Lorcana’s ‘Rise of the Floodborn’ and new board games, reviewed

Descent: Legends of the Dark – The Betrayer’s War, Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn, Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West

Asmodee/Ravensburger

While 2023 has surpassed video game records, it’s also a great time to be a board gamer. Even after pandemic restrictions hammered the hobby, signs point to its continued growth — the industry is on track to make well over $2 billion in the US this year.

We’ve sampled some of the year’s biggest tabletop games, from quick duels to sprawling cooperative campaigns. Here are our reviews:

A grip of Sapphire and Amethyst Lorcana cards.

Ravensburger

Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn

I’m feeling good about my chances. I started the game with the Queen from Snow White, then later played the Beast to banish an opposing Megara. Victory’s only a few quests away — and maybe my alternate-world Gaston (subtitled “Intellectual Powerhouse”) can give me the cards and beef I need to secure the win.

But despite my lead, I couldn’t keep pace with my opponent’s tide of characters, from the Duke of Weselton to Steamboat Willie. I’m a hardened Magic: the Gathering and Android: Netrunner veteran, yet Lorcana glory somehow evades my grasp.

While I’ve lost out as a competitor, publisher Ravensburger scored financial success with this new trading card game for kids and Disney fanatics. Debut product The First Chapter quickly sold out this fall, while the expansion,…