Star Realms: Colony Wars

To set up Star Realms: Colony Wars, each player begins with 50 health, which can be tracked using the provided health cards (2x 20-point cards and 1x 10-point card). Each player also receives a personal starting deck of 10 cards, consisting of 8 Scout cards (providing 1 trade point each) and 2 Viper cards (dealing 1 combat damage each). These personal decks are shuffled and placed face down in front of each player. A central trade deck, comprising 80 cards, is also shuffled and placed face down in the middle of the playing area. Five cards are then drawn from this trade deck and placed face up in a row, forming the trade row. Additionally, a separate pile of Explorer cards (providing 2 trade points and 2 combat damage) is placed face up next to the trade row.

The primary objective of Star Realms: Colony Wars is to be the last player standing. This is achieved by strategically playing cards from your hand to generate combat damage, which is then used to attack your opponent and reduce their health. The game is a direct player-versus-player combat, where the ultimate goal is to bring your rival's health down to zero before they can do the same to you.

A player's turn in Star Realms: Colony Wars follows a structured sequence. First, the active player draws 5 cards from their personal deck. Next, they can play any number of cards from their hand, activating their effects. Cards typically generate either 'trade' (represented by yellow circles) to acquire new cards or 'combat' (represented by red circles) to deal damage. After playing cards, the player can use their accumulated trade points to acquire new cards from the trade row or the Explorer pile, adding them to their discard pile. Combat damage is then used to attack the opponent or destroy their bases. Finally, at the end of the turn, all played cards, any remaining cards in hand, and any unspent trade or combat points are discarded to the player's discard pile. If a player's personal deck runs out of cards, their discard pile is shuffled to form a new deck.

Scoring in Star Realms: Colony Wars is straightforward: it's all about reducing your opponent's health. Each point of combat damage dealt directly reduces the opponent's health total. Some cards also provide health points, allowing players to recover from damage. The game does not involve accumulating victory points or other complex scoring mechanisms; the focus remains solely on direct confrontation and health management.

The game concludes immediately when one player's health total reaches zero or falls below it. That player is eliminated from the game, and the remaining player (or players in multiplayer variants) is declared the winner. There are no tie-breaking rules as the game's nature ensures a clear winner through direct health reduction.