- BGG rank
- BGG #7,652
- BGG rating
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Latice Hawai'i
- 2–4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,142
- BGG rating
- 6.9
The Stars Align
2018
Rules assistance for The Stars Align
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 15–30 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.0/5
Rules assistant for The Stars Align
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Stars Align is a board game released in 2018 for 2 players, 15–30 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Sean Fenemore and Matt Radcliffe and its main mechanics are Tile Placement and Pattern Recognition.
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About the game
Turn your eyes to the night sky and be the first player to spot five shooting stars for the win! The Stars Align is a two-player game of placing and manipulating patterns of stars on the 7x7 night sky map grid. A play of The Stars Align begins at dusk. Players place their color stars onto the Night Sky Map. After dusk comes the Night Phase. More stars appear and those already in play start to flicker (twinkle)! When groups of stars align, they shoot across the sky and disappear! The Stars Align is a tight combination of grid placement and pattern manipulation. In the Dusk Phase, each player will draw a constellation card on their turn and choose where to place their stars on the shared Night Sky Map following the pattern shown on the card. As the night draws on, more stars appear until a player draws a constellation card that can't be played. At this point, the initial board state is established and the Night Phase begins. Placement rules shift when the Night Phase starts. Now parts of the constellation pattern may overlap stars already in play. Overlapped stars flip to their opposite side. Players take turns manipulating the Night Sky Map so that an entire row or column of seven stars align in their color. This is a shooting star. The stars in that row or column are removed from the board and a point is scored. The first player to score 5 points wins the game! For an added challenge, experienced players can add a chess timer with five-minutes per player to spot their five shooting stars. The first to spot five shooting stars or still have time left on their timer when their opponent runs out of time wins the game. —description from the publisher
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Questions and answers
The Stars Align supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for The Stars Align is 15–30 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 Stars Align for ages 6 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 Stars Align has a complexity rating of 1.0 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.
The Stars Align belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement and Pattern Recognition. 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 Stars Align are: Sean Fenemore and Matt Radcliffe. 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 Stars Align 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.