To the surprise of many, Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, recently announced the release of Stardew Valley: The Board Game. The tabletop adaptation of the iconic indie video game is different by nature, but Barone wanted to encapsulate the same experience as much as possible.
First released back in 2016, Stardew Valley is a top-down pixelated farm simulator RPG, developed and published almost solely by Barone. In the five years since it was released, it's become a smash hit. The board game has been in development for two and a half years by Barone, with the help of an independent board game designer named Cole Medeiros.
In both versions of the game, players take over a dilapidated farm in Stardew Valley that was previously owned by their deceased grandfather. The board game allows up to four players to work together to complete Grandpa’s Goals and restore the Community Center in order to save the Valley and drive out the Joja Corporation. The Community Center can be restored by fixing up all six of its rooms. Four of Grandpa’s Goals are randomized for every new session.
Each session of Stardew Valley: The Board Game will be slightly different than the last. The board game tracks the time using a Season Deck, which tracks the weeks of the year complete with weather and other events.
Every round, a Season card is drawn by the player with the pet token. They have to follow its instructions. Players discuss what they plan to do in the current round and where in the Valley they want to go, but they can change your minds about which activities they want to do as they go. The game features two currencies: Gold Tokens and Heart Tokens.
Barone has explained the board game is not a casual time waster and requires dedicated time and effort, because the level of complexity and customization is the same as the video game.
Players choose how to complete goals in Stardew Valley: The Board Game. Most of the activities from the video game have been translated to the tabletop edition, including farming, fishing, mining, making friends and more.
Occasionally, a Season Card will call for a Joja Tile to be drawn and placed, affecting certain board actions by either altering or outright blocking them. These Joja Tiles can be withdrawn, but will cost either 1 Heart or 5 Gold. If players acquire the Mermaids Pendant, they can marry one of their villager friends and gain a spouse pawn to use. Items and tools to find or make have values ranging from common to epic.
Once players get the hang of it, the board game can be adjusted for time or difficulty. Although it supports up to four players, it can also be played solo.
Stardew Valley: The Board Game is available for purchase now via the Stardew Valley Shop.
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