Disney Lorcana is seeing an unprecedented level of success at Gen Con, although its debut was somewhat marred by long lines and confusion on the first day. Yesterday was the first day of Gen Con, the largest tabletop convention in North America. This year’s show was notable for being the debut of Disney Lorcana, a new trading card game by Ravensburger featuring various Disney characters. Despite expectations being high for the game, Gen Con organizers broke up a self-organized line that started in the early hours of Thursday morning and instead instituted a “fill all available space” policy at the entrance to the exhibitors hall. This predictably resulted in a rush to the Ravensburger booth when the convention opened, with several people complaining about getting pushed into walls or rushed aside during the commotion. Others expressed frustration that their efforts to arrive early were casually tossed aside by convention organizers.
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Once Gen Con organizers formed the mass into lines, things became a bit more orderly, although people were still waiting in line to get their hands on a limited amount of product at 2 PM, despite the line being “cut off” (meaning that no one new in line could join as Ravensburger NA had done a count to make sure they had enough product for anyone who was in line.)
In response to the overwhelming crowds for the game, Gen Con instituted an overnight line policy, which appears to be the first organized overnight line in several years. “Ravensburger Booth 2001 line for tomorrow will start at 6 pm tonight,” read a statement posted by Gen Con shortly before the convention closed for the first night. “Stanchioned lines will start to form outside Hall F doors at Hoosier Concourse. This will stay in place and feed into the Ravensburger booth starting at 10 am tomorrow. Spaces cannot be held for others.” We’ll note that this is the first time in recent memory that Gen Con has allowed overnight lines, as the convention has generally discouraged that practice.
As of this morning, wristbands were being passed out to help enforce the line and Ravensburger and Gen Con staff were also present to help keep things orderly. Ravensburger staff were also passing out donuts, coffee, and orange juice to those who were waiting overnight in line.
We’ll have more details about Disney Lorcana in the coming days, including an interview with Ravensburger NA CEO Stephane Madi about the game’s launch. Disney Lorcana will be available at game stores on August 18th and mass retailers on September 1st.
