In Celestia, players were forced to work together, but ultimately only one player could win. Players decided whether or not to stay aboard the airship to potentially earn better treasures, or to disembark and secure their accumulated riches. Risk equals reward? Maybe. In Celestia Duo, luck also plays a big role, but this time two players must work together to defeat a pirate ship.
On the table, there is a path of face-down cards with all kinds of challenges. Each turn, the captain decides (after possibly very undemocratic consultation) whether the players will go on a journey or resupply. If players go adventuring, they move a number of steps as indicated on their current location and then flip that card. On that card, there are a number of dice or rolls shown. These are symbols the players must defeat by taking turns discarding cards from their hands, but there are only a limited number of cards available and the penalty is unforgiving.
During a battle, players can also reroll dice by discarding smoke bombs and may also use the abilities of their companions. If they cannot defeat a symbol, their ship loses an energy token. No tokens left? Then they have lost. If the players overcome a challenge, they receive bonuses such as cards, companions, or coins.
The captain can also announce that players need to resupply. After resupplying, the other player becomes captain: “Look at me! I am the captain now!” Players can replenish their hands or use coins to buy cards or tokens. However, resupplying causes the pirate ship to move (just like raising the pirate flag), and if the pirates reach the end of the game, the players lose! If the players catch up to the pirates and manage to defeat them, they win.
In Celestia Duo, players defy their (mis)fortune and make sure they are well prepared for their adventure. Taking too many risks might be punished, but playing it too safe might be as well, so players need to find a good balance. An interesting cooperative game and a funny reimplementation of the popular game Celestia.
