Star (board game)

Star is a two-player abstract strategy connection game designed by Craige Schensted, later known as Ea Ea, and first published in Games magazine by Playboy Enterprises in September 1983. It is played on a board of hexagonal cells with variable sizes and shapes, most commonly using unequal edges, and belongs to the same family as Hex, Y, Havannah and TwixT, though it differs by rewarding a higher final score rather than requiring a specific connection goal. Scoring is based on stars, meaning connected groups of stones that touch at least three border cells, and the game uses a pie rule to offset any first-player advantage. Star evolved out of an earlier Schensted game called Poly-Y from the 1970s; its distinctive scoring system was devised during playtesting sessions with his wife specifically to avoid ties. A later variant, called Star, was developed afterward with better balance between edge and center moves.