What Cardeneer is
Cardeneer is a turn-based card battler built around a game editor. You can play the card games that other people have made, or you can sit down with the editor and build your own from scratch: games, cards, abilities, challenges, and the layout of the cards themselves, including your own artwork. The ability editor lets you craft special abilities rather than only picking from a fixed set. The project is in Early Access and still in development, so things can change as it grows, and the developers ask players to share feedback and ideas.
Playing with your group
Online multiplayer lets you play matches against your friends, and Remote Play Together is available if you want to share a session that way. Beyond playing together, the community side is a big part of the experience: you can browse games and mods made by other players, pick one that suits your group, and jump straight into it. If someone in your group likes making things, they can build a game and hand it to the rest of you to try. The editor is offered as a free trial, so you can test whether building card games is for you before committing to it.
Modes to try on your own
Singleplayer includes Challenges, Draft, Random Decks, and Survival. These give you something to do when the group is not around and a way to learn how cards and abilities behave before you bring them into a match. Draft and Random Decks shake up what you are working with, while Survival and Challenges put specific demands on your deck.
Before you start
Expect an unfinished game: Cardeneer is Early Access and in active development, so features and balance may shift. The editor is the point of the whole thing, so a group with one builder and several players works well — the builder makes a game, everyone else plays it. If your group only wants to play, community creations give you plenty to work with without touching the editor at all.