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Description
In A Message From The Stars, a team of scientists seeks to decipher cryptic messages from an extraterrestrial civilization.
Set against a backdrop of cosmic mystery, players take on the roles of brilliant scientists tasked with decoding a series of perplexing satellite transmissions. These transmissions are believed to contain vital messages from an alien race that could hold the key to the destiny of Earth. The catch? The messages are incomprehensible, written in an entirely unknown alien language.
Using engrossing deduction mechanics, players will collaborate with their fellow scientists to send messages back to the extraterrestrial senders. By exchanging these messages, you hope to unravel the intricate linguistic code that conceals the true intentions of the alien entity. Each interaction yields a numerical value, a piece of the puzzle that you'll need to solve the riddle of the alien language.
Players can engage in cooperative gameplay, where all scientists pool their collective intellect to crack the alien code and unveil the hidden message. Alternatively, delve into team play, with two alien players sending messages across the galaxy.
The future of interstellar relations lies in your hands!
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2024
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 9
This page: 9
Sentiment:
pos 9 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–9 of 9
Video yE3f-tRVODg
Beyond soliter interview at 1:53 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13539 · mention_pk 39598
Click to watch at 1:53
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique theme
- Potential for rich storytelling
Cons
- Niche appeal
Thematic elements
- Faith, building a religion, and community
- Cosmic exploration and ritual building
- Narrative-driven with thematic flavor
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative/competitive negotiation — Players negotiate to advance shared goals while still competing.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Deadlines are magical indeed
- Just make something, just try and see what happens
- Stop putting your game in front of designers
- Don't take yourself out of the running
- You're pitching yourself as somebody the publisher might want to work with
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NYzir6BpqgE
Dice Tower top_10_list at 9:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12843 · mention_pk 37520
Click to watch at 9:45
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- highly engaging word/deduction mechanic
- teaches well and amazes players
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- letter-based deduction and word discovery
- word/letter deduction and clue-giving
- word-based puzzle solving
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deduction / clue-giving with value adjustments — players give clues about letters to steer others toward words
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Itto is one of the best party games ever made. It is a Dice Tower essential.
- Message from the Stars is such a great deduction game. I got a chance to teach it again recently and it just blows people's minds every time.
- I love this theme of the psychotherapists... it's so good, so rewarding.
- Rainbow has this fantastic mix of For Sale where you're trying to win different trenches of cards in the middle of the table—the depth is remarkable for such a tiny box.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dwnoqgIIHZ4
Rolls in the Family top_5_list at 15:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10603 · mention_pk 31255
Click to watch at 15:07
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- unique, mental exercise
- interesting take on deduction and communication
Cons
- math/word-element may not appeal to everyone
Thematic elements
- alien vs human word-deduction game
- sci-fi/deduction in space
- thematic deduction with secret roles
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- two-team deduction — alien vs human teams deduce secret words and communicate clues within rules.
- word-deduction with hidden lists — words are exchanged to guide the guessing phase, constrained by scoring rules.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- D's not a rules follower
- on each person's turn you know one person draws calls out a resource and then everyone has to place that resource
- it's a gateway game and it looks beautiful on the table
- the alien player is giving the human team a word and saying this is the score for this word
- Lost Cities is tense and cutthroat in a very clean, simple way
- this is basically Dominion but with words in Paperback
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 7HvunsUSRH0
Cardboard Eric top_10_list at 1:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10284 · mention_pk 30356
Click to watch at 1:54
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Great for sci-fi fans
- Engaging word play
- Fun at higher player counts
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Communication
- Sci-fi
- Party game
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Word Play — Sending secret messages
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I am a massive sci-fi fan
- There is so much game in this game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 19922vSRDuU
Cardboard Herald game_review at 0:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7211 · mention_pk 21364
Click to watch at 0:28
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Cipher mechanic creates a satisfying, puzzle-like challenge
- Balanced tension between solving the cipher and delivering a message
- Accessible as a light social deduction game with additional depth
- Competitive variant adds edge by tying points to performance
Cons
- No built-in win/lose outcome in base rules; final score can feel anticlimactic
- Lacks incentive for achieving a perfect score in the core rulebook
- May not sustain a full night for all groups
Thematic elements
- Interstellar communication and cipher-based word puzzles
- Outer space; aliens sending transmissions to Earth, scientists interpreting the messages
- Mad Lib style messages paired with a shared cipher
Comparison games
- Code Names
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cipher scoring — Words and letters form a cipher that both sides try to maximize or interpret while conveying their message
- Cooperative with optional competitive variant — Base game is cooperative; a competitive variant exists with private transmissions
- Mad Lib style messaging — Each side crafts a secret message under a Mad Lib style prompt to be transmitted
- Word drafting and feedback — Alien passes a word with a cipher; scientists respond with a word to fit the cipher and the message
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The cipher mechanic is great, adding just enough limitations to create a fun puzzle
- A Message from the Stars has a niche as a light social deduction game with more going on than Code Names
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video EpGmlf6Ku_g
Before You Play game_review at 10:57 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3712 · mention_pk 10945
Click to watch at 10:57
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique deduction mechanic
- Mathematical puzzle
- Cooperative gameplay
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Complex mathematical component
Thematic elements
- Alien cipher decoding
- Space communication
- Cooperative puzzle
Comparison games
- Decrypto
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cipher decoding — Players use mathematical equations to decode alien messages
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We both really enjoy deduction games
- Sometimes you just want to play a lighter game
- It's so rare to play a game like this
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video srlSTOmI-Zk
Before You Play top_10_list at 12:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3062 · mention_pk 8940
Click to watch at 12:06
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique deduction mechanic
- Challenging gameplay
- Innovative communication system
Cons
- Difficult to learn
- Complex mathematical equation
Thematic elements
- Deduction and code-breaking
- Alien communication
- Collaborative puzzle-solving
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Word-based deduction — Players use mathematical equations to decode a six-letter cipher
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The simplicity of it is what makes it really interesting.
- We typically really enjoy heavy games, but this one was really interesting in just the way that it was implemented.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ZzbnLzZkwP8
Before You Play top_10_list at 10:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1574 · mention_pk 4555
Click to watch at 10:13
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong deduction theme with broad appeal
- Compact AllPlay design fits many settings
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- alien communication and cryptic messaging
- Earth-based humans decoding alien messages
- deduction/cooperative
Comparison games
- Crypto
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative/team play — Players team up to interpret and translate messages.
- Deduction of numbers and words — Players work to decipher coded alien messages.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- there's just so many games so little time
- the art is really really nice I think the art is what drew me into it initially
- I love games that Implement multiuse
- you are in an Academy of sorts and you are taking your final exam
- it's going to be faster to table at three players
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video q3J78ooR8ig
The Dice Tower top_10_list at 1:35 sentiment: positive
video_pk 659 · mention_pk 1887
Click to watch at 1:35
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging cooperative deduction
- Unique alien-language puzzle implemented via math
- Challenging and esoteric charm
Cons
- Esoteric design may not fit all players
- Rule clarity can be equal parts opaque to accessible
Thematic elements
- alien communication and mathematical decoding
- Cooperative space exploration with alien-language deduction
- esoteric puzzle-solving
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative deduction — Players work together to deduce alien language/mathematical clues to solve a central mystery.
- Deduction through logic/math — Solutions emerge from parsing math-based clues to decode the alien language.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "This is my go-to game to take and I love it because I think we put it on our icebreaker list. It really is a great game to play with people who you don't know very well because you're trying talking about how you rank different things and it brings just some really unintentional hilarity when people will put the things in order that they do. I like this party game a lot. I really recommend this is one of those games I think everybody should own."
- "A Message from the Stars, a cooperative deduction game... I really like the aspect of working together trying to figure out this alien language of sorts and I think it and it's just done through math and I really like it."
- "Bombbusters is an absolutely fantastic game... one of the best cooperative games that with little interaction between the players."
- "Endeavor Deep Sea. What a fantastic game. I hadn't played it in 2024. Other people played it, and I love the concept of going down into the ocean."
- "Star Wars Unlimited... I enjoy them all. I get them when they come out. I sort out the cards. Have fun building decks. Still really loving this game."
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–9 of 9