Matthew BaileyHaving really enjoyed “Star Realms Academy” at the UKGE (review of that still to come), Jack (9) was keen to get the “adult” version of “Star Realms.”
So therefore… Game 3# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024″ is Star Realms” by “Wise Wizard Games”.
“Star Realms” is a deck-building card game where players aim to reduce their opponents’ life to zero while building a deck of ships and bases as they go.
You start the game with the same basic deck as your opponent and 50 life points. On your turn, you play cards from your hand to gain money (to buy new cards), attack, and perform other effects. When you buy new cards, these go into your discard pile, which will eventually be reshuffled back into your deck, allowing you to improve your deck as the game progresses.
Attacking lets you damage the opponent, eventually leading to victory. In addition to ships (which are played and discarded), you can also play Bases that stay in play until destroyed and give ongoing benefits each turn.
There are other abilities on cards, such as “ally” abilities that let you use stronger powers if played with a card of the same faction (colour). Another key mechanic is “scrap,” which allows you to remove cards from your deck.
This continues until one player is reduced to zero.
Games are quick and have that “just one more go” feeling. The game also ramps up quickly, so there aren’t too many problems with a wrong play early on. While the game is more complicated than the junior version, Jack fully understood it along with the tactics. I have also played once with Toby (6), who had no issues with the rules and concepts.
The game features high-quality cards with vivid artwork depicting various ships and bases, immersing players in a space-themed adventure. The rules are clear and well-written, making it easy for new players to get started. I would recommend the larger box that we have on show here, as it comes with a board (which I often feel makes a massive difference with kids) and also has expandability in the box for expansions.
While we have only played 2-player, the game can be played with up to 4 players if you buy the set pictured here (although there are sets that only allow 2). The game is also vastly expandable, and we have already bought “Frontiers” (potential review of that as well by the end of summer).
“Star Realms” is an excellent choice for fans and newcomers to deck-building games. It has single-handedly gotten Jack and me really into the genre, and I can see us playing a lot more games like this in the future.
“Star Realms Academy” is due out later this year for much younger kids, but for slightly older kids, I can’t recommend “Star Realms” enough.
Great stuff and I can see why it is held in such high regard.
