ConcernedApe LLC | Stardew Valley: The Board Game | Board Game | Ages 14+ | 1-4 Players | 45-200 Minutes Playing Time

Product Information

That isn’t to say that you need to have played the video game before. You don’t have to have any idea what a Junimo or Joja cola is before you can enjoy this brilliant game. It is beautifully designed and can be appreciated with or without any prior knowledge of the Stardew Valley universe. Set Up

Stardew Valley: The Board Game is a beautiful, brightly coloured game of farming and friendship. Players take on the roles of up to four farmers starting out in Stardew Valley-a small town of friendly residents and an abundance of natural resources. I am a huge fan of Stardew Valley– the video game and was apprehensive about the concept of turning it into a board game. But, after playing, I can say that the board game is as good, if not better than the original video game. Part of the challenge of Stardew Valley is looking for ways to use what you have. Instead of doggedly rolling dice to no avail each round, maybe a new friend could help you. Maybe next season you’ll get an upgrade to overcome the problem, or help you avoid the problem entirely. The game ends with victory when the players complete all 10 of their objectives (4 Grandpa’s Goals and 6 Community Centre rooms) or with defeat when the final season card is drawn.The best part of getting a new board game for me is opening the box and pushing out all the brand new pieces. If you’re like me, don’t fear because Stardew Valley gives you plenty of them! On your first playthrough, you will need to sort the pieces into the various trays and bags provided. Now you can start to set up the game.

To obtain gold, players can grow crops or collect from animals. Both of these methods of obtaining gold require preparation. Players would need to water crops to enable them to grow and be sold. Watch out for crows! The game starts with 1 parsnip in the field which can be watered until it grows and can then be sold. I’m a fan of the original, but I’m more of a board gamer than a video gamer, and Stardew Valley: The Board Game scratches a very specific itch. It’s a game for when you need to get away from the stress of daily life and challenge yourself with something different, something new. It’s a game for when you’re in dire need of a change… Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Isn’t Stardew a slow, chill farming social game?”. Yes, you’re right but the board game takes that and throws it on its head and makes it a race against time where you have to finish a certain amount of difficult tasks that take time and concentration to get done. I know that might put some people off, but this is no small game. The game takes up to 2 hours to complete and is constant planning and resource management but with a theme like this how can you hate that! Speaking of skills, the game categorises players by giving each player an expertise which could be farming, mining, foraging, or fishing. These allow players to focus on certain tasks as they get bonuses for their respective roles, and they will get specific role-based skills and items throughout their time playing. This in my opinion is a great addition to the game as it stops new players from being totally overwhelmed by all the possibilities and options given to them when starting the game and instead gives them a crutch to stand on where they can focus on their one skill and build up their knowledge as they play. This aspect of the game also gives a lot of replay-ability to the game as players will want to experience playing as another certain roles to see the differences in gameplay and strategy. I’ll try and keep this review short and simple as there’s a lot to talk about and if I don’t contain myself then I’ll end up going forever! Farming On SteroidsNext, take a parsnip from the tile tray and place it on the field marked with the number “2” next to the cottage on the board. Congratulations – you have planted your first crop! Make sure that the crop tile down has the waterdrop on the bottom left facing upwards. This waterdrop tells players in which field the crop should first be planted. Crop tiles are double sided and start this way up.