Tabletop Game - Star Empires. Gift Edition

The distant future is engulfed in the flames of a great war for dominance over an entire galaxy… The Trade Federation crushes with its developed economy, the collective swarm of Slimes leads a rapid expansion, while the militaristic Star Empire... and progressive Technocult send their ships to war. Only you can determine the outcome of this conflict. Conquer the galaxy and build your star empire!
 
About the gift edition:
This edition is intended for both true fans of the game and those just beginning their acquaintance not only with this game but also with the world of tabletop games in general. See for yourself – this set, in its beautifully illustrated gift box, contains one base game and one expansion "Gambit," which consists of five mini-expansions. All this guarantees you a huge variety of gameplay. Newcomers will find it interesting to master a deck-building tabletop game. Those already familiar with this mechanic will simply enjoy playing a new game with original mechanics. And veterans will find the second base useful for playing with up to four people!
About the base game:
"Star Empires" is a deck-building game with a space theme. Players must assemble their fleet, equip bases and outposts, and attack each other to reduce their opponent's influence points. All players start under equal conditions. By using various combinations of cards with unique properties, players choose their strategy during the game, develop defenses against opponent attacks, and look for breaches in the opponent's defense. You can take different paths, using force, cunning, or wealth, but everyone will equally need skill, intuition, and cold-blooded calculation!
About the expansion:
This gift set, as mentioned above, includes the "Gambit" set. This set contains five mini-expansions, and you can choose how many and which of them you will "connect" to the game session. The variability and depth of gameplay with them soar to incredible heights!
 
What’s new:
"Events" – after an event card appears in the trade row, its action is immediately performed, and then the card is sent to the discard pile. An event card cannot be purchased and never enters your personal deck.
"Characters" – character cards that appear in the trade row can be purchased following the same rules as ship and base cards. However, after purchase, the character is not added to your discard pile, but is immediately played.
New unique ships and bases.
"Gambits" – a new mechanic with cards that are dealt before the start of the session. The gambit cards received are kept facedown in front of the player. Gambits cannot be added to your hand, personal or trade deck. At the beginning of the game or at any moment during your main phase, you can reveal any number of gambits lying in front of you. The primary property of the gambit takes immediate effect and lasts as long as that card is lying in front of you.
Also, cooperative scenarios have been added to the game, including two solo scenarios.
How to play?
Each player starts the game with a personal deck of ship cards. Each turn, participants play cards from their hands, thus performing trade operations, combat actions, and expanding their influence zones. Turns consist of three phases (Main, Discard, and Draw), after which a new turn begins.
In the main phase, you can play cards, use various properties, make purchases, and attack opponents. The cards can be of several types – ships and bases. Their actions differ significantly from one another. Ship properties are resolved immediately, while the card remains until the end of your turn. Bases, on the other hand, do not get discarded but stay in front of you until they are destroyed. Moreover, in addition to their properties and bonuses, base outposts force the opponent to attack them first, thus protecting your other bases and you personally – the enemy's primary target.
The cards possess various properties that are applied in different phases of the turn and provide you with unique bonuses or abilities, on which your victory strategy will be built. Cards are used to gain battle, trade, or influence points – these are your main resources in the game.
Additionally, all cards belong to certain factions in the conflict. To use this feature, two or more cards belonging to the same faction must be played in front of you.
As you play, you purchase cards using your trade points, adding these cards to your deck, increasing your power and building a specific strategy based on the acquired cards. Battle points are spent to attack opponents, and essentially "overrun" enemy bases. To destroy a base, you must pay as many battle points as indicated on the card in the "Defense" column.
Thus, turn by turn, you expand your deck and capabilities, devise a victory plan, and try to guess your opponent’s strategy.
 
Who won?
In the game, there are special Influence Points – this is your score or life points. According to the basic rules, each participant starts the game with 50 influence points. The player who first reduces their opponent's influence to zero becomes the winner.
Game features:
What interesting features should be highlighted in the game "Star Empires":
Beautiful atmosphere of science fiction, distant galaxies, and wonderful technologies.
Compactness and simplicity of rules. People who have not played more complex deck-building games before can appreciate this genre and get acquainted here.
A multitude of tactical possibilities due to card combinations.
Interesting mechanics with bases, influence points, combat, and trade, as well as faction bonuses.
The game allows playing with four and six players with 1-2 additional sets of the game.
A multitude of rule variations for groups of 3+ people!
"Star Empires" can be played by 2 to 6 participants. You will need a second set of "Star Empires" for playing with three and four players, and a third set for playing with five and six players.

Contents:
- 128 cards from the base game
- 12 cards from the "Bases and Ships" expansion
- 12 cards from the "Characters" expansion
- 12 cards from the "Events" expansion
- 12 cards from the "Squadrons and Fortresses" expansion
- 20 cards from the "Gambits" expansion
- Game rules
- Rules for playing with expansions
Game duration: from 30 to 60 minutes
Number of players: from 2