Star Colonies, is much more than a deckbuilding game. A 4X game that feels much more like Twilight imperium (in 10% of the time), than Star Realms or Ascension.
Betsy
Playtester 2017-2021
What I like about Star Colonies is that there is almost zero downtime. Players must pay attention and react between their turns (from their hand) if possible.
Player
I love building the ultimate battlefleet, but... There is no direct attack or player elimination in Star Colonies! In this 4X game, The 4th X: Exterminate is when you try to claim a planet from a player and gain a Victory star (and maybe another objective too) similar to objectives in Twilight Imperium.
Christian
long term Playtester (15 years)
We played Star Realms, Hero Realms, and other deck building games, but Star Colonies is way the most exciting. Well... because I would say the strategy it involves and it actually encourages you to think, and I see that as a very healthy thing, unlike playing video games days on end. I can't wait to play Star Colonies with you again soon. Don't suppose you could send me some transport ships?
Steve Church
Founder Playtester since 2016
...players who lose control of ALL their planets can quite easily bounce back into the game and win (as i have done) as it depends more on the player's planning of their deck, than the number of planets you control.
co-designer
Example of setup and first turn