Mystic Lands, Card Crafting Evolved from AEG

Mystic Lands - Solo Playthrough
18 days ago – Wed, Jun 03, 2026 at 09:17:02 AM

Druids,

More about Solo below, but some updates first! We are placing our factory orders and production limits have now been set. If you haven't already added one of the Mystic Lands t-shirts to your pledge, we still have some available as an add-on in the pledge manager for only $10 while supplies last!

Now for the Mystic Lands solo playthrough. I'd like to tell you a few things before you watch:

We had to shoot this video on TTS, so we had John D Clair and Josh Wood join to talk through some plays and solo strategy with Mark as the player. 

In real life, you'll use another player board to track the Force of Nature opponent's resources, but here on TTS we condensed that resource track a bit.

You can read the solo rules in PDF form here, but I'll include some screenshots of those pages below for quicker reference. If you need to watch a How to Play, I'll include Becca's video below the solo playthrough video so you can watch that first.

If you have any questions, just ask below and I'll check back often to answer!

Finally, don't forget to check out Josh Wood's new entry into the Let's Go! series as he helps you plan your trip to France!

-Kirk

Mystic Lands Update - Through the Barren Places (Plus Tariff refund info)
about 1 month ago – Thu, May 21, 2026 at 04:45:56 PM

Druids,

There will be no tariff charges for this campaign, you may have already received your refund. 

US Backers: If you have already completed the pledge manager for this campaign, we will contact you about a tariff refund, in fact there is a chance that you have already been refunded cash from Backerkit. Pay Pal users we will be refunding directly to you (not through Backerkit).  More info to follow. 

Even in the lush world of Mystic Lands, every journey must cross a few barren places before the garden blooms.

We have entered what the industry calls white sample stage. This is the moment where beauty temporarily gives way to measurements, tolerances, and the eternal question:

"Does it actually fit in the box?"

Our team in China sent over the first structural samples and, well… they are about as exciting as a stone circle in a drought. Blank white boxes, unlabeled bags, mysterious cardboard rectangles, and components stacked like forgotten relics from an abandoned shrine. 

The current fit is not quite what we hoped for, which is exactly why this stage exists. Adjustments are already underway as we continue refining the retail edition box size and component layout. Better to wrestle with the roots now than discover problems after the forest has fully grown.

Still… there is something oddly magical about unlabeled production photos.

“What ancient artifact rests in this tiny plastic bag?”
“Are those the actual cards or still the print samples?”
“Is this a game component or a container for forbidden seeds?”

We may never know.

Then, like sunlight breaking through the canopy, the Wellspring delivered something far more exciting.

The first shirt picture has arrived. 

Not only do they look fantastic, they also possess the unexpected magical property of being highly visible at night. A useful enchantment for evening walks through moonlit forests.

For our Oran Mor backers, we were not going to leave you without showing you something special.

The individual player storage boxes are beginning to take shape

Each filigreed player box folds open into a functional play tray, holding your cards and components during the game before sealing shut magnetically between sessions. The goal was to make them feel less like storage and more like treasured artifacts carried by wandering druids.

And beneath them rests the player board itself.

Soft and luxurious, like flower petals gathered at dawn.

Multiple production partners are helping pull together the Oran Mor edition of Mystic Lands and a number of new to us production techniques, but the work is progressing nicely as the roots continue to spread beneath the soil.

The next update should finally bring the long-awaited SOLO play video. The team will be gathering on TTS to discuss the design process, explore the systems behind solo play, and almost certainly mock the one playing for terrible decisions made during the game.

As is tradition.

Until then,

May the sun and water always find you in the proper measure.

Backers if you want to travel to someplace a little less exotic but lots of fun our journey to France in Let’s Go to France is live now

Production logistics and Deck Vault prototype process
2 months ago – Sat, Apr 11, 2026 at 10:01:54 AM

Hello Druids,

Mystic Lands is on schedule. This is an Arts and crafts update for Mystic Lands: Oran Mór Edition. If you are not interested in the process Kirk went through to get ideas ready for our printer, consider yourself updated and free to go play games, take a walk, or get in a round of disc golf.

For those who want the behind-the-scenes look, this is where the pieces come together.

Mystic Lands: Oran Mór Edition is not being made in one place, it’s being produced across multiple specialized partners, each handling the part they do best.

The plastic cards are being manufactured in Taiwan. These require a completely different production process than standard cardboard components, with their own materials, molds, and quality checks. Getting these right is critical because they are one of the most unique elements of the game.

The deluxe deck vaults are being produced at a separate facility. These involve different materials, finishes, and structural requirements than standard storage boxes, so they are handled independently to ensure they meet the durability and presentation we’re aiming for.

Kirk W Buckendorf and John D Clair are both very crafty, so their prototypes are always blinged up. Kirk built a prototype to show our manufacturing partners how the storage boxes could be assembled and work. The final versions will have the Mystic Lands logo and graphic design on the outside shell, and a player mat to replace the cardboard mats on the inside when unfolded and laid on the table.

Magnets hold the box closed and hold the card and token boxes in place.

The token box can also be held in place here with magnets, and the player board with track counters will be printed on the inside.

The materials used in this prototype are just what we had on hand to build with and are not final, but we’re using a company that has made similar deck vaults for other games, the print process and materials they used for those have us very excited to see the final product.

Everything else, including the main game components and final assembly, is happening with our long-time partner Meijia. Once all the individual pieces are complete, they come together there, where the full game is assembled, packed, and prepared for shipping.

This stage of production is less visible, but it’s one of the most important. Files have been finalized, decisions are locked, and now the focus is on execution and quality. Each partner is working in parallel, and the coordination between them is what keeps everything on schedule.

Right now, that’s exactly where we want to be. No surprises, no delays, just steady progress.

Next update, Dave Lepore heads to China for production press checks, and we'll get reports from the field!

Thank you all for backing, and we look forward to sharing this amazing game with you. When we started this journey with John D Clair, Mystic Vale was our gateway, and Mystic Lands is our continuation of that amazing partnership!

The AEG team

Mystic Lands Pledge Manager and Late Orders Are Open on BackerKit
5 months ago – Wed, Jan 14, 2026 at 01:22:10 PM

Hello Druids!

Thank you for backing the Mystic Lands campaign on Kickstarter!

We have received the funds from Kickstarter and all orders have been imported into the pledge manager for this campaign: BackerKit. It is now time to close your order. Every time we run a crowdfunding campaign we have a small number of backers who ignore these BackerKit messages and end up not getting their Rewards due to not completing their orders. If you do not log into BackerKit and complete your order before fulfillment begins, your order will be cancelled.

BackerKit will send you an invitation to complete your order, which they refer to as a "Survey". That link will be sent directly from BackerKit and not From Kickstarter.

On BackerKit you will be able to change your Reward level, and you will be able to add items to your order. You will also provide your delivery address and you will arrange payment for any balance due on the order.

If you pay via PayPal any balance due will be collected at the time you complete the order checkout process. If you pay via credit card your card will be charged after we close the pledge manager next year. We will notify all backers before credit cards are charged.

We will transmit Updates related to the schedule for closing the pledge manager and ending Late Orders. Generally speaking we close it 8 weeks before we begin fulfillment. The current plan for Mystic Lands is to fulfill in November of 2026 so we plan to close the pledge manager in September of 2026. If those dates change we will provide lots of notice to the community to ensure everyone is aware.

You can see the current milestones and status of all our Crowdfunding campaigns here:

https://alderac.com/kickstarter

If you have never used BackerKit before or if you are not receiving email from BackerKit about your order and need to gain access to it we've prepared a page on our website that explains how to use it.

The newsletter promo, Cumulonimbus Auspex has been added to the orders of all Kickstarter Backers who were subscribers to our Newsletter list as of the end of the campaign on Kickstarter. If you log in to BackerKit, and review your order and you do not see the Cumulonimbus Auspex Add-on on your order, and you believe you were eligible to receive it for free, please contact [email protected]. If you were not a Newsletter subscriber or you made a Late Order you can purchase the Add-on for $10.

For those of you who did the pre-order for the Mystic Lands T-Shirt on alderacstore.com we have imported those orders and added the shirt to your order. You will be asked to choose a size as a part of the Survey.

Other important info:

• All orders (Kickstarter Orders and Late Orders) will ship at the same time, next year, in one wave. We don't do split shipping.
• If you have questions about retailer orders, group buys, or other questions involving larger orders please see the FAQ. We have not yet added the Alpha Store items to the system and Alpha Stores should not place orders at this time. You will be notified via email when we're ready for Alpha Store orders to begin.

You may encounter an issue related to the country you wish to have your order sent to. You may see an irrational shipping cost ($1,000,000) if you attempt to select a country or region we don't service.

We only ship to the following locations: the United States; Canada; the UK; the EU (plus Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein); Australia & New Zealand; and select countries in Asia (China (including Taiwan), Japan, South Korea, and Singapore). If you want to complete your order and you live in any place other than those listed you need to arrange for a freight forwarding service to accept delivery of your order in a country or region where we do deliver.

If you live in a country or region we do not service and you want to cancel your order, email [email protected] and we will cancel and refund your order.

If you decide after completing your order on BackerKit that the total price including tax and shipping is higher than you were led to expect and you believe the total amount is unreasonable you can email [email protected] and we will cancel your order and issue a full refund. 

The final issue we need to address is AppleID. Kickstarter allows you to use your AppleID and Apple allows you to configure any service using your AppleID as private. If you have done so the email we receive from Kickstarter associated with your order is useless to us (and BackerKit). The only people who can use it are Kickstarter themselves. If you have done this you must contact us at [email protected] and we can change the email address on your order to something that actually works. Every year we have a few customers who ignore these requests and have their orders cancelled as incomplete because they never received any notices or reminders about their order on BackerKit.

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If you missed the campaign on Kickstarter you can now make a Late Order on BackerKit. Late orders have the same pricing and same components as Kickstarter Rewards. They will ship as the same time as Kickstarter Rewards. In all respects, Late Orders and Kickstarter Rewards are identical.

If you have any other questions or concerns about your order please email [email protected] and we'll be happy to help!

-- The AEG Mystic Lands Team

End of the campaign & What happens next
7 months ago – Fri, Nov 21, 2025 at 05:00:59 PM

Dear Druids,

The Oran Mór has come to a conclusion!

We have reached the end of the campaign on Kickstarter! Thank you for your support!

Your support allows us to continue to make new games like Mystic Lands and make deluxe versions of them like the Oran Mór Edition. Every pledge counts and we are very grateful you chose to back this project. We can't wait to fulfill your Rewards!

In the following few days:

• Kickstarter will charge your credit card. If your card fails to process, Kickstarter will retry it several times in the following week
   
• Late Orders for those who missed the campaign will open as soon as we have completed setup with our pledge manager. We expect Late Orders to go live before the end of November but it may take a few days longer. We will post an Update when the Late Orders goes live. DO NOT MAKE A LATE ORDER IF YOU MADE A KICKSTARTER PLEDGE
   
• The Pledge Manager for Kickstarter backers will be opened three to six weeks from today, with the exact date depending on when Kickstarter transmits the funds from this campaign to us. You will receive an Update and an email from us and emailed notification from the pledge manager when the pledge manager is ready to being processing your Kickstarter orders. Until then, you do not need to take any action.
   
• We’ll Update you periodically over the next year when the campaign hits a major milestone. The next major milestone will be when we begin the production process by approving files; that will happen several months from now.
   
• Please visit alderac.com/crowdfunding for the most up to date info on this and all our campaigns; that site is your best source for progress information and anything else you need to know about the campaign and we update it every time we have any new information to report.

When the pledge manager is ready to allow you to complete your Kickstarter order, you will be sent an email from the pledge manager with a link to access your order. Use that link to complete the checkout process. You can change your Reward, and include add-ons with your Reward. The system will calculate the amount due for shipping & tax and present you with a final total at checkout.

APPLE ID USERS: Please note - if you use your Apple ID to access Kickstarter and you chose to have Apple hide your email, the email address we receive from Kickstarter is useless. Neither we, nor the pledge manager can contact you via email about your order. Please email [email protected] for assistance if you have your account configured in this manner.

How To Get Your Newsletter Promo

If you are a subscriber to our newsletter as of the day we open the Pledge Manager on the pledge manager for Kickstarter orders we will add this content to your order for free. One Newsletter Promo (the Cumulonimbus Auspex Druid) will be added for free per order. If you are not a subscriber to the newsletter, or if you want more than one, you'll be able to purchase them for $10 each.

If you don't know if you are a subscriber or if you want to subscribe, please visit this page:

alderac.com/newsletter

If you sign up and you're already a subscriber, there is no negative effect. It's safe to subscribe to be sure. When in doubt, subscribe!

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Some Information about BackerKit, our Pledge Manager for this project

We intend to use BackerKit for this campaign as our pledge manager. We've used BackerKit many times in the past and don't expect any challenges with this campaign. The pledge manager for Mystic Lands will be very simple - it will have the Oran Mór Edition, the Druid Newsletter Promo and the T-shirt. We're not going to offer other games or other add-ons for Mystic Lands in this pledge manager.

Please note that the pledge manager for the Fun Factory, which has a wide selection from our catalog at special crowdfunding prices, is still open at hiveinteractive.net!

When the pledge manager is open for Kickstarter backers you will be sent emails from BackerKit with links to your order. You won't get these emails until after we open the pledge manager for Kickstarter orders. We will post an Update here when the pledge manager is open. Until you see that message, you don't have to take any action.

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There is a comprehensive FAQ for this campaign that answers many common questions. If you need information please consult the FAQ and see if your question is answered there. If we get a number of enquiries that aren't addressed in the FAQ, we'll update the FAQ!

At any time if you have questions, concerns or comments please email [email protected]. We will monitor the Comments channel periodically but the best way to get a response from our team after the campaign ends is via email.

-- The AEG Mysic Lands Team