Arcs Review

boardgamequest.com:

We review Arcs, the newest game from designer Cole Wehrle published by Leder Games. Arcs is a combination trick taking and area control game set in a scifi universe.

For a game that navigates the far reaches of space, the new entry from designer Cole Wehrle has certainly found a way to break through the dense modern hobby atmosphere. Since crowdfunding backers began receiving their copies in July 2024, there has been extensive coverage of the converging systems at play as well as discussion about who may enjoy it the most.

Arcs is hard to define. Its allure comes from the pedigree of the designer and the whimsical illustration by Kyle Ferrin. These two have worked with Leder Games to produce Root and Oath, and Arcs joins their four-lettered company. But what exactly is Arcs? There’s a constellation of mechanisms floating at zero gravity and we’re about to exit the safety of our airlock to piece these together.

To understand Arcs, we must first understand its frameworks. The central board features a circular arrangement of six inner gates that feature three separate external planet systems. Based on player count (Arcs plays from 2-to-4 players), a certain section is blocked off to tighten the board state. Players begin in predetermined sectors with ships and buildings (loyal pieces) seeded according to the setup card chosen.

Arcs is centered around card play. An opening hand features six cards and a game has a maximum of five chapters, though it can end earlier based on players reaching a pre-determined number of points. When all cards have been played, or all players have passed consecutively, a chapter ends.

There are four suits of cards: Administration, Aggression, Construction, and Mobilization. When played, they provide certain action types and amounts. Each of these cards also features a value from two to six (one and seven included in a four-player game). Each card provides a combination of actions that can be taken in any order. For example, Mobilization