In the realm of the deck-building genre of board games, few offerings make it as easy to try out this popular style of game as Star Realms from Wise Wizard Games. For me, Star Realms—particularly the small-box version—has earned itself a prestigious place in my game collection, a spot that only the most approachable, portable, and fun games can occupy. This spot is the inside of the car’s glove box. It may sound like this dark place, hidden from view, would be where a game goes to die, banished to darkness. But this little hidey-hole of goodness means that whenever I am out and about with someone and find myself with some time on my hands, I can bust out my copy of Star Realms and enjoy my time.
I had the privilege of being sent a copy of the brand-new Star Trek version of this nifty game, which worked out perfectly. As someone who grew up with Star Trek: The Next Generation, when I heard that Wise Wizard and UVS were planning to release Star Trek: Star Realms, a special Star Trek edition of Star Realms, I knew I had to have it. After getting my hands on it, I’m here to say that it is exactly what it sounds like—and not much else.
Ages: 14+
Players: 2-4
What’s in the Box:
- Full-color rule book
- 130 game cards (20 cards of each faction: Federation, Romulan, Klingon, and Dominion)
- 50 unaligned cards
- Authority (life) counters
- 1 two-player game mat
For those unfamiliar with Star Realms or deck-building games in general, the premise is that every player begins with an identical small deck of cards and must purchase and build their own unique deck over the course of the game. Star Realms traditionally features four factions of cards specializing in different strategies, such as dealing damage or synergizing with each other. On a player’s turn, they draw a hand of five cards from their deck and play them to earn money for buying new cards, dealing damage, putting up defenses in the form of space stations, and more. Playing cards that share a faction offers the added benefit of triggering other useful abilities, such as drawing additional cards for the turn or increasing damage dealt. This is an important aspect to consider when purchasing ships to add to your fleet. The end goal is to reduce your opponent’s “Authority” (i.e., their life points) to zero. Games typically last around 20 minutes, making this game a potato chip—you can never play just one.
I find it to be perhaps the most approachable deck-building game out there, thanks to its starting price of $18 USD for the small-box two-player set, its easy-to-learn gameplay, and the plethora of expansions available for players seeking more depth.
When it comes to this new Star Trek variation, the overall gameplay and mechanics remain identical to what fans have played in the existing base game of Star Realms—just with a Star Trek coat of paint. Factions include the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, and the Dominion, alongside other groups like the Ferengi as unaligned neutral ships. Cards feature images pulled straight from the shows, along with the ship and base names and details on every faction card. This set, priced at $24.99 USD, allows two to four players to face off against one another, creating unlikely fleets of ships in the effort to win. However, in my experience, these base game versions of Star Realms always feel better as one-on-one affairs than in larger games of three or four players. Higher player counts tend to shine when expansions are added, which this Star Trek version currently lacks.
Star Trek: Star Realms is a no-brainer recommendation for anyone who is a fan of Star Trek and doesn’t already own a copy of Star Realms. However, things get a bit more situational if you own a copy. This version is strictly Star Realms with a different coat of paint, offering nothing new mechanically or gameplay-wise to set it apart from its celestial siblings. I would love to see this set get a unique expansion to help it stand out, but at the time of writing, I haven’t heard of anything planned. Hopefully, we at least get releases featuring more fan-favorite factions like the Borg or Vulcans.
Star Realms remains one of my favorite go-to games and is an easy 9/10 recommendation. Everyone should have at least one version of this series in their board game collection, including Star Trek: Star Realms. That said, what’s on offer here left me feeling let down, with the appearance of ships like the Enterprise or Birds of Prey coming off more as novelties than exciting additions. There aren’t many science fiction properties more influential than Star Trek, and having it simply be a reskin—even of a great game—is a disservice. It’s one of those “I’m not mad, just disappointed” situations that parents like to use when they really want to make something sting a little.
I appreciate the attention to detail on the cards, which include fun deep cuts that die-hard Star Trek fans will enjoy. Outside of the included poster-board game board (seriously, why couldn’t this have been standard cardboard?), the components feel good to play with.
Regardless, Trekkies should check this one out when it releases on October 14, and Star Realms fans should give it a look if they want an extra copy to keep on their shelf or in their car/bag. My copy is going to look good on my shelf—and save me from having to run out to my car every time I want to play it at home!
We were provided a review copy of this title from the game’s publisher.
