Should You Back - Arcs by Leder Games

- Don't Miss the Project -

- Time Stamps -
00:00 - Let's talk about what Arcs is
03:14 - Pledge levels
06:02 - If you wanna invest in Arcs
08:45 - How to learn more

- Check out the Game on BGG -

- Game Description: BGG -
In Arcs, 3-4 players guide their factions through a fast-playing space opera that unfolds over a trio of 60-90 minute sessions. The game opens in the final days of a decaying empire. Players take the role of the last regents of a once proud state that stretched to the farthest worlds of the Reach. Faced with an encroaching blight that threatens the outer planets, players must balance the integrity of their homelands with their own ambitions.

Arcs uses an innovative card-driven action system that is easy-to-learn and highly interactive. Players are given hands of action cards each turn and must balance 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 or reposition your fleets for a coming engagement? When players do trade blows, the battles are resolved in a snap using a simple dice system. However, combat's interaction with the larger action system offers players a wide range of tactical options, from multi-turn sieges to daring raids and dramatic escapes.

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

Many of these choices are resolved in a special "intermission" between games. During this phase, new rules modules are activated, and players are introduced to new capabilities and objectives. Despite their similar starting points, by the end of a campaign, players might control factions as varied as any in Root or Vast. Players will also use the intermission to spend their hard-earned power to maintain their fleets and wealth, as well as invest in new improvements that may aid them in the coming game.

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

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[shingodzilla]

I should add that Arcs campaign is a totally different animal than that of Oath. It is more players choosing to follow a path and the implications of that path.

[cwzjkcu]

Yup. 2 Years later I'm glad I didn't get the miniatures. Even though the wooden meeples are not screen printed I still like them more than what I'm seeing the mini's look like. Haven't cracked open the campaign yet but I'm fully loving the base game and the leaders and lore pack.

[dodong_daniel]

I've watched the leder games campaign playthrough and personally, I wouldn't back it without the campaign expansion. Arcs is almost a completely different game when you use campaign mode. A different game that's a lot more to my taste than the core "arcade" mode.

[scottdouglass]

The campaign is going to be a lot more directed in Arcs than in Oath. In Oath, the players do stuff, someone wins, and then you tweak the deck composition and starting configuration for the next game, but the story is entirely emergent. In an Arcs campaign, you have a personalized goal, and based on specific outcomes specific packets of cards get added to the game, adding rules and changing the flavor of the next game much more dramatically than the changes from one game of Oath. Oath is also a never ending campaign. You can just keep playing. That's part of why the changes are incremental. Arcs is at most a 3 game campaign. In addition, you retain your position from the previous game, so you can view a campaign of Arcs as a single game that has natural break points.

[WideMouth]

I love Root and Oath. Taking the best of both with a space theme in the Root/Oath art style, along with new gameplay ideas, sounds amazing! I’m personally doing the “all in” pledge, because this game looks awesome, I have faith in Leder Games, and I’m a fan of plastic figures more so than meeples (in most cases).

[ScytheNoire]

I find there is something charming in wooden meeples.
Unique shapes, screen printing, bright colours, nice mouth feel.
In most games, I think I would just prefer quality wooden meeples over miniatures.

[martonferenci]

I backed it because I found Leder Games an honest and forthcoming publisher who is willing to put their games to the test before release (Arcs available on multiple platforms already) and have not jumped on the minis / stretch goals galore train.
Will I be paying more due to shipping than retail? Yes, but I like to put my money where my mouth is.

[mreed]

So the game was designed as a campaign first so I'm gonna disagree with you. I feel the single season Arcs has a bigger chance of falling flat vs the campaign.

[Sebastian-rtqf]

Still in doubt about this campaign. backed it now for the core pledge, but the campaign mode seems more engaging.
Then again, we're talking about a 100$ plus game... (for only 3-4 players, which will be less tabled). I am a big fan of Cole & Kyle, so it will be added, but somehow I am hoping for some extra development in the coming year to see the base game offering more interesting options.

[Psil]

I don't know if that's the best way to look at the campaign vs arcade mode. Arcs was developed as a campaign game first and foremost, and from the preview of it, it looks like that it doesn't unfold to its full potential with just the arcade mode. It's not just like adding a campaign mode to Root, as Root wasn't created with that in mind.

[jcwable]

I got through watching the campaign game and arcade mode games. I don’t think I would even think to try the arcade mode after the first play or two. The campaign looks drastically better to me

[elqord.]

The one off game of Arcs likely won’t wow anyone and will struggle to compete against other games that provide richer experiences in the same amount of time

[LilPugHugs]

Im really glad the miniatures is an add on and not required or a forced part of a "deluxe" edition. This is a game that seems like it doesnt really need miniatures at all. The only leder games i own is fort, as root and oath seem too much for most people i play with. This doesnt seem too complex though so im excited to try it, even if i cant get it to the table super often

[tknshn]

Was contemplating this one, glad to hear your take on it. I'm with you on the wooden meeple vs. plastic minis for this game

[thorstenschleer]

Very torn about ARCS. Yes it feels like Oath, Root and Twilight Imperium got a weird baby and I like each of these three games... but I don't see much NEW ideas in ARCS. Especially the base game doesn't give me anything so far. The campaign mode sounds cool and has some innovation... but I guess I'll wait for a German retail version for this on, especially with VAT making the 100$ pledge making this a 140$ purchase for me which I can't see atm

[jacobsmit]

I was expecting more excitement from you XD. It is interesting to hear someone preferring "Small Arcs" (base game, as Cole calls it). Guerric and otherswere more excited about the campaign mode. I don't know if you've seen Leder's gameplay of it - it is, in my opinion, quite different from Oath, having a personal goal to achieve which gives you upgrades in that path. Those who support the empire get special roles that allow them to tax other players, etc. Some players become a trading league. Others researchers. Even if you dislike your path, each game gives another path to walk. Also, other than Root and Oath, I feel Arcs has less of that "Kingmaking" (I don't mind it so much in Oath - it adds to the story). But as Arcs tends to reward the better player more than say, Oath, I really do think you should watch the development of the campaign. I don't think you'll dislike it, just because you dislike Oath's campaign (by the way, I really like both Root and Oath, so I'm very excited).

[karstenszajner]

As someone that has no minis for any of their games, I do think the minis in this look really nice compared to the wooden meeples. I just think they stand out a lot more compared to the wooden pieces (I did really love root's meeples but they look a lot better from the screen printing). Maybe they'll update the pieces or do a side by side to give us a better perspective on how they compare.

[quinthalus]

I backed it because I'm so fascinated by the Oath campaign that I want to see their campaign here. And I do disagree with the campaign pass but I agree with you on passing on the miniature expansion.

[seungyuno]

is there a reason why the ipad is always slanted to one side?

[ObjectingRevolver]

i'm backing on the miniature level because the wood will not be screen printed. If it were i'd get the Arcs+Campaign pledge