Constellations is a world-building game about the stories we see in the stars.

Each player represents a different culture in the same world. Your cultures may have never met, yet you share certain things: the stars above you, the world around you, and the common experiences of life.

What stories are in your stars?

Draw constellations

Constellations is a one-page game where you will:

• Draw the constellations in your night sky.
• Tell stories about why each constellation is important to your culture.
• Mirror the stories and experiences of other cultures.
• End the game by learning which constellations are remembered in the future.

Gameplay is creative and contemplative. Play it as a stand-alone game, or use it for world-building in a larger campaign.

Gameplay at a glance

Begin a round with one player rolling dice to make a star cluster. Each player draws the constellation their culture sees in the night sky.

Next, create your constellation's story by choosing one of the rolled dice: 

• Pick an unused number to tell a new story: perhaps this constellation guides travellers to a spiritual location, signals the end of winter, or reminds you of a beloved Queen.
• Or, choose a number that is already linked to a story and mirror that story from your culture's perspective: do you have a similar spiritual location? Which season do you wait for? Is that same Queen considered evil by your people?

After making a few constellations, the game ends by jumping forward to the future. Roll the dice one final time to learn which constellations are remembered, and how your culture has changed.

Play in-person or online

Constellations is wonderful to play in-person: set the mood like you are around a campfire then roll the dice, draw in your Night Sky, and tell stories about the stars.

But you can also play online! You will need:

• A virtual dice roller to create your star clusters. You can use my website, or something like Roll20.  Try sharing your screen or pasting a screenshot of the dice pattern so other players can see it.
• A virtual white board to draw the constellations in your night sky and make story notes. I like to use Miro, but any virtual whiteboard works.

 

Get it for FREE!

You can get Constellations for free! Just click the Claim Access button under the Community Copies section below.

Or, pay $3 or more if you want to support my work.

Either way, enjoy playing!

 

Credits and thanks

Writing, art, and design by Nick Gralewicz.

Thank you to Adam Bell for making the first constellation. 

And thank you to Matt Latham, J. Strautman, Binary, Exeunt Press, Ryan Khan,  M. Allen Hall, Seb Pines, Maya Harry (SemiSinful), and the Good Luck Press Indie Game Night for playtesting, discussions, and support.

Dicier font by Speak the Sky is licensed under CC by 4.0.