For star count, I was also a bit confused about what affected it when I started playing. Unless I’m missing anything: your star count goes up based on the planets you’ve colonized, developments you’ve built, and certain cards like Political Discourse.
I hope you like it more when you’re not playing on your own. I’ve found it fun with the star point victory looming over you, it can make a last-second invasion victory seem pretty appealing. I also like how the randomization of the sectors dictates the win goal number each game.
Thank you for your feedback! Looking forward to hearing your further thoughts.
