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PSA: If you like this week's Tavern Brawl, you may like these other games

This week's Tavern Brawl was like drafting your arena deck while you played the game. In the board game world this is called a "deckbuilding game". If you really enjoyed that style of play, here are some other games you may enjoy:

Dominion: 2-5 players, ~30-60 minutes, tabletop and digital

This is the first game to use the deckbuilding mechanic. This game has a medieval kingdom theme. Instead of getting a free card every turn, you use your starting Copper cards (kind of like the Coin in HS) to purchase better cards. The cards available to purchase are the same 10 cards for everyone. Those cards in turn allow you actions, card draws and the ability to buy better more powerful cards. You win by buying cards with Victory Points (VP) on them. At the end of the game, the most VP wins. Player interaction varies depending on the 10 community cards out for the game (there are 25 in the base game box and with expansions there are hundreds of options). This game only uses cards.

Trains: 2-5 players, ~30-60 minutes, tabletop

This game is just like Dominion with 2 exceptions: A train theme and a board. The difference here is you need to build a track on a board to connect cities for points. Otherwise the game play and cards are very similar.

Star Realms: 1-2 players, ~15-30 minutes, tabletop and digital

This game is probably the most like this week's Tavern Brawl. Each player starts with 50 health and take turns buying better spaceship cards to attack each other. First to 0 health loses. This game plays very quickly due to the fact that all the cards are "overpowered". In Dominion a 1 Coin card can buy a another card that generally has 1 Coin of purchasing power. In Star Realms a 1 Coin card can buy a card that generally has 2 Coins of purchasing power (same with attack strength, etc.). This game ramps up more quickly and is probably my favorite 2 player deckbuilder. Your choice of cards to purchase come from a 5 card flop of random cards from the deck of all possible cards instead of 10 set community cards.

Thunderstone 2-5 players, 30-60 minutes, tabletop and digital

Maybe you would prefer to play as a hero slaying enemies in a dungeon. Then check this one out. Your Hero cards can level up (very cool idea in a game) and can equip weapons. Defeating monsters gets you VP - most at the end wins.

Eminent Domain 2-5 players, 45-75 minutes, tabletop

Like space but Star Realms is too quick/light of a game? This game has you exploring space conquering planets and learning new technologies. This game smashed Race for the Galaxy (another cool non-deckbuilding card game) with Dominion. You choose a role each turn (a free card) and everyone else at the table can also choose to follow that role (or draw a card). You win with VP, but I find the interactivity of this game to be the highest among all the deckbuilders I've played. Between the choices you make affecting everyone at the table and the fact that you can directly attack your neighbors planets (need the expansion for that ability) it really gets everyone involved.

Rune Age 1-4 players, 20-60 minutes, tabletop

I can't believe I forgot this one. You play as fantasy race (elves, dwarves, humans, etc.) and fight against dragons, monsters or each other depending on which scenario you choose. This game can be played: Cooperatively, Semi-cooperatively (work together but only one person wins), Player vs Player or 1 vs Many. You buy from set community cards and your own personal cards from your race. I really love the versatility of this game and would highly recommend getting the expansion (Oath and Anvil) with the base game. Generally if you lose 20 health you lose, but winning conditions can vary depending on the scenario.

Curtesy of u/RynoTheShort:

Ascension 2-4, 45-60 minutes, tabletop and digital

Ascension is a fantasy deckbuilding game designed and developed by successful Magic players, including u/Kibler. Players use two resources (attack and runes) to defeat monsters and acquire heroes and constructs for their decks, which are worth victory points (honor) that are compared at the end of the game. I think HS players who like this Brawl and Arena drafting will like Ascension the most because of the random center row that the game uses. This randomness isn't for everyone, but for CCG players who are used to drafting, they generally love it. It's a really good game for groups that include more casual gamers since there's less ways to directly attack other players.

From u/AjarKeen:

Core Worlds tabletop

Blends a deckbuilder with Euro economy mechanics for the most depth I've ever encountered in a deckbuilder. Draft bigger and better units to conquer planets as you make your way from the outer rim of the galaxy toward the core worlds.

Puzzle Strike tabletop

A puzzle fighting game simulated by a deckbuilder. The most interactive deckbuilder I've encountered, the only way to win (as one would expect in a fighting game) is to attack your opponents. The depth this game has for the short playtime (games can be as short as 15 minutes) is astounding, and it's so finely balanced that there's a healthy competitive scene. (Editor's note: This game was made by David Sirlin of Sirlin Games. Not sure it matters, but some people find him to be controversial)

From u/theeBuffalo:

Marvel Legendary: 1-5 players, 45 min, tabletop

Semi-cooperative game where players recruit a team of heroes to help defeat the mastermind and his villainous henchmen. You can have a team of Wolverine, Silver Surfer, Groot, Black Widow, and Deadpool face off against Loki. As players fight and defeat villains, they collect those cards, which will be worth points at game's end. Players can also fight the mastermind; if a player has enough fighting power, he claims one of the attack cards beneath the mastermind, which has a particular effect on the game. If all of these cards are claimed, the game ends and players tally their points to see who wins. If the mastermind completes his scheme, however – having a certain number of villains escape, for example, or imposing a certain number of wounds on the heroes – then the players all lose.

Legendary Encounter Aliens/Predators 1-5 players, 45 mins, tabletop

Both games are based off the movies of the same name. Both are standalone versions can be combined for Aliens vs Predators. Legendary Encounters is a deck-building game in the same family as Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game, but now players must cooperate in order to survive against hordes of aliens. Taking on the role of protagonists such as Ripley, Dallas, Bishop and Corporal Hicks, players take turns recruiting cards for their deck from a central selection in order to improve their deck and defeat Xenomorph cards that are added to the central game board. The predator version of the game is player vs. player instead of co-op, with each player assuming the role of a Predator hunting for the most honor (VPs).

DC Comics Deck-Building Game 2-5 players, tabletop

Play as Justice League members such as Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman, or Superman. To start the game, each player chooses one of the seven over-sized hero cards, each of which has a special power, and starts with a deck of ten cards. Each turn, a player starts with a hand of five cards and can acquire or conquer the five types of cards in the game: heroes, villains and super-villains, equipment, super powers, and locations. To defeat villains, you'll need to have power – but when a super-villain is defeated, a new one comes into play, attacking all the heroes while doing so. Person with most victory points wins which are listed on cards you acquire.

Arctic Scavengers 2-5 players, tabletop

Set in post-apocalyptic world. You are the leader of a small tribe of survivors. Gather resources, tools, medicine, and mercenary cards to build up your tribe(deck), skirmish against other players head-to-head, or even bluff your way to victory. Lot of interaction in the game with players trying to get the best cards which can only be won in skirmishes and players sniping other players cards. Person with biggest tribe wins.

Paperback 2-5 players, tabletop

Do you like Scrabble? This game is like Scrabble crossed with deck-building. Players start with a deck of letter cards and wild cards. Each hand they form words, and purchase more powerful letters based on how well their word scored. Most letters have abilities that activate when they are used in a word, such as drawing more cards or double letter score. Players buy wilds to gain victory points. I highly recommend this one for word lovers.

From u/cornerbash:

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game 1-4 players, 90 minutes, tabletop

Cooperative fantasy adventure game where you play a character such a wizard, rogue or warrior. Your group takes on quests which involve searching various locations for creatures or items and overcoming obstacles and monsters in the process. Your deck consists of all your equipment and powers and well as serving as a tracker for your remaining life. During the game any weapons, armor, allies or spells you encounter can be added into your deck. Between games you can "level up" your character in different ways and the party distributes the items found amongst the group decks.

And the first game mentioned that I hadn't heard of from u/scissorblades:

Emergents: Genesis 2-4 players, 15-45 minutes?, tabletop Came out just recently. Takes inspiration from the other superhero games. You buy cards from 4 fixed community piles and 6 cards drawn from the deck. You pick one of 13 heroes, each with a special power, and take turns smacking each other around. Each card and hero is assigned one of 4 factions that correspond to different playstyles. Any hero can buy any card, but the heroes will reward you for matching their playstyle. It's a little rough around the edges (some cards really need reminder text, and the game uses counters that aren't included) but it's a pretty good game. One of the designers is Magic pro Brian David-Marshal. One of the playstyles is very similar to Miracle Rogue/Storm (MtG), so if you enjoy that, give this one a shot.

Many have pointed out the next one, but I'll credit u/Parsimony3 for the write up:

Tanto Coure A Japanese maid-style deck building game that has a solid foundation. Its audience may be a bit more niche since the goal of the game is to be the best Master of the house where you employ all the maids. Game ends when 2 decks are exhausted and the player with the highest Victory Points win.

Another I hadn't heard of was pointed out by none other than u/bbrode:

DreamQuest ?, ?, digital

I don't know anything about this one except that:

It's what we were playing when we designed the brawl, and we love the game so much we hired the designer!

From user u/byanyothernombre and designer u/kibler:

Solforge 2, digital

Each turn in Solforge, you draw 5 cards from a deck of 30, and play 2. The ones you play level up and become more powerful. Then they and the other cards you drew are discarded. After 4 rounds like this, you enter the next "player level," in which your discard pile is shuffled back into your deck, giving you the chance to draw your leveled up cards. Creatures are placed in 1 of 5 lanes and do combat each turn. If no creature opposes them, they damage the enemy player instead. The first player to reach 0 life from 100 loses.

There are a ton more and I may add some as you comment below. I just wanted to take this opportunity to expose some of you HS players to the world of modern tabletop games. I'm a huge tabletop gaming fan (own a couple hundred games, used to write for a gaming blog www.marginofvictorygames.com and now use my free time making games with www.greatnortherngames.com) and just wanted to share my enthusiasm.

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