Waldo's Weekly - Campfires and Ghost Stories

[Kyle]

Hey Wyrdos,

This week, we found Waldo trying to perform a séance with the office dogs. But without lit candles or a spirit board, all they were able to accomplish was leaving a mess on our office floor and angering every cat in the neighborhood.

So, while we clean up all the kibble and styrofoam peanuts, let’s take a look at two more characters in Vagrantsong!

In Vagrantsong, up to 4 players can choose a Vagrant to play as they navigate their way through boxcars full of Haints that want to trap their souls on the train. Vagrantsong is just as fun for 2 players (as the difficulty scales based on player count) for when you and a loved one are looking for a spooky adventure while stuck inside on a dark and stormy night.

Previously, we revealed one playable Vagrant: the Cursebearer. This week, we’ll take a look at two more Vagrants that you’ll be able to choose, as well as some details in what to expect when playing them, as each Vagrant has their own unique playstyle, and their capabilities will grow and change with every Scenario.  

After failing to bring solace to the bereaved by attempting to speak to the dead, the Revivalist left his hometown to wander, hoping to find his purpose.

The Revivalist always has his eyes on his friends and their wellbeing. His Skills focus on restoring Humanity and removing nasty Haint effects from other Vagrants. And thanks to the Revivalist’s past connections to the dead, his healing Skills can also often target Haints, making him a healer with a little bit of punch. After all, defeating Haints is often a matter of saving them, which can only be done by restoring their lost Humanity.

Joining the Revivalist (and Cursebearer) is the Runaway! Accompanied by her loyal pup, the Runaway has hightailed from home in search of a new adventure. She’s eager to see the world, but it’s definitely a little intimidating… or it would be, without her shaggy best friend!

With two characters to control, the Runaway can spread out across the train and get plenty done in a turn. Is there an Event that’s just out of reach? Send the Pup to go check it out! Not only can the Pup investigate, but he’s also a useful ally when the going gets tough, as the Runaway’s exclusive Skills often give her best friend the ability to restore Humanity for both Vagrants and Haints alike.

Let’s take a look at how the Runaway and Pup play together:

On their turn, Vagrants use Coins to determine which actions they want to perform and how potent they want to be. More Coins in a single action can help either increase the odds of success or Humanity gains, but spreading out your Coins on multiple actions will allow you to potentially accomplish more in a single turn. As the Runaway, that player can control the Pup by placing their Coins on any of the actions on the Pup card (or by using several of the Runaway’s exclusive Skills).

While having a furry companion at your side can help calm your nerves, he can be a bit stubborn in his actions, as the Pup won’t be able to Rummage for useful items or Patch Up your friends.

Here, we see the Runaway has placed her 3 Coins on 3 separate actions, and can perform those actions in any order. Starting with 1 Coin on her exclusive Skill, Who’s a Good Boy?!, the Runaway can call the Pup back toward her and restore Humanity to any Haints and Vagrants that the Pup Moves through on the way. Next, her Pup will be able to perform his Bust Action, which allows him to roll 1 Bone (a d6) for a chance to restore some Humanity to an adjacent Haint. Lastly, with 1 Coin in her Investigate Action, the Runaway can try to uncover the mystery of an Event Token in her space, which can provide a variety effects, such as a boon to remind a Haint of their former self, an item to complete a Ritual, or even a dastardly and well-placed trap!

Vagrantsong is a challenging game, and many of the Scenarios become more difficult and punishing the longer they are played. Each time a Vagrant loses all of their Humanity, they will flip over one of their equipped Skills or Junk cards to Wounded (or Broken), which temporarily makes that Skill or Junk unusable. While Vagrants will often find themselves in these precarious positions, all is not lost if a Vagrant is down and out.

When a Vagrant flips all of their Skills and Junk over, rather than be removed from the game, they instead become Westbound, with their souls on the brink of being trapped on the ghost train. Let’s take a look at what happens when the Revivalist becomes Westbound:

After flipping your Vagrant card over to the Westbound side as shown above, you’ll also take your Vagrant’s Westbound Action card and place it over any of your Wounded Skills. As a Westbound Vagrant, you’ll still be a vital part of your team’s success, but your new goal is to get yourself back off your ghost feet and come back to the realm of the living. To do this, you’ve got to gain all of your Humanity back, but that isn’t as easy as it sounds!

In addition to your normal Passive effect changing, you’ll also receive an additional Passive effect that’s going to work against you as the train tries to gain its ghostly grip on your soul, not to mention the pesky Haint in your way! But you’ll have to do everything your power to stop that from happening, because if you are Westbound when the Scenario ends, the Skill card that you placed your Westbound Action card on will be lost forever.

As for what happens when every Vagrant becomes Westbound… well, let’s just say that losing isn’t the end, so long as you’re willing to make a deal with your soul as the bargaining chip. You’ll have to find out more about that when you pick up Vagrantsong this fall!

Looking for more information on Vagrantsong? Head over to the Vagrantsong website to find out more details, and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming news and reveals!

In the meantime, make sure to add Vagrantsong to your Wishlist on BoardGameGeek!