# Celestia: A Little Help ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2016 - **BGG Rating**: 7.2 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-6 (Best with: 5, 6) - **Duration**: 30 min - **Weight**: 1.55 / 5 - **Designers**: Aaron Weissblum - **Artists**: Gaetan Noir - **Publishers**: Arclight Games, AURUM, Inc., Blackrock Games, BLAM !, Evrikus, Ghenos Games, hobbity.eu, WoodCat - **Categories**: Expansion for Base-game - **Mechanics**: Betting and Bluffing, Hand Management, Push Your Luck, Variable Player Powers ## Verdict If you love bluffing while lending (or sabotaging) a hand to the captain, you’ll love this expansion.Constant bluffingDynamic hand managementVariable powersQuick roundsRequires base gameCard‑only contentLight learning curveHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Celestia: A Little Help arrives as an expansion to the original Celestia, adding fresh layers of strategy and trickery for fans of the base game. The core premise is straightforward: passengers may offer assistance to the captain, but not every helping hand is truly helpful. Each player receives cards representing resources, promises, or bluffs, and must decide when to reveal or conceal their intentions. The betting and bluffing system keeps you constantly trying to read the table, while hand management forces you to plan the order of your plays. The push‑your‑luck element appears when you choose to accept or reject offered help, potentially earning extra points or risking what you’ve already secured. Additionally, every player has a variable power – unique abilities that shift from game to game – adding even more variety. A typical playtime is about 30 minutes, making it perfect for quick sessions or as a filler between larger games. Supporting 2 to 6 players, the expansion retains the lightness of the original (weight 1.5/5) while offering enough depth for those who enjoy bluffing and risky decisions. Components consist mainly of new cards and a few markers, all illustrated in a steampunk style that evokes dirigibles floating over fantastical landscapes. If you already own Celestia, this expansion feels almost mandatory; if you’re new to the base game, it’s worth checking it out first, as A Little Help leans heavily on the established mechanics. In short, it’s a fun way to heat up a session, pit friends against each other, and see who can hide their bluff the best. ## How to Play Game Objective With the "A Little Help" expansion, players can use the new Equipment: A Little Help cards when the airship is about to crash and the new Upgraded Equipment cards to face Celestia's most adverse conditions. Your character will also grant a special power, and the new Power cards will help gain an advantage over other adventurers. The end-game condition remains the same: as soon as a player reaches 50 points or more through Treasure cards at the start of a new journey, they win. Preparation (Setup) Add the 14 Equipment: A Little Help cards, the 8 Upgraded Equipment cards, and the 4 new Special cards to the original game's deck. Each player randomly takes an Adventurer pawn and then chooses the corresponding Character card. Players can also choose their favorite character. Place a Character card in front of you. Then, finalize the setup as explained in the regular Celestia game. Game Flow Refer to the manual for details on this section. Actions and How to Play Character Cards Each player starts the game with a Character card placed in front of them. Each character has a unique power that can only be used once during the game: Red: Amelia Lorna-Lou / Lord Hawkins When: When the airship is about to crash. Power: Discard a Treasure card to re-roll all dice. Blue: Mel Katansky / Orville Russell K. When: When the airship is about to crash. Power: You take over as captain. You will have to play the necessary Equipment cards. When you are the new captain, Power cards can be played, but not Equipment: A Little Help cards. Green: Sonja Blixxen / Ambroise Septimus When: When the airship is about to crash. Power: Ignore all Pirate events (no need for an Equipment card to face them and dice cannot be re-rolled). Yellow: Aleshanee Eyota / Howard McFerty When: When the airship is about to crash. Power: Draw the first two cards from the Equipment deck to face the upcoming events without adding them to your own deck. Equipment: A Little Help cards can also be used to face these events. The cards are then discarded, whether the airship crashes or not. Black: Claudia Harker / Alekseï Timovitch When: Before you or another captain rolls the dice. Power: Set two dice aside and only roll the others. Purple: Victoria de Beckliss / Marcus Hartmann When: When all passengers have announced their intention. Power: Force someone to stay with you, whether you remain or leave the airship. Power Cards Bandit Who: All players. When: Before the captain rolls the die. Effect: The captain must roll one extra die. Mooring line Who: All players. When: When the captain plays their cards. Effect: The airship does not travel to the next city and remains on the same tile. The captain discards the cards they used to face the events, and the next player becomes the captain. Equipment: A Little Help Cards When the captain announces that the airship is about to crash, all passengers (and only them) can place – if they wish – one or more Equipment: A Little Help cards face down on the table. Once all cards have been placed face down, reveal them all at once. If the captain has the necessary Equipment cards in their hand to complete the challenge with the help of the Equipment: A Little Help cards played by the passengers, they must play them and continue the journey. Each Equipment: A Little Help card allows facing an event with the same symbol. Then all Equipment: A Little Help cards are discarded, whether the plane crashes or not. If the airship still crashes, it is no longer possible to play any Equipment: A Little Help cards for this journey, but you can still use Special cards. Attention: When taking on the role of captain, a player cannot use their own Equipment: A Little Help cards. Upgraded Equipment Cards These new cards allow facing 2 events of the same type (2 dice with the same symbol) with only a single Upgraded Equipment card. Like the other Equipment cards, the captain must play them, even if they only have to face one event. These cards can only be played when you are not the captain of the airship. End of Game and Scoring The game ends as soon as a player reaches 50 points or more through Treasure cards at the start of a new journey. That player wins the game. When counting points, each player loses 2 points for each remaining Equipment: A Little Help card they have. For example, if a player has 50 treasure points and calls for the end of the game, but has two Equipment: A Little Help cards left, they lose 4 points and end the game with only 46 points. Tips for Winning Use Equipment: A Little Help cards to help the captain overcome challenges, but be aware that they can cost points at the end of the game if unused. Take advantage of the unique powers of Character cards at strategic moments, as each power can only be used once per game. Consider using Upgraded Equipment cards to face multiple events of the same type with a single card, optimizing your resources. ## FAQ ### How many players can join? 2 to 6 players, using the same component set as the base game. ### How long does a game take? Approximately 30 minutes, depending on player experience. ### Do I need the base Celestia game? Yes, A Little Help is an expansion that builds on the rules and components of the original game. ### What is the complexity level? Light (BGG weight 1.5/5); easy to learn but offers strategic depth for bluff enthusiasts. ### What new components are included? Additional cards, help markers, and a concise rule sheet, all illustrated in a steampunk style. ### Is it suitable for kids? Recommended for ages 10+, as it involves bluffing and reading opponents. ### Can I play without using variable powers? Yes, but part of the fun comes from the variety those powers add to each session. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 5.66 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6913282&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 7.90 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=601154&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 8.33 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3434256&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 8.58 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=7172337&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 8.59 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6075799&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 9.03 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1015709&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 9.81 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1658191&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 9.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=660507&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 10.72 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4777830&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 11.92 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=2421041&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/19238/celestia-a-little-help?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com