Alleged Gen Con Thieves Caught, D&D's First Autistic Character, Lorcana Restocks - TTRPG News 9/7/2023

Welcome to September! The season of pumpkin spice is upon us, which also means that 2023 is about to coast to its end. What surprises await at the end of the year? Before we get there, a few things from earlier this year still need to be resolved. A big Gen Con story gets an update, Dungeons & Dragons is still playtesting, a new NPC is being celebrated, and that Disney card game is selling out as expected. Let’s take a look. 

Gen Con Card Thieves Charged 

Two men have been identified as the alleged thieves who took $300,000 worth of Magic: The Gathering cards from the Gen Con show floor. Thomas Dunbar and Andrew Giaume are now formally charged by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office of Indianapolis, Indiana. Security footage was released soon after Gen Con, showing two men “borrowing” a pallet jack and filling it with boxes full of MTG boosters from Pastimes Comics & Games, reports Dicebreaker. A booth worker took their own photos of the two as they made their way to the parking lot with their haul, and these pictures matched the people shown in the security footage. The stolen cards were later recovered by New York State Police. 

D&D Spotlights Its First Canon Autistic Character 

The upcoming D&D book, The Book of Many Things, looks to be a setting/options book much in the same vein as Xanathar’s Guide or Tasha’s Cauldron. One of the main differences this time is that the author/POV character will be autistic. The first canon autistic character in D&D will be Asteria, a paladin who has some ties to the origin of the Deck of Many Things. Asteria was created by Makenzie De Armas, who put her own experiences with autism into the character. She shares her process with Polygon in a recent feature.

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D&D Unearthed Arcana Adds World Tree Barbarian, Unarmed Fighter, And Revised Counterspell 

The D&D playtest for its new edition/update/whatever it is continues with another look at core classes. The latest Unearthed Arcana presented another look at five classes and included two new subclasses, a World Tree Barbarian and Brawler Fighter. The World Tree Barbarian can move creatures around and sprout tree branches to increase attack range. The Brawler Fighter excels with grappling and improvised weapons. But perhaps the most impactful update is in the sidebars. Counterspell can now be contested by a saving throw on behalf of target, allowing boss monsters to use Legendary Resistance instead of being foiled without retort. 

Disney Lorcana Promises Restocks After Scalpers Get The Goods

The new trading card game Disney Lorcana launched to humungous demand over the past month. Its staggered launch saw it open in local game stores in August, then Disney parks, and finally big retailers this past week. Due to low stock relative to demand and scalpers scooping up boxes in the big stores, fans are already vocal about the lack of cards. Publisher Ravensburger responded quickly to say that reprints are on the way, but it will take some time. Booster packs are coming in a month, but the larger starter set is expected to take months, reports Polygon.

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That brings this week’s news to an end! Whether you’re searching for Lorcana packs or trying out the new D&D subclasses, have fun!