How Ryan Miller Turned His Passion For Trading Card Games Into Disney Lorcana
If you are a Disney Lorcana player, then you know today is a big day!
Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game: Into the Inklands has officially landed on DisneyStore.com and retailers across the country!
To celebrate the launch of Into the Inklands, Disney sat down with Ryan Miller, Brand Manager at Ravensburger and co-designer of Disney Lorcana TCG.
How Miller Found His Passion
Miller’s game-designing career began at the early age of 11. After being told at school about a game where you “play characters like nights and wizards, explore dungeons, find treasure and fight monsters,” Miller was hooked.
When his mom told him that he couldn’t play the aforementioned game, Miller created his own.
“Not to be deterred, I grabbed some dice from the family board game collection, got a pencil and a notebook, and got to work designing my own game. I then began spending my allowance money buying games and trying to reverse-engineer them to figure out what made them fun. It was a challenging hobby that I took with me through high school and my time in the U.S. Army. When I got out of the army, I decided that I should give game design a real try,” he recalled.
Getting His Dream Job
Miller got a job in a Seattle retail store and worked his way up, eventually getting a job at Ravensburger. Then, the opportunity to create Lorcana came calling.
“I believe that when someone picks up a game and holds it in their hands, they should feel that love. They know that whoever made this loves it. I found the same philosophy at Ravensburger. A great team of talented and hardworking folks that really put a lot of love and detail into everything they do. Card games and Disney coming together? Where do I sign?” he said.
Miller’s Favorite Cards
When asked what his favorite Disney Locana card was, Miller quickly answered with three different choices.
The first was “Gramma Tala, Storyteller,” a card based on Disney’s Moana.
“I love, love, love Disney’s ‘Moana,’ it’s my favorite Disney Princess movie from a musical standpoint, so I was really excited to design some cards from that movie. Gramma Tala’s part of the story is really touching, and I wanted her card to reflect that. When she is banished from play, she becomes a resource for you instead of going to the discard pile – she is always with you!”
The second choice was “Belle, Strange but Special”.
“I like this card that is based on Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” because it gives you a mini quest to complete, and if you do, the rewards are huge! Cards like these really help you build your deck by giving you a plan to carry out,” Miller explained.
Finally, there are the Song cards.
“This isn’t a single card, but a type of card. We wanted songs to be a part of the game, and after some back and forth I came up with the idea to allow your characters to sing your song card for you if you don’t want to spend the resources to do it yourself. It’s a fun way to weave them into the game play, as well as an interesting strategic choice. ”
Advice For Young Designers
When asked by DisneyStore.com what advice he would give to aspiring designers, Miller encouraged them to dive into their passion.
“The first rule of writing is to write – and I think that is very fitting for game design as well. Design games, try them out, play them with friends and family, and learn what is fun and what is not about your game. Don’t worry about making it perfect, or even pretty, just playable,” he advised.
“This process isn’t just for that game, it will help you hone your skills for every game idea you work on. Also, play lots of games, but play them with the eye of a designer. What is fun about them? What about it is appealing? What isn’t working? This is an important way for you to further hone your skills in design.”
Disney Lorcana TCG: Into the Inklands is available now on DisneyStore.com and at retailers nationwide!