Star Realms

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Summary

Star Realms is a science-fiction card-based deck-building tabletop game created by Rob Dougherty and Darwin Kastle, and released in 2014 by Wise Wizard Games. It originally launched through a Kickstarter campaign in 2013. In Star Realms, players aim to defeat their opponent or opponents by acquiring cards using "trade" points and deploying them to attack the opponent's "authority" with "combat" points. The game is set in a distant future where various alien species vie for resources, trade advantages, and strategic superiority in a bid to dominate the galaxy. Star Realms shares similarities with other deck-building titles such as Ascension and Dominion.

Storyline

Long ago, humanity began to spread beyond Earth, driven by a growing population and an insatiable demand for the resources of distant planets. This expansion quickly took the human race beyond our solar system and into the wider galaxy. The value of potential colony worlds varied greatly depending on their location, resources, atmosphere, and size. Naturally, this led to friction and open conflict among the various groups vying for control—nations, corporations, and other organizations. This competition led to the militarization of human space. With the vast distances between colonies and the ever-changing political landscape, many colonial governments underwent significant changes. Some formed alliances based on shared goals or interests, while others declared independence. As always, the key motivators were money and security. Wealthy factions built organized space navies, initially to protect their interests and assert influence over others. Then the Blobs arrived. It remains unclear what first provoked the attention of these enigmatic aliens, but most scholars believe it was the relentless expansion of human space, likely encroaching on their territory. At the time, little was known about the Blobs' structure or governance, but their unified intent toward humanity was unmistakable. Unfortunately, humanity was unprepared to stand together against such a formidable threat. First contact with the Blobs came in the form of devastating attacks on several outer colonies, wiped out by fleets of organic-looking ships wielding technology far beyond that of the fledgling human space navies. As the outer colonies and political entities sought help from the more powerful core worlds, they found little support. The vast distances, entrenched political divisions, and corporate greed meant the core worlds—now ruled by a single corporate empire—prioritized profit over people. While the core worlds expanded their military, it was not sent to defend the outer colonies facing Blob attacks. It was during this time that a planetary administrator, Pierre Martine, rose to prominence. Martine had already built one of the largest and most advanced space navies in the outer colonies, but his influence skyrocketed with the Blob threat. Smaller colonies quickly pledged allegiance to him in exchange for protection. While other colonies fell to the Blobs, those under Martine’s protection were largely left alone. This led to a rush of allegiance, and soon over a third of human space was under his control. He formalized this into the "Star Empire," declaring himself Emperor Martine. In just a few decades, he became the most powerful figure in human history. The Star Empire continued to thrive under his eldest son, Lucien. Pierre Martine was a master strategist and administrator, balancing the needs of his many worlds while ensuring absolute loyalty from his governors. He raised Lucien to understand the principles of governance and the strategies needed to maintain and expand the empire. Rather than waiting for his death to create uncertainty, Pierre retired when he felt Lucien was ready, ensuring a smooth succession. While the outer worlds were united under a single ruler, the core worlds followed a different path. What began as an alliance of Earth-based nations seeking to colonize space soon gave way to a corporate alliance, as governments could no longer afford the costs of expansion. In space, the economic and military power of corporations quickly surpassed that of the former Earth-based states. With no political force strong enough to stop monopolies, these corporations eventually formed the Trade Federation, which controlled most of human space. For decades, historians believed the galaxy was divided among three major factions: the Blobs, the Star Empire, and the Trade Federation. What they didn’t realize was the rise of a fourth power—the Machine Cult. The Machine Cult began as an alliance between two major mining and manufacturing colonies that had been cut off from the rest of human space when the Blobs launched their attacks. The reason these two colonies survived when others were destroyed remains a mystery, but the colonists didn’t wait to find out. Thor Bowerson, the leader of the industrial workers’ union on these colonies, led a movement that claimed they were a chosen people, abandoned by the rest of humanity. He urged them to embrace their industry and technology to survive in isolation. As fear of the Blobs and resentment toward their abandonment grew, Bowerson’s Machine Cult seized power in a nearly bloodless coup. The Cult focused on building a massive, mechanized space navy far larger than their population could normally support. Thanks to their abundant resources and manufacturing capabilities, this was more feasible than outsiders expected. As they built their navy, they faced sporadic Blob attacks, which only deepened their military focus and devotion to the Cult’s ideals. Over time, their belief in technology evolved into a form of worship, and the Cult expanded to other nearby worlds. In recent years, the Machine Cult has reconnected with the rest of humanity but has shown no interest in joining the Trade Federation or the Star Empire, despite pressure from both. Though smaller in population, the Machine Cult compensates with a technologically advanced, largely automated navy and a fanatical devotion to their cause. With the success of the Machine Cult and the Star Empire in breaking away from the Trade Federation—both in spite of and because of the Blob threat—others have tried to carve out their own star realms on the galaxy’s fringes. This is usually only possible with the cooperation or at least the tolerance of one or more existing factions. As trade increases and settlers are drawn to new frontiers, tensions inevitably arise—between the four major realms and among the new, competing powers. War often follows. So far, no new star realm has succeeded since the Machine Cult, but many still try. Even some factions from Blob space have allied with humans seeking a fresh start. This is your chance to lead a coalition of spacefarers in the creation of your own new star realm. But another emerging power is eyeing the same territory. Now you must quickly trade for the ships and bases you need to fight for your realm’s survival. Will you win this high-stakes race through the stars and claim your place among the galaxy’s great powers?

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