I absolutely love Deck Builder games, but I absolutely hate paying for them. The constant grind of obtaining new cards to win is a huge expense and had largely turned me away from the genre. On a whim a couple weeks ago I tried out Star Realms. Since then I've purchased app, own the physical game, and am actively trying to start a league up in my local gaming den! This game is awesome.
First let me hit the rules courtesy of their website....
Pretty simple concept if you've played a shared deck builder before. You have your factions and you're spending trade to buy larger ships to defeat your opponent. Here's where Star Realms is different.
The base game for two players rings in at 15 bucks. Amazing right? 15 bucks to own a deck builder. One more time for emphasis..15 bucks.
That's the price you pay for original artwork, fresh gameplay, and not having Naruto in your game deck.
Of course there are expansions which if you were to purchase every card available for this game (which some packs are sold out) you would pay a grand total of $65. Yeah they change the game slightly, but there's nothing that deviates exceptionally from the base game. Furthermore, you don't NEED them. Your opponent is playing the exact same deck you are...so that's a big plus for me.
It also is not a game exclusive to two players...four player games are also a blast! Just purchase another base game for the additional players.
I know you're sitting here thinking "Yeah..I mean it sounds cool...but that's just this guy's opinion." I got you covered, and so does White Wizard Games. You can get the Star Realms app and play the base game FOR FREE on your smart phone. It took all of three plays before I purchased the full app and got my physical copy.
I think ultimately what I love about Star Realms is that it breaks all the worst rules of deck building gaming! New cards build on the game and don't devalue the older cards, the base game is plenty fun standalone, and you can play it for free on your phone. It's like they just want me to have fun playing a game, which is not the vibe I get from purchase heavy deck builders.
This one's an easy 10/10 for me for great accessibility, low cost, and a damn fun game. I'll try out anything White Wizard throws out provided they give this kind of service to all their games! Search Star Realms on your phone or grab a physical copy...you'll love it!
