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Arcs is a completely unique and ambitious board game designed by Cole Wehrle, the mind behind such mad modern classics as Root, Pax Pamir and Oath. Published by Leder Games, Arcs promises a narrative-driven experience that combines the best aspects of ‘4X’ (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) games with emergent storytelling. Most of Wehrle’s games are incredibly divisive and already Arcs promises to be as many people’s favourite game as it will see people bounce off its chaos. With no need to bury the lead at this point, coming off my favourite game of all time, Oath, I was incredibly excited for this new space themed addition to the portfolio.
To infinity and Beyond
At its core, Arcs is a game about empire-building and the political and military struggles that define it. However, what truly sets the game apart is its commitment to storytelling. Unlike many other 4X games, where the narrative is often a thin veneer over mechanical gameplay, this game, much like Oath weaves a compelling story through its gameplay mechanics. Players take on the roles of different factions, each with its unique agenda, strengths, and weaknesses allowing the narrative to unfold dynamically, influenced by the players' decisions, alliances, and betrayals.
Kyle Ferrin’s incredible artwork creates such a detailed world, perhaps his best to date and it is impossible not to get lost in this world of interesting races and guilds.
In Space No-one Can Hear You Roll Dice
Arcs employs a clever blend of familiar and innovative mechanics, doing what Wehrle does best and throwing curve balls amongst the figurative pigeons. At first glance, the game might seem like a standard 4X affair with its focus on exploration, expansion, resource management, and conflict. However, it quickly becomes apparent that what we have here is more than the sum of its parts. To begin with players will take a leader of their choice and lore. These offer a simple but powerful asymmetric start to the game each with a positive and a negative power.
The game is played over several ‘chapters’, with each round taking place over six actions. Players take turns performing said actions, such as moving fleets, building cities and space ports, taxing to gain resources, influencing the available guilds and of course battling. However the standout feature here is the action system itself. Instead of a traditional action point system, players use cards from their hands in a track-taking like format. The lead player will dictate the main available action options and will always be able to take their card’s maximum amount of actions. Anyone following will have a slightly more difficult time! If you surpass the lead by playing a higher card of the same suit you will get to also take the card’s maximum action points but anyone who cannot do this is forced to take a single action, either copying that of the leader or pivoting to another. Surpassing will take the initiative to lead the next turn or you can burn an extra card to seize it but losing a turn in the process. The dual-use cards force players to constantly weigh their options, as using a card for one purpose often means sacrificing another potential action.
Combat is straightforward but chaotic. The game uses a dice-based resolution system, but luck is mitigated by the various abilities and technologies that players can acquire through their guild cards. The focus is more on the strategic positioning and timing of your forces rather than raw firepower. The attacker will simply roll their choice of dice up to the power of their fleet, deciding whether to roll safe dice that will only cause damage to the defender but with a 50/50 chance of success or going for a more aggressive dice that will be more likely to hit but will also do damage to your own fleet at the same time. You can also roll raid dice if you are attacking a building in order to try and steal cards and resources from your defender but be wary as they will also do a lot of damage to your own ships at the same time. I love this battle system. It takes all power from the defender but is still slanted favourably towards them. Fighting is punishing but necessary and so the decision space is continuously fascinating!
It’s A Trap!
Leder Games is known for its high-quality productions, and Arcs is no exception. The game features beautiful artwork that perfectly captures the epic scope of the setting and the illustrations on the cards and board are fantastically evocative, helping to bring the game's world to life. The color palette is vibrant without being overwhelming, and the design elements are cohesive, ensuring that everything feels like part of the same universe.
The game board itself is modular, allowing for different setups depending on the number of players and also changes up the layout game to game but selecting from a deck of set up cards. This modularity adds to the replayability of the game, as no two setups are exactly alike.
The rulebook is beautifully organised. It seems like as a company, Leder get stronger and stronger when it comes to how to present their incredibly complex rules. The player aids are also concise and clear which is appreciated and there are enough for each player, something you can’t take for granted!
Live Long and Prosper
Arcs is a remarkable achievement in board game design, offering a deep and engaging experience that combines strategic gameplay with rich storytelling. It is a game that rewards careful planning, tactical thinking, and clever diplomacy, all while immersing players in a vibrant and living universe. While the complexity of the game may be daunting for some, those who invest the time to learn its systems will find a deeply satisfying and replayable experience. Despite the leaders and lore cards being recommended for experienced gamers, I would argue that the game is so vastly improved by them that you should aim to throw them into the mix as soon as possible.
In a market crowded with space-themed board games, Arcs will not be for everyone. It’s lack of long term strategy and lean towards reactionary gameplay will annoy many players and the trick taking will cause no end of debate about ‘luck’. Yes there is luck in this game, like there is in many games that use dice and card draw but what makes this game so great is how you manipulate that luck and mitigate the draw. I have seen people come back from the brink in the last round and seen leaders fall from grace. Arcs is truly one of the most exciting game designs in recent years and yes that does mean that you might bounce off it, and that is fine. To quote a great musical, I’d rather be “nine people’s favorite thing, than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing”!
