Tip Tuesday: Playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

Welcome Sorcerer!

It's time again to share some tips and tricks to playing one of the newest experiences at the Magic Kingdom:  Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.  Here's the problem:  Hades, that evil lord of the underworld, has broken free and is trying to get the crystal of the Magic Kingdom.  It's up to you and Merlin the wizard to stop him and his legion of villians.

As I mentioned in a post two weeks ago, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (SOTMK) is a card based interactive game that guests can play throughout the Magic Kingdom.  Each visit to the parks, guests can stop at the Town Square Fire Station to pick up additional game cards to use to complete tasks throughout the park.

This week, I'll walk through how to play the game and some tips to make your adventure run a little smoother, especially if you're with multiple players.

When you first get your all-important key card and map (shown above), you will want to head to any station on the map (Adventureland is shown above).  Your map will show the SOTMK portals in each of the currently active lands in the Magic Kingdom:  Mains Street USA, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square and Adventureland.  Tomorrowland doesn't have any SOTMK portals as of this post, though the game is likely going to be expanded into the new Fantasyland and could possibly be expanded into other areas like Tomorrowland, though no official announcements have been made.

Most people who get their new key card, map and initial card set will head to one of the Main Street USA portals, resulting in a line.  It's better to head away from Town Square and go at least to one of the two portals further down Main Street USA.  Better yet, head to Adventureland, where there are more portals to work with. 

So how can you find a portal? Sure it's on the map, but they're sometime hard to find.  Just look for this symbol on the ground.  This is the EXACT spot you're supposed to stand on to play the game.

Once you find a portal, look for this lock (shown above).  Take your key card and place it against the lock.  The first time you play the game, the screen will tell you which portal you are supposed to start it.  Be sure to take note of the symbol shown on the screen.  That corresponds to the portal symbols on your SOTMK map.  Go to that portal.  If you try to use another portal, you'll again be directed to the proper starting place.  Oh, and everyone has a different starting place. 

Now, if you're traveling with several Sorcerers, you can ask the cast member at the Fire Station to have your entire playing party to start in the same land.  You won't start in the same exact portal, but you can at least have your adventure running in the same location so you're not cris-crossing the park too much (you'll be doing a lot of that anyway).

Now that you've found the right portal, it's time to star battling some bad guys (or gals)!!

To play the game, you need to first show your key card at each portal.  You eventually will go to every portal in the Magic Kingdom (often more than once).  You're trying to defeat Scar, Yzma, Jafar, Ursula, Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, Dr. Facilier, Gov. Ratcliff and (ultimately) Hades.

Defeating each villian usually involves accessing four different portals.  Most portals require the use of one or more spell cards.  In the basic version of the game (which is the only version currently running), the type of spell card used really doesn't matter.  You can use one or more than one to accomplish your task.  In future versions (Disney has said they are working on advanced versions), the type of spell card used will be a factor in determining success against the villian.

Once you have defeated all eight villians, you're off to battle the head honcho in this whole operation -- Hades and if you're successful you will be given the title of Master Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom!!!

Now you can complete SOTMK in a single day, though it will be a very long one and it will be all you do.  I strongly suggest taking a few days to try to complete the game.  If you don't finish, don't worry, you can always pick up where you left off on your next trip.  In fact, I think you should only do one or two villians on each trip -- that way you have something new to do on your next visit.

Either way, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is a fantastic and fun game for players of all ages.  In June, I saw young kids and seasoned adults playing side by side and having a great time.

A few general tips: 

• Wear good shoes because you will be doing a lot of walking (you should be wearing good shoes anyway).
• Keep track of your key card.  If you lose it, you've lost your entire game progress and you'll have to start over.  If you lose a spell card, you can always get more, but you can't get another key card and resume your progress.
• As you're walking around, take note of where portals are located.  Sure, they're on the map, but it's more helpful to know where they really are so you can easily find them when you need them.
• Be patient.  You will run into lines at portals, especially during peak times of the year.  While you're waiting, be courteous to other guests and don't spoil the surprises by talking about the game.  Each portal can have different parts of the game running.
• Always get a new set of spell cards each day you're at the Magic Kingdom.  They're free and you can get one pack a day.  You never know which cards you'll get.

So there you go Sorcerer!!!  You're ready to play.  So hurry to the Firehouse because Merlin needs your help!!