Star Harvester

Outright Mental

About this game

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 board game during long trips!

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.