Arcs (Board Game)

In Arcs, 3–4 players guide their factions through a fast-playing spaceopera that unfolds over a trio of 60–90 minute sessions. The game opens in thefinal days of a decaying empire. Players take the role of the last regents of aonce proud state that stretched to the farthest worlds of the Reach. Faced withan encroaching blight that threatens the outer planets, players must balance theintegrity of their homelands with their own ambitions.

Arcs uses an innovative card-driven action system that is easy-to-learn andhighly interactive. Players are given hands of action cards each turn and mustbalance their desire to control the game's tempo against their other interests.Should you use the initiative to seize control of a critical new technology orreposition your fleets for a coming engagement? When players do trade blows, thebattles are resolved in a snap using a simple dice system. However,combat's inte­raction with the larger action system offers players a widerange of tactical options, from multi-turn sieges to daring raids and dramaticescapes.

Players begin the game in roughly symmetrical positions, which helps newplayers learn the core systems quickly. However, their choices will soon causetheir paths to diverge. Unearthing an ancient technology might make therestoration of the empire possible. A chance discovery on a blighted worldmight lead a player to abandon their wealth and begin a voyage across the Reachto right an ancient wrong. Every choice will advance the game's story and formpart of an emergent, player-driven campaign.

Many of these choices are resolved in a special “intermission” betweengames. During this phase, new rules modules are activated, and players areintroduced to new capabilities and objectives. Despite their similar startingpoints, by the end of a campaign, players might control factions as varied asany in Root or Vast. Players will also use the intermission to spend theirhard-earned power to maintain their fleets and wealth, as well as invest in newimprovements that may aid them in the coming game.

The campaign system of Arcs provides players with a huge number of possiblegame situations and hundreds of possible campaigns. In addition, Arcs alsoincludes an abridged, two-session campaign and a single session mode.