Star Wars LCG: Core Set Review

There are 2 kinds of Star Wars fans. Actually, there are 4. Those who acknowledge the “prequels,” and those who don’t. Also, those who dance giddily and sing, “Yub Yub,” at the release of anything Star Wars, and those who deploy deflector shields while muttering, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” One squeals with abandoned nerdgasm upon hearing a few bars of John William’s famous score. The other rages apoplectic over black stormtroopers. It’s a revered and holy franchise and you can’t please every fan.

Into that stormy milieu nearly 3 years ago, Eric Lang and Fantasy Flight Games launched Star Wars: The Card Game. That’s good news for both gamers and – reasonable – Star Wars fans. Veteran designer Lang has a string of commercial and critical successes, while Fantasy Flight handles beloved intellectual properties better than most. The design is part of FFG’s “living card game” model, which means it shares the same dynamic, strategic, and ever-expanding qualities of collectible card games. However, new cards are released on a fixed distribution method. This doesn’t eliminate collecting, but reduces the hassle and cost. You buy complete sets, not random boosters, and won’t have to borrow from a Hutt just to stay competitive. But if you want to break the collecting addiction, this is not the game you are looking for. If you really get into acquiring all the current expansions – and you should – you’ll shell out a few hundred dollars.

Probably the first question most gamers would ask is, “Does it feel like the real thing?” Star Wars: The Card Game does a decent job capturing the movies’ sense of epic adventure, though that’s a tall order for any board game. You can get thematically incongruous match-ups that make purists scratch their heads. For example, Princess Leia can damage the Devastator and AT-ST’s can take out Rebel frigates. However, the design is more cinematic in scope, abstracting both straight-up firefights and behind-the-scenes espionage to put players in charge of a sweeping conflict, as opposed to specific engagements, leaving them to fill in the blanks. Thankfully, the immersive artwork, flavor text, and logical card abilities facilitate tying up those thematically loose ends, if you must.

The “living card game” designation seems somewhat apropos. There is a Death Star dial that gives the game a palpable pulse-beating life. Essentially a clock, it ticks from 1 to 12, advancing relentlessly each turn for the Dark Side and pulling opponents in like a tractor beam. When it hits 12, the Dark Side wins. The Light Side feels that pressure acutely as they race towards their own victory condition: destroy 3 objectives before all their efforts go the way of Alderaan. The strain is no less tangible for the Dark Side as they scramble to meet the onslaught while mustering their own attacks.

Decks are comprised of “pods” consisting of 1 objective card and 5 companion cards. Instead of constructing your deck card by card, you build it pod by pod choosing your favorite objectives and its 5 corresponding mates. This means you must take the weaker offerings in order to grab the good ones.

That said, don’t summarily dismiss those weaker options, because you may still find use for them. Star Wars: The Card Game has 3 areas courting your hand in a game-long romance that will make you search your feelings and let go your anger, yet loving every minute of it. As with any combat game of this style, a card’s primary purpose is to actually attack your opponent and defend your own space. After all, the point of the game is to take out enemy objectives. You deploy these by spending resource points generated by your objective cards. Units may engage if they are “ready,” but become exhausted each time they strike. Generally they do not refresh until your next turn, which means any that went on the offensive during your turn will not be available for defense on your opponent’s.

When committing to battle, cards lend combat icons which potentially deal damage or exhaust enemy cards. However, some icons only trigger if you win the Edge battle – an opening act before the main event and the second arena in which you can use your cards. In this mini episode players lay cards face-down until both are satisfied, at which point they’re revealed. Whoever has the most cumulative force points wins, granting them initiative and the use of their edge-triggered combat icons in the real thing. Some edge cards also grant other benefits. The catch is that those cards are then discarded. The whole affair is fraught with tense choices and bluffs. If you use a good card to gain the edge, you won’t benefit from its icons and special traits. On the other hand, those cards less useful could prove helpful here.

After combat, there is yet a third capacity in which to dedicate cards, sort of binding all things together – the Force struggle. Here you may devote 1 card per turn, up to a maximum of 3, to the Force. At the end of each player’s turn, whoever has the most Force icons – midi-chlorians? – from assigned, non-exhausted cards wins the Force struggle, a significant power play. If the Dark Side has the Force, the Death Star dial ticks faster. If with the Light Side, they may deal extra damage to objectives. Cards committed to the force may still participate in battles, but suffer more exhaustion and may not lend support to the Force struggle until refreshed.

So players constantly evaluate how best to commit their cards: combat, Edge battles, or Force struggle. The design might pose some thematic hang-ups and it definitely demands an investment in time and money, but it’s versatile and has tons to offer. It plays satisfyingly fast, yet provides tense choices that will mentally drain you. Plus the opportunities to experiment with all of the intricacies and synergies of deck-building are legion. Most of all, it treats its source material admirably, thrusting you into a cinematic struggle for the fate of the galaxy. Star Wars: The Card Game may not be the ultimate power in the universe, but it’s a well-designed, dynamic title that should live long and prosper. Oh, wait.