Vast: The Mysterious Manor

How to use this site

This site is a digital adaptation of the rulebook for Vast: the Mysterious Manor, and contains most of the content from the rulebook, with the notable exceptions of examples and some diagrams. It is designed as a companion to the rulebook for quick and easy reference, not a replacement.

Table of Contents

  1. Golden Rules
  2. Setup
  3. How to Play
  4. The Map
  5. Attacking Enemies
  6. A Few More Concepts...
  7. The Paladin
  8. The Skeletons
  9. The Spider
  10. The Manor
  11. The Warlock
  12. Difficulty Variants
  13. Player Counts and Role Mixes
  14. The Paladin’s Journey (Solo)
  15. Traveling Between Vast Games
  16. Credits

Golden Rules

This chapter will help you understand some foundational assumptions of this rulebook.

Public Information

All components are public information, except these:

  • Cards in a player’s hand, which are visible only to that player.
  • Cards in decks or the Lit sides of Dark tiles.

Rules for Components

All components are limited by their included quantities. If you run out of any component during play, do not use proxy components.

Hand sizes are unlimited unless otherwise noted.

A dial or tracking cube (such as Health or Seals) cannot be moved outside its boundaries.

If you ever need to draw from an empty deck, shuffle its discard pile into a new deck and continue drawing. If its discard pile is empty, you cannot draw these cards.

Reading These Rules

Here are some principles for interpreting the rules.

Q1. I’d like to do something, and the relevant rules don’t say that I can’t do it. Can I do it?

A1. Within the confines of those rules, yes!

Q2. Can another player not consent to a particular action?

A2. Nothing in Vast requires consent. Just do the thing.

Q3. It seems like something should happen, but the rule doesn’t tell me to do that thing. What do I do?

A3. It doesn’t happen. Follow the word of the rules, not your instinct.

Q4. A rule uses a specific term or action. Does this also include a closely related term or action?

A4. Nope. Assume we mean only the stated term and not any related terms, no matter how closely related.

Q5. Why is some text italicized?

A5. Italicized text is a reminder for another rule. It does not supersede the original, non-italicized rule.

Glossary

Adjacent: Each space touching the edge of a given space. (Diagonal spaces are not adjacent.)

Crypt: A square space on the map without a tile.

Empty: Contains no pieces.

Enemy: A piece that is not your own.

Figure: A cardboard standee or plastic miniature.

Gain: Increase the prompted dial or track, or place the prompted piece in the prompted box on your board.

Grounds: A rectangular space around the outside of the map, bounded by hedges, adjacent to multiple crypts.

Map: The shared board on which pieces are placed and move around.

Marker: A cardboard piece that is not a figure, tile, or token.

Lose: Decrease the prompted dial or track, or remove the prompted piece from the prompted box on your board.

Open edge: A tile edge not showing a printed wall and not touching an adjacent tile edge showing a printed wall.

Piece: Any game component.

Place: Take the prompted piece from the owner’s supply and add it to the prompted space.

Remove: Return the prompted piece to the owner’s supply.

Return to the box: Eliminate the piece from play for the remainder of the game.

Space: Any bounded shape on the map, whether or not it contains a tile.

Spend: Decrease the prompted dial or track, or return the prompted piece to your supply.

Surrounding: Each space touching the edge or corner of a given space. (Diagonal spaces are surrounding.)

Tile: A square cardboard piece equal in size to a crypt.

Token: A round cardboard piece.

Wall: A tile edge showing a printed wall or touching an adjacent tile edge showing a printed wall.

Rules Disagreements

If a card contradicts any other rule, follow the card. If a variant contradicts a core rule, follow the variant. If a role contradicts a core rule, follow the role.

If a role does not contradict a core rule, and you can follow both the core rule and the role, you must follow both. If you cannot follow both, follow the role.

If you still have questions, check out our website for clarifications and errata: www.ledergames.com

Setup

1. Place Map and Starting Tiles

Place tiles on the map board as follows, as shown right:

  • Place the starting Pit tile (marked “S”) face up on the center space.
  • Place the 4 Armory tiles (crossed swords) facedown on the four matching spaces.
  • Place the Entrance tile (marked “E”) face up on the space above the staircase at the bottom, with the wall facing the center space.
  • Collect the other 45 tiles, shuffle them facedown into a stack, and place six facedown as shown right.

2. Collect Supplies

Collect supplies of poltergeist figures and treasure, breach, and force wall markers near the map.

3. Set Up the Player Roles

Each player chooses a role and follows the instructions described on its setup sheet. If you have fewer than 5 players, read page 19 for more instructions.

How to Play

Vast is an asymmetric game, so each role plays and wins in a very different way. We will describe these differences fully in each role’s chapter later. For now, know this:

  • The Paladin wants to kill the Spider.
  • The Skeletons want to kill the Paladin.
  • The Spider wants to gain 12 Terror and then escape the Manor.
  • The Manor wants to complete 14 Seals.
  • The Warlock wants to dominate 5 pieces.

The Paladin takes the first turn, then the Skeletons, then the Spider, then the Manor, and finally the Warlock. Play continues until a player wins.

The Map

The map of the manor is a grid of spaces called crypts, surrounded by the grounds separated by hedges.

Throughout the game, crypts will be filled with tiles. The grounds cannot hold tiles.

Moving Around the Map

Each role can move around the map in various ways.

Each time you move, pick up your figure and place it on an adjacent tile. (Diagonals are not adjacent.)

You cannot cross walls or enter crypts or the grounds.

  • Tokens: Each time you enter a tile with any enemy tokens, remove one of each enemy token there.

Revealing the Map

At the start of the game, most tiles are on their Dark side. Roles can reveal Dark tiles to flip them to their Lit side, as follows:

  1. Flip and orient the tile. You may rotate it as you choose, but at least 1 open edge (edge without a wall) must touch an open edge of an adjacent tile if possible.
  2. Fill crypts on open edges. Take Dark tiles from their stack and place 1 Dark tile in each crypt touching an open edge of the revealed tile.
  3. Resolve the tile. Each tile does something different, as listed to the right.

Sometimes, new open edges are created when a tile is moved or rotated, or when a wall is breached. In these cases, fill the crypts touching those open edges with Dark tiles as if you had revealed the tile.

Blood: Place a blood token here.

Treasure: Place a treasure marker here.

Poltergeist: Place a poltergeist figure here.

Pit: No immediate effect. Later, Skeletons can move here easily.

Armory: No immediate effect. Later, Skeletons can collect gear cards here.

Shrine: No immediate effect. Later, the Paladin can gain Fury, Light, and favor cards here.

Attacking Enemies

You can attack enemy figures.

When you enter a tile with an enemy figure, you must attack it. (You have to fight your way in!)

When you attack, check whether your Strength is greater than the enemy’s Defense.

  • If it is, you hit. Remove the enemy figure from the map. (Sometimes, a hit causes more effects.)
  • If it is not, you miss. Do not remove the enemy figure. If you were forced to attack by moving into the tile, you must retreattake your figure and place it in the tile it came from.

Each role lists its own Strength and Defense. Poltergeists have no Strength and 1 Defense.

The Paladin moves in and must attack the Skeleton!

He has 2 Strength against the Skellie’s 1 Defense, so he removes it!

A Few More Concepts...

Distances

Always count distances between spaces across edges, not diagonally.

Distance of two, not one!

Visibility

Sometimes, you need to see something in order to affect it. In other words, it needs to be visible.

A piece is visible to you if you can trace a straight line (not diagonal) from your figure to the target piece.

You cannot trace this line through a wall, a crypt, or a Dark tile, but you can trace out of a Dark tile holding your figure, and you can trace into a Dark tile holding the target piece.

He can see the closer one, but not the further one.

Breaches and Force Walls

Throughout play, various roles can place breach and force wall markers.

  • A breach over a wall acts as an open edge.
  • A force wall over an open edge acts as a wall.

The outer wall touching the grounds cannot be breached.

If an edge has both a force wall and breach, remove both. If an open edge has a breach, or an edge with a wall has a force wall, remove the marker.

Whenever a tile is rotated, moved or flipped to its Dark side, remove all breaches and force walls on that tile.

Breach

Force Wall

The Paladin

You win if you kill the Spider, by returning her 5 Spiderlings to the box.

Traits

Formidable: Your figure is not removed when hit. Each time you are hit by a Skeleton, you lose 1 Health.

Strength and Defense

You start with 0 Strength and Defense. (You can increase them by taking the prepare action and by spending Fury.)

1) Collect Hero Cubes

Take all the hero cubes off your board and place them on the Unassigned Hero Cubes box on your board.

2) Take Actions

You can take the following actions in any order and number. To take an action, place a hero cube in its box.

  • Prepare: Gain 1 Strength and 1 Defense. You can take this action at any time, even during a crusade or sprint.
  • Sprint: Move up to 2 spaces. You can only enter Lit tiles with no figures that force attacks.
  • Crusade: Resolve as described below.

You may end this phase after completing any action.

Crusade

Move 0 or 1 spaces, then do this:

  1. Reveal Dark Tile
  2. Attack Figures
  3. Use Shrine
  4. Collect Treasures
1: REVEAL DARK TILE

If you are on a Dark tile, reveal it. You gain 2 Grit.

An open edge of the revealed tile must touch the tile from which you moved.

2: ATTACK FIGURES

You can attack figures on your tile. You must attack figures that force attacks before ones that do not.

  • Skeleton: (Its Undead trait triggers.)
  • Spider: (Her Shapeshifter trait triggers.)
  • Egg: Remove all blood tokens from its tile. Gain 5 Grit.
  • Poltergeist: Gain 3 Grit.

You gain 1 Light each time you hit an enemy figure.

3: USE SHRINE

While on a Shrine, you may gain 1 Fury or 1 Light, or you may discard a favor card to draw 3 favor cards, keep 1, and discard 2. You cannot discard Vigor or Illuminate. (You can use a Shrine multiple times in a game.)

4: COLLECT TREASURES

Remove all treasure markers on your tile, one at a time. For each, the Manor draws 2 treasure cards, gives you one, and discards the other. If there is no Manor player, draw a treasure card.

You may keep the treasure card in your hand, or you may return it to the box to gain 5 Grit.

Likewise, if the Manor cannot give you a card because the treasure deck is empty, you gain 5 Grit.

3) Gain Fury

You gain 1 Fury if you did not hit the Spider during this turn.

Other Rules

Grit

Grit is the experience the Paladin gains as he explores the Manor.

As you gain and lose Grit, track it on your Grit dial.

If your Grit reaches 7, 18, 32, or 41 immediately take a hero cube from your supply and place it in your Unassigned Hero Cubes box. (You can place this cube during the same turn.)

If your Grit reaches 13 or 25, immediately draw 3 favor cards, pick one to keep in your hand, and discard the other two.

If your Grit falls below 7, 18, 32, or 41, immediately remove a hero cube from your board and return it to your supply.

If your Grit falls below 13 or 25, immediately discard a favor card, but not Vigor or Illuminate.

Fury and Light

Your fury and light tokens represent your devotion to your god.

Track your Fury and Light by placing fury and light tokens on their matching spaces.

You can have up to 5 Fury and 8 Light at a time.

Favor and Treasure

At any time during your Take Actions phase, you can play a treasure or favor card from your hand.

Played treasure and favor cards give you persistent effects, and you can spend Fury and Light to use the effects of your favor cards at any time (even during an action) during your Take Actions phase.

Lamps

Your Illuminate favor card lets you spend Light to place lamp tokens (the back side of light tokens). When a Skeleton enters a tile with a lamp, the Skeleton stops moving.

The Skeletons

You win if you kill the Paladin, by reducing his Health to 0.

Traits

Distracting: Each time a Skeleton attacks, it gains 1 Strength per space with a Skeleton or cackling skulls token adjacent to the defender for that attack.

Groundskeepers: Skeletons can enter the grounds (rectangular spaces around the map edge) and crypts (square spaces without tiles).

Undead: Each time a Skeleton is removed, immediately roll the spawn die and place that Skeleton on the matching Spawn (numbered grounds). Move its card to the 1st space of the March Order, and push cards right to fill the gap.

Weak Bones: Each time a Skeleton attacks, remove it after attacking (whether it hits or misses).

Strength and Defense

Each Skeleton has 1 Strength. (Remember your Distracting trait.)

Each Skeleton has 1 Defense plus 1 Defense per other Skeleton on its tile.

1) Lose Stability

Lose 1 Stability per Skeleton on a Lit tile that is not a Pit.

2) Activate Skeletons

Activate each Skeleton on the map, one at a time, from left to right in the March Order.

When you activate a Skeleton, it can move up to 5 spaces, then it can take one action.

If a Skeleton enters a tile with a lamp or web, the Skeleton ends its movement. (Remember to remove one of each enemy token in the space.)

Actions

  • STRIKE!! Spend 1 Stability to attack an enemy figure on your tile. (Remember your Distracting and Weak Bones traits.) If you cannot spend Stability, you do not attack and you return to your origin space.
    • Paladin: (His Formidable trait triggers.)
    • Spider: (Her Shapeshifter trait triggers.)
  • LOOT!! Once per turn, remove a treasure marker from your tile to gain 2 Stability.
  • BREACH!! Spend 1 Stability to place a breach marker on a wall on your tile (including a wall printed on an adjacent tile touching your tile).
  • TUNNEL!! While on a Pit, place the Skeleton on any Pit with no enemy figures.
  • ARM!! While on an Armory tile (Lit or Dark), draw a gear card.

3) Summon Skeleton

Once per turn, you may spend 3 Stability to flip up the leftmost facedown skeleton card in the March Order, roll the spawn die, and place the matching Skeleton on the matching Spawn.

4) Gain Stability

Gain 2 Stability.

Other Rules

Abilities

Each Skeleton has a unique ability, which it can use during its activation each turn (even between spaces of movement).

Casty

You may spend 1 Stability to place a cackling skulls token on an adjacent space. Cackling skulls distract enemy figures in adjacent tiles.

If both cackling skulls are placed, Casty cannot use this ability.

SCREAMY

Once per turn, you may spend 1 Stability to target a Skeleton within 2 spaces of Screamy and move it up to 5 spaces. You cannot move this Skeleton into a tile with an enemy figure that forces attacks.

SHOOTY

When she takes the Strike action, you may spend 1 Stability to have her attack target a visible figure exactly 2 spaces away (instead of on her tile). This attack does not remove Shooty.

SLASHY

You may spend 1 Stability to increase Slashy’s Strength to two for this turn (her Defense remains 1).

STABBY

When Stabby hits the Paladin, you may spend 1 Stability to make the Paladin lose 3 Grit.

Gear

At any time during your turn, you can play gear cards from your hand in front of their listed Skeleton. Played gear cards give the listed Skeleton another ability (which can be used during the same turn).

Stability costs on gear add to the Stability costs of any associated actions.

Pit Markers

Some Skeletons can place pit markers. A tile with a pit marker on it is considered a Pit tile, even while the tile is Dark.

Pit markers cannot be removed.

The Spider

You win if you gain 12 Terror, then move through the Manor’s entrance (open edge by the stairs).

Traits

Agile: You always hit on attacks and cannot be forced to attack.

Crawly: Your Giant Spider can cross 1 wall per turn, and your Spiderlings can cross any number of walls.

Shapeshifter: When a Spiderling is hit, return it to the box. When the Sorcerer or Giant Spider is hit, return a Spiderling to the box, place a Spiderling on a tile adjacent to your old figure, then place each remaining one on a tile adjacent to the previous Spiderling placed.

Tiny: Your Spiderlings and Eggs do not force attacks. (Your Giant Spider and Sorcerer still do.)

Strength and Defense

All your forms have no Strength and 2 Defense. (Your Defense increases as your Terror increases.)

An Egg has no Strength and 1 Defense plus 1 Defense per blood token on its tile.

1) Choose Form

Ignore this step on the first turn.

Choose the Giant Spider, Sorcerer, or Spiderlings board to flip face-up, and flip the other two facedown.

Place your new figure on the tile with your old figure, then remove your old figure.

For Spiderling form, place all of the Spiderling figures in the same tile as the old figure, or place the new figure in any tile with a Spiderling.

2) Gain Terror

You may take the feed and scare actions each once per turn.

Feed: Spend 3 Blood to gain 1 Terror.

Scare: If the map has at least 6 webs, discard 1 power card to gain 1 Terror.

3) Move and Cast Spells

You may move and cast spells in any order. Each form moves and casts differently:

  • Sorcerer or Giant Spider: You may cast spells at any time in this phase.
  • Spiderlings: You must finish moving one Spiderling before moving another, and you can only cast spells before and after moving a given Spiderling.

Moving

  • Sorcerer: Move up to 2 spaces. (You cannot cross walls.)
  • Giant Spider: Move up to 3 spaces. (You may cross 1 wall per turn.)
  • Spiderlings: Move each up to 4 spaces. (You may cross walls.)

Casting Power Cards

You can play a power card from your hand to use its effect, then discard it:

  • Eyes: Reveal a tile. If you reveal a Blood tile, gain 1 Blood.
  • Fangs: Attack to gain 1 Blood.
  • Webs: Place a web token on a tile. A tile can hold up to 3 webs.

Your form changes which tiles each of your played power cards affects:

  • Sorcerer: One visible tile.
  • Giant Spider: Any adjacent tiles, twice in total.
  • Spiderlings: Each tile with any Spiderlings in any order.

Your form also lets you play power cards as a different card:

  • Sorcerer: Any cards as eyes.
  • Giant Spider: Any cards as fangs.
  • Spiderlings: Any cards as webs.
Other Spells

Veil (Sorcerer): Discard 1 power card to flip an empty visible Lit tile to its Dark side. (The center of the target tile must be visible.)

Tend (Sorcerer): Spend 1 Blood to place 1 blood token on each tile with an Egg.

Lay Egg (Giant Spider): Discard 2 power cards to place an Egg on your tile or an adjacent visible tile. If you already placed an Egg in this turn, discard 1 card instead. You cannot place 3 Eggs in the same turn.

Legs (All): Discard 1 power card to move your figure 1 space. If you are in Spiderlings form, move each Spiderling 1 space instead.

Loot (Spiderlings): Discard 1 power card to remove all treasure markers from all tiles with any Spiderlings. Gain 1 Terror if you removed 2. Gain 2 Terror if you removed 3 or 4. Gain 3 Terror if you removed 5 or more.

4) Redraw Hand

Discard all power cards left in your hand, and then draw power cards equal in number to your Spirit. (Your Spirit increases with your Terror.)

Other Rules

Webs

Each time an enemy figure enters a tile with any webs, it ends its move.

Eggs

When a tile with an Egg has any combination of 6 web and blood tokens, gain 2 Terror and remove the Egg and all the blood tokens on its tile. (Do not remove webs.)

Eggs cannot move.

Blood

Whenever your Sorcerer, Giant Spider, or Spiderling figure is on a tile with a blood token and no Egg, you may remove it to gain 1 Blood.

The Manor

You win if you complete 14 Seals, by playing ritual cards.

Traits

The avatar of the Mansion on the physical plane is the Wraith.

Ethereal: Your Wraith can cross walls, cannot attack or be attacked, ignores the effects of enemy tokens, and does not remove enemy tokens when entering their space.

Spooky: Each time you reveal a Poltergeist tile, you may place the poltergeist on any empty Lit tile.

Strength and Defense

Your Wraith has no Strength or Defense.

1) Assign Omens

Take any number of cubes from the Unassigned Omens box on your board, and place them on empty spaces of the tracks on your board. Fill a given track from left to right.

2) Use Powers

You may use each of your powers from top to bottom, as follows. To use a power, its track must have at least 1 cube.

Reveal Tiles

Reveal any Dark tile on the map.

The number of Dark tiles you can reveal is shown by the combined filled spaces of the Reveal Tiles track.

Shift 1 Tile

Choose any tile and either shift it or rotate it. (Remove any breaches or force walls on the shifted tile, and fill any new open edges.) If you shift it, you must place it on a crypt touching at least one other tile.

Any pieces on the shifted tile move with it. Orient the shifted tile as if you were revealing it.

The maximum distance you can shift the tile is shown by the combined filled spaces of the Shift 1 Tile track.

If the map has no crypts, you can use shift as if it were swap.

Swap 2 Tiles

Choose 2 tiles and either swap them or rotate each. (Remove any breaches or force walls on the swapped tiles, and fill any open edges.)

Any pieces on the swapped tiles move with the tile. Orient the swapped tiles as if you were revealing them.

The maximum distance between the swapped tiles is shown by the combined filled spaces of the Swap 2 Tiles track.

Place Walls

Place a force wall marker on the shared edge of any two adjacent tiles (Lit, Dark, or both) without a wall.

The maximum number of force walls you can place is shown by the combined filled spaces of the Place Walls track.

Move Wraith

Move the Wraith. The maximum number of spaces you can move it is shown by the combined filled spaces of the Move Wraith track.

3) Perform a Ritual

You can play 1 ritual card from your hand.

To play one, you must trace a path from the tile of your Wraith to the end tile shown on the card.

You can only trace from, though, and into Lit tiles with no figures, and you cannot cross walls.

If you trace the complete path, you complete the ritual! Gain Seals as listed on the card, pick up the Wraith, and place it on the end tile shown on the card. Then, place a poltergeist on the tile shown on the card.

Portents

Ritual cards with 1 Seal show icons representing portents.

When you complete a ritual with a portent, place a portent cube in the leftmost box of the matching track.

A portent cube placed on a track is treated as a placed omen cube that is never removed.

(A portent cube placed on the Draw Card track shifts its cubes right and will take effect during the same turn.)

3) Place Treasure, then Draw Rituals

Place treasure markers on empty Dark tiles, and then draw ritual cards.

If you have more than 5 ritual cards after drawing, discard ritual cards of your choice until you have 5 cards.

The numbers of ritual cards drawn and tokens places are shown by the combined filled spaces of the Place Treasures, then Draw Rituals track, as follows.

Omens

0

1

2

3

Treasures

1

1

2

2

Cards

0

1

2

3

4) Return Omens

Return all omen cubes on your board to your Unassigned Omens box.

The Warlock

How to Win

You win if you fill your Dominated Pieces track with any combination of 5 poltergeists and treasures.

Traits

Crypt Walker: You can enter crypts (square spaces without tiles).

Ethereal: You can cross walls, cannot attack or be attacked, ignore the effects of enemy tokens, and do not remove enemy tokens when entering their space.

Hexomancer: Each time a piece with any curse markers is removed, advance your Spells track once.

Skittish: Each time an enemy figure enters your space, immediately move to the nearest Dark tile, crypt, or Pit tile at least 2 spaces away and remove half of your Curses (round down), and advance your Spells track once.

Strength and Defense

The Warlock has no Strength or Defense.

1) Curse and Dominate

Take curse markers from your Curses, and place them under any poltergeists and treasures in your network, spreading them as evenly as possible. Then, check for domination.

Domination

If a piece in your network has curse markers under it equal or greater to the value of an empty space of your Dominated Pieces track, you may remove that piece and its curse markers, and place that piece on any empty space of the track with a value equal to or less than the number of curse markers that were under the piece.

When you place the dominated piece on the track, you immediately gain the effect listed on its space.

If you gain a magic cube, place it in your Unassigned Magic Cubes box. (You can place this cube during the same turn.)

2) Gain Spells

For every 3 spells in your hand, play one and discard two.

Played spell cards give you persistent effects and new actions that you can take.

3) Collect Magic Cubes

Collect all the magic cubes from your board and place them on the Unassigned Magic Cubes box on your board.

4) Take Actions

You can take the following actions in any order and number. To take an action, place a magic cube in its box.

  • Sneak: Move up to 2 spaces. You must end your move on a Dark tile, Pit tile, or crypt.
  • Summon Poltergeist: Place a poltergeist on a surrounding Lit tile with no figures.
  • Conjure Treasure: Place a treasure on a surrounding Dark tile with no figures. Then take curse markers from your supply equal to the number of poltergeists in your network, and place those curse markers under the treasure.
  • Syphon: Gain 1 Curse per figure, except poltergeists, surrounding you.

Other Rules

The Spells Track

Each time the Spells track advances to a space with the spell symbol, draw 3 spell cards.

Your Spells track advances as described by your Hexomancer and Skittish traits.

The Warlock’s Network

A treasure or poltergiest is in your network if you can trace a path to it through any number of poltergeists or treasures surrounding you or surrounding other poltergeists or treasures in your network.

Example: Only the 2 black poltergeists and the black treasure are in the Warlock’s network.

Difficulty Variants

You can adjust the players’ roles to account for differences in age, experience, and skill.

These adjustments assume a game with 4 or 5 players. Some difficulty variants may not be suitable for some games with low player counts.

Paladin

Squire (very easy)

The Spider gives you 2 Spiderlings at the start of the game.

Protector (easy)

The Spider gives you 1 Spiderling at the start of the game.

Justicar (hard)

You cannot use Shrines.

Lord (very hard)

You begin the game with only 2 hero cubes. Return 1 hero cube to the box.

Skeletons

Miscreant (very easy)

The Paladin starts at 5 Health.

Boss (easy)

The Paladin starts at 6 Health.

Master (hard)

The Paladin starts with the Armor treasure.

Warlord (very hard)

The Paladin starts with the Armor and the Halo treasures.

Spider

Hatchling (very easy)

You need 8 Terror to escape.

Consumer (easy)

You need 10 Terror to escape.

Matriarch (hard)

You cannot use the Legs spell.

Demon Queen (very hard)

You must play the entire game as the Giant Spider.

Manor

Shack (Very Easy)

You need 11 Seals to win.

Villa (easy)

You need 13 Seals to win.

Keep (hard)

Return all rituals worth 3 Seals to the box.

Castle (very hard)

Return all rituals worth 1 Seal to the box.

Warlock

Charlatan (very easy)

You must only dominate 4 pieces to win.

Controller (easy)

Before your first turn, draw 3 spells.

Beguiler (hard)

Before your first turn, advance your Spells track twice, but do not draw cards for this.

Mind Bender (very hard)

You begin the game with only 2 magic cubes. Return 1 magic cube to the box.

Player Counts and Role Mixes

In addition to the full five-player game, Vast: The Mysterious Manor can be played with the role mixes listed here. Mixes not listed on this page cannot be played.

Some of these require slight changes to the rules or game setup, as listed in the role mix.

Mixes with an asterisk (*) are suggested for new players.

Four Players

No Warlock*

No changes to the rules.

No Manor*

The Warlock begins with the Expand spell.

Three Players

Paladin/Skeletons/Spider*

The Spider begins with the Warlock’s Expand spell.

Paladin/Spider/Manor*

Return the following Paladin cards to the box: Armor (treasure), Disdain (favor), and Radiant Lamps (favor).

The Spider begins with 2 Terror (but still starts with 3 cards).

The Manor begins with 3 Seals.

Paladin/Spider/Warlock*

Return the following Paladin cards to the box: Armor (treasure), Disdain (favor), and Radiant Lamps (favor).

The Spider begins with 2 Terror (but will still start with 3 cards).

The Warlock begins with the Syphon Specialize spell and the Expand spell.

Skeletons/Spider/Warlock

The Skeletons now win if they kill the Spider.

The Spider begins with 2 Terror (but will still start with 3 cards).

Spiderlings now force the Skeletons to attack.

The Warlock begins with the Expand and Enclose spells.

Return the following Skeleton gear cards to the box: Shield (Slashy), Kukri (Stabby), Pauldrons (Screamy), Poison (Stabby), and Iron Spike (Smashy). (Smashy is an expansion Skeleton.)

Skeletons/Spider/Manor

The Skeletons now win if they kill the Spider.

The Spider begins with 2 Terror (but still starts with 3 cards).

The Manor begins with 3 Seals.

Spiderlings now force the Skeletons to attack.

Return the following Skeleton gear cards to the box: Shield (Slashy), Kukri (Stabby), Pauldrons (Screamy), Poison (Stabby), and Iron Spike (Smashy). (Smashy is an expansion Skeleton.)

Two Players

Paladin/Spider*

Return the following Paladin cards to the box: Armor (treasure) and Radiant Lamps (favor).

The Spider begins with 2 Terror and the Warlock’s Expand spell.

Skeletons/Spider*

The Skeletons now win if they kill the Spider.

The Spider begins with 2 Terror and the Warlock’s Expand spell.

Spiderlings now force the Skeletons to attack.

The Paladin’s Journey (Solo)

The Paladin’s Journey is a solo game mode where the Paladin enters the Manor to destroy the spirits lurking within.

Setup

Set up the map and the Paladin as normal. Then:

  • Shuffle 5 Skeleton cards and place them face up in a line nearby as their March Order.
  • Roll the spawn die to spawn each Skeleton. (All five begin in play.)
  • Place the Stability and Terror dials nearby, and set them both to 0.
  • Place a blood token on the central Pit tile.
  • Start the game with the Disdain favor card (as well as Vigor and Illuminate).

Goal

You win by hitting 6 poltergeists.

You lose if you reach 0 Health or 12 Terror.

The Paladin

Take your turn as normal, with the following changes.

Revealing Tiles

In this mode, some tiles have extra effects when revealed:

  • Armory: Lose 1 Stability.
  • Blood: Gain 1 Terror.
  • Pit: Gain 1 Stability.

Removing Blood

When you remove a blood token by entering a tile, lose 1 Terror.

Hitting Enemies

When you hit a Skeleton, do not trigger its Undead trait. Instead, just remove it and place it on its side above its card.

When you hit a poltergeist, keep it. (This tracks how close you are to winning.)

The Gain Fury Phase

Replace the text for your Gain Fury phase to the following:

“You gain 1 Fury if you did not hit a poltergeist during this turn. Also, gain 1 Terror.”

The Skeletons

The Skeletons activate from left to right. After each Skeleton on the map has activated, go to the Spawn phase (described later on this page). They do not use abilities or gear.

Skeleton Movement

Each Skeleton can move up to 3 spaces (not 5 spaces). A Skeleton moves following this priority order:

  • Priority #1: Attack! If the Paladin is within movement range and the Skeleton has sufficient Strength to hit him, move the Skeleton to him and hit him. After hitting the Paladin, shift that Skeleton’s card to the front of the March Order, then remove the Skeleton and place it on its side above its card.
  • Priority #2: Distract! If the Paladin is not within movement range, or if the Skeleton does not have sufficient Strength to hit him, and if a space adjacent to the Paladin is within movement range, move the Skeleton to a space adjacent to him. If there are multiple options, choose the space that would lead to the most Skeletons distracting the Paladin this turn.
  • Priority #3: Creep! Move as close as possible to Paladin.

Move along the shortest path toward the Paladin. The Skeleton moves to increase its distance from the Paladin only in these cases:

  • If it is blocked by the Paladin’s pillar of light and there are no other paths toward the Paladin.
  • If there are any lamps on the shortest path, and moving around them would bring the Skeleton closer to the Paladin than if it entered (and stopped on) a tile with a lamp.

If multiple destination spaces are equally far from the Paladin, you choose the destination space.

Their movement rules are different in the following ways:

  • Skeletons do not lose Stability for starting on a Lit tile.
  • Each Skeleton can cross one wall per turn.
  • Skeletons cannot enter the grounds.
  • When a Skeleton enters a tile with a blood token, do not remove it.
  • A Skeleton cannot end its movement on a space with another Skeleton. (But it may enter such spaces.)
  • Skeletons ignore poltergeists and move as if they were not present.

Spawn Phase

After all Skeletons on the map have activated, spawn Skeletons as follows.

First, stand up Skeletons on their side equal in number to their Rush value from left to right (as described in Stability on the next page).

Then, spawn removed Skeletons that are not on their side. Roll the spawn die once per removed Skeleton and place it on the matching Spawn. Reroll if its adjacent space in the Manor is blocked by a pillar of light.

Finally, stand up any Skeletons that are on their side. (These Skeletons will spawn next turn.)

Enemy Dials

In the solo game, the Paladin tracks Stability and Terror. As Stability and Terror increase, the game becomes more difficult, as shown by charts below.

Stability

Stability shows the Skeletons’ preparedness for battle.

In solo mode, Stability only changes when Armory and Pit tiles are revealed.

As their Stability increases, the Skeletons gain the following effects:

  • Movement: Each Skeleton can move this many spaces per activation.
  • Rush: Stand up this many Skeletons before spawning during the Spawn phase.
  • S. Strength: Each Skeleton has this much Strength.

Stability

Movement

Rush

Skeleton Strength

0

3

0

1

1

3

0

1

2

3

0

1

3

4

1

1

4

4

1

1

5

4

1

2

6

5

1

2

7

5

2

2

8

5

2

3

9

6

2

3

10+

6

3

3

Terror

Terror shows how close the Paladin is to succumbing to fright.

Terror increases each turn and whenever the Paladin reveals a blood tile. It decreases whenever the Paladin removes a blood token.

As Terror increases, the following effects occur:

  • P. Strength: Each poltergeist has this much Strength.
  • Discard: Whenever Terror increases to this value, the Paladin must discard one card of the listed type, if able. (Vigor and Illuminate cannot be discarded.)

Terror

Poltergeist Strength

Discard

0

1

1

1

2

1

3

1

4

2

Treasure

5

2

6

2

Favor

7

2

8

3

Treasure

9

3

10+

3

Favor

Difficulty

If you wish to adjust the difficulty of this solo mode, you can make the following changes:

Easy: Use 4 Skeletons, lose at 12 Terror, win at 5 poltergeists.

Normal: Use 5 Skeletons, lose at 12 Terror, win at 6 poltergeists.

Hard: Use 6 Skeletons, lose at 10 Terror, win at 7 poltergeists. (Requires the Haunted Hallways expansion.)

Campaign Play

If you wish to play the solo mode as a campaign, use the following rules.

To begin, write down “Fury & Light,” “Stability,” and “Terror” on a piece of paper, and mark each as rank 0.

The rank determines the starting value of the Paladin’s Fury and Light, Stability, or Terror, as described on the chart below.

Each time you win a game, choose one category and increase it by one rank, up to a maximum of rank 3. You cannot increase a category’s rank if it is higher than the rank of any other category.

When you have completed the game with all three categories at rank 3, you can tell the world you are a Vast Master.

Rank

Fury & Light

Stability

Terror

0

3 each

0

0

1

2 each

1

1

2

1 each

2

2

3

0 each

3

3

Traveling Between Vast Games

These rules allow you to use roles from Vast: The Mysterious Manor and Vast: The Crystal Caverns together in either game.

We recommend you only migrate one role at a time. A migrated role replaces the role of the same color.

Example: The Paladin replaces the Knight, or vice versa.

These rules assume you are using the recommended player mixes for each game with at least the core roles (Paladin/Skeletons/Spider or Knight/Goblins/Dragon).

If playing without a role, use the variant rules from the role’s original game.

Example: If the Skeletons visit the Cave with the Knight and the Dragon, the Dragon would take the Past Plunder variant card.

Other mixes are possible but will likely require you to make some rulings on interactions during play.

General Rules

Find and Replace

Replace any references to the original role with references to the migrated role.

Example: If you play The Mysterious Manor with the Dragon, references to “Spider” on the Paladin’s cards are replaced with references to “Dragon.”

Dead Cards and Abilities

Read card text literally, except when meeting the Find and Replace rule. (This may mean certain cards no longer have an effect.)

Do not convert game terms unless explicitly stated.

Example: The Goblins do not have Stability, so they ignore any effects that relate to Stability.

Example: The Dragon’s Wrath ability collapses tiles. If he is in the Manor, tiles cannot be collapsed, so ignore this part of the ability.

Attacking by Movement

Broadly, attacking follows the rules of the defender’s original game. This rule does not apply to the text of cards and special abilities.

Example: If a Skeleton is hit, it is removed. If a Goblin is hit, it scatters.

Roles from Vast: The Crystal Caverns are only forced to attack by moving into a space with an enemy figure if that color of role would be forced to attack in Vast: The Mysterious Manor.

Example: The Thief can enter tiles with enemy figures such as the Warlock. The Knight, however, is forced to attack a Skeleton if she enters its tile.

Forced Move

Whenever a role from Vast: The Mysterious Manor is forced to move by a role from Vast: The Crystal Caverns, they can be moved onto any legal tile. The Warlock may be forced to enter crypts, and the Skeletons may be forced to enter crypts and grounds.

Visiting the Cave

General

The Entrance and Crystal tiles cannot be flipped to their Dark side.

Paladin in the Cave

The Paladin can attack the underground Dragon by spending 1 Fury.

The Paladin cannot sprint into a tile with an event token.

Events are resolved as written.

A Goblin Tribe counts as a single figure for the purpose of the Paladin gaining Light from a hit.

Spider in the Cave

Goblins ignore webs in Lit tiles, but a Tribe must stop moving when it enters a Dark tile with any webs.

The Knight must spend 2 Movement to enter a tile with any webs. After she enters a tile with any webs, remove 1 web there.

When an Event tile is revealed, place a blood token on it. When the Spider reveals an Event tile, she also gains 1 Blood.

The Spider may play a Fangs card to smash a crystal.

The Knight can roll the Dragon die against the Spider if she has Strength equal to the Spider’s Defense.

Warlock in the Cave

The Warlock uses the poltergeist figures and force wall markers (which he can still bring into play with Enclose).

The Warlock treats the outside edge of the map as if composed of crypts.

When the Warlock uses Expand, play the top tile from the stack.

The Knight gains 2 Grit each time she removes a poltergeist.

The Goblins can only trigger the Warlock’s Skittish trait once per turn.

In games without the Cave, the Warlock starts with the Past Plunder variant card.

Visiting the Manor

Knight in the Manor

The Knight can use the Bow on a Skeleton to remove it.

She does not use bomb tokens. Instead, her Bomb equipment places a breach marker on a wall of her tile.

She cannot use her Ancient Map to enter a crypt.

She gains 2 Grit each time she removes a poltergeist.

She must spend an extra Movement to enter a tile with any webs.

Goblins in the Manor

During setup, roll for each Tribe and place it on the matching Spawn.

Tribes are never hidden. If a Tribe ever scatters or uses the Hide action, roll the spawn die and place the Tribe on the matching Spawn.

Goblins are lurking while on a crypt. A Tribe forfeits its action if it moves from a crypt or Spawn to a tile.

Tribes at 0 Population cannot enter a tile.

Tribes cannot enter the grounds.

Goblins ignore webs in Lit tiles, but a Tribe stops moving when it enters a Dark tile with any webs.

Goblins can spend their action to spawn, even while on the map. If they are on a Spawn and roll the number of that Spawn, they reroll.

Goblins treat Pit tiles as Dark and can use them to trigger Ambushes. A Tribe on a Spawn may attack because of an Ambush.

A Tribe counts as a single figure for the purpose of the Paladin gaining Light from a hit.

Overpopulation must affect a Tribe on a tile, if possible.

Dragon in the Manor

When at 11 Wakefulness, the Dragon may surface at any Pit tile.

The Paladin can attack the underground Dragon by spending 1 Fury.

Any Dragon power that scatters a Tribe or makes it hide instead removes Skeletons and poltergeists. Each figure removed in this way advances his Eaten Goblins track once.

Other players treat Dragon Gems as enemy tokens (so one is removed when another role enters its tile).

Thief in the Manor

The Thief can stash treasures while on the Entrance tile or central Pit tile.

The Thief ignores all enemy tokens.

When a Shrine is revealed, also place a vault token on it.

Treat vault tokens as markers (so they are not removed when their tile is entered). They can be removed by the Thief’s Pick Lock action.

When the Paladin attacks the Thief, he determines whether he hits by counting the number of hero cubes placed on crusade in place of Perception. If he misses, he does not retreat back to his origin tile.

Climb

Crossing a wall only costs 1 cube (not 2).

Pickpocket

As in Vast: The Crystal Caverns, you cannot Pickpocket if the target does not have the relevant item.

  • Skeleton: Choose a face-up gear card and place it on the bottom of their gear deck.
  • Spider: Lose 1 Terror.
Backstab

Skeleton

  • Light: Skeleton removed.
  • Moderate: Skeleton removed and lose 1 Stability.
  • Heavy: Skeleton removed and lose 2 Stability.
Loot Drop Results

Paladin

  • Level 3: +3 Grit
  • Level 2: +1 Grit
  • Level 1: +1 Grit
  • Level 0: No bonus

Skeletons

  • Level 3: +3 Stability
  • Level 2: +2 Stability
  • Level 1: +1 Stability
  • Level 0: No bonus

Key Action Reference

Move

Pick up your figure and place it on an adjacent space. You cannot enter crypts or cross walls. If you enter a tile with enemy tokens, remove one of each enemy token there.

  • Crawly (Spider). Her Giant Spider (once per turn) and Spiderlings can cross walls.
  • Crypt Walker (Warlock). He can enter crypts.
  • Ethereal (Manor, Warlock). They can cross walls and do not remove enemy tokens when entering their space.
  • Groundskeepers (Skeletons). They can enter the grounds and crypts.
  • Skittish (Warlock). If an enemy figure enters his space, he immediately moves to the nearest Dark tile, Pit, or crypt, removes half of his Curses (round down), and advances his Spells track once.
  • Lamps. When a Skeleton enters a tile with a lamp, it stops moving.
  • Webs. When the Paladin or a Skeleton enters a tile with a web, he or it stops moving.

Attack

You can attack enemy figures on your space. When you enter a space with an enemy figure, you must attack it.

  • Agile (Spider). She cannot be forced to attack.
  • Ethereal (Manor, Warlock). They cannot attack or be attacked.
  • Tiny (Spider). Her Spiderlings and Eggs do not force attacks.

Check whether your Strength is greater than the enemy’s Defense.

  • Distracting (Skeletons). An attacking Skeleton gains 1 Strength per space with a Skeleton or cackling skulls token adjacent to the defender for that attack.

If Strength is greater, you hit. Remove the defending figure from the map.

If not, you miss. If you were forced to attack, pick up your figure and place it on its origin tile.

  • Agile (Spider). She always hits on attacks.
  • Formidable (Paladin). When hit, he is not removed. When hit by a Skeleton, he loses 1 Health.
  • Weak Bones (Skeletons). A Skeleton is removed after it attacks.
  • Undead (Skeletons). If a Skeleton is removed, immediately roll the spawn die and place that Skeleton on the matching Spawn. Move its card to the 1st March Order space, and push cards right to fill the gap.
  • Hexomancer (Warlock). Advance his Spells track once if a piece with any curse markers is removed.

Reveal

  1. Flip and orient the tile. You may rotate it as you choose, but at least 1 open edge must touch an open edge of an adjacent tile if possible.
  2. Fill crypts on open edges. Take Dark tiles from their stack and place 1 Dark tile in each crypt touching an open edge of the revealed tile.
  3. Resolve the tile. As listed to the right.
    • Spooky (Manor). When it reveals a Poltergeist tile, it may place the poltergeist on any empty Lit tile.

Credits

Game Design by Patrick Leder

Patrick dedicates this game to Brandi and Alice.

Illustrations by Kyle Ferrin

Kyle dedicates this game to Meredith and her infinite patience.

Editing by Joshua Yearsley

Based on a concept by David Somerville.

Development by Leder Games’ Saint Paul staff—Patrick Leder, Cole Wehrle, Nick Brachmann, Jake Tonding, Clayton Capra, and Marshall Britt—with additional development by Joshua Yearsley and Kyle Woelfel

Graphic Design by Nick Brachmann

Rulebook Layout by Cole Wehrle

Proofreading by Kate Unrau

Playtesting by Ryan Schneider, Michael Peterson, Aaron Williams, Steven Wyman, Sara LaiWah James, Aaron Greatorex, Nic Delcambra, Nicholas Leeman, Thyme Ludwig, Andy Aug, Zachariah McCallister, Jacob H. Thull, and Chris Vader

This project was funded on Kickstarter in June 2018. The Kickstarter page was designed by Leder Games with help from Caryl Tan (header video) and Edward Linder (rules video).

Digital adaptation and web design by Jason Kotzur. What's a digital adaptation? Visit jasonkotzur.com to find out.