
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,042
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Urbion
- 1–2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2012

Rules assistance for The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below
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.
The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below is an expansion for The Shipwreck Arcana released in 2019 for 2–5 players, 10–30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Kevin Bishop and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Cooperative Game, and Pattern Building.
Stars Below is a five-card mini-expansion for the co-operative deduction game The Shipwreck Arcana. These five new arcana cards can be shuffled into the deck for more variety and challenge, and they feature a new mechanism: mandatory effects! These effects allow the cards to manipulate the game state even when they are not being played on. Cards included: The Ash The Musicians The Fall The North Wind The Thief
The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below supports 2–5 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 The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below 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 The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below for ages 10 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.
The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Number. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Cooperative Game, and Pattern Building. 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 The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below are: Kevin Bishop. 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 The Shipwreck Arcana: Stars Below as an expansion for The Shipwreck Arcana. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need The Shipwreck Arcana to use it. Check that your edition of The Shipwreck Arcana is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.