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Today I’m very excited to announce something special: today we release the official Stardew Valley Board Game! This is the very first merchandise project where I’m acting as publisher from start to finish.
For more than 2 and a half years I’ve been working together with board game designer Cole Medeiros to make a board game that captures the essence of Stardew Valley. It has pretty much everything from the video game: villagers, crops, animals, fishing, foraging, mining and more. We worked hard to make a board game we think is really fun to play and to look at. I hope you enjoy it!
About the Game
Stardew Valley: The Board Game is for 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up. To play through a full year in the game (which is the standard experience) it takes about 45 minutes per player. This can be adjusted if you want a shorter game. The game has a lot to it but there are rules to make it easier or harder depending on your preferences. Just like the video game, we want you to be able to make this your own.
Players work together to protect the Valley. If they succeed, it means that the Valley is brought back to life, and Joja Corporation is driven from town. The way you do this is by completing Grandpa’s Goals and restoring the Community Center. Your goals for each game are randomized, which adds to the game’s replayability.
Time is tracked using the Season Deck. Each round a Season card is drawn. This tracks the weeks of the year, revealing weather and different kinds of events. Players discuss their plans for the round and place their pawn in the part of the Valley they want to focus on. Maybe they want to visit the Mine or fish at the Beach, or maybe they spend their time watering crops or tending animals. It’s up to the group to try and work together to coordinate their actions, but ultimately each player chooses what they want to do.
As you play, you’ll advance your starting tool, gain new profession skills, find items and gather resources. Making friends will unlock unique gifts and reveal the Community Center Bundles. Completing the goals may at first seem very difficult, but as your abilities grow your farm will become more and more capable. Don’t give up!
Complexity
I want to be really clear with everyone that this game was designed to have some depth and complexity. It’s easy to play once you learn the rules, but it’s not a short, casual game. Please check out the rulebook to make sure it’s a good fit for you and those you like to play board games with!
Some Useful Information
We’re setting up a section in the forum for conversation and questions specific to the board game. Please post questions there and we’ll do our best to answer them.
Videos that walk through setting up the game and how to play will be posted here shortly.
Please visit https://shop.stardewvalley.net for more information, or to purchase a copy of the game.
-Ape