A Space Combat Deckbuilder
Star Realms is a turn-based strategy game that mixes deck building with trading card game combat. You build a personal deck of ships and bases from a shared pool of cards, then use what you draw to attack your opponent and defend your own authority. The game was designed by Darwin Kastle and Rob Dougherty, both Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famers who also worked on the Ascension Deckbuilding Game. A tutorial teaches you the rules in minutes, so you can get into a match quickly. The free version lets you play against the AI and work through a 6-mission campaign.
Playing Together
The base set is required to play online. With it, you can challenge a friend over the internet regardless of their operating system, or take on global opponents in ranked matches. If you are in the same room, Pass and Play lets you battle face to face on one device. Remote Play Together is available as a Steam feature, letting you share the session with others. Online play includes global rankings so you can see where you stand.
Before You Start
The free version runs on Windows through Steam, and is also available on iOS, Android, and the Mac app store. It includes the tutorial, AI opponents, and the 6-mission campaign. The base set is a one-time upgrade that unlocks online play, the ability to challenge friends, Pass and Play, and expands the campaign with 9 additional missions. The AI offers 3 difficulty settings once you have the base set.