- BGG rating
- 7.3
Small Star Empires: 5-6 Player Expansion
- 2–6 players
- 10–30 min
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,458
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Star Empires
2016
Rules assistance for Star Empires
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 10–30 min
- 13+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Star Empires
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Star Empires is a board game released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 10–30 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Milan Tasevski and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement, and Modular Board.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Small Star Empires: Civilization and Tiles Pack
- 2–4 players
- 10–30 min
- 2018
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Small Star Empires: Dawn of Discoveries
- 2–4 players
- 15–45 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2018
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Small Star Empires: Fate of the Galaxy
- 2–4 players
- 15–45 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2018
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Small Star Empires: Supermassive Black Hole
- 2–4 players
- 10–30 min
- 2018
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Small Star Empires: The Galactic Divide
- 2–4 players
- 15–45 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2018
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About the game
Star Empires is a quick area control game for 1-6 players. In this game, players colonize the galaxy using their ships, which they move on a modular board containing hexagonal spaces (systems). The modular board is made up of seven different double-sided sector tiles, which allows for a different map and different experience each time you play the game. During a turn, a player must move one of their ships on the board. They can move the ship only in a straight line, as far away as they want, but they cannot go over systems controlled by other players. After moving the ship, the player has to choose whether to place a colony or a trade station in that system. Both of these mark control over the system until the end of the game, but the trade station gives the player bonus points for each adjacent system controlled by their opponents. The game ends when either all of the players have placed their colonies and trade stations on the board or until none of the players' ships can move (because they have become blocked by other players' systems). After the game ends, points are calculated. Each player gets one point for each planet that they have in their systems. (Systems have 1 to 3 planets on the board.) Players also earn points for Nebulae; the more they have from one color, the more points they earn, with bonus points from other special systems such as the Unexplored System Tiles, which are part of a variant in the game. After calculating the points, the player with the most points wins!
Designers
Publishers
- Archona Games
Questions and answers
Star Empires supports 2–4 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 Star Empires is 10–30 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 Star Empires for ages 13 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.
Star Empires has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Star Empires belongs to these categories: Territory Building, Science Fiction, and Space Exploration. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement, and Modular Board. 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 Star Empires are: Milan Tasevski. 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 Star Empires 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.