Vantage Board Game Review

Vantage 

WBG Score: 9

Player Count:1-6

You’ll like this if you like: 7th Continent and Zelda style video games.

Published by: Stonemaier Games

Designed by: Jamey Stegmaier

This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.I bought my own character boards, wooden skill tokens, and metal coins though! Note: these are all upgrades from the base game. There will be minor spoilers (you’ll see a few pictures of cards), but I’ll keep these to a minimum.

Where do I start? This game is epic. Big box. Big ambition. Big expectations. Designer Jamey Stegmaier has been working on this for close to a decade, fine tuning his version of an open-world card game for us all to dive into. Inspired by various video and board games, Vantage is clearly made by a fan of free exploration and grand scale storytelling.

This feels like a landmark moment in board games. A title that could bridge the gap between video gamers and table top players. A game that might convert those previously reluctant to try campaign style exploration titles by delivering an experience that can be completed in one sitting, but still with those big exploration "feels". And Vantage sure does feel important to me. Monumental. And crucially, it is a very good board game. So with all that said, let’s get it to the table and see how this plays.

How To Set Up Vantage

Flip all the cards in the box so they are rotated and slightly raised. That makes them easier to pull out but still keeps them in their respective drawers. It should look like this when you are done. Place this into the centre of the play area, within reach of at least one player.

Take out the component trays if you want to use them. There are three handy little boxes provided. I put the skill dice in one, the boost tokens in another, and the skill tokens in the final one. Place the coins next to these.

Next, place the game board in the centre. It is double sided, so pick whichever side you like best. They offer the same gameplay, just with a different layout. Place all the books next to the board in a pile. Each player now takes a card stand and places it in front of them.

Finally, take the Book of Vantages and place it face up to show location 000. You are ready to play.

How To Play Vantage

Now read text sections one to four on the back of the Book of Vantages. This is still part of the setup, but it already feels like the game is beginning. Start by taking eight dice plus two per player and placing them into the Challenge Dice Pool area of the main board.

Each player can now choose one of the six starting characters, or roll a skill die and take one at random. Take the matching card and place it in front of you. You will build a three-by-three grid of cards around this, so leave space if you do not have the upgraded character boards that show the space for these cards. Also, take a skill token that matches the colour of your character. Each character starts with two boost tokens as shown by the "when placed" action on the card. Place two boost tokens on your character card, which has space for six. Other cards you find later will also use boost tokens. They are very useful.

Each player now takes the time, morale, and health tokens in their matching colour and sets them to three, four, five, or six on the main board, depending on difficulty. It is recommended to start on Daring, which is level four.

The first player rolls two skill dice and takes the matching skill tokens. Then take the starting mission card based on the roll. You will find a key for this on the back of the Book of Vantages. If you roll doubles, re roll because those cards tend to be trickier.

Next, flip the Book of Secrets to the back page to reveal location 001. Your ship has malfunctioned! This happens every game, no matter how many times I have played. Every time! Shoddy workmanship if you ask me.

Each player now rolls a die to randomise an extra starting skill token and a starting location. Or you can choose if you prefer. For example, if you roll a purple LOOK skill, you begin at location 003 with that skill token. Each player must start in a different location, so if someone rolls the same as you, roll again.

Here comes a starting card. VERY MINOR SPOILER. It's one of six starting cards. I think it's okay to look, but skip on if you don't want to see it. You don't make a choice from this; you roll dice.

Take your starting card from the box and place it in your card stand. Only you can see your own Vantage cards. This is your view from the escape pod, looking down at the planet you're about to crash into. Other players have landed elsewhere. You can describe what you see using your working intercom connected to all other players, but no peeking at their cards. Seriously, do not spoil it, you might end up there later and trust me, it is more fun when it is a surprise.

On your starting card, the text will tell you to roll two skill dice and gain those matching skill tokens. Then go to the corresponding location based on what the card tells you. Doubles can be rerolled again since they are trickier starts. The location cards are all double sided, so put your new card on top of the starting location card, which is single sided one so no one sees the back. From here on out, you are in the game proper. And it is going to feel different every time depending on the choices you make.

MINOR SPOILER PICTURE COMING UP. SCROLL PAST IF YOU DONT WANT TO SEE ANYHTING. This is a starting location so not a huge spoiler. Viewer discretion advised!

Each card is a self contained little world. On the top left is the card number. Top right shows directions you can travel in — north, south, east, west. If it lists a number, roll a die (which will be explained soon) and go to that card. If it shows an asterisk, look up the number in the MOVE book and follow the instructions. Use the card’s image for clues. If the north shows an icy river, you will probably have to swim. That might not go so well, especially if your character hates the cold. Bottom left is a description and any passive effects, like taking cold damage.

On the right side are six available actions, each tied to a colour and verb. Blue is MOVE, purple is LOOK, orange is ENGAGE, green is HELP, yellow is TIME, and red is OVERPOWER. The verb gives a hint about what you are about to do. For example the green Help action here is REPAIR, but what are you going to REPAIR here? What would you FOCUS on if you LOOK? You get one action per card per game, unless the card says otherwise. Even if you revisit it later in the game, no do overs. So choose carefully.

When you pick an action, take the matching coloured book and find the entry tied to your card number. If you are doing a red OVERPOWER action on card 613, you check entry 613 in the red OVERPOWER Storybook. In multiplayer, have someone else read it aloud. In solo, you will read it yourself. The first line will tell you how many dice you need to roll and describe the task. Don't read on beyond there or let your eyes drift to other entries on this page! Every action succeeds, the question is how difficult it is and how much damage you take doing it.

You can reduce the number of dice you roll by spending skill tokens that match the action colour. Trying to perform a three die HACK? Discard a yellow TIME token to reduce the numbers of dice by one. You can use as many tokens as you want and have access too. Other players can share tokens with you too. You may be worlds apart, but your crew can talk you through it.

Dice rolls can go a few ways. Blanks are great, no effect, just drop them into the penalty area on the main board. Arrows send the die back into the pool, fine, but it slows things down. You want your dice to cycle to refresh, more on that soon. The other faces hit your health, time, or morale. If you roll one of these, lower that stat on your tracker unless you can place the die onto a card. Cards can absorb dice based on the action type, or the specific action. For example, a fishing rod might help you FISH (a red OVERPOWER action) but not help in combat as it specifically says FISH on the dice box. Other dice placement may be more general, and universally helpful, allowing any Star dice to be placed there, or any blue action where you are LOOKING for example. You can use your own cards or anyone’s cards with a lightning bolt symbol, meaning it is open to the whole team. This makes teamwork feel real and important.

If you run out of available dice in the dice pool, you can refresh all dice, including dice previously placed on cards, thus opening up those slots for use again. Hence, you want to cycle through dice as quickly as possible. So, you could place a die, even if it was a blank, just to cycle through the dice more quickly if you so chose.

Once you resolve the dice and damage, read the rest of the entry to see what happens. You might get an item, go somewhere new, or even be told to CONTINUE and take another action on the same card. That is rare and the only way you can ever do two or more actions on the same card in the same game. (Unless the card specifically says so!) Otherwise, play moves to the next player.

Other than choosing actions on location cards, you can also carry out actions on your cards that you collect, which may allow you to craft a new item, upgrade a tool or weapon, or do something very specific. I won't spoil anything here. But trust me, some things will come up you do not expect! It's wonderful! You can also carry out actions on the Mission card you got during setup. Each Mission has a number of areas you can look into one time per game, to give you clues as to how you may complete this mission. It may move your location or give you a specific clue or skill to help in this quest. It is worth doing these early if you want to focus on a quicker mission based game.

Later on in the game, you may gain a Destiny card. This goes alongside the mission card on the main board. When you complete a mission, you will be prompted to read the matching text in the book of secrets. Similarly, the Destiny cards will do the same. You can try to complete both for an EPIC victory, or just one, or just roam around. The game can end a number of ways, and some missions and destiny will let you continue after you have completed if you want to. You could also end the game when any of your trackers, health, morale, or time, reaches zero. If this happens, read the matching text as shown on the main board in the yellow TAKE story book. This will tell you what to do next. Again, I won't spoil that here, you will find that out on your first game I expect! Monitoring your resources and mitigating dice rolls takes a few turns to get used too. Well, it did for me!

As you move around this world, you will be mostly aiming for things that may help in your mission and/or Destiny (if you have one). But you could also get side quests, get distracted by something intriguing or mysterious, or simply just enjoy a wonder. There is so much to explore, and you can have just as much fun meandering aimlessly for hours, with no real resolution, as you could completing a mission in 30 minutes. I have had both of those experiences, and enjoyed both for different reasons.

Is It Fun? Vantage Board Game Review

Crash-land, wander, and wing it. Vantage throws you into a wild, card-driven alien world where you and your crew have all landed in different spots. You're alone… but also not. It’s part 7th Continent, part Zelda, and part “how the hell did I end up with a fishing rod in a blizzard?” You’ll chat through intercoms, describe what you see, and bumble your way through missions, mysteries, and “oops, probably shouldn’t have goaded that monster” moments. Every card is a new page in a choose-your-own-adventure story that will surprise and delight you!

No two games are the same, and that’s the point. The setup is quick (shockingly quick for a game like this), and the decisions feel immediately meaningful. You make choices, roll, explore, make a move, and then live (or regret) the consequences. You’re building a character and a narrative. Getting stronger and gaining new powers and items. One die roll might send you to a mountaintop monastery (for example - no spoilers here!). Another to an underground mutant pub, again for example! And it all just flows so deliciously. The way skill tokens, other player powers, and boost tokens can all help one action is slick and deeply satisfying when it all comes together. There is some gameplay to this story.

And yes, you will get distracted. Vantage is one of those games where half the fun is not simply focusing on your mission. You might just wander because something looks interesting. You’ll pick a direction based on a weird symbol. You'll push buttons because, why not? It’s the kind of game where the journey is the game. That’s what makes it feel so fun and alive. Whether you're trying to “win,” just explore, or go full chaos mode, there’s something here for everyone. You can finish a session in under an hour... or just keep going, because it’s too fun to stop. Game length is quite varied!

If you are looking for a complex, mechanics-driven board game, this is not for you. But if you want a story-driven, narrative-based, choose-your-own-adventure style game full of exploration and wonder, this could well be your new favourite game. It is incredibly accessible, works perfectly solo, but probably best with two players for me. It works up to six, and it's fine. You can get a massive benefit from having so many dice placement locations and extra skill tokens. But it does slow down your own specific adventure. You need to fully commit to the team experience in higher player counts. Describe what you see. Allow others to offer guidance and advice, and make this a team game. If that doesn't sound fun to you, I would not buy this for higher players counts.

I have seen criticism around the game's high levels of admin and poor rulebook. On the rulebook, I somewhat agree. It has a slightly weird layout and took me a few read-throughs. But you could always watch a playthrough, rules video, or read my rules explanation above! It isn't too complex. On the admin side, I strongly disagree. It takes mere moments to find the cards you are looking for, and the excitement of seeing what you get is always fun for me. If you are rushing through, particularly in solo, and you are not explaining things to another player and discussing your decisions and options, then sure, it may become laborious as you are not in the game for the right reasons. You are rushing it. This game is not about the end; it's about the journey.

As such, the game shines in a two-player experience. I love the solo, but I do enjoy bouncing off ideas with other players, and sharing the highs and lows as our story unfolds. In a two, you are always back to your turn quickly enough, but also have a side story to enjoy, and maybe even become a part of. Although I have found most games we do work together, we are rarely near each other. The planet is massive, and it's hard to know where you are first and foremost, let alone find another person. But there are ways to get a lay of the land, through various vantage points. And maybe make your way to each other. But there is rarely a huge benefit from that. Sure, you could do two actions per location now, or maybe even use specific tools as a group. But the fun is in the adventure, and that can take you anywhere.

Is Vantage good for solo play? Yes! Vantage is highly accessible and works very well as a solo experience. The game’s simple set-up, narrative and exploration-driven gameplay keep solo players engaged, making it a great choice for playing alone.

How long does a typical game of Vantage take? A single session of Vantage can be completed in under an hour, making it perfect for shorter game nights. However, if you want to explore more deeply or complete multiple missions, you can easily extend playtime by trying to do more. Some missions are harder to complete, and some missions will add in secondary destiny's. This will extend game time. But you don't have to complete them. It is all your choice. I have had some games run into a third hour, but largely because we wanted it to. If you want a quicker game, research your mission card early and focus on that. If do want to explore, there is plenty opportunity to do that!

Is Vantage replayable? Definitely. Every game of Vantage is different thanks to its open-world card layout and randomised starting position, missions, and diverging paths. Its modular design and narrative choices create a highly replayable experience with many new surprises each time. I have played the game ten times now over the course of three weeks and 25 hours and I would say it feels like I have "seen" a small fraction of the game. Sure, some things have come up again,. I have repeated certain locations and even certain actions, but then the game quickly diverts into path and things change very quickly. One action per card, six actions per card in total, and 801 location cards in total, plus a few surprises along the way, that's a lot of game.

Pros

• Intriguing secrets! There are so many exciting items, crazy powers, and hidden "things" to find in this world. I find that part deeply engrossing and highly addictive. I want to find them all!

• Highly replayable with randomised missions and open-world card exploration.

• Quick setup for a narrative-driven adventure game.

• Engaging solo and cooperative play, great for 1 to 2 players but does work for higher players counts if that is your jam.

• Accessible mechanics that balance strategy with storytelling.

• Strong thematic immersion that bridges video game and board game fans.

• Flexible playtime, from short sessions under an hour to longer adventures.

• Innovative dice and skill token system that adds depth without complexity.

  
  

Cons

• Not ideal for players seeking heavy mechanics or complex strategy.

• Larger player counts (4 to 6) can slow down gameplay and dilute the narrative focus. You need to commit to the group experience and really engage with each others story.

• Some players may find the randomness frustrating if they prefer more control, away from dice. But there are plenty ways to mitigate rolls.

• Requires players to engage with narrative text regularly, which might not suit everyone but the text you read is mostly, very short. One short paragraph, most of the time.

• There will eventually be a limit to the replayability, you will know all the cards and secrets at one point, but I wager that would take a good 50 plus plays, maybe even more.

Vantage Board Game Review Final Thoughts

If you’ve ever wanted to crash-land on a mysterious alien planet with nothing but a hunch, and a questionable sense of direction, Vantage is calling your name. It’s like a choose-your-own-adventure book got tangled up with your favourite video game and then invited your friends over for a wild night of dice rolling and chaos. Will you survive? Probably. Will you have a blast trying? Absolutely. So grab your boost tokens, buckle up, and prepare to get lost in a story that’s as unpredictable as your last internet search history.