STAG - Standard
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The FroGames Card
You've raised that beetle for five rounds. Now it's an adult, sitting in the center of the board with the others. Someone suggests cooperation. Someone nods. Someone lies.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
A planning game that ends with a survival bluff
J.J. Neville (designer and artist of Mycelia) returns with Stag, a game that follows the life cycle of beetles — from underground eggs to adult insects, culminating in a final combat. Published by Split Stone Games in 2027, it's designed to be accessible (weight 1 out of 5) but with decisions that matter every round.
The game is divided into two parts: the first is resource management and simultaneous planning, where you raise your beetles by programming actions with multiple-choice tiles. The second is the showdown: when two or more beetles reach adulthood, a confrontation ensues in the center of the board — everyone secretly decides whether to cooperate to divide points or fight to take everything. After five showdowns, the player with the most points wins.
What they say abroad
"A simultaneous strategy game about beetles where smart planning earns points, but the lure of greed can cost you dearly"
A simultaneous strategy game about beetles where smart planning earns points, but the lure of greed can cost you dearly
— Split Stone Games
Stag is a game just released on Kickstarter (July 2026) with very few published reviews. The premises are solid — the programming system is reminiscent of Mycelia, the twist of the final duel is intriguing — but it needs to be played to understand if it holds up for a hundred games. This card will be updated with the first Italian review as soon as we have it on the table.
— FroGames
Stag
The game supports 1 player according to BGG, but we haven't found details on the solo system (automa, dedicated objectives, or puzzle mode). Without reviews, it's impossible to say if the experience is complete or if it loses the psychological showdown — which is half the game.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · first reading: based on rules and official presentation, updated with initial playsKey components
What you find in the box
Beetle cards
Real species hand-illustrated by J.J. Neville, with common and scientific names. Each card shows the requirements for each stage of the cycle: eggs to hatch, resources to go from larva to pupa, time to become an adult.
Action tiles
Five personal tiles, each with three actions to choose from. You place them in the columns of your mat, aligning the action you want. All resolve simultaneously. You can upgrade them during the game to unlock better effects.
Rotating circular board
Four concentric rings representing the developmental stages of beetles. The central ring rotates each round and changes available paths, forcing you to revise your plans. A large wooden beetle in the center keeps everything aligned.
Resource tokens and life trackers
Eggs, wood, water, sap, fruit, nectar. Each player has a two-level layered mat with time trackers to age larvae and pupae, plus spaces for cards, tokens, and cards slipped under the mat as permanent upgrades.
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
Stag is a simultaneous turn game with a cyclical structure: everyone programs, everyone reveals, the board rotates, and a showdown is checked for.
Take your five tiles and place them in the columns of your mat, aligning the action you want to perform. You can choose from: hatching/growing beetles, collecting resources, aging larvae/pupae, drawing cards, trading resources, advancing on track paths, upgrading tiles.
Everyone reveals their tiles together and resolves actions in column order. You move tokens from your personal mat to the central board, pay costs, collect benefits. Someone runs out of eggs, someone discovers they don't have enough wood.
The central ring of the board turns one notch. Available paths change; spaces that were close are now far. This rotation forces you to re-plan each round: you cannot use the same strategy for two turns in a row.
If two or more adult beetles are on the board, a showdown begins. All players with adult beetles secretly decide: cooperate (split points equally) or fight (the fighter wins all if they are the only one, otherwise no one gets anything). After five showdowns, the game ends.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Setup and first eggs
Everyone gets a mat, five action tiles, a deck of beetle cards. The circular board rotates for the first time. Someone makes a joke about larvae. No one has yet realized how much the final showdowns will matter.
Everyone programs, everyone makes mistakes
Choose five actions, reveal them simultaneously. The board rotates and the space you wanted is occupied. You randomly collect resources, hatch a larva you hadn't planned, someone huffs because they forgot to age the pupa.
The first adult beetles
Two beetles reach the last ring. First showdown: everyone secretly decides whether to cooperate or fight. Someone betrays, someone trusts, points shift. From now on, every choice counts double.
Playing on others' timing
Now you know when your opponents will grow their beetles. You try to match your adults with theirs to force a showdown that benefits you. Someone upgrades tiles for double actions. The tension rises.
Fifth showdown and scoring
Last clash. Those who betrayed too much are behind in points, those who cooperated too much don't have enough. Someone wins by one point gained three rounds ago. Game over: everyone tells when they realized you were lying.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things you need to know
The rules are simple, but the first game is chaotic. You don't understand the rhythm of the life cycle, you don't plan resources, you arrive at the showdown unprepared. From the second game you improve a lot, but the first is frustrating — warn new players.
You grow beetles for four rounds, reach a showdown, someone betrays you, and you lose all those points. Bluffing is fun but can make it feel like previous planning didn't matter. If your group hates social deduction, this game won't work.
With four players, showdowns are unpredictable and tense. With two, it's almost cooperative until betrayal strikes, but it loses the group psychology. The game is designed for 3-4; with two, it works but is a different experience.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Stag ends after the fifth showdown. The player with the most points wins, summing those earned in clashes, those from track paths, and those from completed personal objectives.
Victory points
- Winning showdowns (cooperating or successfully fighting): 3 to 8 points per clash
- Advancing on track paths on the board (strength, speed, etc.): 1-3 points per level
- Completing personal and universal objectives shown on cards: 2-5 points each
Points lost
- Fighting in a showdown where more than one player fights: no one gets points
- Arriving at a showdown without adult beetles: you don't participate and gain nothing
- Ignoring track paths: you lose final points compared to those who climbed them
It's a eurogame that ends like a bluff game. If you like the idea of planning resources for five rounds and then lying to everyone at the last minute, Stag does exactly that.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Stag
What mechanics does Stag use?
Simultaneous programming (programmed movement), resource management, hand management, tracks, social deduction in the endgame. The structure resembles light euro puzzle games; the twist is the collective bluff of the showdowns.
Is it suitable for families with children?
Yes, if the children are at least 10 years old and understand the concept of bluffing and calculated risk. The basic rules are accessible (weight 1 out of 5), but showdowns require psychological reading of others. With adults explaining well, it works from 10 years old upwards.
How much does luck matter?
Little. Drawing beetle cards introduces variability (different species have different requirements), but actions are all under your control. The real variable is the behavior of others: whether they betray or cooperate changes everything, but it's not luck — it's reading the table.
Does it work well solo?
BGG says it supports 1 player, but we haven't found details on the solo system. Without showdowns (which are the heart of the game), we imagine it becomes a pure optimization puzzle. We await reviews to confirm whether solo is a complete mode or an addition for completeness.
Is it available in Italian?
No. The edition for sale is in English. The game has text on the cards (species names, requirements, abilities) and a rulebook to read. Language dependency is medium: you need to understand the cards and action tiles, but there are no long narrative texts. No official Italian translations are currently available.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Stag is a strategy board game for 1-4 players, lasting 60-120 minutes, recommended for ages 10+. Designed and illustrated by J.J. Neville, published by Split Stone Games in 2027. The main mechanic is simultaneous action programming (programmed movement) combined with resource management and social deduction. Players raise beetles through their life cycle — from eggs to larvae, from pupae to adult insects — by programming five actions in turn on a rotating circular board. When two or more beetles reach adulthood, a showdown occurs: each player secretly decides whether to cooperate to split points or fight to take them all. After five showdowns, the player with the most points wins. Stag has a weight of 1 out of 5 on BoardGameGeek, making it accessible to families and new players, but the final bluffing component also makes it interesting for more experienced groups. Available on FroGames.it.
STAG - Standard
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
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