Fun for beginners and seasoned players alike, the beautifully illustrated decks let you concoct your own adventures with some surprisingly deep and interesting possibilities
ne of the most appealing aspects of games set in the Star Wars universe is that you get to concoct scenes and stories we would never see in the movies. Whether you’re playing Knights of the Old Republic, Jedi: Fallen Order or the old Star Wars role-playing board game designed by Greg Costikyan in the 1990s, there will be individual moments unrepeatable on the big screen.
It resembles the digital card game Marvel Snap, which similarly combines accessible, familiar gameplay with gorgeous card art and a good understanding of the characters and lore. I really enjoyed the Event cards, which draw from specific moments in the movies. There’s a card entitled “Shoot First”, which lets you attack the enemy before they have a chance to respond, with an image of Han sitting in the Mos Eisley cantina holding a smoking laser gun.
The game has been designed with newcomers in mind. There are three basic card types – Units , Upgrades and Events. Play takes place over just two rounds – Attack and Regroup – which is a huge contrast to the complex structure of a standard Magic: The Gathering round, and the card text is easy to understand. You play your cards quickly, trading moves with your opponent like a game of speed chess: attack, defend, attack again with a different card, build toward a major push, then enact it.