Van Life Review

Van Life is a game for 2-5 players ages 10 and up. The object of the game is to have the best trip possible by collecting adventure points as you move around the colorful and wholesome game board. Before we launch into the rules, we must take notice of the lovely board. It’s filled to the brim with illustrations of silly destinations and truly bush league puns, which, as any pun aficionado can tell you, are the best kind. 

To understand Van Life, you must understand the 3 card types: Let’s Go Cards, Adventure Cards and Life Cards. Let’s Go Cards are what allow you to move your can across the board. Each card has colored dots, which must be played in sequence if you want to go a specific route on the board. Adventure Cards show images of destinations that, once reached, award you Adventure Points. They can also reveal Skill Adventure Cards, which can give you big advantages in exchange for a one-time Let’s Go card cost. Collecting these cards, learning skills, and reaching the destinations on the board are the bread and butter of earning Adventure Points in the game. Life Cards can either be events that everyone must follow, like meeting up in one spot, or discarding cards from your hand, or Season Cards, which are vitally important. Play progresses until all 4 season cards are revealed during play ( or 2 for a shorter game), whereupon there is one last turn for each player. Whoever has the most points at the end of the last round wins! Bonus points can be earned from skill cards in either a one time pay out, or through collecting a set of the 4 biomes, so keep that in mind.

Despite the friendly and easygoing energy exuded by the board, Van Life can be a slow starter. There are a fair amount of mechanics to get used to, and card types to learn. Depending on the amount of players, you may have even more mechanics to bear in mind, like stealing! But once you get used to the fundamentals of movement, we recommend you jump in and consult the rules as needed.