
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,919
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Adventure Tours
- 3–6 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2014

Rules assistance for Mai-Star
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mai-Star is a board game released in 2010 for 3–6 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Seiji Kanai and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Hand Management.
A card game about Japanese geisha by Seiji Kanai. Players take the roles of various geisha, and compete with the other players to win the legendary title of "Mai-Star". Use the characters surrounding you to increase your popularity, and earn money by attracting guests, the more demanding the better. Focusing only on increasing your popularity won't earn you any money, yet failing to spread your name won't make the rich or helpful guests come your way. It's a matter of deciding which characters (cards) will help you increase your popularity and which character cards you want to attract as guests. Once a player runs out of cards, the round is over, and all cards remaining in your hand become minus points, thus depleting your hand of cards quickly is important. Only the one who has attracted the richest guests (earned the most money) after three festival nights (rounds) will be the one who deserves to carry the title of "Mai-Star". This game's setting is same as Master Merchant.
Mai-Star supports 3–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Mai-Star is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Mai-Star for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Mai-Star has a complexity rating of 1.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Mai-Star belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Hand Management. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Mai-Star are: Seiji Kanai. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Mai-Star as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.