# Vantage

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2025
- **BGG Rating**: 8.2
- **BGG Rank**: #208
- **Players**: 1-6 (Best with: 2)
- **Duration**: 120-180 min
- **Weight**: 2.33 / 5
- **Designers**: Jamey Stegmaier
- **Artists**: Emilien Rotival, Sören Meding, Valentina Filic
- **Publishers**: Stonemaier Games, Delta Vision Publishing, Feuerland Spiele, Keep Exploring Games, Kolossal Games, Maldito Games
- **Categories**: Adventure, Exploration, Fantasy, Science Fiction
- **Mechanics**: Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Die Icon Resolution, Narrative Choice / Paragraph, Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game, Solo / Solitaire Game

## Verdict
Perfect for those who love pure exploration and the thrill of group discovery. The open world is massive and intriguing.Total freedom of explorationEngaging asymmetric communicationMassive content in one boxMultiple victory conditionsVery long play sessionsLearning curve for beginnersRECOMMENDED

## Description
Imagine crashing onto an uncharted planet, separated from your crew, and having total freedom to decide your next move. That is the core of Vantage, a cooperative open-world adventure where exploration is the main event. Forget linear paths; this is a true sandbox featuring nearly 800 interconnected locations spread across hundreds of cards. The game creates a deep sense of immersion by presenting the world from a first-person perspective.

The real magic lies in the communication. While you can chat and support your teammates, each player is scattered across the world. This means only you can see your current location, forcing the group to exchange information and coordinate efforts to survive and succeed. Regarding victory, Vantage doesn't lock you into a single path. You can aim for a mission victory, a destiny victory, or an epic victory by completing both. Furthermore, the game allows you to define your own success based on the goals you pursue during your journey.

Crucially for those planning their gaming nights: Vantage is not a campaign game. Each session is a standalone experience. What you carry over from one game to the next isn't character upgrades or bonuses, but rather the knowledge you've gained about the planet's geography and secrets. It is a completely self-contained system with no expansions required to complete the experience, focusing on the massive amount of content already in the box. If you love the feeling of braving the unknown, coordinating strategies with friends, and feeling like you're inside an interactive adventure novel, this is the game for you.

## How to Play
Game Objective
In Vantage, each player starts in an intergalactic ship on a course to an unknown planet. Each chooses one of the 6 unique characters, enters a escape pod and lands in one of the 126 locations on the planet. The main objective is to complete the mission each player receives (one of the 21 available). Additionally, players can pursue a destiny victory by completing a destiny card, or an epic victory by achieving both the mission and a destiny. The game also allows players to define success in other ways, as long as they are achieved and documented.

Preparation (Setup)

  Place the game box next to the card manager (the person who will pick up and return cards). Unpack the 3 large card sets that are stacked flat.
  Place the board in the center of the table, with the time, morale, and health trackers next to it.
  Gather the general supplies near the board: skill tokens, coins, boost tokens, skill dice and the storybooks (each has a reference guide on the back).
  Create the challenge dice pool with 8 dice + 2 dice per player (e.g., 3 players → 14 dice). Return the remaining dice to the box.
  Distribute the location card holder to each player and randomly choose who will go first.
  Place the Book of Vantages on the table, with the back cover facing up, showing location 000. Follow the instructions for location 000 using the skill dice to randomize. Each player receives their character and initial stats. For the first game, the “daring” level is recommended for time, morale, and health, and avoid difficult crash locations.


Game Flow
In the game, play proceeds in clockwise turns. Each turn, a player takes one action (unless the action says “continue”). The typical flow of an action is:

  Choose an action (location, card, or encounter).
  Read the cost and action (not the result) in the corresponding storybook.
  Reduce the cost by 1 for each skill token paid by any player.
  Roll challenge dice equal to the remaining cost.
  Place each die in card slots (or in other players’ impact slots) to avoid penalties.
  Apply penalties for any dice not placed (time, morale, or health).
  Read the action result in the storybook.
  If the result says “continue”, the player takes another action. If it says “you may continue”, the decision is theirs.

The game ends when a player completes a destiny card (destiny victory) or when a time, morale, or health token reaches 0, as indicated in the manual.

Actions and How to Play

  Location – Each location has up to six actions in the categories move, look, engage, help, take and overpower. If an action has already been taken at the location, it cannot be repeated, unless the manual says “always available”. Depart actions (moving to another location) are always move with a cost of 1 for listed locations.
  Cards – Non-location cards can have actions. To perform them, consult the action’s storybook (e.g., help, equip, buy). You can perform actions on cards in your grid, in supplies or in the center.

## FAQ
### Is the game very long?
Yes, sessions last between 2 to 3 hours, so make sure to set aside a whole afternoon or evening!

### Do I need expansions for the full experience?
Nope! The game is completely self-contained. Everything you need is right in the base box.

### Is it a campaign game with saved progress?
No. Each game is a standalone experience. The only 'progress' is the knowledge you and your friends gain about the map.

### Can I play it solo?
Absolutely! The game includes solo rules for those who want to explore the planet on their own.

### Is it suitable for casual gamers?
It has a medium weight (2.3), so it's better suited for those already familiar with modern board games.

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