Every game in the main series has a standard Party Mode in which up to four players play through a board, trying to collect as many stars as possible. In every turn, each player rolls a die and progresses on the board, which usually has branching paths. Coins are primarily earned by performing well in a minigame played at the end of each turn. On most boards, players earn stars by reaching a star space and purchasing a star for a certain amount of coins. The star space appears randomly on one of several pre-determined locations and moves every time a star is purchased, usually occupying a blue space. Every Mario Party contains at least 50 to almost 110 minigames with a few different types. Four-player games are a free-for-all in which players compete individually. In 2-on-2 and 1-on-3 minigames, players compete as two groups, cooperating to win, even though they are still competing individually in the main game. Some minigames in Mario Party are 4-player co-op, even though it doesn't say it. In most situations, winners earn ten coins each.
The story begins with Mario and his friends standing around and arguing over who is the Super Star, the superior one among them. To sort things out amongst members of the gang, Wario theorizes that a Super Star must be strong. Donkey Kong abruptly agrees, while bragging about his strength. An argument and fight ensue between the two, with Luigi finding himself quite literally stuck in the middle. It is also suggested that Mario would make a good superstar, or Princess Peach, or even the energetic Yoshi. The gang begins to close in on Toad, who jumps and shouts out that he has an idea of what they should do. Arguing that being a Super Star takes not only strength, but also courage, wisdom, and kindness, he suggests that the crew take the Warp Pipe in Mushroom Village, and find out who is the Super Star of their adventures. Though he warns them that the path will be dangerous, all six of the competitors race toward the Pipe and enter it one by one, thus beginning the game itself.
