More card games!!!

I don't know how it happened.  Way back the first time I was in college I played Magic: The Gathering (I totally rocked a red and black deck that decimated green with impunity) and a ton of Lunch Money.  Shortly thereafter, I played Jihad and eventually found my way back into the throes of 40k, leaving all those card games behind.

Then I walked into my local comic shop and started up a gaming group, pimping all sorts of games and trying my darndest to get everyone into 40k (and Attack Wing).  I have been out of card gaming (and a downright hater) for well over a decade.  And yet, these guys (and gals) have gotten me into the deck-building and Dice Masters.  And HeroClix snuck in there, getting me into that 'collectable' thing.  Yet I still resist...

Then I walked into my LCS again (for the first time in weeks and a few weeks since, being ultimately focused on my studies) with some money burning a hole in my pocket.  And what happens to me?  I turn around, seeking the new Attack Wing ships, and find a game that one of my buddies has been pimping since the Kickstarter was running for it.  And as you can see by the price, there was no reason not to.

Dagnabbit!  So I picked up yet another deck-building game.  And like most of them, there's expansions to add and competitive formats soon to follow.  With all the super-powerful dreadnoughts and space stations in the game, my favorite seems to be this little guy:

There's four main 'races' or factions in the game, each representing a different aspect and presenting different strategies.  While the Mechanical dudes are really quite offensive and generate a massive amount of firepower in a turn, the Federation are more about healing and can easily keep pace with the damage that some cards can deal.  Check out some examples below.

Now this game doesn't see each player representing a specific faction.  You simply lay down all the cards you have in your hand (5 to start, of course) and count up both the total firepower and the total credits that you gain.  Firepower kills Outposts and your opponents' Hit Points (or whatever they're called; after a while you lose track on all these games!  Lol!) until he is dead.  But here's the cool part- 

Certain cards work with certain other cards to get even better effects!  You can have Blob cards on the table and then play more and suddenly see everyone with a Blob symbol have +3 gazillion firepower!  Meanwhile, your other cards from other factions still have effects, but they can work together in the same way- Federation works with Federation, etc.

I am using this from TheEscapist, credit to that site for this one.

The game is very simple, cheap, and enjoyable.  It doesn't require any additional markers (Hit Points have cards to represent them!) and you can knock out a game in about 15 minutes.  My buddy and I played a couple of games in a few hours, and that was while relearning the rules.  We were familiar, but it's different when you switch from paper to card.  Believe me, it's really different.

Pick it up if you see and give it a shot.  The four expansion packs each cost $5 and are complete, just like the game is (no boosters and not necessary).  Let me know what you think of the game, especially if you're one of the founders.  And, as always, Happy Gaming!