The powerful Trade Federation has mobilized to explore a recently discovered area past the edge of known space. Rumor has it, The Blob is moving toward these unmapped reaches to contest the Federation’s expansion. So naturally, the Star Empire and the Machine Cult must try to stake their claims on these new worlds, as well . . .

Find out who will conquer the new frontier when you pick up Star Realms: Frontiers at your local game store. It supports up to 4 players, it costs $20, it’s small enough to fit in your pocket if you have really big pockets, and it hits shelves soon.

Look for it in North America on October 16, and in the rest of the world on November 14. Preorder at your local game store today to guarantee your copy. Otherwise, you might miss the entire realm-building party, and that wouldn’t be any fun. (Also, if you preordered the game on our online store, you should get it soon; we’ve started shipping it already, so it should arrive on or just after the retail release.)

Frontiers raised $1.1 million on Kickstarter last year, and it uses the same basic rules as the original Star Realms Deckbuilding Game – which won four Golden Geek Awards, two Dice Tower awards, and the SXSW Table Top Game of the Year Award upon release in 2014. That’s like, more awards than you can easily display on a single fireplace, and literally zero of them are participation trophies. So it’s no surprise that hundreds of thousands of people have bought and played a game in the Star Realms line.

And now is a great time to join them, since Star Realms: Frontiers is a standalone game with four ways to play in one box. You can duke it out in a duel, or in a three to four player game. Then, you can try out the solo or cooperative modes. Each copy of Frontiers includes eight oversized challenge cards that players can use for some sweet player-versus-event action. You may need to Defy The Empire, resist a Blob Assault, or fend off a Dimensional Horror …

You know. Normal space stuff.

Meanwhile, existing players should note that Frontiers brings tons of new experiences to the table. It includes an all-new 80-card trade deck full of never-before-seen ships and bases. You’ll discover new combos and strategies as you explore the new frontier.

Most prominent among Frontiers’ new offerings is the double ally mechanic: If you can get three cards of the same faction down during your turn, you can trigger additional bonuses on some cards.

The 7-cost Blob card Hive Queen, for example, grants you 7 attack and lets you draw a card. Get a second Blob card down, and you get 3 more attack. But if you can get a third Blob card down, you’ll get 3 more attack. That’s a total of 13 attack, just from the Hive Queen. (… Yas, kween.)

Then there’s the 5-cost Trade Federation outpost, the Ion Station. WIth no ally bonus, it’s just 2 trade and 5 defense. With one ally card, it becomes 3 trade. But get a third Trade Federation card out, and you’ll get three trade, four attack, and four authority.

Smaller ships are also bringing new twists to the table. Focus on the Star Empire, and you’ll probably want to pick up some Light Cruisers – they’re three cost for four attack and “Target opponent discards a card.” Gain two attack for having one ally. For having two ally cards, though, you’ll “Draw a card.” Maybe you’ll draw another Light Cruiser.

Plenty of cool new cards don’t require double allies, though. The Machine Cult outpost, Reclamation Station, is a classic kind of card for the faction. Each turn you can “Scrap a card in your discard pile.” And,when you’re ready, you can destroy the Reclamation Station to gain three attack for every card you scrapped that turn, including Reclamation station.

So Frontiers is pretty cool. Want more info? Check out The Dice Tower’s positive review on it, or take a look at the Kickstarter page. And look for it in stores starting October 16!

Not sure where you will put all of these new Star Realms cards?

 

The new Star Realms Universal Storage Box will hold your entire Star Realms collection, with or without sleeves, with room to spare for future sets and even a playmat! This awesome new box is also hitting North American stores this week.

Have any questions about this new release? Email [email protected].