Crafting & Resource Management
Strategies for gathering and using resources effectively.
Hello everyone! This is Rafał Pieczyński, author and lead developer of Don’t Starve: The Board Game at Glass Cannon Unplugged. Today, I have a real treat for DIY enthusiasts! 😉
There are hundreds of items in Don’t Starve and the variety of different resources is pure insanity! Some are more useful than others, but each has a purpose. They’re most commonly acquired through gathering, combat, or using various tools, and their accessibility is often limited to different seasons. Properly managing them is never an easy task, but it’s an important part of the fun that comes from playing the game.
Translating this into the board game was truly a daunting task. How many resources do you actually need? Which ones should be prioritized? How do you use them? Where can you find them? How do you handle them? And so on, and so forth. After a fair amount of iterations, we finally settled on an effective and straightforward concept. Every item in the game is represented by a token. For ease of use, we divided them into 9 distinctive categories like weapons, armor, raw food, resources, etc.
Basic resources are exactly what they seem. Rare resources, however, have other resources indicated in the top-left corner, showing what they can substitute. For instance, a Log can be used as Twigs; Gold can be used as either Flint or Rocks. In most board games, resources are limited to about 3–5 types, each with a specific purpose. In Don’t Starve: The Board Game, we have over 30 different resources. Thanks to our system, each resource not only serves its unique purpose but can also substitute for a basic resource, ensuring that they’re always useful.
How do you acquire these resources, you ask? Most are found through exploration, gathering, and using various tools in the wild. Some, however, are only available through combat. For each defeated monster, players collect a corresponding Monster token. In addition to the basic reward, players flip each token to reveal the Trophy—monster-specific loot. Need one more Silk to craft a Fishing Rod for obtaining food? Fortunately, there are three Spiders at your location. After defeating them, you collect their Monster tokens and flip them over, finding one Spider Gland and two Silk. Not only did you get the Silk needed to address your Hunger, but you also obtained a Spider Gland, which will prove invaluable for your survival.
There are countless ways to survive in this unforgiving world. The fun is in finding the one that best suits your playstyle! Stay focused, observe carefully, learn from your experiences, and you’re halfway to overcoming the exciting challenges that await you!
