As it’s been described to me, it feels like Grace’s clever design reinforces that story almost perfectly. What this particular Star Wars game has going in its favor is that everyone sort of knows its story, just like everyone sort of knows the rules of poker. “What inspired me to do Star Wars was this idea that I can make a game that just gets to the table really fast,” Grace told Polygon in an interview, “ people can get into it and find deep strategy - but there isn’t that high bar for learning.” Bring down three of your opponent’s bases and you win. Players take turns purchasing cards from the galaxy row, expanding their own personal deck and then using it to attack each other’s bases. Then, in the center of the table - sort of like in a game of Texas Hold ’em - sits the galaxy row, drawn from a shared 90-card galaxy deck. Players start out with a bland little 10-card deck. Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game is a small box with 152 cards inside.

That’s why designer Caleb Grace has built Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game to be something very different. But even its most recent hit, Marvel Champions, one of the 22 best modern board games, can be a bit daunting for more casual players. Minnesota-based Fantasy Flight Games has done quite a lot with card games over the years, including its signature line of Living Card Games.