New Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game is unlike anything we've seen before

Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game cards on a starry background — (Image credit: Fantasy Flight)

A new adventure in a galaxy far, far away has been revealed, and Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game promises a very different kind of experience.

Set to land in March 2023, Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game is a head-to-head duel much like other entries in our list of the best card games. However, it stands out thanks to unusual mechanics that tip the usual structure of things on their head - as the title would suggest, you're constructing your deck as you go rather than starting with it ready-made. Your goal? Defeat your rival's three bases. Once you've taken out the first one, you'll move on to harder strongholds with their own abilities.

According to a rules preview provided by creators Fantasy Flight (the studio behind The Lord of the Rings Card Game and the likes of Unfathomable), you play as either the Rebellion or the Empire and begin with a weak starter hand of 10 cards that are mostly geared toward gathering resources. These are then used to buy up faction cards from a central 'galaxy row', steadily adding to your deck with stronger fighters, ships, and abilities that can be used to destroy your opponent's bases.

Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game box art — The box art for Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game goes back to another iconic head-to-head in a galaxy far, far away (Image credit: Fantasy Flight)

It's not a risk-free process, though. Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game allows you to attack rival faction cards within the galaxy row (known as 'bounty hunting' or 'sabotage' depending on whether you're the Empire or Rebels), removing them from play before the other player has a chance to buy them. Doing so also gets you resources and Force points, the latter of which can help tip the scales in your favor depending on who has more at any one time.

This seems to be the tactical heart of the experience, and it's given extra depth by the abilities of late-game bases or the ships you'll use to defend them.

That gradual increase of complexity is exactly what the team behind the game wanted; in an interview with Polygon, designer Caleb Grace noted that “what inspired me to do Star Wars was this idea that I can make a game that just gets to the table really fast [where] people can get into it and find deep strategy - but there isn’t that high bar for learning”.

You'll be able to try Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game when it joins other Star Wars board games on shelves next March, and it's available to pre-order now for $37 at Asmodee (the game's official store).

Now that the sales season is approaching, it's worth keeping an eye out for discounts on the best board games. Check in with our guides to this year's Black Friday board game deals, Black Friday gaming deals, and Black Friday Star Wars deals for more.

I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, and now manage GamesRadar+'s tabletop gaming and toy coverage. You'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news.