Whispers from the Past: Predicting Sorcery's 'Revised' Set from curated comments by game creator Erik Olofsson
- Mike Servati
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
As the Sorcery: Contested Realm community eagerly anticipates the future, speculation is running high about the inevitable release of the "Revised" set. For players and collectors deeply invested in the market dynamics, supply trends, collector value of the initial Alpha and Beta releases, and/or what a Revised set could mean for gameplay dynamics, understanding what comes next is crucial.
To map out what Revised might look like, we’re taking a speculative journey back in time. By dusting off early Discord conversations from 2021 and 2022 with Erik Olofsson, the creator of Sorcery, we can glean fascinating insights into his foundational philosophy for the game. Though years have passed and several sets have now hit the market, these early creator comments provide a compelling blueprint for how the Revised expansion will be differentiated from the original Kickstarter printings, how it aims to grow the player base, and what it means for the lifespan of the game's incredible art.
Here is a deep dive into those early conversations and what they signal for the upcoming Revised set.
The Clean Aesthetic: To Number or Not to Number?
"oh, no I don't want to put that number there this is one of those cases where I stubbornly want to keep the cards super clean and symmetrical in their design... I'll consider it for revised, maybe that would be something that sets the 1st edition and future editions apart" — Erik
Analysis: The visual purity of Sorcery cards is a massive part of their premium appeal. Early on, the community inquired about set numbering (e.g., 1/365). Erik's commitment to a "super clean and symmetrical" design kept numbering off the initial Alpha cards. However, his concession that set numbering could be a tool to differentiate future editions strongly suggests we might see traditional set numbers introduced in Revised. For collectors tracking specific printings, this subtle change would act as an immediate, clear visual indicator separating the original Alpha/Beta aesthetic from mass-market releases.
That said, however, I believe it is more likely that we will see a more conventional set symbol change like we saw across Sorcery's first few set releases.
It is worth noting that it was fun seeing these early conversations manifest in Alpha Curio Cards with numbering at the bottom of cards such as Belfy, Bloom of Frogs, and Grim Tangle. Seeing the Curios, you can appreciate the aesthetic simplification to optimize the clean and symmetrical design that Erik desired.
A "Subtle and Nice" Distinction
"I can say that they will be different, but no need to reveal all the ideas just yet. it'll be in a rather subtle and nice way though, and yeah no green 'K' on the cards" — Erik
"...and I will also make the revised edition subtly different in some way though I don't know exactly how yet because I am concentrating on just getting the initial kickstarter out first" — Erik
Analysis: Differentiating a Kickstarter (or Alpha) launch from a widespread Revised edition is a tightrope walk. Make it too identical, and original backers lose their premium equity; make it too different, and it feels like a different game. Erik definitively shot down the idea of an ugly watermark (the "green 'K'") and we saw instead the subtle Alpha Greek letter symbol incorporated with the artist credit at the bottom of the card. A subtle and tasteful change ensures the high-end allure of the original cards remains untouched while giving new sets their own distinct identity on the table.
Since this comment in January 2022, preceding the Alpha Kickstarter debut, we have also had the benefit of seeing Beta, Arthurian Legends, Dragonlord mini-set, and Gothic set releases which has given us insight into the evolution of set symbol choices. Beta utilized the Greek Beta symbol in place of the Alpha symbol. Arthurian Legends brought a rightful change of re-introduction of the artist Copyright symbol where the set symbol had previously resided - displacing the set symbol to fall after the Artist name. And interestingly, Dragonlord did not have a set symbol at all; perhaps to uniquely distinguish it as a mini-set and not a core set. This underscores Erik's priority on simplification and aesthetic purity; where even no symbol and all can convey a distinguishing difference.
This leaves the realm of possibilities wide open for Revised. Combined with the potential addition of set numbering, we might also anticipate minor adjustments to the card frame, foiling process, set symbol, or dare I say...a border inclusion??
Catering to the Wider Public: The Return of the Rulebook
"maybe that will be re-introduced in the revised version taht would go out to a wider public that is less hardcore and knowledgeable when it comes to games" — Erik
Analysis: Sorcery’s initial launch catered heavily to a hardcore, enfranchised TCG audience — players who are perfectly comfortable pulling up a comprehensive PDF on their phones, referencing their own printed rulebook, or referring to a web-based FAQ. But as a game transitions into a "Revised" era aimed to appeal to the masses as the game scales, accessibility becomes paramount. Erik’s musings about re-introducing a mini rulebook or physical guide for Revised indicate a strategic pivot toward onboarding new, casual players. Perhaps we can expect Revised starter products to feel much more like traditional, off-the-shelf retail TCG products designed to teach the game from scratch. We know Erik is a historian of 90s era TCGs and a big fan of Magic: The Gathering. Many recall when Magic introduced the printed rulebook in Revised Edition Starter Decks. Could we see something similar in a Sorcery Precon Deck product?
Supply, Demand, and the "Unlimited" Philosophy
"Expansions and a revised edition would go straight to local game stores (no Kickstarter) and will be unlimited, so hopefully they would be easy to get. I don't plan to create any artificial shortage..." — Erik
"I imagine the same, unlimited in the sense that you can order any amount you want, but after that it would go out of print. there will be plenty of time to get it while it is in print though... much like current MtG" — Erik
Analysis: The market mechanics and distribution strategy of Sorcery are always a hot topic. Erik clearly delineated the Kickstarter ecosystem from the retail ecosystem. Revised is designed to be the highly accessible, LGS-driven foundation of the game. By "unlimited," Erik clarified he means a print-to-demand window. It won't be printed forever, but while the window is open, distributors and stores can order what they need to satisfy the player base. This approach protects the premium nature of Alpha while ensuring the barrier to entry for playing the actual game is kept reasonable.
But oh how things change...
We have since witnessed very heavy and extended availability of Beta through traditional distribution means with two major distributors in the US, a few distributors internationally, and supplemented by key strategic partner Team Covenant. But in most recent sets Erik's Curiosa has pivoted their distribution strategy to reward LGS's supporting in-store play, as verified through Sorcery's 'Dust' system. Most recently, we saw a single initial release of Gothic, but sealed product has only been available exclusively through the Team Covenant partnership for stores who have demonstrated a commitment to organized play, and direct-to-consumer at a measured and capped monthly ordering pace for individuals.
The evolution of Sorcery distribution is a top unto itself that could warrant its own article, but suffice it to say that the plan for how Erik's Curiosa intends to reach its growing audience is still very much difficult to predict...
The Ticking Clock: Art Rights and the 10-Year Horizon
"I am very aware of the problems of reprinting...I only have rights for the art in the first set for 10 years...that stops reprints beyond that..." — Erik
"...we could see a Revised set print as early as 2027 or 2028!" — Collector Arthouse
Analysis: This is perhaps the most critical piece of information for high-end collectors and long-term investors. Sorcery’s breathtaking, hand-painted artwork is its crown jewel. However, Erik’s licensing agreements for the first set’s art have a hard expiration date of roughly 8 to 10 years. This puts a definitive cap on how long any card featuring the original Alpha artwork can be printed. Revised will almost certainly feature this beloved art, but the ticking clock guarantees that in the long run, early iconic pieces will never face endless, infinite reprints.
That said, I believe this comment actually understated things as I had been already curating the artwork for the Collector Arthouse website for a few years at this point, talking to artists and conducting interviews with artists for a couple of years, and discovering that some pieces had dated back to at least 2018.
This would mean that the license agreement for some of the works for Alpha would expire as soon as 2028. For this reason, if Erik's Curiosa intends to reprint some of the same artwork from Alpha/Beta, it stands to reason that we could see a Revised set print as early as 2027 or 2028!
Many fans recall this particular quote and have discussed it frequently in the Collector Arthouse Discord and other social media platforms, attributing the statement to the Frazetta licensing agreement specifically; but here we see that this is likely extensible to all artists (or at least the artists commissioned as of late 2011) as well. This may create urgency to go to print on Revised within the next year or two, prompt license agreement extension discussions, and/or suggest a mix of replacement artwork or a mix of original artwork and replacement artwork.
Shifting Gears: Fixing Inevitable Problems
"I'll shift gears to the revised edition that would fix various inevitable problems thar are discovered when a larger playerbase is unleashed on the game..." — Erik
Analysis: No game survives contact with thousands of players without a few cracked edges showing. Alpha and Beta served as a massive stress test for Sorcery's mechanics, card interactions, and wording. That story has continued with additional set releases and controversial Avatars such as Archimago and ominipresent powerful cards like Ring of Morrigan. Although we have seen some of these issues addressed with Codex updates and rules changes or rules clarificaiton, the Revised edition presents the perfect opportunity for updates — cleaning up ambiguous phrasing, balancing problematic interactions, and streamlining the rules engine without fundamentally changing the soul of the game.
History in Magic has shown us that this is one of the fundamental purposes of a Revised set in a games evolution, a few years and a few sets after its debut release. After all...this is why "Alpha" and "Beta" are called what they are, as the game evolves and find its initial footing in the infancy of its evolution with early adopters and expansion to a growing customer base. This is also why "Revised" is called what it is, as select cards are reprinted or introduced as functional equivalents with new art. Revised in Magic eliminated some cards that were deemed overpowered and unbalanced, 'revised' some cards, and included certain staples that were deemed necessary fundamentals to reach its expanding player base and/or inclusions that preserved the flavor and spirit of the game.
Revised Edition will Not Have New Cards??
"That edition would not have new cards. It would also be different to the KS edition in some ways so that you can tell the editions apart. There might also be changes like the discussed reminder text above between the first and second edition." — Erik
Analysis: Here is a quote that is as revealing as it is perplexing, perhaps casting everything we thought about Revised into doubt. Let's break it down...
"...That edition would not have new cards."
Will not have new cards? Did Erik mean it will not have new art, lending credence to the idea that Revised will need to release in 2027 or 2028 to be able to print the same cards that will soon expire per their 10-year licensing agreement?
Or did Erik mean that he would not introduce functionally new cards, similar to Magic's Revised set which also had "...a bunch of errs fixed on cards, like typos and fixes to make cards work as intended...".
"...That's the edition that goes to stores a year or so after the kickster."
And what to make of this quote? Was Beta actually the "Revised" set? Does this explain why so much was printed and why it has been available for years since its release?
Many collectors hope for an 'out-of-print' declaration for Beta at the time of this writing as Beta singles prices (even Curios) have eroded in value as supply has been plentiful relevant to current demand and growth of the game. A Revised set could be the implicit catalyst to end Beta distribution once and for all.
The last fun images that I will leave you with are the "reminder text" concept cards that Erik refers to in his quote. Could this replace the idea of an included rulebook inserted in Precon decks? Could this be the subtle changes that serve the purpose of distinguishing Revised cards from Alpha/Beta cards, while also serving one of the fundamental purposes of Revised to onboard new players, equip them with staples from prior sets, and help them with learning the game? Only time will tell...
Final Thoughts
If these early creator chats hold true, Sorcery's Revised edition will be a meticulously crafted product. It will likely feature subtle visual distinctions like set numbering, aimed squarely at retail shelves with beginner-friendly inclusions like physical rulebooks or "reminder text". It will be printed to demand to satisfy the playing public, but shielded from endless future reprints by a firm 10-year artwork licensing limit. For players, it means the game is about to become more accessible than ever. For collectors, it cements the legendary status of the early Alpha and Beta printings.
Thank you for your interest in the work I've done supporting Sorcery: Contested Realm, curating content for the community, documenting the history of the game, and supporting artists within and beyond the Realm.
I invite you to discover more from Collector Arthouse and join the daily discussion about Sorcery TCG, gaming, and the arts across my many platforms.
Thank you so much!
Mike @ Collector Arthouse