Vast - The Mysterious Manor
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
The Paladin prays. The Spider weaves. The Skeletons march. The Enchanter whispers. The Manor itself breathes. No one has the same goals. No one plays by the same rules.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
A cursed manor where everyone plays a different game
Patrick Leder (Root, Fort) returns with the second chapter of the Vast saga. After the Crystal Caverns, the radical asymmetry moves to an abandoned manor where a Paladin seeks redemption, a Spider rebuilds its ancient glory, Skeletons defend their eternal home, an Enchanter bends the minds of others, and the Manor itself is a player with its own objectives. Gothic art by Kyle Ferrin, published by Leder Games in 2019.
At the table, everyone has their own deck of cards, their own player board, their own game mechanics. The Paladin moves and fights. The Spider weaves webs and transforms the manor. The Skeletons awaken in groups and control areas. The Enchanter manipulates minds. The Manor builds rooms and accumulates terror. No one shares the rules. No one shares the victory. It's a game where five different games happen at the same time.
What they say abroad
Vast is asymmetry at its finest: everyone plays a completely different game, but all clash on the same map. It's a bold experiment, and it succeeds.
— FroGames
The Mysterious Manor turns the haunted house into a battlefield where every room hides a conflict. And the real horror is understanding what others want.
— FroGames
Vast: The Mysterious Manor
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and gameplay sessionsThe protagonists of the manor
Five factions, five games
The Paladin
Explores, fights, prays. Wins by destroying the Spider or completing acts of atonement. It's a traditional dungeon crawler within a non-traditional game.
The Spider
Weaves webs, transforms rooms, accumulates power. Wins by devouring the Paladin or achieving complete glory. It's a game of positioning and territory control.
The Skeletons
Awaken in groups, defend areas, move as a swarm. Win by eliminating intruders or protecting enough rooms. They are a living tower defense.
The Manor
Builds rooms, accumulates terror, alters the map itself. Wins by collapsing in on itself or reaching maximum horror. It's conscious gothic Tetris.
In an hour, someone will have won. But everyone will have played a different game. It always happens with Vast.
🧤 BUSTINE
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Everyone reads their own manual
Vast begins even before playing. Each player studies their role, their cards, their board. No one knows exactly what the others are doing. The table is silent, concentrated, nervous. Then someone says: let's start.
The manor takes shape
The first tiles are placed. The Knight explores. The Goblin weaves. The Skeletons slowly awaken. The Manor plays cards and the map changes shape every turn. Everyone understands that this is not a normal game. It's five games overlaid.
Plans clash
The Knight enters a room. The Skeletons block the corridor. The Goblin weaves a web exactly where the Manor needs it. The Enchanter (if present) bends someone's mind. No one cooperates. Everyone interferes. The table becomes a tangle of incompatible strategies.
Someone is close to victory
The Goblin has four glory points. The Knight is one turn away from the final boss. The Manor is about to collapse. The Skeletons control half the map. Everyone accelerates. The best cards come out. The dice roll. Someone tries to block someone else, but it's not clear who the real threat is.
One wins, four lose
A victory condition is met. The table stops. Someone cheers, someone curses, someone asks: wait, how did you win? Then everyone wants to play again. But with different roles. Because Vast never really ends.
How to play
The flow of each round
Each role plays on its own turn, following the initiative order. There are no common phases.
The active player performs their role's actions: moving, drawing, playing cards, activating abilities. Each role has unique actions. The Knight explores and fights. The Goblin weaves. The Skeletons awaken. The Manor builds.
Other players can react, block, interfere. The Enchanter can take control. The Skeletons can attack. The Goblin can trap. One's turn becomes everyone's problem.
Each role checks if it has met its victory condition. They are all different. If someone wins, the game ends immediately. Otherwise, it moves to the next turn.
The initiative token advances. The next player in sequence becomes active. The cycle continues until someone wins or the manor collapses.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Radical asymmetry
Not variable powers. Not balanced factions. Five completely different games happening on the same map. Each role has its own rules, its own board, its own deck. Nothing is shared except the physical space of the manor.
Living map
The manor is not static. It is built during the game, changes shape, collapses, expands. The Manor itself is a player who places tiles, alters paths, blocks corridors. The map is a breathing battlefield.
Incompatible victories
The Knight wins by killing the Goblin. The Goblin wins by devouring the Knight. The Skeletons win by protecting the manor. The Manor wins by collapsing. No alliance is possible. Every move only helps yourself.
Dedicated manuals per role
Each faction has its own booklet. You only read yours. You don't know exactly what others can do until you see it happen. Learning is distributed, the table discovers the game together, but each only knows a part.
Compatibility with Crystal Caverns
Do you own Vast: The Crystal Caverns? You can mix roles from the two games. The Knight can enter the manor. The Dragon can clash with the Goblin. It's a mechanical crossover that no other system offers.
Solo mode included
Vast also works solo. Manage multiple roles simultaneously or play dedicated scenarios. Asymmetry becomes a puzzle: how to make one role win while others try to stop it? It's a solo game that challenges like a multiplayer.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Each role has unique victory conditions. Only one can win. All others lose.
Victory conditions
- The Knight wins by destroying the Goblin or completing acts of atonement
- The Goblin wins by devouring the Knight or reaching maximum glory
- The Skeletons win by eliminating all intruders or protecting enough rooms
- The Manor wins by collapsing completely or reaching maximum terror
- The Enchanter wins by controlling enough minds or completing their ritual
Elimination
- The Knight is devoured by the Goblin or killed by the Skeletons
- The Goblin is destroyed by the Knight before reaching glory
- The Skeletons are eliminated from the map and can no longer awaken
- The Manor collapses too early or loses control before the final plan
Vast: The Mysterious Manor is not a game for everyone. It's for those who seek asymmetry to the highest degree, for those who want to study a complex system and discover that each role is a game in itself. For those who want to win by playing rules that no one else at the table is following.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Vast: The Mysterious Manor
Is it necessary to have played Vast: The Crystal Caverns before?
No. The Mysterious Manor is standalone, you don't need to know the first chapter. The two games are compatible for those who own both, but each works perfectly on its own. The manor is a complete and autonomous experience.
How difficult is it to learn all the roles?
Each role has its own dedicated manual. You don't have to learn all the roles before playing: everyone only studies their own. The first game requires patience and many cross-questions at the table. After 2-3 games, the mechanisms become fluid. It's complex, but distributed.
Does it work well with all player configurations?
It depends. With 5 players it's maximum chaos, all roles active. With 3-4 it works better: fewer overlaps, more room to think. With 2 players it almost becomes an asymmetrical duel. In solo mode, it's a cerebral puzzle. The ideal configuration is 3-4 experienced players.
Is it balanced or do some roles win more often?
Balance is controversial. Some roles are more intuitive (Knight), others require more experience (Manor, Enchanter). With players of mixed experience, victories are unevenly distributed. With experienced players, the balance works. It's not a game to bring with beginners: radical asymmetry sacrifices perfect balance for depth.
Is it available in Italian?
Vast: The Mysterious Manor is available in an English edition. The manuals are dense and text-rich: good language proficiency is needed to manage roles without slowing down too much. Matagot has published localized editions in the past, but currently the current version is the original Leder Games one.
Vast: The Mysterious Manor is an asymmetric board game for 1-5 players, ages 13+, duration 60-120 minutes. Designed by Patrick Leder (Root, Fort) and published by Leder Games, it offers a fantasy exploration experience where each role plays with completely different rules: the Knight explores and fights, the Goblin weaves webs, the Skeletons defend the manor, and the Manor itself is an active player. With radical asymmetry, a modular map, and compatibility with Vast: The Crystal Caverns, it's perfect for experienced groups looking for extreme strategic depth. Available on FroGames.it
Vast - The Mysterious Manor
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