Players: 2-4 
Ages: 14+
Official Playtime: 30 minutes per player (I would say it is a bit longer)
Released: 2024
Publisher: Leder Games
Official Link: here. 
BGG Link: here.
Reviewed by Edward.

👉Read other Game Reviews here.

Disclosure and foreword

1. The creators of "Arcs" were kind to send a copy of the "Arcs" base game, but they do not have any influence over the contents of this review. The review includes my opinions based on my personal experience. Find the Review Policy here.

2. I try to be as objective as possible, but at the end, the review is based on my personal experience and includes opinions that you might disagree with. If you do, let us know in the comments below.

3. The game can be played in campaign mode with the Blighter Reach Campaign expansion. However, I have not played the game with any expansions, so the review does not account for campaign mode or any other modes found in expansions.

4. The review does not teach how to play the game. This review does not fully detail all mechanics or teach how to play the game. It looks at the most important aspects, elements, and mechanics, providing an overall idea of the game's value so you can evaluate whether the game might be a good fit for you.

5. Article includes our original images. If you like to use them in your blog or socials, use attribution by providing a link to this article and "Joyful Games" as the image's creator.

Let's Find Out How Good And Fun "Arcs" is!

Arcs from Leder Games is one of the most talked-about games in 2024. At the time of writing, it is not yet released—the official release is scheduled for October. However, it is available for preorders. 

So, this game is fresh and among the biggest board games of 2024, but does popular mean good?

Well, let's find out! Let's explore Arcs, its gameplay, and whether it is a good choice for you.

Arcs, Explained to a 10-Year-Old

It is best played with your adult friends or teen kids, but if you have a smart kid, Arcs might actually be OK for playing with kids. 

The goal of Arcs is to get the most points until the end of the game by plotting and fulfilling your ambitions! How do you do that? In a nutshell, by playing cards, building a space army, and having space battles with other players! 

In this futuristic war, space-themed board game, you'll build a space fleet, spaceports & cities, try to control space territories, destroy other player ships, ransack their cities, take prisoners, and more!

Everything you'll do comes down to Ambitions. In each Chapter (Round), players can declare up to three Ambitions - the only way to score in this game. 

Skill Level: How Difficult Is it to Learn Arcs?

Difficulty Rating: 4/5

• The game has a decent amount of specific rules and situational sub-rules.
• Most of the mechanisms are straightforward and can be taught quickly, but some specific situations and definitions may let you pick up the instruction book during your playthroughs. 
• Despite a relatively low amount of sub-rules and situational rules, the game has Guild & Vox cards with unique effects, which are an important element of the game. Therefore, you'll need to be proficient in the game's language to play it (unless someone translates every card for you).
• In our experience, we had some difficulty understanding all mechanisms for the first half of our first playthrough, but after that, the rules became second nature.
• Overall, the game has a decent amount of mechanisms, but relatively low amount of sub-rules, so, I give it a complexity rating of 4/5 (higher means it is more complex). 

Related: Methods for Learning Complicated Board Games.

Social Interactivity of Arcs

Social Rating: 4/5

At its core, Arcs is a war game, so, of course, it requires social interactions- sometimes voluntary, other times involuntary. Sometimes direct, sometimes - indirect.  That being said, it is possible to play Arcs with few interactions and still win.

On the main board players compete for tiles where they can build their cities and space ports. Also on the main board players compete to gain control in segments which in turn provide other opportunities.

That being said, while the main board provides key gameplay elements, most of the action happens on the player boards.

Overall, the depending on your own and your opponent playstyle, it is possible to mind your own business, however it is meant to be played with conflict in mind. You can decide if this is good or bad for you!

Best Number of Players

As with most Eurogame-type board games, more players usually result in more competition, an increased need for strategy, and more fun overall. However, given the core mechanics of Arcs, two-player games will feel vastly different from three- and four-player games.

In 3- and 4- player games, you might be able to diplomatically avoid conflict while doing your own thing. However, as this is a war - when playing with only one opponent, if one of you likes to play aggressively, the other player will have to answer in kind. Otherwise, it is pretty much game over. 

Depending on this information, some will find 3-4 player games more adequate, allowing them more freedom of choice, while others will like the heads-on one-on-one games.

Also, more players will result in longer playthroughs - that is not a bad thing Per Se, just keep that in mind.

That being said, while I enjoyed 3-player games the most, for this game, I think all player counts have equal strengths and weaknesses, depending on your preferences.

What Did I Enjoy the Most About Arcs?

Player Turns & Pips

At the beginning of each Chapter, players receive their action cards and take turns playing them in their order. The trick here is that if someone surpasses the first player (i.e., plays a bigger number card of the same color), they will take Initiative by beginning the next Round!

Being the first player is a big deal in this game! The first player will choose the main color of the Round, have the opportunity to declare an ambition, and always have the opportunity to use all of the card's pips. 

Pips are basically the number of actions the player can take during their turn. Each card has a set number of pips (2-4), but these pips are available only if you are the first player or you surpass the first player. If you don't (or can't) surpass them, you only get to use a single pip on that turn.

All this makes up for a clever, almost poker-like card play where you need to think about the best way to play out your cards by trying to get the initiative and getting the most pips out of them.

P.S. Yes, I know that there is more to this mechanism, but for the sake of review, I tried to explain it as briefly as possible.

Playing Modes

Base rules provide symmetrical gameplay (same resources, same base abilities), but the optional Leader and Lore cards allow mixing things up by providing each player with slightly different resources and starting abilities.

Clever Ambition Point System

The only way of getting points in Arcs, is by winning declared ambitions. While I am not fond of the declaration mechanism, I really like the point mechanism of this system. 

After each chapter, the ambition token with the lowest points, is flipped over. And the other side has more points, meaning that the potential points will increase over rounds. This is a clever system, because, it provides a possibility for a comeback for players who did not earn as much points in the first Chapters.

Organized & Well Written Rulebook

Of course, rule books are not the most exciting thing in a board game, but it is essential part of it nonetheless. The included rulebook is well written with illustrations and detailed explanations. Yes, there were a few situational rules that we needed to look for on forums, but for the most part, the rulebook is great.

Sleek Components

In the box of the core game, you'll find unique 6-sided dice, beautifully crafted wooden ships, meeple tokens, a decent amount of cards and tokens, and a good-looking, big main board.

Quick Setup

Compared to other games of similar complexity, Arcs can be set up very quickly. Sure, when first playing the game, it will take longer, but after 1-2 playthroughs, the setup time is about 10 minutes.

Good Amount of Plastic Bags

Last but not least, the box includes many plastic bags for organization. This is not a major aspect of the game, but it still is always a good thing when the publisher includes enough bags to organize everything in their own bags.

To recap, key highlights of Arcs

• Clever card play;
• Strategic;
• Very competitive;
• Quality materials;
• Quick setup;
• Additional rules for replayability.

What Could Be Better?

Overall, Arcs is a refined game, but, in my opinion, there are some drawbacks and things to keep in mind, if you are looking for getting a copy for yourself.

Some Mechanics Could be Improved

Arcs introduces some interesting mechanics, but some of them feel a bit undervalued or underused, like the war part, declaring ambitions, and building ships. Learn more about this below in the "Personal Take" section.

Analysis Paralysis

There are quite a lot of possible actions to take in Arcs (battling, moving ships, building ships and cities, taxing cities, attacking cities, and more), but they all are limited by either your cards on hand or your available resources. These limitations left me (and my fellow group members) in analysis-paralysis mode, which happened more often compared to other games.

Main Board Feels a Bit Empty

At least in our group, we wanted to see a bit more options presented on the board - either more sectors, new points of interest, or sectors with more building spaces. 

While I understand that this game wants you to fight each other, so the board cannot be spread too much out, but it would have been more satisfying if the game allowed to expand more.

Personal Take: Unbalanced Mechanisms

As I briefly mentioned before, I think some of the mechanisms of Arcs could see an improvement. Though, this is a relatively subjective matter, so take it with grain of salt as your opinion might be very different on this.

1. Missing a Free Action 

When playing the game, we had so many situations where we were stuck on what to do, either by analysis paralysis, or purely because the available cards simply did not allow us to do anything useful that turn. Sure, many games can have this happen too, but unfortunately, in Arcs this happened too often to not mention it. 

Although I am sure others might argue that limitations make the game more competitive and fun, but in my humble opinion, the game should have included one safe/free action that players can use if nothing else works for them. 

2. Space Battles

It is a war game, but the war part feels unbalanced. Don't get me wrong; it is not bad, but it feels like it's missing something. I would say it's too realistic in the sense that it's not exciting. 

You need a particularly strong reason to attack—either an ambition or to steal something from another player. Attacking also provides an opportunity to effectively wipe out another player early in the game if you go for the space ports. Lastly, if you play as three or four players, getting into a head-to-head war will give the peaceful player the advantage. As a result, you go fighting only so often, which is a shame.

3. Declaring Ambitions

With few exceptions, the only way to declare an ambition is to play the first card of the Round and then declare the ambition that matches the played card. This effectively requires you to be the first player AND to have the right card on hand. This sometimes makes it impossible to declare a particular ambition you need.

As ambitions is the ONLY way of getting points, this limitation based on lucky circumstances grants a huge advantage for some while limiting others, and it's frustrating. I would have liked that in each Chapter, one ambition could be declared by another, maybe a random mechanism. Or, maybe the player with the least points was given the opportunity to declare one ambition "free of charge." 

 

Replayability of Arcs

Replayability Rating: 3.5/5

Arcs offers a decent amount of actions and possibilities to choose from. These choices and options allow you to try out many different strategies—from peaceful to aggressive.  Also, the game provides optional Lore and Leader cards, allowing introducing asymmetry by giving players different abilities and starting resources.

Our first 5 playthroughs felt fresh as each time we were able to change and improve on our strategies and game style.

That being said, the game introduces limited randomness (basically, the only significant random factor are the guild cards); and the available Leader cards do not change the game significantly enough, so probably 5-10 playthroughs would be the max., until it becomes repetitive.

Overall, I give it a replayability rating of 3.5/5.

P.s., Arcs has a major expansion box that lets you play the game in campaign mode. The campaign is well received in other reviews, however, I have yet to play any of the expansions, so at this time, I cannot comment on how good any of them are.

 

Components and Art of Arcs

Components

The core game of Arcs includes a big playing board, four player boards, more than 70 cards, more than 100 wooden tokens, 18 unique 6-sided dice, more than 60 cut-out tiles, a rulebook, and detailed player aid-sheets. So, content-wise, it has a lot going on.

You'll also receive plenty of plastic zip-lock bags, which will allow you to conveniently organize and store all the elements straight out of the box.

Overall, Arcs  is a well-packed game for its price (currently 60 USD on their webpage).

P.S. Although the Core game does not include fancy miniatures or metal/acrylic tokens, the publisher offers additional higher quality accessories, like space ship, agent, and city tiles.

Art and Design

The game is illustrated in a cartoon-like, futuristic, sci-fi style with a dark theme with orange accents. The color scheme is well-balanced, and the overall style is seen across all elements.

While the art is consistent (which is a good thing), the style is not particularly of my liking regarding the war context. It is too cartoony and almost cute. Then again, it's just me, and maybe you will love this style.

That said, the style is consistent, textual elements are clearly visible, symbols are functional, and the rulebook is well structured.

P.S. The art style is kept within lines of other games published by Leder Games (Root, Oath), so if you liked the art of those games, most likely you'll enjoy the art in Arcs as well.

Value & Final Rating of Arcs

Before wrapping up the review, I wanted to thank Leder Games team for sending me a copy of Arcs for review. It was a blast playing and reviewing it! But for this review to be honest and useful for you - the reader, I will try to wrap this up by imagining that I paid for the game in full.

Currently, Arcs is available for preorder for 60 USD + shipping, which I will use when writing my final thoughts about the game and its value. 

Arcs: Value For Money

Value Rating: 4.5/5

At the time of writing this review, Arcs is only available for preorders. Despite this fact, it has already gained a lot of traction, so it will most definitely be available for purchase at many retail stores and e-stores worldwide. When it is released, its price might vary depending on your location. 

As with most things, the price you can get it for changes its value accordingly, but for this review, I am using 70 USD as a reference price, which includes 60 USD for the game and a potential 10 USD for shipping.

The game includes a great amount of elements, especially a ton of wooden elements (which is amazing). Although I personally am not a fan of the art style, overall it is well illustrated and designed. The gameplay is fun, it has optional rules and it has a decent replay value. But how good of a value is it for the price?

Given all of the contents, especially wooden mini-figures, at 70 USD, it brings a lot to the table (pun intended).  Considering the polished mechanics, fun gameplay, and many tokens, I think it is a great value game.

Final Rating and To Who Would I Recommend Arcs?

Final Rating: 4/5

If you are at least somewhat following board game news, you probably have heard about Arcs. It's definitely one of the most talked-about games of 2024, with some even calling it the best game of 2024. However, I am not sure I can easily agree with them.

Don't get me wrong - Arcs is a good game.  It's got beautiful wooden tokens,  quality components, a robust rulebook, and fun gameplay, but some of its mechanics raise the feeling that something is missing here. Not in a way that the game is broken, but in a way that it should be more fun.

Also, this game is not for everyone (which is OK). If you like doing your own thing, this is not for you. If you get emotional when someone attacks you, this is not for you. If you find yourself in analysis paralysis often, this game is probably not for you.

However, I can easily recommend Arcs to seasoned- and casual board gamers who can handle conflict, enjoy strategic card play, and don't mind getting stuck from time to time.

Although, I felt the game needs to improve some of its mechanics, I still give it a very respectable overall rating of 4/5 because it is a fun game with unique mechanic combinations, good replay value, a thematic art style, and great-quality components.

Most likely, Arcs is not for players who:

• Strictly enjoy laid-back games;
• Dislike competitive games;
• Find themselves in analysis - paralysis too often;
• Enjoy only fast-paced games;
• Simply hate the sci-fi theme;
• Want a solo experience out of the box.

Otherwise, Arcs is an excellent choice for players who:

• Strive in conflict;
• Love strategic card play;
• Enjoy thinking 3 moves ahead;
• Enjoy a mental challenge;
• Like the sci-fi and time travel theme.

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