It is particularly satisfying watching your opponent set up the perfect hand size for a critical play and then force them to discard or draw up to the wrong location.
Joseph Summa
MeepleGamers
10/10
Publisher: Paw-Warrior Games
Designer: Josh Paugh
Designer: Ben Krieger
Artist: Marta Maszkiewicz
Game Type: Hand Management
Game Type: Area Control
Initial Year of Release: 2018
Age Range: 11+
Expected Playtime: 20-30
Number of Players: 2
Theme and What is it?
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8/10
The Antillians and Morkolytes are at war. They are battling for control of the entire star system. Stellar Siege is a tactical hand management card game where player decisions send units to various planets. Each planet has a special power and each unit has some additional ability that will ultimately determine who conquers the galaxy.
Gameplay Mechanics
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9/10
In stellar Siege, the number of cards in a players hand determines which planet they can send a unit. Some of the cards are just soldiers. They will manipulate your own or your opponent’s hand size by drawing or discarding cards. Others are officers with unique and potentially game-winning abilities if used correctly. Each player has the same set of cards with their own unique artwork. The order and cunning use of these cards will determine who is the better siege commander.
Initial Impressions
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9/10
I have several friends who enjoy two-player exclusive short games. We love a good tactical battle game. Stellar Siege fits perfectly into that category so we are really looking forward to giving it a go. It was quick to prepare for play and required very little rules reference during play.
Game Build Quality
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10/10
Stellar Siege comes in a conveniently small box. The insert is exactly sized to fit the cards in a snug configuration. If you plan to sleeve your cards, you will need to nix the insert. The cards still fit sleeved since you can tilt them sideways and use two stacks. The only components are cards so you will find nothing to be disappointed within the box.
Artistic Direction
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10/10
Stellar Siege has artwork designed to flesh out the two races that are at war. The artwork is typical of a science fiction genre piece. Your favorite science fiction movies could very easily feature these races in the background of a busy cantina.
Fun Factor
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9/10
Manipulating your hand size to place on worlds you can win and not spend your strength where the battle is already lost is a key part of winning Stellar Siege. It is particularly satisfying watching your opponent set up the perfect hand size for a critical play and then force them to discard or draw up to the wrong location.
Age Range & Weight
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9/10
11+ is a bit high for this game. The rules are easy to learn, and the playtime is short. I don’t see enough complexity for Stellar Siege to be unfriendly towards children. Thematically the war and area control elements are large scale enough to not seem negative. No pieces die, you just want majority control. The ability to manipulate the field with special powers could have enough of a take that element to cause some upset feelings, but I doubt it would be a big deal.
Conclusions
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10/10
Stellar Siege is a two-player tactical card game. This already makes it a game I want to play more. How close the games we have played have made it a well-balanced game. Manipulating your hand size to spend your strength where you need it and to take advantage of the best planet abilities is critical. Manipulating your opponent’s hand size to keep sending cards to the exact same place can be quite satisfying.
- All
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