Surprise! Stardew Valley has now got its own board game spin. Creator Eric ‘Concerned Ape’ Barone took to his website to reveal that he has been plugging away at this one for more than two and a half years with board game designer Cole Medeiros. Oh, and it’s available to purchase right now.
Barone explains that the board game is designed to capture the essence of the tranquil farming simulator. You can expect villagers, crops, animals, fishing, foraging, mining, and more. The way it works is pretty simple. You play through a full year in the game with up to four players, and each game works out to be around 45 minutes per player – though you can adjust that for a shorter game.
Your goal here is to protect the Valley. The sign of success is the Valley coming back to life as Joja Corporation gets booted from town. You accomplish this by completing Grandpa’s Goals and, in turn, restoring the Community Centre. Those goals are randomised for each game, though, so don’t expect the same thing twice in a row.
Time is tracked using a season deck, with a card being drawn every round. This will follow the weeks of the year and reveal different kinds of weather and events. Once the hand is drawn, you discuss your plan of action with whoever you’re playing with. Maybe you fancy doing some spelunking or watering your crops? What you do is your call, but you’ll want to coordinate to find success.
As you play, you’ll advance your starting tool, gain new profession skills, find items, and gather resources,” Barone says. “Making friends will unlock unique gifts and reveal the Community Centre 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.”
If you’d like to buy the game yourself, you can find it here. If table top gaming is your thing, you should check out our sister-site Wargamer. Don’t let the name throw you off – the team is a friendly bunch. The site even has a best family board games guide you can check out for more options.