STAR REALMS (2014)

PLAYERS	TIME	DESIGNER	PUBLISHER
2	20 mins	Robert Dougherty Darwin Kastle	Wise Wizard Games

STAR REALMS was one of my girlfriend’s early game purchases after we met, and it was one of the first games we played together in person. We both love sci-fi, and it gets nice and fast paced with two players attacking back and forth.

In STAR REALMS, players are starting with nice basic cards that form their fleet. Scouts give you income, and Vipers do a small amount of damage.

Round after round, players use the coin to purchase better ships from the market, increasing the size and power of their fleet, and using their abilities to buy better ships and Outposts, hit their opponent harder, heal, and much more.

I love the four different factions in the game, and the different styles of play they each have. And they give the added bonus of being able to link up ships and Outposts from the same faction to give you bonus abilities. It’s satisfying when you draw a hand of allied ships.

It rarely gets one sided. Sure, there will be moments when the hand you draw is weak, but you can play tactics; thin your deck maybe, or load it with certain cards. I’ve had a game where I only had a handful of health left, and still managed to hold on, and then take down my opponent a few turns later. Nail biting stuff.

Probably the biggest flaw, something that I hear players moan about most, is the way you keep track of your health. Those damn cards, with units of ten on one card, and units of one on the other, just seem to mess with my mind when it comes to calculating where I am after a hit. I’m thinking about switching to dials (like MARVEL CHAMPIONS), or maybe an app.

STAR REALMS is a great 2-player space battle with just base version, and there are expansions galore to give you more ships, and include more players. And if you like fantasy, then there is a version for that too.