How to Play Vagrantsong: Setup, Turns, and First Game

Quick answer

To play Vagrantsong, pick a Scenario, lay out the board and Scenario-specific tiles and tokens, place your Vagrants at the starting area, then run each round in order: draw from the Bag, resolve the Scenario's events, take Vagrant turns, and resolve the Haint's turn. If you only remember one thing, remember that the Bag drives the whole round, so resolve it before anyone moves.

Set up the board and Scenario before you touch a Vagrant

Put the main board in the center of the table and leave a clear area beside it for the Bag, the Haint board, and any Scenario-specific tiles. Pick a Scenario from the Scenario book, then pull only the components that Scenario calls for. Laying out tiles and tokens you do not need makes the table harder to read and slows down every round.

Place the Bag where every player can reach it. You will draw from it constantly, and passing it across the table is the most common reason a first game drags.

• Keep the Scenario book open to the current Scenario page.
• Sort tokens by type before the first draw, not during it.
• Leave a discard area for tokens that leave play.

Build the Bag and place your Vagrants

The Bag is not a random pile. Follow the Scenario's instructions for which tokens go in and in what quantity. Shake it, then draw your starting hand as the Scenario or rulebook directs.

Place each Vagrant on the Scenario's starting space. Check that every player knows which Vagrant they control and what that Vagrant's unique ability does before the first round begins.

• Confirm the Bag contents against the Scenario page.
• Read your Vagrant's ability aloud once so the table hears it.
• Set each Vagrant's trackers to their starting values.

Run the round in the correct order

Each round follows the same sequence: resolve the Bag draw, resolve Scenario events, take Vagrant turns, then resolve the Haint. Vagrant turn order is set by the Scenario or by the current round's instructions, so check the Scenario page rather than assuming clockwise.

On a Vagrant turn you typically move, interact with the Scenario's objectives, and use abilities. Do not skip the Haint step even when it looks quiet. That step is where most of the pressure comes from.

• Bag first, always.
• Scenario events before player actions.
• Haint last, every round.

Know when the game ends

Vagrantsong Scenarios end when their stated objective is met or failed, not after a fixed number of rounds. Read the Scenario's end condition during setup, not when you think you are close to finishing.

If you are unsure whether a trigger has fired, resolve it in the Bag step of the next round and keep playing. Stopping to litigate a rule mid-round is the fastest way to lose momentum on a first game.

• Read the end condition before the first draw.
• Track progress with tokens so nobody has to remember.
• Finish the round you are in before checking the end condition.

First Game Walkthrough

1. Choose a Scenario and pull only its components: Open the Scenario book, pick one Scenario, and gather the tiles, tokens, and cards that page lists. Leave everything else in the box. Checkpoint: if you have components on the table that the Scenario page does not mention, put them back.
2. Build the Bag exactly as the Scenario states: Count tokens into the Bag, shake it, and set it within reach of every player. Do not add or remove tokens based on how hard you expect the game to be. Mistake to avoid: treating the Bag as a generic draw pile instead of a Scenario-specific one.
3. Place Vagrants and read abilities: Put each Vagrant on the starting space, set trackers to starting values, and have each player read their Vagrant's ability once. Checkpoint: every player can state their Vagrant's ability without looking it up.
4. Play one full round in order: Resolve the Bag draw, then Scenario events, then Vagrant turns in the order the Scenario specifies, then the Haint. Mistake to avoid: skipping the Haint step because the board looks calm.
5. Check the end condition at the end of the round: Compare the board to the Scenario's stated objective. If it has not triggered, start the next round with a fresh Bag draw. Next step: if you finish and want a harder return trip, look at Off the Rails.

If you already know the base game

• Vagrantsong: Off the Rails: Off the Rails revisits familiar Scenarios from Vagrantsong and Encore as tougher return trips with personal objectives, character-changing Rewards, and fresh surprises. Once you can run a standard Scenario without checking the rulebook, Off the Rails gives you a reason to replay the same stops with different pressure and different rewards.