Stella (2018) Board Game – Board Game Guys

Stella is an abstract strategy board game designed by Stefan Kolmsperger and released in in 2018. The game is suitable for 2 to 4 players aged 8 and above. With a playtime of 5 to 30 minutes, Stella offers a quick and engaging gameplay experience.

Game Components of Stella

Dixit cards: 84 cards with bizarre and lavishly illustrated images.

Word cards: A deck of cards with single words for each round.

Personal Slates: Erasable boards for each player to mark their card associations.

Dry erase pens and cloths: For marking and erasing on the Personal Slates.

Lantern tokens: Color-coded tokens to track player progress.

First Scout pawn: Indicates the starting player.

Scoreboard: To track points over the four rounds.

Game board: Displays the setup and tracks player progress.

How To Setup Stella

To set up Stella, assemble the game board in the center of the table and place the Round markers next to it. Shuffle the deck of Dixit cards and create three rows of five cards. The remainder of the deck is placed off to the side along with the shuffled deck of Word cards and the Scoring Slate. Each player receives their own Personal Slate, a dry erase pen, and a cloth. Lantern tokens matching the color of their selected Slate are placed in a stack at the bottom of the game board. Finally, a starting player is selected and given the First Scout pawn.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Card Interpretation: Players interpret Dixit cards based on a revealed word.

Deduction: Players secretly mark on their Personal Slates which cards they think associate with the word.

Strategic Risk-Taking: Players announce how many cards they associated and move their Lantern token accordingly.

Scoring: Players take turns revealing cards; matches earn stars (two for multiple matches, three for a match with just one other player).

Leader Handicap: If a player is alone in the lead, their Lantern token is flipped, reducing their score.

Objective: The player with the most points after four rounds wins.

Player Experience

Stella offers a fun and engaging experience, particularly for fans of art-heavy and interpretative games. It removes the performative storytelling aspect of Dixit, replacing it with a structured association-matching mechanism. This keeps the game moving at a great pace and introduces a dual layer of strategy, where players need to balance between selecting enough cards to score and avoiding too broad or too narrow criteria. The game is suitable for families and groups, providing moments of laughter and interesting card interpretations.

Pros

Structured Gameplay: Removes the judging element of Dixit, making the game more streamlined.

Dual Layer of Strategy: Encourages strategic thinking while maintaining a fun atmosphere.

Family-Friendly: Suitable for players as young as 6, making it a great choice for family game nights.

Engaging Moments: Fun and surprising moments when players match or mismatch cards.

Cons

Player Count Dependency: The game does not play well at lower player counts (minimum three players), with the best experience at higher player counts.

Risk of Falling: Players who select cards that no one else chooses can “fall” and lose scoring opportunities for the round.

Personal Thoughts on Stella

Stella is ideal for anyone who loves art-heavy card interpretation games but prefers a more structured experience without the performative storytelling. It is a great fit for families and larger groups looking for a relaxed yet strategically engaging game. While it may not shine at lower player counts, Stella offers a unique and enjoyable twist on the Dixit universe, making it a solid addition to any board game collection.

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