Hello everyone !
Here I will try to explain the creative vision behind "Stellar Orphans" and answer the main questions you might possibly have.
So, is this game for you?
1. First of all, what is “Stellar Orphans”?
It's basically a single-player deckbuilding game with resource management and crisis decision-making. You manage the destiny of a crew by trying to complete objectives that make you progress in a scenario.
The problem is that different “crises” will appear very regularly to prevent you from doing so. These “crises” have varied effects which combine to complicate your life, but also create constantly unique situations to resolve.
The goal is really to give the player a feeling of constantly fighting for the survival of their crew.
2. But then, isn't it a little too hard?
The game may seem difficult at first and your first few games will likely end in failure.
But nevertheless it is not an "unfair" difficulty. You will realize with experience that the game constantly offers you choices, and that each decision, even minimal, can have a determining impact on the outcome of events.
What is interesting about the difficulty offered by this game is that the number of parameters to take into account is quite high, and that sometimes, despite you thinking you have everything under control, an unexpected/forgotten/underestimated element occurs. can push you to make mistakes and therefore create an “organic” crisis situation because it is not scripted.
In my eyes, this is one of the great successes of the game. Even after several games you don't have that unpleasant feeling of being able to manage everything because you know the game by heart.
3. But we can't manage everything, there are too many random things!
Looking superficially at the game one might think that things are too random, the distribution of events and crises, the bonuses for winning or excluding cards, the cards to buy at the store etc...
However, all this is managed by very well balanced algorithms which generally offer the same number of bonuses, a good balance between common and rare crises, and a balanced turnover of the different cards in store.
In addition, the game's systems are rich enough to always offer the player solutions.
For example, you need mechanic points to resolve a crisis but cards with this resource don't appear? There is the possibility of replacing missing points with authority points ("wildcard" points).
4. I must be bad at this game, the games are long!
It's completely normal that games are long. Unlike classic roguelite deckbuilding games, which have games that are more or less quick, "Stellar Orphans" is deliberately designed to offer long sessions where you don't see the time passing.
A scenario can take you between 5 and 20 hours to complete as they are designed to provide real adventures.
The goal is for you to finish a scenario with the real feeling of having survived an extraordinary epic with your crew.
For having defied and defeated death itself.
Thank you for your attention and enjoy your journey through the stars.
HoshiNam, CM Artifex Parvus