Stardew Valley fans got a surprise the other day in the form of a board game announcement from Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone. Not only that, but the game is finished and available for purchase, having been worked on for the past two years by ConcernedApe and board game designer Cole Medeiros. Just like its digital counterpart, Stardew Valley: The Board Game was developed and published by ConcernedApe, with a little help from Delano Games to print it and Quartermaster Games to distribute it.
Stardew Valley: The Board Game is a cooperative game where players work together to fix up the Community Center, saving it from demolition by the Joja Corporation who wants to use the land to build a warehouse. Grandpa's Goals also need to be completed, just like in the digital version of the farming sim. If the players can complete four of Grandpa's Goals and restore all six rooms of the Community Center before the year is over, they win.
The game concept began in 2018 when ConcernedApe and Medeiros played a game of Stardew Valley co-op online. As they played, they began to discuss how Stardew Valley had all the makings of a great board game. The next two years would see the two ironing out the details, working on various prototypes, and relentlessly playtesting the game until it was just right. In the end, they came up with the cooperative game that is Stardew Valley: The Board Game.
Everything Players Love About Stardew Valley, but on the Table
Stardew Valley: The Board Game contains everything fans of the series would expect it to. There is farming, of course, and everything that goes with it. That includes planting and watering crops, tending to animals, and expanding the farm. Players can also explore the mines, crack geodes, fish, donate items to the museum, develop relationships with the townsfolk, and even obtain a Mermaid's Pendant to get married.
Every fan favorite Stardew Valley character is here, including all twelve bachelors and bachelorettes, each with professionally illustrated artwork. In fact, everything from the video game is lovingly brought to the physical world, upgraded from its pixel art without losing any of the charms of the source material.
Condensing Countless Hours into a Couple
The board game reportedly takes around 45 minutes per player, and this was accomplished by abstracting many systems of the Stardew Valley using cards and tiles. The year's seasons are tracked using a Season Deck that affects weather and informs players of special events. Tiles move along a crop track to let players know their harvest's progress, while animal handling, mining, fishing, and foraging are handled through cards and tokens.
Looking through the rulebook, there is so much to do in Stardew Valley: The Board Game, yet it is all handled in a streamlined and efficient manner. Each round contains a Season Phase, Planning Phase, and Action Phase where season effects are revealed, players figure out how they want to handle the round, and then each player gets to take their turn. Season Cards each contain specific instructions about how the game board is affected and what special actions a player may take during their turn. This includes crop quality, rain, fish movement, gift-giving, and more. The game ends if all the Season Cards have been drawn or the players complete all the goals and Community Center bundles.
There are not many reports of people getting their copies of the board game yet, so only time will tell how long games of Stardew Valley: The Board Game actually take. Considering the time and dedication ConcernedApe has put into the video game, the board game's time estimates are probably pretty accurate.
Celebrating Stardew Valley
With Stardew Valley: The Board Game's announcement coming out of the blue, news spread quickly as excitement and buzz grew among the fan community. It was not long before the initial printing of the game sold out. It will be interesting to see how gamers receive the game once it arrives, and they get a chance to get it to the table.
It is amazing how ConcernedApe was able to help design, develop, and publish Stardew Valley: The Board Game while simultaneous continuing his work on Stardew Valley, which just received another major update to its console versions. Stardew Valley just celebrated its 5th anniversary, and is still going strong after all these years. The release of the board game feels like a great way to celebrate, helping Stardew Valley stay fresh and reach an entire new market of players. Whether players are hardcore Stardew Valley fans, or tabletop players looking to see what all the buzz is about, Stardew Valley: The Board Game has already proven there is a market for itself.
Stardew Valley is currently available on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and as a tabletop board game.