Star Harvester

Being an A.P.E.S.™ Star Harvester™ takes strategy and adaptability. Handle resource shortages or drone malfunctions with skill. Practice against an A.I. in the Star Harvester Ø board game!

Resources are randomly scattered, favoring no one. Discover & breach valuable resources, clear debris, and deploy drones to collect and transport resources to your home exit before the competition beats you to it.

The A.P.E.S.™ code forbids direct harm to competing harvesters, but accidents happen—and if they’re in the way, that’s on them. You'll owe a percentage of damages, but it might pay off. Victory comes by either revenue or liability.

# Asymmetrical Skill-Based Competition
- You may be dealt a bad hand. Victory relies on skill: creativity, guile, cutthroat competition, and strategic interpretation within the game's framework.
- Contextual problem solving: Success depends on playing the hand you’re dealt: adapting to evolving scenarios, predicting opponents' moves, and exploiting openings.

# Rules Provide Structure with Flexibility
- Boundaries: The game sets rules defining resource gathering and competition mechanics. However, within these boundaries, strategic approaches should have infinite possibilities.
- Manipulation of Rules: The best strategies involve clever rule use and manipulation, allowing players to gain advantages through loopholes or unexpected applications.

# Limited Resources and Timing Pressure
- Resource Gathering: The central mechanic involves harvesting resources from asteroids. Each player is tasked with discovering, breaching, collecting, and exiting with more resources than opponents.
- Exit Zone: Players must return resources to an "exit zone" within specific time constraints.
- Time Pressure: Racing against other players to collect the same resources adds urgency to decision-making and fosters a sense of competition against the clock.

# Exploiting the Bureaucracy
- Opportunities to Cheat the System: Through clever gameplay, players can find ways around taxes, fees, and equipment costs.
- Manipulation of Opponents: Players can increase opponents' costs and penalties by tricking them into taking actions that expose them to higher taxes, fees, or other penalties.
- Gaining Favor: There are opportunities to secure discounted supplies, favorable deals, or alliances to outmaneuver competitors.

# Multiple Paths to Victory
- Resource Domination: Players can win by out-harvesting their opponents.
- Sabotage: Another path to victory is sabotaging others, increasing their costs and slowing their progress.
- Strategic Use of Bureaucracy: Another way to get ahead is to find loopholes and manipulate bureaucratic rules to avoid tax fees or gain favors.