The Magnificent Emporium (or to give it it's full name - Mistress Mandara’s Magnificent Emporium of Eldritch Arms, Enchanted Armour and Arcane Curios) is a solo game by Colossal Endeavors where players draft resources and upgrade their environment in a big to craft a Rare, Epic or Legendary commission, and score themselves with the prestige and money they have at the end of the game.
Colossal Ken reached out having seen our photos for A Wayfarer's Tale, interested in us creating something similar for Magnificent Emporium.
The work that Lee does is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! I was instantly drawn to the beauty of his work from a Kickstarter campaign that I backed. His images played a HUGE part in adding to the story of the game and the experience of the campaign - Colossal Ken, Colossal Endeavors
Keeping the Theme Central
Given the theme of the game, I really wanted to lean into the emporium vibe, and create an environment that felt as though the game was being played within a magical store with a mysterious shop assistant just off to the side.
The first thing that came to mind was potions and crystals, especially as crystals are a key ingredient of the game, and I was able to source a small purple and gold spell book which really added variety to the scene.
Magnificent Emporium is a small game - physically - so it was important not to have the game drowned out by the props, something that would easily happen if we had too many. So by placing them to the side, half off screen, it provided the feel of an emporium but still allowed the game to stand out.
And having some clear, close up shots of the various cards helps to pull out the game.
The game also comes in a lovely tin box, and I really wanted to highlight this with some themed pack shots. Because we were only showing the tin, I could lean into the more claustrophobic feel that you imagine a dark, spooky shop might have, as it crams oddities into all the space it has. Given the box is so clear, this meant it still clearly stands out in the theme we were going for.
Magical Props
Sourcing the props for this was great fun - thinking about what a dark, medieval emporium might contain, one which would be full of potential shady and mysterious characters was quite a hunt. But the potions, crystals and especially the beautiful wooden chests really helped them stand out.
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