Arcs is a very interesting and beautifully produced tactical space opera game for 2–4 players. The game is “set in a dark yet silly universe” and has a really gritty sci-fi feel. Players take on the role of 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. The game uses a very interesting card engine that drives the action as the deck is in 4 suits with ranks from 1-7 and defines the action selection system. These cards are played in a trick-taking adjacent system to select actions, take the initiative and declare Ambitions, which provides the players with Victory Points.

Battles are resolved quickly with the attacker choosing their level of risk while the defender must be prepared with adequate defensive ships and cards in their tableau. The custom dice are really nice and this was a very fun part of the game.

Each game contains a hundred wooden ships and agents, 18 custom engraved dice, a beautiful six-panel board, and tons of cards with over 60 pieces of unique art. The base game may be played without the optional Leaders and Lore cards (for an easier teach) or with them for a richer, fuller and asymmetric game. There also is a Campaign game included called The Blighted Reach Expansion, which provides an epic, more thematic experience.

-Grant