Blue Moon

by Fantasy Flight Games

Product Features

• Oversized cards featuring elegant artwork
• Designed by the legendary Reiner Knizia
• Age: 12+
• Number of Players: 2
• Playing Time: 30 min

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 8 x 8 inches ; 1.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: 1589941365
• Item model number: KN08
• Manufacturer recommended age: 12 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #321,517 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Blue Moon is fast-paced and easy to learn. Each player plays with a 30-card deck, representing one of the factions vying for control of the three elemental dragons. Each card is oversized, allowing more space to show off the artistic detail. Each turn, the players battle for control of the dragons, playing characters or other helpful cards from their deck, and imbuing their characters with greater and greater power, in order to overwhelm their opponent and force a retreat. In the advanced game, players have the option of building their own deck, constructing a powerful multi-faction alliance. The basic set provides all the materials needed to play Blue Moon, including the races of the fiery VULCA and the clever HOAX, as well as a gorgeous game board, full-color rules, and three plastic dragon figures. This basic set can be expanded by the addition of any of the Peoples decks and the Emissaries and Inquisitors expansions.

Product Description

Blue Moon is fast-paced and easy to learn. Each player plays with a 30-card deck, representing one of the factions vying for control of the three elemental dragons. Each card is oversized, allowing more space to show off the artistic detail. Each turn, the players battle for control of the dragons, playing characters or other helpful cards from their deck, and imbuing their characters with greater and greater power, in order to overwhelm their opponent and force a retreat. In the advanced game, players have the option of building their own deck, constructing a powerful multi-faction alliance. The basic set provides all the materials needed to play Blue Moon, including the races of the fiery VULCA and the clever HOAX, as well as a gorgeous game board, full-color rules, and three plastic dragon figures. This basic set can be expanded by the addition of any of the Peoples decks and the Emissaries and Inquisitors expansions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deep and absorbing card game, May 16, 2008

By 

P. Mumford (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Blue Moon (Toy)

Blue Moon has slowly become one of my favorite games. It is easily both my favorite two player game and also my favorite card game. And I have a lot of games. It is the combination of depth, complexity and art that makes it so good. It creates a whole world. The Blue Moon world. I love it. If the odd ruleset, with the many special situations, keeps sending you back to the rulebook, persist. It is worth it.

Blue Moon has been compared to Magic: The Gathering. In play it feels different. Instead of a single long fight, you have a series of shorter ones. This means you can retreat from a fight (losing), but live on, hopefully with your strongest cards still to play. Another key difference is that you can play Blue Moon very well with factory decks. Each Vulca deck is the same. It has been play tested against all the other decks. You can build a custom deck also, but only according to rules that ensure balance. You may not have two identical cards in any deck, which I think is a good rule.

I particularly like the high production values for this card game. The cards are over-sized (the same size as many tarot decks), it comes with a board that organizes gameplay, three plastic dragons that function as scoring tokens, and a well printed and mercifully mistake-free rulebook. It also has a well designed box insert that holds everything in place. This is far above your typical card game and well worth the modest cost of the game. The game is also very good without any of the expansion decks. The two starter decks alone are fun to play for a long time.

The deck you choose gives you strategic direction, and the cards you draw give you tactical opportunities. This interplay of strategy and tactics is what makes the game far deeper and more re-playable than you would expect. The ludicrous fantasy theme and half naked babes give you.. fantasy and half naked babes! Of course if you find stuff like this obnoxious then this may not be your game. My girlfriend won't play this with me because of the art (she is missing out on a great game).

There has been much debate over whether the decks (each representing one of the various Blue Moon peoples) are balanced. They are. However it is clear that some decks are harder to play well than other decks. In the base set, for example, the Vulca seem stronger at first than their opponents, the Hoax. But, as you learn the decks you will find that the Hoax are a very good match for the Vulca. If all decks were easy to play, there would be no depth to the game. I still find that the two starter decks are one of my favorite match ups in the entire pantheon.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun 2 player Game! Get the Expansions!, February 11, 2008

By 

A Child Without An Eye "mutilatedlips" (Buckingham Green) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Blue Moon (Toy)

At times the game "feels" like it has flaws with some of the decks feeling more powerful than others. They most likely aren't, but to casual gamers, I've noticed a complaint there (especially with the 2 decks you get in this game box). The box also comes with 3 dragon tokens and a board, none of which seem really needed in order to play the game (any tokens and knowledge of the card set up is enough).
Nevertheless the game is fun and when you get the expansions it adds to the playability and duration of enjoyment. Since my days of Magic the Gathering well are over, this seems to have taken over nicely. The rules can be confusing in the beginning (becomes self explanatory after a while), but at least not everchanging. No expensive rare cards here or heavy puchasing requirements in order to compete. No hours at night deck building (although the option is there if you have that kind of time). Too bad the game isn't more than 2 players, multiplayer could be very cool.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great elegant little game, July 23, 2009

By 

Carl Skutsch (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Blue Moon (Toy)

I bought this game because while I like all games I have a particular fondness for card games. I was into Magic for a while but was annoyed by the collectible (gotta keep buying more cards!) aspect of the game. Blue Moon delivered in spades! (And hearts and diamonds). The rules are a little tricky for a card game (trickier than Magic) but not that hard to master. The game play is quick and smooth. Basically, each player takes a race or tribe and takes turns playing cards in a series of three battles: first player to get three battles up on an opponent wins. The battles are fast so each game can be finished pretty quickly, in under 30 minutes. Each tribe's cards are have unique themes and advantages which make for different tactics. There is a luck factor (sometimes you just don't get the card you need) but skill is present (I usually, but not always, beat my very bright 10-year old son when we play). The cards themselves are pretty cool looking, as large as Tarot cards and with lovely drawings.

The only slight down side to the game is once you get hooked you'll want to buy more tribes (the starter game only has two tribes included) and that'll run you some extra money. But unlike Magic there is no need, you're set to play with just the basic game. Buying more tribes just gives you more variety to play with. (And there are advanced rules that allow you to construct your own decks, but they only add chrome to an already lovely game.) At the very least I'd recommend buying the Khind: there's nothing like having the old men of the Hoax (base game) face off against the young punks in the Khind.

I highly recommend this game.