Review: Star Wars Destiny

I’ve waited almost two months to write this review because Star Wars Destiny isn’t a game that is entered into lightly. In November I made the decision to buy into this new collectible card and dice game created by Fantasy Flight. After weeks of playing this game and picking up a dozen booster packs along the way, I feel like I’ve got a good handle on the game. The big question is, should you dive into this new collectible game or hold onto your cash?

What Should You Expect?

Star Wars Destiny has merged two very different game play mechanics into something that works very well so far. At the end of 2016, Fantasy Flight released two starter packs. The dark side is led by Kylo Ren and the light side is led by Rey. Each starter deck has everything you need for one player to play the game. This game will even work if you can only get two starter decks of the same type or both players choose to be light or dark side. This was our experience since we could only get two light side starter decks at the pre-launch event in November.

While the game can be experienced with just the starter decks, the real draw of the game will be opening those booster packs and hoping to get some amazing additions for your deck. Booster packs are around $3 and contain 5 cards and a die to add to your collection. I feel like the price point is just right for what you’re getting in the package.

Fantasy Flight knows that people can’t just buy two or three booster packs and call it a day. Remember that this is a “collectible” game. You will have to spend some cash to really see the Star Wars Universe take shape. It really comes down to your will power and how broke you want to be!

How Does it Play?

The game is pretty balanced and this is the reason why it’s easy to recommend this to people who are new to collectible games. Players choose characters that equal up to 30 points that sit on the table with their associated dice in front of the player. Each player gets 5 cards in their hand and two resources at the beginning of the turn.

I’m not going to teach you how to play in this post, but essentially you can play events from your hand of cards, activate characters to roll dice and play support or equipment cards into the play area. The directions that come with the game could use some tweaks, but there are plenty of YouTube videos that clearly show you how to play.

Star Wars Destiny doesn’t rely only on good dice rolls. Even when a dice don’t fall in your favor, playing cards, claiming a location or adding a support card can give you a good chance to win. It’s a game that can be really competitive even when playing against an eleven year old.

Is it Worth My Money?

When I was in high school, I played Magic the Gathering and spent so much money on this hobby. The game was only a couple years old at the time and I had people to play the game with every day. Even though these cards sit in a box in the closet twenty years later, I have some incredible memories and it was a blast to play.

Is this game worth your money? This is a question that only you can answer. All I can do is share my experience and a little bit of concern.

My son and I are huge fans of Star Wars and this game connects with us on multiple levels. The cards are very well made and the dice are a fantastic quality. Fantasy Flight has done a great job putting a level of polish on this game that Star Wars fans deserve.

The starter boxes are about $14 and boosters are $3. It’s very easy to spend $50 and only be shin deep in the water of this game. If you have a collector or completionist mentality, you probably know that Star Wars Destiny will be horrible on your bank account. I struggle with these tendencies and it’s going to be tough to only buy a couple booster packs a month. I’m already making these guidelines for my son and I as we collect this game.

My biggest concern with Star Wars Destiny is that Fantasy Flight knows this is a cash cow. It’s already hard to find the game in stores and booster boxes are sold out weeks before they ship. As the game grows, I’m worried that a year from now they will start playing with deck configurations and rules that now require new and better cards to even sit down and play a game. This has become too common with collectible games and that’s why I’ve stayed very far away since my days playing Magic in the late 90’s.

Why it’s Right for Us

Even with these concerns, I’ve got to say that this game has me hooked. At the end of the day, my son and I are collecting a game TOGETHER and having a blast playing TOGETHER. I don’t know how deep into the Star Wars Destiny waters I’ll go. I highly doubt that I’ll jump into local tournaments or have a deck specially built to compete with others.

Star Wars Destiny is the right collectible game for us right now. I’m sure years from now I’ll find a box of cards and dice in my closet and remember how much money I spent on this game. But, tied to that memory will be some incredible experiences with my son as we battled it out in a galaxy far far away.

Head over to your local game shop to see if Star Wars Destiny is in stock. You can also order starters and booster packs through Amazon today.