Board game Star Empires. Gift edition.

Find A board game was released in 2014 Star Realms A board game was released in 2014 . This is a card game with deck-building mechanics and a space setting. A few months later, this board game began to break records for sales and the number of reviews on the famous American website BGG. A huge plus A board game was released in 2014 was that it came in a small box that held a little over a hundred cards. Typically, publishers prefer to make larger boxes for deck-building games, counting on dozens of future additions. Publisher

I took a different path - to make it simpler, smaller in size and number of components, but of high quality. And this idea worked 100% - tabletop enthusiasts all over the world positively accepted the new deckbuilding. Today we will talk about this space game. I love deckbuilding, I love sci-fi. Why did I hesitate for so long to get to know the game better? Probably because I was waiting for a gift edition from Mira Hobby

. And finally I waited =)

Checking the game electronically I'd be lying if I said that Star empires

I only became acquainted when this game appeared in my board collection. In fact, I managed to play this toy as soon as it appeared in the app store. I advise anyone who is hesitant about purchasing a game to try playing the free application on their devices. I think it's great that you can try the game in absentia before purchasing it. And if you really like this application, then you will have to pay for the full electronic version of the game. Or you can buy a cardboard version. The electronic version of the game showed that this is a fairly ordinary deck building without any frills. In the best traditions of another board game - .

Ascension

2 main types of deckbuilding

It seems like I've written so much about deckbuilding games that I just don't see the point in covering the basic mechanics. But it’s probably worth mentioning where the legs come from. I conditionally divide classic deckbuilding into 2 types - with the same stacks of cards available for purchase, and with constantly changing cards on the market. The first type is the good old . For each batch, 10 (plus/minus) types of cards are selected that will be available for purchase. Players are slowly developing the power of their decks, acquiring more and more powerful cards with each turn. But these specific cards are always available, at any time in the game - as long as the player has the money to purchase them.

The second type is like The electronic version of the game showed that this is a fairly ordinary deck building without any frills. In the best traditions of another board game - . Players still build their decks by purchasing other cards from the market. But the market does not offer players the same set of cards, but a constantly changing assortment that comes from one common deck. Approximately the same can be done in Dominion , if you take and mix all the available cards into one deck, and then remove them from the deck and place 5 cards face up on the table.

I like the second type better, and it is this that is the basis Star Empires , which cannot but rejoice.

By the way, there is also a third type, the most fashionable and modern - the hybrid type. This is when deckbuilding is just one of the mechanics in one game.

Game Basics

After reading the rules of the game Star Empires , I almost shed tears - what a crystal clear game this is and understandable to any board gamer. An experienced player will enter it without any problems at all. I don’t know what will happen with the inexperienced, but I remember that in 2011 I The first type is the good old I didn’t get it right away, so I can’t say for sure how beginners perceive ZI (abbreviated Star Empires ). But the rules in this game are very simple! They're just very standard, made according to GOST standards for deckbuilding.

Let's talk first about the basic ZI, without any additions, which are hidden in the box of the deluxe edition.

If you buy one box of the game, you will only play in duels. One box is designed for two players. Want more? Buy another box or two.

Each player starts the game with a deck consisting of 10 cards, 8 of which are worth one coin, and the other two cards are worth 1 attack symbol. In this symbol game, everything is very simple - for coins you can buy other cards from the market, for attack symbols you can inflict damage on your opponent. Each player has 50 life points, which in the GR are represented by special counter cards. Agree, this is a standard layout for any deckbuilding game.

All other cards are shuffled and placed in one deck. 5 cards are removed from the deck and laid out side by side face up. This creates a market for cards available for purchase.

In ZI there are only 2 types of maps - ships and bases. Ships are ordinary cards that bring a bonus and are discarded after use. Bases also bring bonuses, but after using it, these cards do not go to the discard pile, but remain on the table until they are destroyed by the opponent.

Experienced players will notice that the bases from ZI are similar to mechana from The electronic version of the game showed that this is a fairly ordinary deck building without any frills. In the best traditions of another board game - . Both cards remain on the table until they are removed using the properties of other cards. Both of them give the player a bonus for each of his moves. The difference between the games is that bases can (and sometimes even need to) be attacked. There are regular bases, and there are outposts. They all have a defense rating. If a player has an outpost, he cannot be attacked until this card is removed. Regular bases do not protect the player from attacks, unlike outposts, but they provide useful properties.

By the way, regarding properties - some cards have not one, but several properties. The first one works immediately after the card is entered into the game. The second property works under certain conditions. Most often, the condition is triggered if the player already has a card of a certain faction on the table, of which there are 4 in the game. Also, the card may also have a property that is triggered if the card is scrapped (i.e. removed from the game).

The properties of the cards are nothing special - get n-attacks, n-coins, draw a card into your hand, get n-lives, force the enemy to discard a card, etc.

Star Wars has a typical deck-building gameplay - play all the cards you can from your hand, discard the played and remaining cards in your hand, and at the end of the turn draw 5 new cards into your hand.

To win the game, you need to deprive your opponent of all life points.

Say a word about the gift set

At first Hobby World localized the basic ZIs. Then they released an expansion Gambit , which consisted of several mini-add-ons. Well, then HW decided to release a deluxe edition, which consists of a base and an addition. If you already have all this separately, then there is no point in buying a gift set.

In general, the word “gift” when applied to this publication is a stretch. You know, usually gift sets include bows, ribbons and various nice bonuses. We have a medium-sized box, without dividers and an organizer, which contains 3 sealed decks of cards, rules for the base and rules for the extras. A kind of gentlemanly, harsh SF set =) There are no bows, and no ribbons either.

Actually, this is why I focus on this particular option - by purchasing the gift edition, you will receive everything that was previously published in the ZI series in Russian. I'm a perfectionist by nature, so I like to take everything available to get the best experience possible. If you are interested in the game, then I strongly suggest purchasing this particular box.

So, what can I say about the ZIs themselves? I have already talked about simple and understandable rules for an experienced player. Whether this is good or bad is for everyone to decide individually. If you want something completely new that you haven't seen in deckbuilding before, then ZI is not your option. For example, for myself, I didn’t discover anything supernatural in ZI (except that you can’t replenish your health in all deckbuildings, and I liked that). But I wasn’t too upset by this, because this board game is an example of almost perfect deckbuilding with even balance and all the basics of mechanics.

After release Dominion other developers tried to come up with something new based on this game, so they showed off as best they could. ZI is a game without showing off. In terms of gameplay, this game reminded me personally The electronic version of the game showed that this is a fairly ordinary deck building without any frills. In the best traditions of another board game - . Only in A the game was played for victory points, which were given by cards and crystals, and in ZI you need to bring your opponent’s health to zero. There are monsters in A, but there are none in ZI (you can attack the opponent and his bases).

Of course, in any deckbuilding it’s boring to start the game, because the starting deck has practically no ability to attack and brings in little money. In the first 5 moves you will buy inexpensive cards and bite your opponent a little. It will be more interesting later. With each new purchase, your capabilities will grow exponentially. At times, you will be able to scroll through up to 10-15 cards from the deck in one turn, which will bring you huge profits in the form of attack symbols and the amount of money. If both players are playing well, then interesting decks can be played 5-7 turns before the game ends (in many other deckbuilding tables, the game ends just when your deck starts working at 100%).

Let me go over the pros and cons of the game, tell you what I really liked about it and what I didn’t really like. I'll start with the cons so that I won't be accused of being vanilla =)

Minuses

pros

Addition Gambit

Well, let's now look at the contents of the add-on and find out what it can offer us in terms of gameplay.

I was incredibly pleased that the expansion consists of several small additions that can be added to the game either all together or selectively. These additions were originally released separately, but HW collected them all together in one box.

So the first addition is " Bases and ships". A very simple addition - it simply adds new bases and ships (as is clear from the name). These cards can be safely mixed into a common deck. True, I still recommend playing only the base maps first to get a feel for the game, and only then adding bases and ships from the expansion. This way you can understand what useful things new cards add to the game.

The second addition is " Events". Event cards are shuffled into the deck, and when they hit the market, their effect is immediately played out, the event goes into the discard pile, and a new card comes to the market in its place. Events are equally beneficial or treacherous for all players, not just the one who drew the card. By drawing an event, you can get the opportunity to draw additional cards into your hand, gain some lives, discard cards from your hand or from the discard pile, etc. In general, the event introduces an element of surprise into the game, which is triggered at the moment it enters the market. In principle, this is a good addition that practically does not break the game and makes it more interesting.

Third addition - " Characters". Quite a controversial type of card. The characters are also mixed into the general deck. Having purchased a card of this type, a player places it on the table and can use its action on any of his turns. After using the action, the card goes into waste, but its effect remains until the end of the turn. As a rule, characters give the player one faction icon (as if he played a ship or base of this faction) in order to have the bonuses of this faction in the current turn, and some one simple action - a gold coin or an attack, for example. After use, the characters exit the game. For fun, you can use this add-on, but somehow I didn’t really like this add-on. Although the characters are cheap, for some reason sometimes it’s a pity to spend money on them.

Fourth addition - " Squadrons and fortresses". This add-on is similar to “ Bases and ships". You simply get new bases and ships, which you shuffle into the general deck. Good!

Fifth addition - " Gambits". But this add-on is a little different from the others. It includes 3 ships that can easily be mixed into a common deck without any conditions, 13 gambit cards and 4 scenarios.

Gambit cards are not shuffled into the deck. They even have a different, gray edging on their backs so that they can be easily distinguished from regular cards. Gambits are dealt blindly between the players equally (the number of cards dealt must be agreed upon before the game). The resulting gambit cards remain face down in front of the players. On any turn, when a player decides that he needs help, he can reveal any number of gambit cards that he has. Gambits are cards with a one-time bonus (be it a bonus to attack, gold, health gain, or something else). My impressions of the gambits are mixed. Sometimes, an open gambit doesn’t help you very much, but on the contrary, it helps your opponent more significantly. Like characters, gambits can be played purely for variety, or to make the first few moves more interesting. Gambits are also a great help when the game seems hopelessly lost.

Also the addition " Gambit"contains 4 scenario cards that offer cooperative playthrough. You have to fight against the beast and the pirates of the dark star. Overall, I found the scenarios to be quite interesting as they add variety to the game.

If we summarize everything that I have already written, then we can say that from Star Empires I still had quite a pleasant feeling, but I can’t call this game unique. Probably everyone knows that Yuri Tapilin, a well-known board gamer, loves this game and plays to his heart’s content. I have a calmer impression of the game, because my desire requires innovation.

I like that ZI is a crystal clear deckbuilding, which is practically not spoiled by stupid additions that break the gameplay. A huge advantage of the game is its cost - you can decide how much money you want to spend on this game (would you like to play with two or four players, with or without extras).

Did this game break any patterns? No. Therefore, if you need a quick playable template deckbuilding that does not take up much space on the table, then ZI is a great option.

It's great that the game can punish the player for choosing the wrong strategy. Just yesterday I lost because I was deep into buying ships that bring gold, and I simply couldn’t do anything when my opponent started losing 7-12 lives per turn.

This game is unlikely to become my favorite deckbuilding game, but it’s quite suitable for everyday pastime with cute board games.

Board game Star Empires. Gift edition provided for review by company

The distant future is engulfed in the flames of a great war for dominance over the entire galaxy... The Trade Federation is crushing with its developed economy, the collective swarm of Slugs is rapidly expanding, and the militaristic Star Empire and the progressive Techno-Cult are sending their ships to war. Only you can determine the outcome of this conflict. Conquer the galaxy and build your star empire!

About the gift edition

This edition is intended both for true fans of the game and for those who are beginning their acquaintance not only with this game, but also with the world of board games in general. See for yourself - this set, in its beautifully illustrated gift box, contains one base game and one Gambit expansion, which consists of five mini-expansions. All this guarantees you a huge variety of gameplay. Beginners will be interested in learning a board game based on deck building. Those already familiar with this mechanics will simply be interested in playing a new game with original mechanics. And for the oldies, a second base will also be useful, with the help of which four of you can play!

About the base game

"Star Empires" is a deck-building game for 2-6 people with a space theme. Players will have to assemble their fleet, equip bases and outposts, and attack each other to reduce the enemy’s influence points. All players start on equal terms. Using various combinations of cards with unique properties, players choose their own strategy during the game itself, develop defenses against enemy attacks and look for gaps in the enemy’s defense. You can follow different paths, use strength, cunning or wealth, but everyone will equally need skill, intuition and cold-blooded calculation!

About the add-on

This gift set, as mentioned above, includes the Gambit set. This set contains five mini-additions at once, and you can choose how many and which ones you will “connect” to the game party. The variety and depth of gameplay with them increases to incredible heights!

Let's look at the new items:

“Events” - after an event card appears in the trading row, its action is immediately performed, and then the card is sent to scrap. The event card cannot be purchased and is never added to your personal deck.
“Characters” - character cards that appear in the trading row can be purchased according to the same rules as ship and base cards. However, after purchase, the character is not added to your discard, but is immediately played
New unique ships and bases
“Gambits” is a new mechanic, with cards that are dealt before the start of the game. The resulting gambit cards are kept face down in front of the player. Gambits cannot go into your hand, personal deck, or trade deck. At the start of the game or at any time during your main phase, you can open as many gambits as you want. The Gambit's primary ability takes effect immediately and lasts as long as the card is in front of you.
Co-op scenarios have also been added to the game, including two single-player scenarios.

How to play

Each player starts the game with a personal deck of ship cards. Each turn, participants play cards from their hand, thereby carrying out trading operations, combat operations, and expanding their zones of influence. The moves themselves consist of three phases (Main, Reset and Draw), upon completion of which a new move begins.

During the main phase, you can play cards, use their various properties, make purchases and attack the enemy. The cards themselves can be of several types - ships and bases. Their actions are very different from each other. The properties of the ships are played out immediately, and the card remains until the end of your turn. The bases are not reset, but remain in front of you until they are destroyed. Moreover, in addition to their properties and bonuses, outpost bases force the enemy to attack themselves first, thereby protecting your other bases and you personally - the enemy’s main target.

Cards have different properties that are used in different phases of the turn and give you unique bonuses or abilities on which your winning strategy will be built. With the help of cards, you acquire battle, trade or influence points - these are your main resources for the game.

In addition, all cards belong to certain sides of the conflict. To use this feature, two or more cards belonging to the same faction must be played in front of you.

As the game progresses, you purchase cards using your trade points, adding these cards to your deck, increasing your power and building a specific strategy for the game based on the purchased cards. Battle points are spent on carrying out attacks on the enemy, and, in fact, “buying up” enemy bases. To destroy a base, you must pay as many battle points as indicated on the card in the “Defense” column.

So, move by move, you expand your deck and your capabilities, develop a plan for victory and try to guess the enemy’s strategy.

Who has won?

The game has special Influence Points - these are your score or life points. According to the basic rules, each participant starts the game with 50 influence points. The player who manages to be the first to reduce the enemy's influence to zero becomes the winner.

Game Features

What interesting features are worth highlighting in the game “Star Empires”:

A wonderful atmosphere of science fiction, distant galaxies and marvelous technologies
Compactness and simplicity of the rules. People who haven't played more complex deckbuilding games before can try out this genre and get comfortable here
Lots of tactical options thanks to card combinations
Interesting mechanics with bases, influence points, combat and trade, as well as faction bonuses
The game allows you to play with four or six players with 1-2 additional copies of the game
Many options for rules for a company of 3+ people!

Let us remind you once again that “Star Empires” can be played by 2 to 6 participants. You will need a second set of Star Empires for playing with three and four players, and a third set for playing with five and six players.

Please note that for this game, in addition to the recommended ones, protectors measuring 66x91 mm are also suitable.

This publication is intended both for true fans of the game and for those who are beginning their acquaintance not only with this game, but also with the world of board games in general. See for yourself - this set, in its beautifully illustrated gift box, contains one base game and one Gambit expansion, which consists of five mini-expansions. All this guarantees you a huge variety of gameplay. Beginners will be interested in learning a board game based on deck building. Those already familiar with this mechanics will simply be interested in playing a new game with original mechanics. And for the oldies, a second base will also be useful, with the help of which four of you can play!

Promo cards - for real emperors! Conquer the stars and conquer your rivals with a set of promo cards that come with this set!

Equipment:

128 base game cards;
12 cards from the Bases and Ships expansion;
12 cards from the Characters expansion;
12 cards from the “Events” add-on;
12 cards from the “Squadrons and Fortresses” add-on;
20 cards from the Gambits expansion;
rules of the game;
rules of the game with additions.

Video for the board game Star Empires: Gift Edition

In the distant future, humanity has finally conquered space. But it turned out that people are not alone in the universe. The collective and evil mind of the Slugs opposed the people from Earth. Aliens, incomprehensible to the human mind, perhaps would not have become such a threat if people themselves had not split into three warring factions. The machine-worshipping Techno-Cult, the powerful Trade Federation and the noble Star Empire fight the Slugs and each other for every planet to the last ship. Can you lead your fleet to victory with the Star Empires Deluxe Edition?

" " is a deck-building game dedicated to space combat. Players will take control of ships from four fantastic factions, developing their fleet and trying to reduce their influence in the enemy Galaxy to zero. Dynamic gameplay, rules that can be explained even to a beginner, and tactical depth give Star Empires the right to be considered one of the most popular card board games. With the deluxe edition of this game you get the base game and five expansion packs!

Roads of deep space

In the box of the game "Star Empires. Gift Edition", in addition to the basic set of 128 cards, there are five small additions, united under the name "Gambit". These add-ons are fully compatible and can be mixed together or added to the game individually. Gambit adds unique ships and bases to the base maps, as well as three new types of maps: events, characters and gambits.

A new type of event card triggers as soon as it lands on the trading row. The event card cannot be purchased, it does not go into players' decks and is immediately scrapped.

Characters are new cards available for purchase according to the same rules as cards for regular ships and bases. But after the purchase, the characters are not added to the player’s discard pile, but are immediately played and placed in front of him. Character properties are not as strong as those of ships and bases, but can provide decisive support at the right time

"Star Empires. Gift Edition" is a set containing one basic version of the popular space strategy "Star Empires" and one expansion "Gambit", which consists of five mini-expansions.

The bright box contains the same fantastic game with a wide variety of possibilities, traditional mechanics and a huge variety of gameplay. Now the confrontation for dominance over the Galaxy is more epic and large-scale, and the struggle between space fleets is increasingly tougher.

Large-scale deck-building strategy

"Star Empires. Gift Edition" combines all the necessary elements for grandiose star wars: the development of military affairs, the economic growth of the colonies and scientific discoveries. The basic version of the game has already been supplemented with several sets:

Bases and ships (megatank, security bots, imperial shuttle, aircraft carriers, etc.).
Characters (President, Admiral, Slug King, etc.).
Events (Hyperjump, Comet, Shelling, Galactic Summit, etc.).
Squadrons and fortresses (Border Board, Patrol, Spiked Cocoon, etc.).
Gambits (Beast of Vengeance, Political Maneuver, Mercenary Cruiser, etc.).

The game is played according to the rules of the basic version with some plot conditions and expansions. Mini-expansions can be combined with each other, providing endless replayability of the space strategy.

Play Star Empires. Gift Edition" can be played by two people - the game maintains traditional balance and cold-blooded strategic calculation, but for a more grandiose space battle you will need a team of up to 6 star emperors and captains. Now you can compete for military, economic or scientific superiority in a large group.

Video review of the Gift Edition “Star Empires” from the channel Two in the cube

Who will like it

"Star Empires. Gift Edition" - a set that includes everything necessary for a large-scale space war for world domination: a powerful space fleet, the influence of the diplomatic qualities of a military leader and the economic growth of a star colony. A great gift for lovers of science fiction, space themes and exciting deck-building strategies.

Star Empires can be played with up to 6 people. To do this, you will need additional sets of Star Empires: any second basic set - for playing with three or four players; the third is for playing with five or six players.

Buy “Star Empires. Gift Edition" in Moscow can be ordered by placing an order on the website or by calling 8-800-333-18-69.