The dragon has been asleep for many long years. In that time, the cave under which it slumbered has changed greatly…Goblins and strange monsters have filled its gloomy depths and there are whispers that the cave itself has begun thinking, shifting, and growing evermore dangerous.
Still, stories of peril rarely overshadow the rumors of riches. And riches there may be… For where a dragon slumbers, there also lies a fiercely guarded treasure. Fortunately for the slumbering beast, malevolent crystals fill the cave’s rooms with spectral light, hiding the entrance to the immeasurable treasure trove. Many have given their lives to the search and over the years the rumors have faded to legend.
But the most courageous adventurers will not be discouraged by bloodshed. On this day, a knight steps into the darkness, her gloved hand gripping the hilt of her sword. Her years of quests--all of the victories and defeats--have led to this one final adventure. Knowing the kingdom can never truly be at peace with the dragon beneath the cave, she has come to make a final stand. Little does she know that she will awake everything that slumbers in the shadows… and begin the final battle in the darkness.
Enter the world of Vast: The Crystal Caverns!
Vast takes you and your friends into the torch light of a classic cave-crawling adventure, built on the concept of total asymmetry. Gone are days of the merry band of travelers fighting off evil. In Vast, you will become part of a new legend... Any part you wish!
Play as the classic, daring Knight, the chaotic Goblin horde, the colossal, greedy Dragon, or even the Cave itself — powerful, brooding, and intent on crushing the living things that dare to disturb its gloomy depths. Each role has its own powers, pieces, and paths to victory...and there can be only one winner.
As the ultimate asymmetric board game, Vast: The Crystal Caverns provides a limitless adventure, playable again and again as you and your friends explore the four different roles in different combinations. Play one-on-one in a race to the death between the Knight and the Goblins, or add in the Dragon and the Cave for deeper and more epic experiences, different every time.
- Provides a deep design language that informs oath and related projects
- Rich, varied combat and strategic tension
- Complex and challenging to teach
- Balancing and tuning require careful iteration
- asymmetric combat and multi-path victory conditions
- A vast, multi-genre world with factions that operate in very different ways
- Array
- Oath
- Root
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the community has made that game better
- transparency with iterations is awesome for audience engagement
- Root is modular and designed to be extended with minor factions
- the two phases of playtesting are essential to avoid overfitting early changes
- voidlitch is a continuation yet different, with a strong core action system
References (from this video)
- clever use of hidden information
- distinct thematic flavor
- rules can be opaque for new players
- board setup variability can affect balance
- treasure-hunting with variable player roles
- underworld cavern with crystals and hidden wealth
- puzzle-like, variable player powers
- Clank!
- Dreadful Frequencies
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hidden roles and asymmetric objectives — Different goals and abilities per player.
- resource bidding and card play — Card-based engine and resource management.
- Variable player powers — Different endgame triggers and scoring dynamics.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's gotta be root it has to be root that's my guess
- i didn't want to pick root because i knew that you would probably just assume i'd pick root
- why eat all the flowers
- eight days cat pistachio cheese pizza
References (from this video)
- brilliant asymmetric design concept
- each player has different roles and objectives
- asymmetric rules are interesting
- extremely difficult to teach new players
- requires explaining different ruleset for each player
- game quality doesn't warrant the teaching effort
- not good enough to justify complexity
- requires high player buy-in
- dungeon
- fantasy
- Root (similar issue but brilliant enough to keep)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm very Cutthroat here - I much rather save budget for a new game, save space for new games
- not all games are forever games - sometimes it's totally okay to buy a game with the expectation of playing it for about five years and then not wanting to play it again
- I can still respect I played a lot of Steam, but I just don't want to play it anymore
- there's so much hate on like oh you can't be like dipping your chosen to miniature games - but as adults there's so much hate on that
- when you own a lot of games there's a lot of rules up here and the tough thing is that when there's so many rules up here you need some games that you teach or play later to be a little intuitive
- the difficulty I have with it is that when I explain it to new players it's tough to explain - each player has a different ruleset
- I think that's one of the first games that if it didn't invent that concept at least popularize it
- if the game is going to warrant me having to do separate explanations for everybody, extra effort - it's got to be really damn good and Vast isn't really damn good
References (from this video)
- rich, thematic experience
- deep strategic potential
- hard to teach
- may be challenging for first-time players
- Asymmetrical powers with concurrent goals
- Underground caverns with beasts and heroes
- Epic, asymmetric strategy
- Root
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area_control — Control different cavern spaces to gain points
- asymmetric_roles — Players have different roles and win conditions
- hidden_objectives — Each side pursues its own path to victory
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Make this world a better place, one board gamer at a time.
- it's a big hit for our group
- it's all about money
- this is deluxe and exciting
References (from this video)
- asymmetrical_gameplay
- high_replayability
- solo_option
- complex_rules
- difficult_to_teach
- might_frustrate_players
- fantasy_adventure
- dungeon_exploration
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I feel real sassy today
- I now have to accept that I was wildly inaccurate on both of those statements
- My favorite games right now are both co-ops and rolling rights
- I don't even care if I don't like it, I love it
- Everything about this game screams like I want to play you
- Where's Waldo adult board game
- This was both of our favorites
- Might be my favorite game I've played yet this year
- Vast is like an undercurrent game that no one really talks about but is super good
- The art is stunning, it reminds me of Coco
- We need to be better at playing our shelf of shame
References (from this video)
- Painted multiple diverse cavern minis and expressed pride in color progression.
- mysterious dungeons, cavernous exploration, and resource/monster encounters
- fantasy underground cavern exploration with vast, modular mapping
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetric_roles — different roles and objectives with divergent paths.
- modular_board — reconfigurable dungeon/cavern layout for varied play.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- painting has provided me with a way to calm myself down
- it's the only thing that i've been able to identify that i can have a singular focus on the thing i'm doing
- i'm never going to be the person that can showcase things or you know do commissions
- it's tough for me to talk about
- painting is my therapy