Hero Realms
{{Short description|Card game}}
{{Multiple issues|{{more citations needed|date=June 2017}}{{COI|date=June 2017}}}}
{{Infobox card game
| title = Hero Realms
| subtitle =
| image_link = Hero_Realms_Card_Game.jpg
| image_caption = Box cover art
| designer = Rob Dougherty and Darwin Kastle
| publisher = Wise Wizard Games
| players = 2 to 4
| ages = 12 and up
| playing_time = 20-30 minutes
| random_chance = card draw
| website = {{URL|herorealms.com}}
}}
Hero Realms is a card-based deck building fantasy tabletop game, designed by Rob Dougherty and Darwin Kastle and published in 2016 by Wise Wizard Games. The game started out as a Kickstarter campaign in 2016. The goal of Hero Realms is to destroy your opponent or opponents by purchasing cards using "Gold" and using these cards to attack your opponent's "health" and their champions using your "combat" points or other powerful effects.
Hero Realms is similar to other deck building games, like Star Realms, Ascension, and Dominion. The game is marketed as portable and expandable, as it comes in a small box and contains only cards and no dice or markers.
Gameplay
Hero Realms is a card-based deck-building tabletop game with role-playing elements, which can be played between two and four players.{{Cite news |last=Floyd Kelly |first=James |date=December 9, 2016 |title={{'}}Hero Realms{{'}} – Deck-Building or RPG Card Game? Both! |url=https://geekdad.com/2016/12/hero-realms/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015001500/https://geekdad.com/2016/12/hero-realms/ |archive-date=October 15, 2022 |access-date=June 13, 2025 |work=GeekDad}}{{Cite news |last=Winters |first=Raven |date=November 14, 2024 |title=Hero Realms Review — There is a lot of fun to be had here |url=https://gamingtrend.com/reviews/hero-realms-review-there-is-a-lot-of-fun-to-be-had-here/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250215172028/https://gamingtrend.com/reviews/hero-realms-review-there-is-a-lot-of-fun-to-be-had-here/ |archive-date=February 15, 2025 |access-date=June 13, 2025 |work=GamingTrend}} Each player starts with 50 health points and 10 cards; additional cards can be bought from the market throughout the game with gold coins. The game features four factions of cards, colored red, green, blue, and yellow. Each player can attack another with cards dealing damage points, such as a shortsword, dagger, or a card bought from the market. When a player's health points reach zero, they are out of the game. Besides cards that deal damage points, there are also cards that offer gold coins and health points. Another type of cards are champions, divided into guards and non-guards, which when drawn remain in play indefinitely until another player takes the card down.
The game's rules are similar to those of Star Realms. The player can form several strategies, such as obtaining a build with combat cards with high damage points, a defense build with champions, or a same-faction build. Besides the base game, there are five additional character packs, this being wizard, cleric, thief, ranger, and fighter. Depending on the class of the character, each player starts with health points ranging from 50 to 60. The game's age range is set to 12 and up.
Development
After developing Star Realms, Wise Wizard Games (formerly White Wizard Games) started a Kickstarter campaign for Hero Realms in 2016. Expansion to the game titled The Ruin of Thandar Campaign Deck, The Dragon Boss Deck, and The Lich Boss Deck were released in 2017.
Reception
James Floyd Kelly of GeekDad positively received the base game, describing it as "very fun to play". He also praised the additional character packs.
Raven Winters of GamingTrend disliked the game's art style, but called the game "a perfect introduction" to deck-building games and commended the game's rules as being simple and the variety in cards.
= Accolades =
- The 2018 Origins Award for Fan Favorite Card Game{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=Origins Awards Winners |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d4db01d648a4e0001199c62/t/5d54143bc0ef3b0001c05d30/1565791295626/Origins+Awards+Winners+2018.pdf |access-date=June 13, 2025 |website=The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design}}
- 2018 Origins Awards Best Card Game Nominee
- 2016 Golden Geek Best Card Game Nominee{{Cite web |title=2016 Golden Geek Best Card Game Nominee |url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamehonor/40227/2016-golden-geek-best-card-game-nominee |access-date=June 13, 2025 |website=Board Game Geek}}
- 2016 Golden Geek Best 2-Player Board Game Nominee{{Cite web |title=2016 Golden Geek Best 2-Player Board Game Nominee |url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamehonor/40225/2016-golden-geek-best-2-player-board-game-nominee |access-date=June 13, 2025 |website=Board Game Geek}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.shop.whitewizardgames.com/collections/hero-realms Official Hero Realms Shop]
- The publisher's official [http://herorealms.com/ Hero Realms website]
- [https://www.facebook.com/herorealmsgame/ Hero Realms on Facebook]
- [https://twitter.com/herorealmsgame?lang=en Hero Realms on Twitter]
- [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1172937197/hero-realms-a-deckbuilding-adventure-card-game Hero Realms Kickstarter campaign]
- [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/198994/hero-realms Hero Realms] on BoardGameGeek
Category:Kickstarter-funded tabletop games