Learn to Play: Vantage

Join us at Pandemonium for a special, 4-hour session to learn and play a slightly different kind of game! You’re especially welcome if you’ve never before played hobby board games (and are curious about where to start), as this game, especially, is less about winning and more about discovering an unknown world.

Vantage (1-6 players) is an adventure board game. Developed 7-8 years ago in response to Breath of the Wild by the owner of Stonemeir Games (the publisher you may know from Viticulture, Scythe, and Wingspan), this is a game about telling a story that emerges from the random events you and the other players around the table encounter. Although not 100% unlimited in the choices you can take, the game gets very, very close to letting you move through its world as you wish.

There isn’t much to the backstory: you and your crew of deep-space explorers crash land on a planet occupied by sentient life, and you travel to different locations interacting with things along the way. Other games have done this before, but Vantage has a unique take with some resource management rules to keep things interesting. Although it’s described as a cooperative game, it may be more accurate to say it’s not competitive. Your crew starts the game scattered, and only sometimes do you come together (allegedly!).

So is this game for you? It’s hard to say – so that’s why we’re demoing it! If you play games to have deeply competitive, player-to-player experiences, you may not like it, as it’s both random and somewhat directionless in how you play (there are goals and objectives, but not pursuing them doesn’t necessarily break the game). But if discovery excites you, and you don’t mind sitting around the table listening to other people’s adventures, you may like it quite a lot.

So if you’ve been on the fence with this game or know that it sounds right up your alley, feel free to come by and play it! Note that we’re giving ourselves an extra hour not necessarily because we think it will take four hours – but just in case people want to keep going. Nevertheless, if you prefer your exploration games more structured and goal oriented, stay tuned to the Events Calendar for the announcement of future learning sessions or check out some other titles in our demo game library (like Arkham Horror 3rd Edition or Above and Below)!

RULES FOR ATTENDING: 

• Proof of vaccination is no longer required. If COVID levels rise, masking will be required. We will make an announcement about this on our website and social media if re-instated. 
• Photos may be taken at events to be used in our social media or promotional materials. Please inform the staff member running the event if you do not want your photo taken.
• Advance online registration is required.
• Anyone not registered in an ongoing event will not be allowed in the event space to maintain capacity limits.
• Food is not allowed in our event space. Drinks are allowed.