Star Wars - Deck Building Game Rapid Review:
Information:
Mechanics: Engine Building, Deck Building, Head to Head, Tug of War
Player Age: 12+ Player Count: 2 Players Time to Play: 30 Minutes
Game Designer: Caleb GracePublisher: Fantasy Flight GamesYear Published: 2023BGG Weight: 2.01Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher and Lets Play Games.
Player Age: 12+
Game Designer: Caleb Grace
Rundown:
Star Wars Deck Building Game, as the name implies, is a deck-building game where the core goal is to eliminate three of your opponent’s bases. This is done by using the attack on the cards played to damage and, throughout multiple turns, destroy their bases. Bases can be protected by capital ships that have to be destroyed before any damage goes to the base. These ships have their own attack value and resources gained each turn.
Players will either play as the empire or the rebels. Each card in the marketplace will either be rebel, empire or neutral. Each player can purchase their card group and the neutral cards using resources gained on that turn. Each card has a cost on the left-hand side, and a sidebar below that contains the influence gained, attack value, and the amount the force moves. Each card also has a subcategory (sometimes referred to by other cards) and an ability that can be activated on the turn it is played.
Cards that belong to either the empire or rebel have an attack cost at the bottom of the card that the enemy faction can pay in attack to destroy the card from the marketplace and gain an additional benefit written on the card.
Appeal:
Besides the obvious appeal of the theme and straightforward ruleset, three core mechanisms create a unique deck-building game; the force track, the marketplace refresh, and the bases.
The force track has two bonuses when it is on your side. One of these bonuses is the upgraded ability of some cards such as drawing two cards instead of one. The other bonus is provided by the track itself. When the force has reached the end on your side then one bonus resource is gained every turn.
The main way to gain the force is through units that have force as a sidebar component. Another pivotal resource for the force is the 'Outer Rim Pilot'. Whenever you have spare resources it can be spent to buy this card that can move the force track one step towards you.
The marketplace constantly refreshes in this game without the need to clog your deck to reveal more market cards. This is aided by the fact that opposing units can be destroyed through attack. Additionally, there is a variant rule that allows players to remove a market card by paying the resource cost.
Each base has a unique health value and its unique ability that is activated when revealed or is activated based on other instances. Whenever a player starts their turn without an active base they get to choose out of the entire remaining pool of bases. This creates a tactile decision of which base gives you the best benefit according to your deck/strategy and your opponent's position.
Production:
Overall the production quality of this game is great. The solid resource/damage cubes and the foldable force track are keynotes for this. However, I found the most compelling aspect to be the graphic design of the cards. When a rebel or empire card enters the marketplace they automatically face the player that can buy those cards. Through the thoughtful use of graphic design, the card includes details for both players in this position.
It has the card cost and details for the player that matches their faction but also has the attack cost and reward for the opposing faction player who wants to see the card destroyed. The other great graphic design choice is the quick side panel that shows the resource, attack, and force that is gained on the turn it’s played from a deck.
Interaction:
As stated in the appeal this is a highly interactive game where players are constantly vying for control of the force and eliminating the potential card pool that the enemy can buy. The main component of this interaction comes from the direct conflict between enemy bases. During an attack, a base will most likely be protected by ships. The attacking player delegates the damage in any way they choose between these ships and any leftover damage will then hit the base. Players can generate large amounts of damage each turn so it becomes pivotal that players gain ships for protection and whatever upper hand they can get through force control and base repair.
Determination:
- Great iconography where each card has the relevant sections on display to the relevant player.
- I really enjoyed the variant rule: paying to discard neutral cards.
- Uses systems from other games but creates a solid foundation that has an abundance of space to grow.
- Can be challenging to keep track of all the resources generated on a turn.
Star Wars - Deck Building Game feels like a continuation of the mechanisms from recent deck-building games such as the adversary system in Power Rangers and Transformers deck-building games. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though as there are new systems in play such as the new tug-of-war system with the force and the tactical choice that comes with base selection. The other characteristic this game excels in is the easy-to-learn rules and clean graphic card design. Each pivotal card part is readable to the relevant player and the panel on the top left has all the values needed, leaving plenty of space at the bottom for game effects. This is a game I see having many expansions for further growth. I recommend this game if you are a fan of Star Wars and want fast play with plenty of interaction and am giving it a Silver Seal of Approval.
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