square following the Minion Placement Rules below. Discard all other Minions and Automatons.
8. Calculate the remaining mana available to the AI player. Discard all remaining cards in the Forces Pile that exceed this amount.
9. Play an Artifact from the Forces Pile into the hands of the Avalon Minion with the highest power (even if it wasn’t played this turn).
10. If there is still an Artifact in the Forces Pile, return to Step 8. 
11. Surge! Mill cards from the top of the Avalon Spellbook until a Minion is revealed and place this in the Forces Pile. If the Avalon AI can play this Minion with their remaining Mana and available Threshold, play this minion following the Minion Placement Rules, otherwise discard it. The Avalon player will only Surge a maximum of once per turn.
12. Proceed to the Step Three of the Main Phase, placing any remaining cards from the Forces Pile into the Avalon Cemetery.

Minion Placement Rules

These rules determine the priority of where the Avalon AI will summon minions to. The AI will never summon a minion to the subsurface (Burrowed or Submerged) or to the Void. Consider in order when casting a minion…

1. If Avalon is on Death’s Door and there are no Minions in the same square as the Avatar, summon it to the Avatar’s Site.
2. If Tournament Grounds is in play, any revealed Sirs, Knights, Dames are summoned here.
3. If the Minion has the printed Submerge ability, play it to the surface of Site 3, which is the Island Leviathan at the start of the game. (If this Site is Rubble, the Minion cannot be summoned here)
4. If there is an Avalon Site considered ‘Threatened’, and there are no other Avalon Minions there, summon it to that space. The Threatened Site is the Avalon site that contains the Captain’s minion with the highest power (including modifiers from abilities and artifacts).
5. Site 8.

Step Three. Avalon Minions Activate. 

Start with the Avalon minion with the lowest printed cost. If there is a tie, start with the minion on the highest numbered Grid square. Repeat until all the Avalon minions have activated.

1. The Minion will pick up any Artifact in their Grid square. For example, on the first turn, Blunderbore picks up the Ruby Core. (Optional Advanced Rule, if a Minion could Drop an artifact it is carrying that would result in a better outcome for Avalon, applying the Cruel Rule, then it does so)
2. If the Minion has Summoning Sickness, end their activation and go to the next Avalon minion.
3. Move and Attack, following the Minion Aggression Rules below. If a minion has no possible moves, go to the next Avalon Minion.
4. Once all Avalon minions have activated, go to the End Phase.

Note, in the early turns, Blunderbore and King Arthur are unable to do anything because they are disconnected from the rest of the realm. This is intentional.

Escalation Rule:

The second time the Avalon Spellbook is emptied and reshuffled, all Avalon minions gain Movement +1. This serves as a timer on the game and to prevent unintentional stalling tactics. Take this added movement into account when considering possible moves for the AI. At this point in the game, it should most likely result in ending the game for the player.

Minion Aggression Rules.

The forces of Avalon are trying to repel the invaders and ultimately defeat them. As such, they will prioritise killing nearby minions before moving to attack Sites. This is an area where the AI can be exploited the most and the player can prevail against the advantages that the AI player has. Follow the Cruel Rule here and skip any activation that is completely detrimental for the AI player. Note that Captain Baldassare isn’t considered a Minion for these calculations.

Direction Rule – when minions Move and there is a choice of sites, if Avalon is on Death’s Door, go to the lower numbered site, otherwise the higher numbered site.

When the Captain is on greater than zero life, follow these rules:

1. If it’s possible that two Avalon minions could Move and Attack this turn to destroy a minion with greater power than both of the Avalon minions without interference, then Move and Attack that minion.
2. If there is an adjacent enemy minion with lower power, Move and Attack that minion. If there is a tie, choose the Minion with higher casting cost.
3. If there is an adjacent enemy minion with equal power, Move and Attack that minion. If there is a tie, choose the Minion with higher casting cost.
4. If Avalon is on Death’s Door, Move to be able to Defend a Strike made against the Avatar. Calculate Belfry into this consideration.
5. If an Avalon site is ‘Threatened’ and the minion has equal or greater attack than that minion, Move towards that minion. The Threatened Site is the Avalon site that contains the Captain’s minion with the highest power (including modifiers from abilities and artifacts).
6. Move and Attack an adjacent Site controlled by the Captain, ignoring any site with Bailey. If there is a tie, consider the Direction Rule.
7. Move towards the nearest site controlled by the Captain, ignoring any site with Bailey. If there is a tie, consider the Direction Rule.

If the Captain is on Death’s Door, follow these rules. Apply the Cruel Rule where possible considering the Captain’s potential to block, but if it’s possible to exhaust defenders with a suicidal move for the AI to ultimately win, then its minions will make the attack.

1. If adjacent to the Captain, Move and Attack Captain Baldassare.
2. If the Captain is on Death’s Door, Avalon Minions gain: Tap, Destroy an adjacent Bailey.
3. If it’s possible that two Avalon minions could Move and Attack this turn to destroy a minion with greater power than both of the Avalon minions, then Move and Attack that minion.
4. If there is an adjacent enemy minion with lower power, Move and Attack that minion. If there is a tie, choose the Minion with higher casting cost.
5. If there is an adjacent enemy minion with equal power, Move and Attack that minion. If there is a tie, choose the Minion with higher casting cost.
6. If Avalon is on Death’s Door, Move to be able to Defend a Strike made against the Avatar. Calculate Belfry into this consideration.
7. If an Avalon site is ‘Threatened’ and the minion has equal or greater attack than that minion, Move towards that minion. The Threatened Site is the Avalon site that contains the Captain’s minion with the highest power (including modifiers from abilities and artifacts).
8. If the Minion can make an effective block on the following turn, they remain where they are.
9. If the Minion could make an effective block on the following turn by moving nearby the Belfry, they take a step.
10. If Avalon has more minions than the Captain, they Move towards Captain Baldassare if they are not adjacent to the Avatar.
11. If Avalon has equal or less minions than the Captain, they Move towards the Avatar if not adjacent.

Apply the Cruel Rule. The AI won’t move their minions needlessly or into harm’s way. If there are no logical moves, then it remains where it is.

Minion Defensive Rules

If the Captain attempts to attack an Avalon minion or Avatar and they have adjacent minions that can block, follow these rules. If there are multiple minions available to block, if it’s possible that they can kill the attacker, they will do so with fewest and least valuable combination of minions. If there is a tie of possibilities, use the minions with the lowest casting costs as a priority, and if there is still a tie, randomise it, ensuring the Avalon loses the least amount of resources.

1. If the attacking Captain minion would reduce the Avalon life total to zero life or if Avalon is at Death’s Door, then the lowest casting cost nearby minion will block, even if it’s a chump block (it doesn’t kill the attacking minion).
2. If the attacking Captain minion would kill an adjacent Avalon minion with a higher casting cost, then the lowest casting cost nearby minion will chump block the attack.

End Phase:

This follows the normal rules of the game. Make sure to activate Belfry at this point to ready nearby Avalon Minions. The intention of the Belfry is to allow mobility and defensive power of the Avalon forces.

Play then returns to the Captain player, who has their turn, and so on. The game ends when one player is dealt damage whilst on Death’s Door.

Two-Player Version

This scenario was designed with AI rules baked into it, but could easily be played with either a human player controlling the AI to facilitate play for the Captain player, or with full human agency behind Avalon. The Avalon player will have quite an advantage in this case, so be prepared for this if you choose to play in this way. The Forces Gather step of the game is intended to provide some randomisation to mitigate this power imbalance and removing this step will likely break the scenario.

Difficulty Modes

These rules can be added to increase the difficulty of the scenario. As many can be applied as desired to increase the challenge of the game.

1. Quick Giant Hands – Blunderbore begins the game carrying the Ruby Core.
2. Poor King Arthur – Do not include Four Waters of Paradise during setup.
3. Multiple Surges – add one or more additional Surge steps.
4. Dangerous Isles – during setup, the Island Leviathan site begins the game in Site 16. Place a Rubble in Site 3.

These difficulty modes were my favourite part of designing this scenario, and I would love to hear what you’ve come up with to spice up the design. There’s so much room for expansion here.

Conclusion

If you’re someone who enjoys reading rulebooks, thank you for making it this far. If you don’t like rulebooks, then you won’t likely read this sentence. Without the AI rules, this document would be a third of the size. I admit that this concept probably got away from me in the end, but I wanted to present this idea to start a conversation and hopefully inspire others to give it a go.

The challenge of creating a solo mode for Sorcery is the complexity of the game. Adding a unique setup and a different turn structure was perhaps excessive, but it was my greatest opportunity for creativity in the scenario and the part I enjoyed designing the most. This is why I’m referring to this rule set as a scenario rather than a complete and all-encompassing ‘solo mode’. Some people may be disappointed that I didn’t just create a single-player version of the normal game. You could try to apply my AI rule set to a normal Sorcery setup, but I think that would just reveal more holes in my AI instead of creating a fun and rewarding game experience. For example, the Forces Gather step was an effort to reduce the number of AI decision trees and create some fun randomisation. One of my favourite moments in solo board games is when the AI gets their worst possible outcome and you get a free turn to exploit their bad luck.

I will keep an eye on feedback over the weeks and continue to tweak the rules and improve the system, but I did rush slightly to get this article out as I need to move on to other things. There is an important Crossroads event on the horizon, and fingers crossed an entirely new set. I have enjoyed this ‘lull’ at the tail end of Arthurian Legends to explore and play around with some more esoteric concepts, but I’m super excited and looking forward to the discovery phase of Gothic.

Ultimately, at the end of all this, I think Sorcery might not really function well as a solo game. Whenever I attempt to goldfish decks in testing, I find it wholly lacking. The joy of Sorcery is seeing what the opponent can do and in the back and forth that comes from that. Still, I encourage and look forward to seeing what other people come up with in regards to Solo and Single Player modes, and I’d greatly appreciate any feedback on my attempt.

I’m also interested in what the Sorcery design team think about a solo mode, as it’s something the community has asked for quite often. There’s a board game that I’ve had my eye on for the longest time that’s proven to be difficult to get in my part of the world – Xia: Legends of a Drift System. The follow up game to that, Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread, has a name attached to it that Sorcery players should recognise. Ira Fay is a genius when it comes to game design and solo mechanics, and with his involvement with Sorcery, I hope that we will see an official solo mode in time.

My next article will be a design diary based on my thoughts and experience with designing this scenario. Ultimately, it was an exercise that I found challenging and rewarding. I found the cards and mechanics of Sorcery excellent for this purpose and gave me an appreciate for the little things that go into designing a game.

1/7/2025

A Foil Bloodstained Mire

Like so many, I grew up with Magic the Gathering. I was probably around 10 when I first played. It was at a school camp, and everyone was sharing their smuggled contraband. A pile of tatty cards featuring various monsters captured the attention of all the kids. At the time there was no way I could anticipate the impact that this game would have on my life. A friend graciously gifted me a pile of common goblin cards, and that became the seed of a 25-year-long collecting and gaming hobby.

Urza’s Saga was on the shelves at the time, but we had our eyes on Craw Wurms and Shivan Dragons, so we spent our pocket money on bulk commons rather than ripping booster packs. Too bad I didn’t know about Tolarian Academy back then. But that era of pure innocence is irreplaceable. We played on pure joy and imagination.

I would play Magic on and off throughout my childhood years, but I moved schools and lost touch with many friends. I played and collected Pokemon and Score’s Dragon Ball Z, instilling that sense of wanderlust that maybe the next best thing can be found in a completely new game instead of the tried and tested one. In the process of exploration, novelty was found, but at the cost of never quite being on the same page as everyone else. Not quite being in the right place at the right time became a frustrating theme.

And then in 2002, the set called Onslaught drew me back in to Magic. I remember getting a tournament pack, and the excitement to be opening so many cards in one go was immense. The first card I saw beneath the cellophane was a foil Bloodstained Mire. How disappointing. A rubbish land, that costs life, and a waste of a foil as well. I think I sold it for about 40NZD soon after and was pretty happy with that at the time. Probably immediately grabbed another four or so booster packs. I sometimes look up and see how expensive that card is now, but ultimately that feeling is just part of the hobby. Sometimes regret can be a useful emotion in the collecting hobby, or maybe it just helps create a hoarding mentality…

The Onslaught block was also the only Magic set that I have ever collected in its entirety, completing Onslaught, Legions, and Scourge, giving me an appreciation for the difficulty and cost of pursuing such endeavours. My greatest Magic the Gathering success was winning a Champions of Kamigawa prerelease on my 15th birthday. Meloku the Clouded Mirror was one hell of a card, and I had two in my sealed pool, so I think that win was more luck than skill. But when things align, it does create a sense of serendipity that is quite intoxicating.

But the overall feeling that I learned about competition in Magic was that it wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the thrill of playing with actual stakes, with prizes and pride on the line, but it was all too often not enjoyable. I learned about zero-sum fun. This is the perception where there needs to be a loser for there to be a winner. This attitude extended to the other parts of the hobby, and trading often felt like a hustle rather than something mutually beneficial.

The only trade I remember fondly through all of this was at a prerelease, probably around the Kamigawa block, where my goal was to trade for a Mirari’s Wake for a kitchen table deck. An older player had a foil copy that was well beyond the scope of what I had to offer, but he generously gave it to me seeing my enthusiasm for it. It’s a shame I don’t remember who that player was, but it left a permanent mark on me that sometimes the best trade deals are the ones where dollar amounts aren’t considered. I try and remember that lesson whenever possible.

Eventually, I developed an all-consuming World of Warcraft addiction and there was no longer time for Magic.

The Board Game Era

During university, I stopped playing Magic altogether. Completing that Onslaught block set taught me the difficulty and cost of pursuing completionism, and now there was beer and World of Warcraft subscription time to buy. I did dabble in the Spoils card game and the World of Warcraft TCG, but was unable to afford to go beyond starter decks and a few boosters. Getting a taste of a fun new game and being unable to delve further in was more frustration than it was worth.

Then I saw the Summoner Wars board game. I couldn’t believe that in a single product I was getting all the cards I needed to play, all at an affordable price. I quickly made my purchase and walked out of the store feeling like I had robbed the place. But the first taste is free for a reason.

But my board game was missing a crucial ingredient – people to play it with. World of Warcraft had given me hours of entertainment, but it had withered away my social networks and social skills. I had spent years with faceless players, grinding away in a video game. Meeting and playing with new people was certainly too much for me at the time. Thus began convincing uninterested friends (the few real-life friends I still had from school) to play board games with me. If only Discord existed back then.

Then came the Lord of the Rings Living Card Game by Fantasy Flight. This was a solo board game. Now I didn’t need to find an opponent, and I could dive in to the mechanics and adventure all by myself. Thus starting a long and expensive hobby of collecting and sourcing packs from around the world. If I’m honest, my favourite part about the LotR LCG wasn’t collecting or playing it; it was listening to a fan podcast, Cardboard of the Rings. The sense of being in a community, of listening to other people’s stories and experiences of the game. Year after year, I heard about all these incredible conventions held in the States. Later on as the internet and social media developed, terms emerged such as ‘parasocial relationship’ and ‘FOMO’ which may better describe the situation here.

Over the years, I leaned heavily into collecting board games. I was the guy that rocked up to a social event with a bag full of games that no one really wanted to play, but if things got boring enough, then perhaps a board game would be acceptable. There were some incredible nights where a board game absolutely landed and left everyone wanting more, spurring me on to buy more and more. But more often than not, it didn’t last past the rules explanation before we decided to play a drinking game instead.

But that’s the beauty of competition. It’s a shared desire to attend an event and participate in an activity. That’s the secret weapon of card games like Magic. That people converge in time and space to play together. People bring energy and a desire to share ideas, to put those ideas to the test. I was lost in the hypothetical without enough opportunity to channel that latent energy into something meaningful and useful.

Ultimately, I feel that board games suffer from that failure of time and place. It often feels like no one is ever quite on the same page, even at a dedicated board game event. When sitting down with a group, there is disconnect right from ‘what game should we play?’ Then through a rules explanation, there is a further gulf created from the knowledge, skill and what people want to achieve from the game. Add a few cell phones, side conversations, rules questions, and drinks and… it often just doesn’t quite work. It’s the unsatisfying feeling of a buffet restaurant, of quantity over quality.

By this time, I was longing to go back to Magic. The structured format of organised play has merit, especially for anxious and awkward young men like myself. Even if the vibe got a bit too cutthroat, at least everyone was on the same page.

Netrunner: the Best Game Ever Made

Then came Android: Netrunner. Netrunner was everything I wanted out of a game. It was competitive. It was deeply thematic. It was novel in its mechanics and gameplay. Then events started popping up, and I braced myself to dive back into ruthless competition, but, unexpectedly, it was different to Magic. Everyone was having fun.

Netrunner did not have that savage competition, that zero-sum brutality. I realised that it was more about the shared story space that emerged between two humans and their piles of cards. The game invited you to understand your opponent, to see them as creative and cunning and capable. The game wasn’t played on the table. Heads were raised, we looked each other in the eye, and we asked each other questions – ‘Is that a Snare or an Agenda?’

Perhaps because of this, perhaps because the genre and subject matter encouraged inclusivity and empathy, Netrunner seemed to attract the best players in the community. People were friendly, welcoming, and engaging. Competition could occur without negativity. Suddenly, it didn’t quite matter as much if you won or lost. There was something else being generated, something worth more than prize money and rare promo cards.

Unfortunately during that time, I had a difficult work schedule, so I couldn’t play for weeks at a time, and then when I did have time, I was too tired to attend events. Combined with a format that changed constantly due to the monthly release model, I just couldn’t keep up. I regret not pushing myself to attend more events. When the Fantasy Flight run ended with Reign and Reverie, I was left wishing I had done more. I had found myself at the finish line with gas left in the tank.

Chasing the Dragon

I had experienced the best of what games could offer. I had also experienced many lows. There were some incredible moments, but there was much more discontent. I was now in my 30s and becoming disillusioned with the hobby. In many ways, games – the thought of games – became a coping mechanism, an addiction to get me through the long work days. Retail therapy.

Instead of playing board games, I became a board game collector. I would dream up situations where a game would be the perfect activity for a particular situation with a particular group, and that would be enough to click buy. Receiving a package, unboxing it, putting it on a shelf… well, that was about as far as it got for 90% of my board games.

In Magic, Commander, or EDH, was on the rise, seemingly offering the Holy Grail of gameplay. A chance to play with three friends, to utililse your entire collection, singleton, and actually have fun playing Magic. I poured money into Commander chasing that dragon, building decks and stockpiling singles.

But Commander was a poisoned chalice. For many players, it was a platform to destroy and demoralise three people at a time. Bad-faith actors could never operate with more efficiency at a gaming table. I’ll reiterate that I’m not saying all Magic players are like this, but with four players, the odds are high that at least one person can spoil the experience for one reason or another. Commander is the worst of Magic combined with the worst of board games.

By this point, I had tried everything. I was burnt out on board games and Magic. COVID had done its damage and changed the landscape of interacting with people and going to public spaces. At this point, I decided I was done with games and it was time to move on to something else.

Ensorcelled

And then I saw Sorcery advertised on Kickstarter, and I changed my mind.

Well, no. The Kickstarter looked amazing, but I looked at my shelf of games, and closed the browser. I can’t do another trading card game.

But it stuck in the back of my mind over the next few weeks.

Throughout the pandemic, Team Covenant kept many of us sane by streaming various games on their Youtube channel. I enjoyed watching their content because of the friendship and comradery they showed. I sensed a genuine passion for games in the way they talked about the hobby and the wider industry. They certainly were putting in the hours during a time where most people opted to opt out.

I had found their channel years before by searching for Netrunner content. They often talked about how they’d had a similar experience as I did with Netrunner, experiencing similar positivity, so I sensed that I was on a similar bandwidth as them when it came to gaming.

So when Team Covenant began talking about Sorcery, I listened. Now I was ready to back the Kickstarter.

What appealed to me the most about this fledgling project was that it wasn’t going to be a competitive game. It was a trading card game where I could set my pace. One set a year meant I could build decks and attend events at a nice relaxed pace. I didn’t need to put more money into it than I was comfortable with. Sorcery didn’t demand anything from me.

With Alpha in hand, and Beta starting to hit the shelves, something happened that I did not intend. I started playing and enjoying Sorcery as a competitive game.

Positive Feedback Loop

As with most things, that shift from zero to competitive Sorcery player didn’t happen overnight. It was a series of small and vital steps. The first and most crucial step was that I met incredible people playing Sorcery. The game seemed to attract likeminded individuals that shared my frustrations of the wider hobby and had found a reignition of passion in Sorcery.

I was still in a COVID mindset so there was some re-acclimatising that needed to happen to get back to being comfortable in public. Social anxiety had crept back in during the isolation, so it took some work to overcome that. Fortunately, I found a player interested in trying the game who lived out in the same rural area of Auckland as I did, so he graciously offered to pick me up on his way through to the store to play some games. It was only much later that he revealed how nervous he was that I might be a complete nutjob weirdo and was relieved that I was all right. So, shoutout to Rich, and thank you for taking that risk.

Sorcery has a steep learning curve, so luckily everyone was on the same page in terms of game experience. It was an enjoyable time muddling through the rules, discussing scenarios, and talking strategy, all with an easy grace of likeminded and easygoing individuals. There was no ruthlessness, but competition was active and engaging. I wish there was some way to capture this experience and package it for new players. An issue currently is that new players find it challenging to learn the rules of a very complex game, whilst also dealing with the gulf of knowledge between them and enfranchised players. If anyone resonates with this point and is struggling, then please persevere. It is a challenge, but it’s worthwhile, and everyone will help you to the other side if you ask for help.

During that initial league at Baydragon, I started meeting the people that would become the familiar faces of the Auckland scene. Community events hosted by FTW Events in Auckland gave this spark kindling, and I began feeling the call of the competitive spirit, encouraged by the positive feedback loop of great experience after great experience. Soon I found myself flying to Melbourne to play in my first ever international tournament.

That event in Melbourne cemented Sorcery in my mind as something worthwhile, not just as a game, but as something that I can put my time and effort into. The energy at Plenty of Games was electric. Everyone was smiling, eager to share stories, show off their cards, and make trades (trades based on vibes and not online prices). The store itself is fantastic and well-equipped. The staff are all lovely. And there are actually plenty of clean bathrooms.

At this tournament, I also somehow managed to make the top eight. I was having fun and doing well. Though, my standings were salvaged by the draft portion of the event more so than the prowess of my constructed list. I remember returning back late after lunch on the second day and missing the announcement of the top eight. I was informed that I had made the cut. I rocked up last as Jesse, the tournament organiser and community legend, was trying to herd players to take a photo, so he was surprised to see me holding out my hand for a Crown Sorcerer. To be fair, I was surprised too.

There exists Youtube footage of me being crushed in my top-eight match. It was the first time I had properly played against Enchantress. I was exhausted and mentally drained. There were some boisterous Warhammer players nearby, so it was hard to focus. But still it was one of my favourite and most memorable games I had. My opponent was gracious, and Jesse was able to provide a level of clarity and expertise to the rules that made for a great learning experience. I played my Plague of Frogs into an on-board Wildfire, amongst many other obvious mistakes, and it was inevitable that I lost. But still, I left the event with something greater than any prize – a vigor to delve deeper into the hobby and give more of myself to the community.

The Domino That Did Not Fall

Over the following year, I played multiple times a week, attended more FTW community events, and even went back for another tournament in Melbourne. It was a whirlwind year, and I was cruising on a high of positive emotions. In that time, my collection goals ballooned, my spending increased massively, and going into Arthurian Legends was a feverish dream of ripping packs and going to every event on offer. 

And despite all of that, it seemed that the set just didn’t quite land with the community. Attendance in Auckland quickly dwindled. People were disgruntled about various things. Players returned to Magic and other popular franchises such as One Piece. I think there are several reasons that could possibly explain this, such as economic downturn, a perceived barrier to entry to learn Sorcery, and a reluctance for players to embrace change – such as the increase in deck size.

This is currently a challenging time for enfranchised players, but I think the tide is turning. There is a strong passionate core of players carrying the torch, new players are testing the waters, and Gothic has immense potential to reignite the wildfire. A firework in the sequence didn’t quite work with AL, but there’s still a whole display to detonate once the fuse is reignited.

However, what the fanbase has done under its own steam is incredible. Every stumble is met with two hands held out in rescue. Things currently aren’t loud and flashy, but they’re there, and people are having fun. People genuinely love this game.

Take a Look at Where We Are

Sometimes it’s beneficial to take a step back and reflect properly. Climbing a mountain is more fun if you actually turn around and see the progress you’ve made.

I hadn’t intended to write out this massive chunk of exposition, but I felt compelled to share, that it was important to set the stage for the blog and my writing. I expect my story isn’t unique. In fact, I think my story is very typical for Millennials. The threads of my story culminate into where I am currently and hopefully explain my thinking and position on many things.

My story may sound gloomy and dismal, but there were many great times in the mix that I’m grateful for. However, the crushing industrial process of turning hobbies and nostalgia into a commercial product has left me pessimistic. That is why Sorcery is so refreshing to me. You can’t escape the realities of capitalism, but it’s nice when profit isn’t the number-one objective of a company. It has to be on the list somewhere, of course, but not being priority one makes a massive difference.

Looking to the future, and Cornerstone and Crossroad events are on the horizon, and then Dragonlord and Gothic some time after that. There is a lot to be excited about.