This game sat on my shelf of shame for way too long. I don’t want to try and work out how long. But there is a stand alone expansion available (Clone Wars) that came out 6 months ago
If you haven’t played a deckbuilder before, the basics of it shall be touched upon now. This is a two player only game. Each player has a deck of ten cards that are effectively identical. 7 cards that are worth one purchase, 2 cards that are worth two combat, and 1 card that is a wild (one purchase, one combat, or one force movement.) Players shuffle up their ten card deck and draw five as a starting hand. Between the players is a lineup of six cards that can be bought or attacked if they are the opposing faction (Rebels vs Empire). Each player has a stack of planetary bases that they are defending. How many can be variable to make longer or shorter games. There is a force track that will potentially impact how powerful some cards are, so you are well served being the one with the force on your side (this is a tug of war track so only one can have the force on their side.)
There are some interesting twists on the regular deckbuilding style of game here. Having one common line up pool that you both buy from isn’t new, but this game allows you to destroy enemy faction cards in the line up and you gain a benefit from doing so. Also you remove a potentially powerful card from the deck of your opponent. A great thing to strive for, but more importantly it is something you don’t want to concede to the enemy.
The bases you will be defending are another cool facet. Each one has a different defense number (hits required to destroy it) and a different special ability with how it impacts your game. You will want to keep track of it, because it sucks to pass the turn and then look down and say “I coulda done…” (I know the picture isn’t the best here, but you can see the planet base on the top, and a ship on the bottom along with a character.)
The game plays out with each player trying to destroy enemy bases, buying cards to improve their deck, and trying to defend their bases. Some cards may heal damage done to your base. You can get special ships that stay in play and give you a benefit while also requiring the opponent to fight them before damaging the base.
I learned the game with Ian, and enjoyed the games (even if he obliterated me.) And then had a chance to teach it to someone else (who I think beat me 2-1.) So I don’t have a good win loss ratio (4 losses and 1 win equates to a 20% win rate. Even if this was baseball, batting .200 doesn’t keep you on a team!) One thing that bothered me a bit with a longer game was the deck running out. I was able to control the deck and systematically discard or kill the special characters for my opponent. But when the deck runs out, you reshuffle the discard into a new deck. Which was then stacked to the gills with only positive cards for my enemy!!
But this game is fun. It has a lot of Star Wars flavor to it. Which helps a lot. A big knock against the original Deck Builder game Dominion was lack of any thematic feeling. The cards in that game (and it’s a great game) just feel like they are a block of text doing a thing. It’s not like playing Darth Vader and single handedly using him to rip a large defensive vehicle out of the sky. Or playing Luke and trying to kill your dad.
If I had to give it a rating (and I do, it is sorta the point of doing reviews!), I’m thinking this gets a solid 8. Being a two player only game is a slight downside. I enjoy two player games, but when the game group gets together, we need a 3-6 player game. I look forward to getting the expansion soon, but also realize it may be a bit before it gets played (I wonder if there is a way to make it 4 player….Hmmmm…..)
Cthulhuville 