After a very long wait, the new Disney Lorcana Illumineer's Quest, The Great Hunny Rescue, is almost here. Planned to be released officially at the very beginning of October, the new chapter of this amazing stand-alone co-op game was showcased largely during the D23 show in August and it looks amazing. I am personally a big fan of the Illumineer's Quest and this one in particular feels very exciting.
While I was still counting down the days to the 2nd of October, the amazing UK Ravensburger team got in touch and invited me for a very fun day out at the Pooh Corner in order to have a full Hunny themed experience. I personally have never been there thus I couldn't passed this opportunity to see the area that inspired Alan Alexander Milne for his incredible stories.
A start as sweet as honey: Pooh Corner
Nestled on High Street in Hartfield (TN7 4AE), Pooh Corner is a old-style country-cottage tearoom and gift shop fully inspired by A.A. Milne’s timeless tales. Whatever you are looking for: a savoury snack, a tasty treat, or a refreshing peppermint tea, the Pooh Corner provides a relaxing stop for fans exploring the real-world Hundred Acre Wood. In fact, just a few minutes away from the shop you can find some of the spots that inspired many key scenes from the books including the Poohsticks Bridge that inspired the story in the 1928 books.
Pooh Corner also hosts a small but very well stocked museum filled with documents and items related not only to the fictional characters but also to the history behind Winnie The Pooh stories, The owners, Mike and his wife June, are extremely passionate and knowledgeable and they are always available to share awe-inspiring facts with any guest. The whole team there is also very fond of Disney Lorcana and they have created little corners dedicated to the game to help share this game with all guests. The Pooh Corner was also recently activated in PlayHub thus everyone in the areas will be finally able to enjoy also some formal events there.
A new Hunny adventure at the Pooh Corner
Considering the Ashdown Forest is a good two hours drive from where I live, I was quite grateful to be welcomed at the Pooh Corner with a nice pot of tea and a nice lunch. However, after a Lorcana themed cookie (a few of them actually), it was time to forget the many classic adventures of Winnie the Pooh and dig deep into a new modern adventure with the Great Hunny Rescue.
The new Disney Lorcana Illumineer's Quest comes in a stand-alone and sturdy box, using the same boardgame-styled approach we saw for the last one, Palace Heist. Within the box, Players will find everything they need in order to play the game including two ready made 60-card decks, one Vine scenario deck with 50 cards plus 10 Vine Tendril cards, 6 Encounter cards, a Game board and a few lore and damage tokens. The game also features two different sealed prize envelops that can be opened only by beating the game in the normal and hard mode. Each prize pack includes two cards but we will not disclose them here to avoid ruining the surprise for everyone.
The Great Hunny Rescue is thematically linked to the Vine, the most recent great Villain in Lorcana. As you can read on the official Ravensburger page of the game, “a Piglet glimmer has been pignapped by some prickly tendrils thus Players will need to navigate a “mulchtitude” of perils to rescue him”. And oh bother, how thorny this quest proved to be! Considering there were three people in our group, we agreed I will play as the Vine while Rozie Pocket (@Cozyboardgame) and Jen (@cardboard.corner) will use the Hunny deck and the one featuring the Incredibles respectively. This setting proved to be quite fun as I was the only one that went through the rules thus the Players had no idea how the game will unfold.
In terms of gameplay, this new Illumineer's Quest is very similar to Palace Heist. Every turn, the Vine draws a number of cards (initially equal to the number of Players) one at a time: if the cost on the card is lower then the number of cards in the Inkwell, the card can be played other wise it goes in the Inkwell. The scenario deck includes tons of surprises including some nasty actions and Items that are designed to interfere with the Illumineer's efforts and to ensure the Vine can quest to 40 and win the game.
In order to beat the Vine and rescue Piglet, the Illumineers have to face three scenarios. Each of them features some special rules and can be beaten only if both Players collect the amount of Lore shown on the scenario card (e.g. 5 lore for the first scenario, 12 for the second, and 20 for the last one). Once the goal achieved, The Illumineers successfully rescued a glimmer taken by the Vine and they can turn the scenario card over in order to add such Glimmer to their board. This mechanic is not only very thematic but it is also quite fun.
There is no hurry. We shall get there some day
Our first game of The Great Hunny Rescue was delightful in many ways, including the fact that we managed to beat the Vine and rescue Piglet. I must admit we had some luck with the draw as I kept pulling tons of actions from the scenario Deck but not many Glimmers. My two fellow Illumineers also played very well and took the right strategic approach to each scenarios reacting to all the curve balls the Scenario deck through to them without faltering.
Overall, I think the new Illumineer's Quest lives up to the expectations. It is a nice stand-alone game and it shines for its collaborative gameplay. Being based on Lorcana, it also offers a great opportunity to step into the game with a non-competitive mindset or play with the cards you are collecting without necessarily going to a formal event or at the weekly league. More experience Lorcana Players can still enjoy the challenge as the game is not super easy to be beat even in normal mode. At hard mode, Players will need to work out a very good strategy and even dedicated decks as the two provided with the game may not be good enough to overcome all the challenges the Vine will prepare for them.
From my personal perspective, I was honestly already delight with how thematic my small trip was and how fun I had walking in the very same woods that inspired Milne’s stories. Playing Lorcana and the Great Hunny Rescue in the heart of Pooh’s world just added an extra layer of enchantment to the day and to the experience. I am very happy Ravensburger invited me to this event and I am most grateful to Mike and the Pooh Corner team for sharing their passion with me and all other content Creators. If you are in the area, don't forget to pay them a visit: it will be well worth it!!!
Last but not least, big thanks to @lightdrawphoto for capturing some great pictures from the day!!!!
