RDTN Episode 115: VAST, Imperial Settlers: Aztecs and Justin Jacobson

Different players pursuing different goals can make a game harder to balance and harder to teach. They can also give a familiar table a reason to come back. In episode 115 of RDTN, that tension runs through the discussion of VAST: The Crystal Caverns, alongside a look at the Aztecs expansion for Imperial Settlers and an interview with Justin Jacobson of Restoration Games.

Five roles to learn in VAST

The appeal of VAST, as described on the show, comes from giving each player an individual role with its own powers and style of play. That changes the usual shared-table question of how to build the strongest position: here, players also have to understand what the others are trying to accomplish. The roles create distinct approaches to the same game, and each player has a winning condition of their own.

Asymmetry can make a game feel varied from session to session, but it asks more of the players. A role’s abilities matter in relation to the rest of the table, so learning one position won’t necessarily prepare you to play the others. The hosts expect players to spend time getting comfortable with one role, then face four more to explore. That gives VAST a clear reason to revisit it, especially for groups who enjoy working out how different powers affect one another.

Those separate objectives don’t mean everyone can simply ignore everyone else. The discussion stresses that players sometimes need to help one another, even while each is trying to meet a personal victory condition. That push and pull is the design’s defining challenge: cooperation may be useful in the moment, but each player still needs to judge when their own opportunity is ready.

The hosts also acknowledge that players have raised negative comments about the game. Their recommendation is measured: give it at least one play before deciding. For a game with several distinct roles, one session may show the table’s basic rhythm without revealing the full range of play. The first experience is a starting point for seeing how the objectives and player powers interact.

Aztecs changes the Imperial Settlers rhythm

The episode also revisits the Aztecs expansion for Imperial Settlers, which the hosts had previously demoed in July 2016. They already enjoy the base game and hope the expansion will bring it to the table more often. Their main point of interest is the addition of the Pray mechanic and the Blessing resource.

In the hosts’ view, those additions give the expansion a different texture from a straightforward cycle of collecting resources and spending them. They describe the new approach as bringing randomness into a style of play that can otherwise feel repetitive. That distinction matters for groups who like the familiar structure of an engine-building game but want more uncertainty in how a turn develops. The episode doesn’t provide a full rules explanation, but it identifies Pray and Blessing as the mechanics to watch when considering what the Aztecs add.

The release was delayed after an error was found on a card. The hosts say Portal reprinted that card and included a replacement in each expansion. They praise the decision, pointing out that the publisher could have released the expansion and left customers to request a replacement separately. For players, a corrected card in the box means less follow-up and a clearer path to playing the expansion as intended.

Justin Jacobson discusses Restoration Games

Justin Jacobson joins the episode to talk about Restoration Games. The hosts mention that Stop Thief had received its funding, then turn to what might come next for the company. Jacobson says more games are already in development and that the company plans to make announcements at Gen Con.

The interview leaves those future titles unnamed. The hosts try to coax details out of Jacobson, jokingly invoking Don’t Spill the Beans, but he keeps quiet. He does promise to return to the show, and the hosts say they hope Rob Daviau will join him. For listeners following Restoration Games, the useful takeaway is that more projects were in the works at the time of recording, with Gen Con identified as the next place to hear about them.

Episode rundown

The episode moves through a broad set of games and industry topics before reaching its longer discussions. The listed segments are:

• Intro at 00:45, followed by GAMA News at 2:45.
• Castle Dukes at 6:30 and Cooking with Dice at 7:55.
• Evolution Climate at 9:58 and Balloon Pop at 11:43.
• Karuba at 15:10 and a first play of Star Wars Rebellion at 16:43.
• Imperial Settlers: Aztecs at 19:23, followed by Portal Games at 24:25.
• VAST: The Crystal Caverns at 24:56, The Broken Token at 46:58 and Justin Jacobson at 47:25.
• Outro at 1:04:20, with Funagain listed at 1:10:05.

For players choosing where to focus, the episode’s most useful discussions are its look at how VAST’s separate roles still depend on table interaction and its account of the Aztecs expansion’s Pray and Blessing mechanics. Jacobson’s interview adds a small but concrete lead for listeners: Restoration Games had more titles in progress and pointed to Gen Con for the next details.