Vantage — 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)

1. 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.
2. Place the board in the center of the table, with the time, morale, and health trackers next to it.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. Distribute the location card holder to each player and randomly choose who will go first.
6. 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:

1. Choose an action (location, card, or encounter).
2. Read the cost and action (not the result) in the corresponding storybook.
3. Reduce the cost by 1 for each skill token paid by any player.
4. Roll challenge dice equal to the remaining cost.
5. Place each die in card slots (or in other players’ impact slots) to avoid penalties.
6. Apply penalties for any dice not placed (time, morale, or health).
7. Read the action result in the storybook.
8. 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.
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