
- BGG rank
- BGG #19,289
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Tanares Expeditions: Central Sea
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2025

Expansion for Arena: The Contest
Rules assistance for Arena: The Contest – Hydra, Ascaran the Archangel & Vanarus the Demon
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Arena: The Contest – Hydra, Ascaran the Archangel & Vanarus the Demon is an expansion for Arena: The Contest released in 2019 for 1–8 players, 45–90 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Alexandre Aboud, Danilo de Alcantara, and Clayton Machado and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Player Elimination, and Dice Rolling.
One Boss and two heroes exclusive to Kickstarter. The Hydra is a 90x120x85mm miniature (3-inch base diameter). It comes with a special one-shot Boss Fight cooperative quest, to be played after the events that end the Epic Campaign. Ascaran, the Archangel, and Vanarus, the Demon, are two special Kickstarter-Exclusive Heroes from a seventh Combat Role, the Bruiser, that is not currently present in the Core Box or Expansion Box.
Arena: The Contest – Hydra, Ascaran the Archangel & Vanarus the Demon supports 1–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Arena: The Contest – Hydra, Ascaran the Archangel & Vanarus the Demon is 45–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Arena: The Contest – Hydra, Ascaran the Archangel & Vanarus the Demon for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Arena: The Contest – Hydra, Ascaran the Archangel & Vanarus the Demon belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Fighting, and Dice. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Player Elimination, and Dice Rolling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Arena: The Contest – Hydra, Ascaran the Archangel & Vanarus the Demon are: Alexandre Aboud, Danilo de Alcantara, and Clayton Machado. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Arena: The Contest – Hydra, Ascaran the Archangel & Vanarus the Demon as an expansion for Arena: The Contest. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Arena: The Contest to use it. Check that your edition of Arena: The Contest is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.