Star Cartel

About this board game

Star Cartel is a black-market trading game for 3–6 players, with play time of about 60 minutes. You are ready to leave the dingy cantina behind and make your fortune within the Cartel.

Load your ship with available goods, then decide how much to stash for yourself and how much to deliver. Once your ship is full, the goods you ship modify their own value, so every shipment can reshape the market. The Cartel’s prices change with each fresh delivery, making timing and selection important.

Will you risk everything on illicit plants, build a careful mix of med-kits and energy crystals, or deliver as quickly as possible to reach a special ship? Push too hard and the price can fall rapidly, taking your hopes of a valuable stash with it.

• Manage changing values: Your shipments affect the value of the goods being delivered.
• Fill and upgrade: When your ship is full and you make a delivery, you move to the next highest-capacity ship.
• Choose your cargo: Consider illicit plants, med-kits, and energy crystals as you plan each shipment.

Every delivery brings a new ship, but it also changes the conditions of the black market. Star Cartel rewards players who can balance speed, cargo choices, and the temptation to push for more.

At the end of the game, the player who stashed the most luxurious goods wins. Make each delivery count, watch the shifting prices, and decide when it is time to cash in your carefully gathered contraband.