boardgamevideo
  • Trending
  • Videos
  • Games
  • Channels
  • Lists
  • Shorts

Explore

  • Home
  • Trending
  • Channels
  • Videos
  • Games
  • Lists
  • Shorts
  • Conventions
  • Year in Review

Browse by type

  • Reviews
  • How to play
  • Playthroughs
  • Unboxing
  • Top 100 lists
  • Featured videos
  • Trending this week
  • Rising games
  • Games with fresh review perspectives

Information

  • About
  • Contact
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022–2026 BoardGameVideo.com

Powered by BGG
  • Videos
  • Trending
  • Shorts
  • Channels
  • Games
  • Lists
Forbidden Stars

Forbidden Stars

2015·Samuel Bailey, James Kniffen, Corey Konieczka

Videos
11
Creators
8

Mostly playthroughs and reviews. Forbidden Stars is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 4 reviews, 1 how-to-play guides, 5 recorded sessions, and 1 other video.

2 - 4 players
120 - 180 min
Heavy weight: Expect a long teach

From BoardGameGeek

The shifting Warp Storms that surround the long lost Herakon Cluster have finally abated, leaving the ancient treasures and planets within this sector open to the rest of the galaxy. Now, the great factions of the galaxy mobilize their fleets and race to establish a foothold. The reward for successful domination surpasses all other concerns, and the price for conquering this sector will be paid in lives. Forbidden Stars challenges you and up to three other players to take command of a mighty fighting force: the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines, the Eldar of Craftworld Iyanden, the Evil Sunz Ork clan, or the World Eaters Warband of the Chaos Space Marines. Each faction offers unique armies and play styles, but your goal remains the same - to claim the key objectives selected for your faction. These objective tokens are scattered throughout the Herakon Cluster, but your opponents are sure to defend your objectives against you. You need to build massive armies and command them in unending war to best your enemies and claim your objectives. The fight for the Herakon Cluster is brutal and bloody, and either you will stride triumphant over the bodies of your fallen foes - or they will do the same to you. Each round in Forbidden Stars is divided into three phases. In the planning phase, players take turns placing order tokens face down on the separate tiles (systems) that make up the game board; the four types of order tokens that players can place correspond to four types of actions that players can resolve in the second phase of play. In the operations phase, players reveal their tokens to: Dominate, draining friendly planets of their important resources Strategize, purchasing cards that can upgrade their orders and combat abilities Deploy, building cities, factories, bastions, and new mobile units Advance, moving units and attacking their enemies. The last phase of each round is the refresh phase, during which players profit from the planets they control, reveal event cards to move the impassable Warp Storms, and heal any units wounded in battle. Because of the game's three-phase structure, strategy in Forbidden Stars is balanced between short-term bluffing and long-term tactical military action. The game's set-up also poses strategic opportunities. Players start the game by taking turns assembling sections of the Herakon Cluster, placing individual system tiles along with their own starting forces and the enemy objectives that they must defend. This intentional construction, along with the unique domination abilities of the game's four factions, means that players must work to best utilize their own force's strengths while exploiting the weaknesses of their opponents.

Forbidden Stars

Watch first

Learn to play

Forbidden Stars board game- how to play36:16

Forbidden Stars board game- how to play

EZBoardGames

EZBoardGames

Review

TDG: Forbidden Stars with Ray18:10

TDG: Forbidden Stars with Ray

The Discriminating Gamer

The Discriminating Gamer

Watch it played

Forbidden Stars Play Through - 7/6/253:10:45

Forbidden Stars Play Through - 7/6/25

By The Furnace Gaming

By The Furnace Gaming

Which Forbidden Stars video should I watch?

Forbidden Stars has 11 videos from 8 creators: 4 reviews, 1 how-to-play guide, 5 playthroughs and 1 other video. They date from 2022 to August 2026.

To learn the rules, start with "Forbidden Stars board game- how to play" by EZBoardGames, which runs 36 min.

For an opinion before you buy, start with "TDG: Forbidden Stars with Ray" by The Discriminating Gamer. 4 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Forbidden Stars Play Through - 7/6/25" by By The Furnace Gaming, one of 5 playthroughs.

If you like it, try Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition, Star Wars: Rebellion and Eldritch Horror, also by Corey Konieczka, or Star Wars: Armada, also by James Kniffen.

All videos

Forbidden Stars - Live PlaythroughPlaythrough5:24:42

Forbidden Stars - Live Playthrough

NinjaGeek Games

NinjaGeek Games

Forbidden Stars Playthrough (3 Players)Playthrough3:27:30

Forbidden Stars Playthrough (3 Players)

Rob's Gaming Table

Rob's Gaming Table

Forbidden Stars - (Warhammer 40,000 Strategy) - Two Players - Jul 16 - 17 2025Playthrough2:47:13

Forbidden Stars - (Warhammer 40,000 Strategy) - Two Players - Jul 16 - 17 2025

By The Furnace Gaming

By The Furnace Gaming

Forbidden Stars - Eldar vs Space Marines - Two Player - 07/07/25Playthrough2:46:51

Forbidden Stars - Eldar vs Space Marines - Two Player - 07/07/25

By The Furnace Gaming

By The Furnace Gaming

Forbidden Stars Play Through - 7/6/25Playthrough3:10:45

Forbidden Stars Play Through - 7/6/25

By The Furnace Gaming

By The Furnace Gaming

Forbidden Stars - 4-Player playthrough & ReviewReview5:15:57

Forbidden Stars - 4-Player playthrough & Review

Gaming Rules!

Gaming Rules!

TDG: Folded Space: Forbidden Stars Insert5:19

TDG: Folded Space: Forbidden Stars Insert

The Discriminating Gamer

The Discriminating Gamer

TDG: Forbidden Stars with RayReview18:10

TDG: Forbidden Stars with Ray

The Discriminating Gamer

The Discriminating Gamer

Forbidden Stars board game- how to playHow to play36:16

Forbidden Stars board game- how to play

EZBoardGames

EZBoardGames

Forbidden Stars (Fantasy Flight Games) Review & How to PlayReview51:50

Forbidden Stars (Fantasy Flight Games) Review & How to Play

Tabletop Sci-Fi

Tabletop Sci-Fi

My 1st Warhammer 40k Board Game - Unboxing Forbidden Stars!Review14:48

My 1st Warhammer 40k Board Game - Unboxing Forbidden Stars!

Quackalope

Quackalope

Forbidden Stars board game- how to play36:16

Forbidden Stars board game- how to play

EZBoardGames

EZBoardGames

TDG: Forbidden Stars with Ray18:10

TDG: Forbidden Stars with Ray

The Discriminating Gamer

The Discriminating Gamer

Forbidden Stars - 4-Player playthrough & Review5:15:57

Forbidden Stars - 4-Player playthrough & Review

Gaming Rules!

Gaming Rules!

Forbidden Stars (Fantasy Flight Games) Review & How to Play51:50

Forbidden Stars (Fantasy Flight Games) Review & How to Play

Tabletop Sci-Fi

Tabletop Sci-Fi

My 1st Warhammer 40k Board Game - Unboxing Forbidden Stars!14:48

My 1st Warhammer 40k Board Game - Unboxing Forbidden Stars!

Quackalope

Quackalope

Forbidden Stars Play Through - 7/6/253:10:45

Forbidden Stars Play Through - 7/6/25

By The Furnace Gaming

By The Furnace Gaming

Forbidden Stars - Live Playthrough5:24:42

Forbidden Stars - Live Playthrough

NinjaGeek Games

NinjaGeek Games

Forbidden Stars - Eldar vs Space Marines - Two Player - 07/07/252:46:51

Forbidden Stars - Eldar vs Space Marines - Two Player - 07/07/25

By The Furnace Gaming

By The Furnace Gaming

Forbidden Stars Playthrough (3 Players)3:27:30

Forbidden Stars Playthrough (3 Players)

Rob's Gaming Table

Rob's Gaming Table

Forbidden Stars - (Warhammer 40,000 Strategy) - Two Players - Jul 16 - 17 20252:47:13

Forbidden Stars - (Warhammer 40,000 Strategy) - Two Players - Jul 16 - 17 2025

By The Furnace Gaming

By The Furnace Gaming

Creators who cover this

All channels
By The Furnace Gaming
By The Furnace Gaming
3 videos of this game
The Discriminating Gamer
The Discriminating Gamer
2 videos of this game
EZBoardGames
EZBoardGames
1 video of this game
Gaming Rules!
Gaming Rules!
1 video of this game
NinjaGeek Games
NinjaGeek Games
1 video of this game
Quackalope
Quackalope
1 video of this game
Rob's Gaming Table
Rob's Gaming Table
1 video of this game
Tabletop Sci-Fi
Tabletop Sci-Fi
1 video of this game

Games like this

All games

Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition

2017·Dane Beltrami, Corey Konieczka, Christian T. Petersen

Videos
356
Creators
122
Mainly how-to-play and playthroughs

3 - 6 players·240 - 480 min·Very heavy weight

Star Wars: Rebellion

2016·Corey Konieczka

Videos
151
Creators
53
Mainly playthroughs

2 - 4 players·180 - 240 min·Heavy weight

Eldritch Horror

2013·Corey Konieczka, Nikki Valens

Videos
148
Creators
50
Mainly playthroughs

1 - 8 players·120 - 240 min·Heavy weight

Star Wars: Armada

2015·James Kniffen, Christian T. Petersen

Videos
145
Creators
30
Mostly playthroughs

2 players·120 min·Heavy weight

About Forbidden Stars

From BoardGameGeek:

The shifting Warp Storms that surround the long lost Herakon Cluster have finally abated, leaving the ancient treasures and planets within this sector open to the rest of the galaxy. Now, the great factions of the galaxy mobilize their fleets and race to establish a foothold. The reward for successful domination surpasses all other concerns, and the price for conquering this sector will be paid in lives. Forbidden Stars challenges you and up to three other players to take command of a mighty fighting force: the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines, the Eldar of Craftworld Iyanden, the Evil Sunz Ork clan, or the World Eaters Warband of the Chaos Space Marines. Each faction offers unique armies and play styles, but your goal remains the same - to claim the key objectives selected for your faction. These objective tokens are scattered throughout the Herakon Cluster, but your opponents are sure to defend your objectives against you. You need to build massive armies and command them in unending war to best your enemies and claim your objectives. The fight for the Herakon Cluster is brutal and bloody, and either you will stride triumphant over the bodies of your fallen foes - or they will do the same to you. Each round in Forbidden Stars is divided into three phases. In the planning phase, players take turns placing order tokens face down on the separate tiles (systems) that make up the game board; the four types of order tokens that players can place correspond to four types of actions that players can resolve in the second phase of play. In the operations phase, players reveal their tokens to: Dominate, draining friendly planets of their important resources Strategize, purchasing cards that can upgrade their orders and combat abilities Deploy, building cities, factories, bastions, and new mobile units Advance, moving units and attacking their enemies. The last phase of each round is the refresh phase, during which players profit from the planets they control, reveal event cards to move the impassable Warp Storms, and heal any units wounded in battle. Because of the game's three-phase structure, strategy in Forbidden Stars is balanced between short-term bluffing and long-term tactical military action. The game's set-up also poses strategic opportunities. Players start the game by taking turns assembling sections of the Herakon Cluster, placing individual system tiles along with their own starting forces and the enemy objectives that they must defend. This intentional construction, along with the unique domination abilities of the game's four factions, means that players must work to best utilize their own force's strengths while exploiting the weaknesses of their opponents.

Designers

Samuel Bailey, James Kniffen, Corey Konieczka

Artists

Erfian Asafat, Jacob Atienza, Dimitri Bielak, Lin Bo, Matt Bradbury, Sergio Camarena, Jon Cave, Andrew Christensen and 30 more

Publisher

Fantasy Flight Games

Categories

FightingScience FictionWargame

Mechanics

Area Majority / InfluenceArea MovementCombat ResolutionDeck Building
View on BoardGameGeek ›
Home
Games
Forbidden Stars
cached: 175155