After the Initial Excitement: Back to Vantage as Emilien
Travel across an uncharted planet where the unexpected unfurls in a delightful, awe-inspiring sense across Vantage.
Although I moved on from my initial excitement over Vantage, it quickly returned! When my solo table was empty, it seemed like the perfect time to head out on another new adventure. Would it hold up after that initial shininess wore off? I wasn’t too concerned… I could hardly contain my excitement as I ran over to my shelf to pick up this world in a game box!
Spoiler Alert
Not too many elements are shown here beyond the starting setup, but please be aware that some specific cards are shown. These are more like minor spoilers about what you might find in the world than any solutions or major details. With the game being all about discoveries, though, I highly recommend skipping this post if you’re concerned about any spoilers.
Game Overview
Game Name: Vantage
Publication Year: 2025
Designer: Jamey Stegmaier
Artists: Valentina Filic, Sören Meding, & Emilien Rotival
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Gameplay is all about exploring a planet, with hundreds of locations and discoveries! This is more of a storytelling and open-ended experience, which may not be for everyone, yet there are so many surprises and lovely moments to find in each play. Without the pressure of a campaign, it’s quite fun!
First Play
July 22, 2025
Complexity
2
Latest Play
August 3, 2025
Expansions
0
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
11
Play Time
1 Hour & 30 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
36" x 20"
Low Score
N/A
Right in the Action!
During the setup for each play, the action begins right away. Not a ship malfunction! But never fear: This isn’t designed as a horrible start to an adventure. Everyone survives.
I really enjoyed this when I first encountered it. Sure, it’s a scene I sort of gloss over as I get everything set up, but that first experience? Absolute chaos and immediate action!
In a way, this sets the stage for a somewhat unprepared explorer, thrust onto a new world without any warning.
Part of me is still convinced there might be more to learn here… But I’m not there yet, and like making up my stories!
Hundreds of Cards
Nearly everything is spread across a sea of cards and pages upon pages of paragraphs. A few other components are used, but the cards are the real focal piece of every play.
Seeing a new scene, or even one that’s been encountered before, is the chance to enjoy that moment. I often spot new features or find my mind filling in the blanks a little bit.
There is just so much! This is a world filled with wonder, and I mean that. I never know what I might find each time.
Even after taking a short break from my initial plays, the excitement level brought me right back into the fun!
Emilien and the Book
Since I felt like I had such a great few plays as Soren, I moved onto playing as a new character: Emilien! His starting mission was perfect for a scholar such as himself.
Of course, this meant that I never once saw a crystal. Ha! I’ve seen them a few times in my various plays, but this was a somewhat short story centered around a mysterious city.
Emilien discovered a new page in the Book of Vantages, which was awesome to see! So much lore and knowledge!
I like to use the mission as a general starting point, but still consider every play to be a win in some sense for the story.
Around the City
In the grand scheme of things, this was a somewhat uneventful adventure. Nothing like my epic tale with Soren!
But did that lessen it at all? Nope! I can look at this final grid and remember where these cards came from. Emilien’s story was still a good one, and I enjoyed playing again.
It’s been wonderful to get back into solo games with such a different kind of experience. This one feels like it will keep me entertained for ages, and that makes me so happy!
Let’s just hope Emilien can look up from his notebook next time and see everything this planet has in each location!
Capturing the Initial Excitement in Little Pieces
It’s not every day that I get beyond excited for a new game, so when it happens, I enjoy it as much as I can! But what happens over time, when it wears away? Before I grabbed this game box off of my shelf again, I didn’t expect much. When I picked it up and started to set up an adventure, though, I felt a little part of that initial excitement return. Very cool!
This is part of why I try to be in the right mindset with a new game. Reading rules and getting to know a new arrival when I’m exhausted or upset is a recipe for disaster. That takes away the chance to have a memorable and fun first impression. I can’t say I’ve been perfect about it for every game, although it’s an ongoing lesson about taking breaks from the hobby!
Fortunately, this one arrived at a good time: I was ready to be excited! Yet I shudder to think about what it might have been like if I was in a bad mood. It’s still true that I won’t enjoy every game and there are some that I’ll never like, but this was another reminder about how initial excitement echoes on in future plays. That’s something worthwhile to capture!
Session Overview
Play Number: 11
Accessory 1: Vantage: Metal Coins
Accessory 2: Vantage: Playmats
Accessory 3: Vantage: Wooden Skill Tokens
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: Complete Play
The highlight of this play may have been Zloto, who proved to be an interesting character to interact with! Just another fun time that I thoroughly enjoyed. I typically don’t plan to play the same game on a regular schedule, but this one? Pretty sure I’ll happily take it off my shelf quite often!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
10
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- Every play feels like it features something unique in terms of the cards and connected story that follows a character.
- Many different play styles are supported, allowing all sorts of exploration with or without notes for the future.
- Pulling cards takes a little time, yet there is a great deal of excitement over what might be on the next discovery.
- Paragraphs are typically short but filled with fun details, sometimes poignant and sometimes entirely comical.
- There is no overarching campaign, yet finding new elements and features adds to the overall knowledge of the world.
- Although there are dangerous situations, this is not a setting designed to punish curiosity or trying something new.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There is a certain level of randomness to some parts of a play, which may not appeal to all sorts of players.
- Building a story throughout gameplay takes some effort to link everything together in a satisfying sort of way.
- Some plays feel more like they focus on endless rambling across the planet, sometimes without a very clear goal.
- Managing all of the cards in a grid and reserve can mean a bit of reading and planning during each dice roll phase.
Victory Conditions
Reach a Natural End Point to the Story
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete at least 1 game with a fulfilled destiny.
Complete at least 1 game with a fulfilled mission.
Complete at least 1 game with a full card grid.
Continue the Conversation
Have you had any exciting adventures with Vantage? Is there any play that stands out the most to you? I feel like this is such a unique sort of world that I can explore at my own pace… Whether that’s a dozen plays in quick succession or the occasional play, there is just so much to love about it! So happy I have this one in my collection to enjoy for many years.
Was part of a five person demo of this yesterday. Werid game. Really didn’t understan what was going on. We won due to one player getting the item worth a needed amount by accident. Someone else was on a spiritual journey and I felt like my cards were visually showing me connected scenes but no real impetus to figure out where I was or why I needed to get item X to some undefined place. Nice art and cards and I can feel, as a game designer, rhere is a huge amount of work that went into connecting everything but I was left shrugging about whether there was any game to be played.
I’ve read from a few players that they’re concerned about how open-ended and roleplay-like gameplay can be, which isn’t going to work for everyone. For me, it’s more about the journey and seeing how a character’s story unfolds. The game elements are still there with the challenge dice, but I find that I enjoy the random wandering about to discover little surprises. No worries if it’s not the right choice for you, though! I hope the demo still had some enjoyable moments for everyone who played!
Yes everyone else seem to have had fun. The challenge dice didn’t seem to really penalize anything. We never dipped low on any of our stats and a die could always be placed with someone else. One player got to look at maps in one of the books but no idea what he got out of that.
If the storytelling aspect isn’t that appealing to you, I don’t know if the gameplay mechanics would carry the game. Note that the Book of Vantages has dozens of pages of different things to uncover. Just seeing a few pages has been exciting as I learn a little more about the world with each play! But if it’s not working for you and you didn’t click with it, no worries. Plenty of other games to enjoy!