 |
| By White Wizard Games |
Magic the Gathering... For Cheap People
I was 14 when I was first introduced to Magic the Gathering. It was 1997, I was a freshman in highschool, and nothing seemed cooler to me than the idea of a card game where you controlled goblins and wizards and merpeople, fighting to the death. As many of the football players reminded me over and over, I was wrong.
So, imagine my surprise when 20 years later I discover there's a game that scratches almost the same itch, and everyone's chances of winning is determined by their own skill and strategy, NOT by the size of their parents' wallets. That game is Hero Realms.
 |
| Actual picture of me walking home in high school |
The issue with Magic the Gathering isn't the cost of entry, it's the cost of maintenance. Sure, I could afford a $9.99 starter deck if I saved my lunch money for a few days, and maybe even some of the boosters (the out of print ones were only 99￠), but at the end of the day, I always ended up getting TROUNCED by all the other kids that had been playing for years and had collections of cards that I had never even heard of until they played them. You could be the most saavy Magic player in the world, but because your opponent has spent more money than you on cards, they innately have the advantage.
So, imagine my surprise when 20 years later I discover there's a game that scratches almost the same itch, and everyone's chances of winning is determined by their own skill and strategy, NOT by the size of their parents' wallets. That game is Hero Realms.
Star Realms 2.0
Hero Realms, much like its precursor Star Realms, is a deck building game where players start off with a small deck of 10 weak cards that either generate Damage or Gold when played. The Gold is used to buy more powerful cards from a communal market that go into your discard pile, and the Damage is used to lower your opponent's life. First one to 0 loses.
When you run out of cards in your deck, you shuffle your discard pile into a new deck, but now you have all the goodies that you've acquired through play. Things that will let you deal MORE Damage, or generate even MORE Gold on your turn to buy even better cards. Some of these cards are even character cards, or as Hero Realms calls them CHAMPIONS, who have their own defense value, and can block incoming Damage or deal outgoing Damage when you tap- er, I mean, EXHAUST them every turn, like good ol' Tyrannor here:
This game is really like a masterclass in economics. You have to manage your Gold and not just spend it on things that deal Damage, because you can easily end up just being a hobo with a shotgun. Sure, you can shoot them all in the face, but sooner or later the gentrification starts. Familiar, family owned shops and people are driven out to make room for a Wal-Mart. Then you have to hope that Robocop 3 straps on his jetpack and... Wait, I think I got of topic...
Like the best hobos, you should try to practice the three R's when you play this game: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
1.) Reduce your opponent's life as efficiently as possible.
2.) Reuse combos and strategies that let you buy new cards.
3.) Recycle your discard pile into a better deck.
Hero Realms is also rife with killer combos. Similar to Magic the Gathering, different colors of cards, represent different factions and playstyles. For instance Blue cards typically represent roguelike characteristics and discarding cards, while White cards can raise your health to higher values than when the game started. When you normally play Magic the Gathering, do you run a Circle of Protection: White deck? Try focusing on acquiring white cards in Hero Realms! Goblin Direct Damage? Try adding mostly red cards from the Market. Green Trample? Well, the green colored cards will give you all the table flipping satisfaction you can hope for.
 |
| A setup of Hero Realms just begging to be flipped in anger. |
When you run out of cards in your deck, you shuffle your discard pile into a new deck, but now you have all the goodies that you've acquired through play. Things that will let you deal MORE Damage, or generate even MORE Gold on your turn to buy even better cards. Some of these cards are even character cards, or as Hero Realms calls them CHAMPIONS, who have their own defense value, and can block incoming Damage or deal outgoing Damage when you tap- er, I mean, EXHAUST them every turn, like good ol' Tyrannor here:
 |
| Tyrannor just can't figure out why everyone swipes left on him |
This game is really like a masterclass in economics. You have to manage your Gold and not just spend it on things that deal Damage, because you can easily end up just being a hobo with a shotgun. Sure, you can shoot them all in the face, but sooner or later the gentrification starts. Familiar, family owned shops and people are driven out to make room for a Wal-Mart. Then you have to hope that Robocop 3 straps on his jetpack and... Wait, I think I got of topic...
 |
| While fun to visit, no one wants to live in Rutger Hauer Town |
Like the best hobos, you should try to practice the three R's when you play this game: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
1.) Reduce your opponent's life as efficiently as possible.
2.) Reuse combos and strategies that let you buy new cards.
3.) Recycle your discard pile into a better deck.
Hero Realms is also rife with killer combos. Similar to Magic the Gathering, different colors of cards, represent different factions and playstyles. For instance Blue cards typically represent roguelike characteristics and discarding cards, while White cards can raise your health to higher values than when the game started. When you normally play Magic the Gathering, do you run a Circle of Protection: White deck? Try focusing on acquiring white cards in Hero Realms! Goblin Direct Damage? Try adding mostly red cards from the Market. Green Trample? Well, the green colored cards will give you all the table flipping satisfaction you can hope for.
 |
| Just a grown man thanking his opponent for a game well played |
And when you add in the Character Pack expansions (each one is only $5) you get even more thematic goodness. These mini-expansions replace your initial 10 card starting deck, giving you and your opponent unique starting options. And there are 5 different ones available and they all play very differently! From Wizard, to Fighter, to Ranger!
 |
| About the same price as a booster pack |
An Embarrassment of Riches
The art is top notch, and the card layouts themselves are well organized and clearly labeled so that anyone familiar with card games will feel right at home.
On a slightly picky note, I would appreciate a better box for the game to come in. While the game itself comes with everything you need for 4 players, if you sleeve your cards or add in any of the Character Packs, the teeny tiny box that it comes in feels insanely cramped, and soon you're storing the game in a shoebox. A Hero Realms longbox is available for purchase, with Hero Realms themed sleeves, but that sucker's like $20! And I'm a hobo with a shotgun!
Buy It!, Try It!, or Fly It!
For those who don't know, my rating system works like this:
Buy It! = Go buy this, right now! It is fantastic and worth your hard earned money!
Fly It! = %&#! this game!
So, let's get down to brass tacks. Is this game worth it? Well, yes and no. The base game is a great deal, with enough gameplay packed inside for 4 people, and the whole thing's only $20. But it's just OK. Eventually, things start to feel the same, and you begin to identify what's the best strategy to win as quickly as possible, and you build your best deck regardless of your opponent's strategy, because at the end of the day, you know what cards to buy in order to win.
Buy It! = Go buy this, right now! It is fantastic and worth your hard earned money!
Try It! = Play it with a friend or at your local game store. You might like it or you might not.
So, let's get down to brass tacks. Is this game worth it? Well, yes and no. The base game is a great deal, with enough gameplay packed inside for 4 people, and the whole thing's only $20. But it's just OK. Eventually, things start to feel the same, and you begin to identify what's the best strategy to win as quickly as possible, and you build your best deck regardless of your opponent's strategy, because at the end of the day, you know what cards to buy in order to win.
But...
But!
BUTT!
But when you add the Character Packs, this game is AMAZING. Through simply giving each player their own individual role, now the players no longer can play ignoring their opponents' choices. If I am a Wizard, I will want to build a different deck for combatting a Rogue, and an even different deck when I play against another Wizard! Each pack is only $5, so for a total of about $45, what do I say...?
The Verdict....?
BUY IT!
Remember to Share, Comment, and Subscribe!
If you like what I have to say, make sure you follow me on Twitter
Comments
Post a Comment