What We Learned From Our First Official StarCore Playtest

When we started Starcore, we imagined a sprawling, chaotic battlefield — networks of cards fusing into massive bases, ships, and mechs fighting across multiple fronts. That ambition made for some exciting moments… but in practice, it was too much.

Our first playtests exposed the friction. Players kept asking:

• “Can I attack across battlefield and base?”
• “How do I hit the Core if it’s buried in the base?”
• “Wait, what zone am I even playing in right now?”

The chaos wasn’t strategic — it was confusing.
And so, StarCore’s first big design pivot was born.

FROM → TO: Our Key Shifts

FROM: Multiple zones (Base vs Battlefield)
TO: A single 7×4 battlefield grid where everything happens — clear, visual, and tactical.

FROM: Abstract “60 Core HP” win condition
TO: Commander-as-King. Your Commander is the victory condition. Protect yours, take theirs.

FROM: Chaotic sprawl of linked cards
TO: Orderly network-building inside the grid. Linking remains the magic of StarCore, but now it’s streamlined and strategic.

FROM: Slowed-down, rules-heavy combat
TO: Fast, intuitive battles. Units attack directly across the grid. No more “can I attack across?” confusion.

A Sneak Peek: Stacks

We’re also introducing a brand-new mechanic we think players will love: Stacks.
Stacks let you layer cards together to form bigger, more powerful constructs — think docked ships, fortified structures, or modular upgrades. It’s a natural extension of StarCore’s network theme, but with its own tactical twist.

What’s Next

We’ve already begun updating the StarCore Manual (v2.2) to reflect these changes, and we’re preparing for Playtest 2.

The mission remains the same: StarCore should be a game that an 11-year-old can pick up and enjoy without hours of training. These updates make the battlefield more visual, the win condition more dramatic, and the networks more fun to build.

The chaos is gone — the clarity (and the fun) is here.
Do you want me to write the next draft in a blog-ready narrative voice (like an article with a proper hook, transitions, and teaser ending), or keep it as a straight design update for your community (clean, structured, bullet-style)?