Core Worlds

Core Worlds is one of those games that I think deserved to be better known. It probably did not come out at the right time or in the right climate, because it remains a substantial deckbuilder that reminds me, in its overall logic rather than its mechanism, of Eminent Domain. I have played it quite a few times in the past, and my impression has not changed: it flows nicely and its scoring feels fair.

At its core, the game is a deckbuilder: we gradually build up our deck and use what we acquire to advance towards the Core Worlds. Its flow is good, without ever making me feel that the game drags, and the growth of the deck provides that satisfying sense that you are building something which performs better and better.

Interaction, though, is where Core Worlds falls conspicuously short. Revolutions, which we opened for the first time yesterday, adds a little extra spice and, in some very edge-case situations, brings in a bit of interaction too. It did not blow me away and you can comfortably play without it, but it at least addresses a gap that is very clear in the base game.

Of the expansions, Galactic Orders—the first one—I consider more than fair value. Overall, we had a good time, and if your copy of Core Worlds is sitting somewhere gathering dust, it deserves another trip to the table. The broadcast was interrupted only by an attack from a young child, which also says something about how nicely we were getting on.