Arcs just got even more complex

🛸 Arcs is a beast of a game. It’s not just that the rules are complex, but playing well also requires a lot of cunning. It is all a chain of difficult and risky decisions. And what if I told you that playing the expansion multiplies this complexity by at least two or three? 🤯

Let’s start with the first thing. 👉What is Arcs: Blighted Reach exactly? 🤔
It’s not just a standard expansion, instead it kind of evolves the game into a multi-part mini-campaign where successes and failures of players will change elements in the game. 😯

You basically play 3 games back-to-back, though these games are shorter in length. While a standard Arcs game is 5 chapters long, a Blighted Reach campaign consists of three Acts with 3, 3, then 4 chapters. Playtime is still at least 3-times longer, as events and special changes between Acts take a bit of time.

Blighted Reach puts replayability on an entire different level. You all choose from 2 Fates at the beginning of the campaign (there are 24 in total). These are like asymmetric factions, with special rules and a goal you need to complete, and also unique sets of cards and tokens. 

At the end of Act 1 & 2 you check whether your objectives were met, then either continue with your Fate or get a new one, changing things again. You each potentially go through 3 Fates, bringing new goals and rules every time, so the gameplay will always be exciting.

Just to give you a taste: 😉

As the Warden I became a feudal Lord. I had the ability to establish Seats of Power in sectors, becoming the Lord there and making other cities my Vassals. This changes the interaction between those factions. However the card that gave me this ability always went to the Court after use, meaning someone else could claim it too and establish their own fiefdoms!

Reni changed to the Pathfinder before the 2nd Act, losing all her buildings, but getting a Flagship (the new meeple type), which is pretty much a moving city. She had to do a bit of a deduction game in search of a Portal, then protect it and lead Pilgrims there as her end game goal. And all of these while dealing with the typical Arcs challenges of card-play and other players’ shenanigans.