History TabletopGame / StarRealms

->'' So far no new star realms have emerged successfully since the Machine Cult, but that doesn’t stop people from trying. Even various factions from within Blob space have been known to throw their lot in with humans seeking a new start...''

->''This is your opportunity to try and form a coalition of space farers trying to establish your own new star realm.''

* HouseRules: Fans of the game have their own variants and rules, some of which were mentioned on the official blog. One example is having five "Trade Stacks" instead of just a single Trade deck and the trade row. Done for reasons of practicality: if the players are using every set and expansion pack in the game, the result would be a large Trade Tower.

* HitPoints: ''Authority''. Unlike most examples, Authority is rather abstract instead of correlating to physical health. It presumably represents how much influence or support your Realm has. Also present on Bases, showing the minimum amount damage necessary to discard it.

-->''"No disintegration. We need them alive." - CEO Shaner''

** On the "Bounty Hunter" card, the flavor text is "No disintegrations. We need them alive.", the famous line from Darth Vader's briefing to the bounty hunters in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''.

* ShoutOut: The Missile Mech, a call back to a similarly named card in the ''[[TabletopGame/EpicCardGame Epic Trading Card Game]]'' (also designed by Rob Dougherty).

''Cthulhu Realms'' re-implements the system used in Star Realms, based on the works of Lovecraft. ''TabletopGame/HeroRealms'' is another spin off with a high fantasy theme and setting. ''TabletopGame/StarRealmsFrontiers" was released after a successful Kickstarter campaign, creating nine new sets for the series.

''Cthulhu Realms'' re-implements the system used in Star Realms, based on the works of Lovecraft. ''TabletopGame/HeroRealms'' is another spin off with a high fantasy theme and setting.

** Emperor's Dreadnaught also has high damage and card draw. Despite it's high cost, this version also forces a foe to discard and can even be played right way under the right conditions.

* OutsideContextProblem: The big bad in several of the App campaign chapters and the ''Crisis'' expansion backstory. None of the factions expected [[spoiler: the Colossus, a StarKilling weapon]] to appear. It's this problem that actually kicks off the story [[spoiler: when it causes a star to supernova.]]

* AdaptationDeviation: Due to the limits of the App, the digital game replaces Triumphant Return and Black Market with Glorious Return and Grey Market.
* AdaptedOut: The Wild Gambit card for the Digital app, because of the limits of the program.

* AnotherSideAnotherStory:
** The Crisis Campaign, each of the four chapters are told from the point of view from a different character from the major factions.
** Can happen in the middle of the Colony Wars chapters, were the player could be playing as one character and then switches over to another previously side character after a mission.

* BossBattle: Shows up at the end of the App's Campaigns, were often the player must defeat a super powerful deck, the Pirates of the Dark Star, or a Nemesis Beast. In the Crisis add-on Campaigns also have a final Boss to defeat [[spoiler: the Colossus]].

-->''"No disntegration. We need them alive." - CEO Shaner''

* GhostTown: In several Campaign missions, the player characters investigate several ghost bases to scavenge what's left. They soon discover there's a good reason for these places being abandoned.

* HesBack: Invoked in the Glorious Return digital Gambit. Scrapping the card allows a player to pay a card from their Discard, if they also pay it's cost. Since Vipers and Scouts have no cost, they can be played for free.

* RenegadeSplinterFaction: The app Campaign has the player sometimes fighting these, some of which from your own alignment.

* AdaptedOut: The Wild Gambit card for the Digital app, because of the limits of the software.

** ''Colony Wars'', which is also a stand alone set that could be played with or without the base set. According to WordOfStPaul, it takes place after the Crisis, and focuses on settling a new area of space. It provides many new cards for the factions.

* {{Adminisphere}}: The Central Office, a Trade Federation base. Its not an Outpost so it doesn't have to be attacked, avoiding outright destruction. It also has a high Defense number, so it can take the damage. And it has several good abilities compared to other Federation bases.

** The Blob Overlord. Not only does it allow the player to use a Blob ship's faction abilities, but can do additional damage.

** The Grey Market (The Digital app version of Black Market) reduces the cost of a selected faction's cards by 1 for the remainder of the turn.

** The Trade Federation hero CEO Shaner is mentioned to be one of these according to Ian Taylor (the publisher's Director of Organized Play and a writer).

* DeflectorShields: The Energy Shield reduces attacks on the players by one. Useful in the early game.

* EnemyMine: The Unlikely Alliance, which has art of a fleet of Blob and Cult ships working together.

* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The Blob ships and several bases have light emitting eye-like things. Since the Blobs are known for their habit of destroying human colonies, this is pretty much implied.

* JackOfAllStats: The Cutter ship and their variants, providing Trade, Combat and Authority if used with another Federation card. It's not much, but every bit helps.

* MerchantCity: The Port of Call provides Trade and defends as a strong Outpost. And if the player wants to, scraping the place allows to Draw a card and take out a foe's Base.

* MyBrainIsBig: The Brain World, though only in a figurative case. Looking like a human brain, these bases are very large supercomputers designed to run the Machine Cult itself.

* OminousFloatingCastle: The Imperial Palace, floating over a planet and with several tall towers to invoke a castle.

* PeaceConference: The ''Galactic Summit''. It doesn't end the game, but it does provide a bonus to all players.

** The Blob Moonwurm, which is as larger than most ships. Also inverted that the 'wurm is not a base card, but considered a ship (and not bound to being stuck underground).

* SigilSpam: The three human factions tend to stick their respective emblems on their ships, bases, and uniforms. The Blobs avert this, but only because they lack a traditional logo. Rather their identification is their animal-shaped ships with numerous glowing eye-things on their hulls.
* SingleUseShield: The Hidden Outpost. When destroyed, it is immediately Scrapped.

* SpaceWhale: The Blob Carrier, much to the chagrin of one human vessel.

* ''Trade Federation'': Represented in blue, this faction is a corproracy consisting of Earth and adjacent worlds. They focus on Trade and increasing Authority.

* ''Machine Cult'': Represented in red, the Cult started off as a bunch of mining worlds endangered by the Blobs. Developing their computer tech rapidly, they came to worship them. Their abilities allow the player to get rid of useless cards from their deck.

* ActionBomb: Many ships and bases have the option to be "Scrapped" (removing the card from a player's deck) to cause damage.

* AsteroidMiners: A gambit card providing Trade upon reveal, and drawing a card when scrapping it.

* DeflectorShields: The Energy Shield gambit card reduces attacks on the players by one. Useful in the early game.

* ExcusePlot: There's not much of a plot in the game, largely just to get players to build a huge star fleet and begin fighting it out with each other.

** Implied with the Star Empire ship Star Barge:

* JackOfAllStats: The Cutter ship and their variants, providing Trade, Combat and Authority if the used with another Federation ship. It's not much, but every bit helps.

* MyBrainIsBig: The Machine Cult Brain World, though only in a figurative case. Looking like a human brain, these bases are very large supercomputers designed to run the Cult itself.

* PrivateMilitaryContractors: Merc Cruisers and Battlecruisers, Merc Garrisons, unaligned cards that could be purchased. The Merc ships can activate the Abilities of one faction chosen by the player. While also unaligned, the Merc base has Faction activated abilities.

* RenegadeSplinterFaction: The app Campaign has the player sometimes fighting these, some of which from your Alignment.

* ShoutOut: The Missile Mech, which is a call back to a similarly named card in the ''[[TabletopGame/EpicCardGame Epic Trading Card Game]]'' (also designed by Rob Dougherty).

* SoloTabletopGame: The Nemesis Beast and Pirates of the Dark Star cards allow for this. These Challenge cards automatically attack, and removes a card from the trade row. After that, a new card is added to the row - and an effect occurs based on that card's Alignment happens.

* ToServeMan: Discussed in the app in regards to the Blobs. No human knows if the Blobs eat humans or not, and the protagonist of one chapter is in no hurry to find out.

* TheArk: One of the Cult starships, committing damage and allowing to Scrap and Draw cards. While the ship itself doesn't resemble the traditional image of an Ark, it does have a church-like structure on top of the craft.

** Emperor's Dreadnaught, which does a bit more damage than the Dreadnaught and both allow to draw a card. The Emperor-version also forces a foe to discard, plus the ability to play right away if the requirements are reached.

* ExcusePlot: There's not much of a plot in the game. It just seems to be an excuse for players to build a huge star fleet and begin fighting it out with each other.

* AcePilot: The Veteran Pilots gambit allows Vipers to go from barely useless to dealing three damage.

* AsteroidMiners: A gambit card providing 1 Trade upon reveal, and drawing a card when scrapping it.

** The Blob Overlord Hero card. Not only does it allow the player to use all this Blob ship's faction abilities, but can do additional damage.

** The hero Commodore Zhang provides additional Combat damage in addition to other bonuses.

* DefenselessTransports: Some ships that provide Trade tend to not provide Combat, such as the Scout. Though some ships can deal damage if they fulfill the prerequisites.

** As a game mechanic some Cult ships allow the player to do this.

* DownInTheDumps: The Junkyard base. In contrast to the typical portrayal, the Junkyard is a space-based station.
* DrawAggro: Outpost bases, which players must attack first before attacking anything else.
* EnemyMine: The Unlikely Alliance gambit, which shows a fleet of Blob and Cult ships working together.

* TheHandler: Implied with the Special Ops Director hero. It makes sense that the Trade Federation would use covert or special means to advance their agenda.

* MerchantCity: The Port of Call base provides Trade and defends as a strong Outpost. And if the player wants to, scrap the place to Draw and take out a foe's Base.
* MoneyForNothing: Trade is vital in the early to mid game. But as the deck has grown and a strategy is devised, Trade becomes useless. Unless there's a powerful card in the Market, players don't want to clog their decks with extra cards.
* MonsterLord: Implied with the Hive Lord hero. He's more expensive, and allows activation of Blob ships and to Scrap trade cards when purchased, and can be scrapped later for more bonuses.

* NeverRecycleYourSchemes: Invoked for Gambits. Those that have to be scrapped to be activated can not be used again for the game.

* PeaceConference: The ''Galactic Summit'' Event. It doesn't end the game, but it does provide a bonus to all players.

** Stealth Towers in ''Colony Wars'' has the similar ability, except it copies bases on your turn.

* IncreasinglyLethalEnemy: Each turn the Nemesis Beast consumes a card from the trade row. It then attacks with combat points equal to the total number of cards consumed.

* OminousFloatingCastle: The Imperial Palace base, floating over a planet and with several tall towers to invoke a castle.

* OrbitalBombardment: The Bombardment Event - the art even has a fleet of warships attacking a base.

* PeaceConference: The Galactic Summit Event card. It doesn't end the game, but it does provide a bonus to all players.

* WeaponizedExhaust: Implied with the Plasma Vent base, which provides damage despite the seemingly nonthreatening name.

* PrivateMilitaryContractors: Merc Cruisers and Merc Garrisons, unaligned cards that could be purchased. They can activate the Abilities of one faction chosen by the player.

* PromotionalPowerlessPieceOfGarbage: Thankfully averted with the Year-1 Promos (12 very powerful ships and bases), and the Merc Cruiser and Gambits (originally Kickstarter exclusives). Most other promotionals are alternative art cards that can still be used in game.

* AdaptedOut: The Wild Gambit card for the Digital app.

* AllThereInTheManual: Information of the four factions and the backstory can be found on the official site. Blog posts, short stories, and ''Rescue Run'' fleshes out the setting.

* TheArk: One of the Cult starships, committing damage and allowing to Scrap and Draw cards. While the ship itself doesn't resemble the traditional image of an Ark, though a church-like structure is seen attached of it.

** The Grey Market (The Digital app version of Black Market) reduces the cost of a selected faction's cards by 1.

* HesBack: Invoked in the Glorious Return digital Gambit. Scrapping the card allows a player to pay a card from their Discard, if they pay its cost. Since Vipers and Scouts have no cost, they can be played for free.

* ''Blobs'': Represented in green, a strange alien species that's generally unfriendly, though some are more than willing to work with humanity. (Which explains how the players gain access to their ships.) Their focus is on Combat and removing cards that could be purchased, as well as having powerful same-faction bonuses.