Stellar Dread is a narrative deck from Room One set aboard the Edenetheus, a spaceship presented as humanity’s last refuge. The series has two storylines, Virus and AI, each in a standard and a special version; this is the special edition of the Virus storyline.

• PublisherRoom One
• Tuck boxhatch door with cogwheel
• Contents55 custom cards with a puzzle game

Design

The back shows the ship’s menacing hatch and a detailed depiction of the Edenetheus drifting through space. In the Virus edition, the court cards portray the crew already transformed into monstrous creatures after being infected by a virus that emerged in space; the standard version, by contrast, shows them before the infection. All 55 cards are custom.

The tuck box

The most distinctive feature of this edition is the tuck box: turning a cogwheel opens a hatch door that reveals the design inside. The standard edition uses a different box, with grilles inspired by a ship’s ventilation system.

The puzzle game

The deck hides a puzzle in the form of a survival story: the player is the sole survivor on board, the AI-controlled robots have turned hostile and the former crew roams the corridors as monsters. To escape, you have to decipher the messages hidden in the cards.