Arcs
About the Game
Arcs is a sharp, tactical space opera game set in a dark yet silly universe. Players represent officials from a distant, decaying and neglectful Empire who are now free to vie for dominance whether through battle, gathering scarce resources or diplomatic intrigue. Ready yourself for dramatic twists and turns as you launch into this galactic struggle. A deck of cards in 4 suits with ranks from 1-7 (2-6 for fewer than 4 players) defines the action selection system. These cards are played in a tri
Reviews
Arcs
After playing a full mini-campaign of Arcs (three linked scenarios), I came away both impressed and a bit frustrated. Arcs is much more tactical and swingy than something like Root – you’re constantly reacting to the cards you draw and the changing board state rather than executing a long-term plan. I actually enjoyed that aspect; it created some epic, seat-of-our-pants moments, and with the right friends it can be a blast. But there are definitely rough edges. In our game, one player’s faction power was blatantly overpowered (letting them recover ships for free every battle) and even they admitted it felt too strong. We also hit a scenario where the end-game scoring objective basically forced everyone to dogpile one thing, turning the climactic chapter into a monotonous king-of-the-hill fight over a single token. That was a letdown after a very exciting start. I love a lot of the ideas in Arcs – the concept of packing a grand space opera into a few hours is awesome – but it does feel like it needs a bit more polish and balancing. I’m intrigued enough to try again, but our first run was a mixed experience.
✓ Pros
- • Unique tactical gameplay that keeps everyone reacting and adapting constantly
- • Short campaign structure (3 games) delivers a satisfying narrative arc without huge time commitment
- • Highly replayable and dynamic – different events, powers, and player choices make each campaign unique
✗ Cons
- • Some faction powers and scenarios feel unbalanced or unpolished
- • Can devolve into narrow “king of the hill” contests if scoring objectives align poorly
- • Significant amount of iconography and card text to learn – can be overwhelming in first play
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