ISS Vanguard

2022 · Adventure

ISS Vanguard

Players crew the first interstellar ship on a cooperative campaign, each taking responsibility for one of four sections—security, recon, science, or engineering—and managing the vessel between missions. Sessions alternate between a Ship Management phase, where the crew chooses destinations, researches technologies, produces equipment, recruits or memorializes crew, and resolves shipboard situations using a binder-based log system, and a Planetary Exploration phase, where a selected Lander is outfitted for descent and a team explores a planet’s Places of Interest under time and supply pressure. Gameplay combines strategic resource and campaign decisions with tactical dice checks, crew and equipment selection, branching narrative mission logs, and persistent planetary changes across a multi-mission story.

Players
1–4 best 2
Playing time
90–120 min
Age
13+
Complexity
3.7 / 5
7.9 on Ludoyafrom $147.99Novel-basedExplorationCooperative GameDice RollingSolo / Solitaire Game

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On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
870
Plays logged
127
Players
2h 25m
Average play
140
In collections
28
On wishlists
3
Pre-ordered

7.9/10

from 34 Ludoya reviews

  • Fun8.0
  • Interaction8.0
  • Replayability8.0
  • Uniqueness8.0
  • Looks8.0
  • Accessibility8.0
  • the-fire-archmage-ninja7.0

    Very fun game, if you have a friend that likes to do the ship management side. We did the full campaign and it was interesting. A little bit grindy at times, like most of the Awaken Realm games. But still enjoyable. I would have preferred to be more attached to the characters. Having a rotating cast lessened the emotional impact of each character. I get that it was not the intention of the game to link a player to a character, but still it would have been nicer. The campaign is too long, though. Awaken Realms need to focus a little bit their stories. We played no less than 15 games. Great value for the money, but it was too long. It overstayed a little bit its welcome and we didn't even play the expansions.

  • Jan Solo7.0

    Narrative: 9 Mecanics: 5

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I use other crewmembers' dice to build my Dice Check pool, and how does Assist work?

Yes — other crewmembers may Assist by adding dice from their section to the acting crewmember's roll pool; Assist dice are added before rolling and are provided from the assisting crewmember's dice subject to Convert/ability limits (they are treated as part of the roll pool when resolving the check). (pp.16, 23, 32)

What's the difference between spending a die and sacrificing a die (Exertion), and when do dice come back?

Spending a die pays an effect and that die stays spent until refreshed at Rest or round end, while Exertion lets you sacrifice a die (or take the Exhausted condition) to refresh your pool immediately; sacrificed/spent dice are returned only when rules specifically refresh them. (pp.20, 31)

How do Injury and Danger dice work — do they count toward success and when are they removed?

Injury dice are placed by Injury cards and are included in Dice Checks as specified by the injury (often producing negative or special faces), while Danger dice are rolled when an action forces them (e.g., Travel) and can cause extra consequences or injuries; resolve their faces during Dice Check resolution and remove Injuries only by the card’s removal instructions or medical/clearance effects. (pp.22, 33, 40)

If a die face shows multiple icons, do I get all of them or must I choose one?

You get all icons shown on the die face — multi-icon dice produce every listed effect when that face is used/resolved, unless a specific effect says otherwise. (pp.33–34)

When I take the Travel action, can I split the cost between crewmembers or avoid the Danger die by spending other dice?

Travel is resolved by the acting crewmember spending the required die(s) or, if they don't spend, by resolving the Danger die (you cannot split the Travel cost between crewmembers); follow the Travel steps for path, icons, and any injury or Danger die effects. (pp.18, 30)

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Score sheets and play helpers

  • Full Campaign Kit
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.