Fantasy Realms originally came out in 2017 and caused quite a stir. The designer, Bruce Glassco, was only really known to the world for Betrayal at House on the Hill some 13 years previously. That was a highly thematic, semi-cooperative horror board game with a lot of moving parts and chaos. This new design, by contrast, was a semi-abstract, family-friendly game of set collection with clear mathematical bones. But it proved popular and was nominated for the Kennerspiel des Jahres, one of tabletop gaming’s biggest prizes. Now it’s back in a new, improved Deluxe edition… but should you bother grabbing it, particularly if you can find the original for less? And is it worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with the best card games?
