Arcs Review: Arcs? Yea, it's...alright, I suppose.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Non board game related comment, sorry: Hi all, we are massive Taylor Swift fans, and were due to see her perform two nights in Vienna, which was cancelled due to a planned terrorist attack. There are only a few dates left on the tour in North America and second hand tickets cost thousands of dollars. If you, or anyone you know ends up having to sell their tickets, please consider directing them our way as it would mean the world to us. Happy to pay over face value! Sorry for the interruption to your board game content!

[@analog_arnie]

You got me with this title. I was ready to be all up in arms. I should've known you'd stay Coletists

[@BoardOfItReviews]

;)

[@joewalsh1031]

Great review. The "meanness" of this game is I think an important thing to emphasize. It's zero-sum and directly confrontational, and not all players want those kinds of games. That being said, Arcs (at least in my few games so far) is not a game where conflict is optional - you have no choice. So it might feel a little better than some games where the choice to take from another player is more of a choice, and less of a necessity.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Thank you! I think that is a good way to put it. It's always better when everyone has to act like that, rather than it just being a possibility and can lead to bad feelings.

[@ob1quixote]

I've seen a few reviews of this game, but y'all's was the most clarifying for me. Now, if only everyone in my group would be as excited as I am. They couldn't handle Inis. 😂

[@BoardOfItReviews]

If it helps, we like this magnitudes better than Inis...

[@pattylank8939]

Just played a game of Arcs last night... one of the most elegant games I've ever played outside of something like chess

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Glad to hear it!

[@tomgp]

I like this game but elegant is not how i’d describe it! Elegant to me implies a minimalism that just isn’t here. Like other Cole Wherle games it’s sludgy a mass of interlocking systems that players need to wrestle to their own ends, dramatic and (enjoyably)frustrating in equal measure.

[@trunkulent]

​@@tomgpThis is interesting! I think I agree that elegant is not quite right, but I've felt that Arcs is, especially for Leder Games, notably seamless in how its various systems interconnect. Yes, it leads to frustrating and interesting tensions, but it doesn't feel like a clunk from the _mechanics_ so much as clunk in the agency and actual play of the game; being so constrained by the cards you're given, say. With one or two exceptions, it doesn't seem to me like there's much in the way of "fiddly bits" in the way of exceptions to base rules (an example of this in my mind being ransacking the court), and instead I get the impression of multiple avenues between the different systems (like the various different ways to gain initiative, interacting with anything actions and resources can grant you).

[@thomasromanelli2561]

You both delivered an excellent review that was fair, balanced and transparent. "I am learning to like Arcs" has become a mantra within our gaming group, as this design really does reward a player's investment in learning the nuances and engaging a very adaptable mindset to make the most of the sub-optimal hand of cards you're dealt every round (many of Cole's games are like this, of course, but Arcs drives the point home quite hard). It's really amazing that a relatively simple ruleset can create a lot of emerging complexity that players will need to navigate successfully. Thanks for the video! 🖖

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Thank you for all the kind words! Very nice!

[@chronixchaos7081]

For a moment I thought that you belonged to some small Welsh town council. Glad you expanded on that. Colewehrle is not in Wales.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

The Welsh would never allow us on their councils

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I love this game. Definitely vicious and can lead to wild swings if people don’t see an angle that someone takes advantage of. I love the card play and initiative mechanic.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it!

[@varianor]

I wanted to play this right now - when I should be getting to bed - after 2/3 of the video. Hmmmmm. Odd thought. Have you two ever played Babylonia by Reiner Knizia? Anyway thanks for the review!

[@BoardOfItReviews]

We haven't! Had an eye out for it actually but never seen it available.

[@jorgeclifton5809]

Hi! Do you know what breed your black dog is? They look just like my dog! Also great review- love Arcs.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Yes we do actually! We got a doggy DNA test since he’s a street dog and he actually has 11 breeds in him 😂 but the primary one was German hunting terrier at 50% followed by German shepherd at 20%!

[@94fcr]

Hi guys, really appreciate your videos! How do you find this game at 2 players? I’m on the fence about buying it because I mainly play just at 2. But I’m hyped up as well as the game attracts me a lot. I’m looking for as much feedback as I can get before buying it. Thanks!

[@BoardOfItReviews]

It's pretty solid at 2, like surprisingly good. I think it'll always be best at 3-4, but 2 still retains a lot of the sharpness and intensity. I'm not as convinced by the expansion at 2 (if you were considering that). I think that you do really want 3-4 as the chaos is what makes it particularly fun and interesting, and we found it more lifeless at 2.

[@Swedgin23]

I was able to get a copy and plan to play with my wife. I can be ruthless in games, so how vindictive and sinister can I get? Also, any tips on how to get back in her good graces after I win? 😂

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Tbf, while the game will have you flip the table, it's never really unnecessary cruelness because they are directly in your way or have what you want, so I think there is an element of "I hate you, but I understand".

[@Swedgin23]

@@BoardOfItReviews "I hate you, but I understand." The mark of a great relationship. 😅 I'll let you know how it goes. Cheers.

[@gregorys9629]

Thanks for the review! What was the average playtime for your games?

[@BoardOfItReviews]

I'd probably say the base game is 30 min per player. With the expansion that time goes up considerably.

[@nin_4_me58]

I like calling it vicious… We are on our 4th campaign

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Great work!

[@user-cw4zj6kc8u]

I'm still satisfied with base Arcs even without leaders and Lore. I love it with leaders and lore too. I would love to break into the campaign but haven't had the chance to introduce it to my regular gaming group yet. Hoping they'll like it and not be turned off by the meanness. So far they're not Root or Oath fans because of the complexity. Hoping this less complex game will win them over.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

I'd be wary of the campaign in that case. It adds an amount of complexity even with the base new rules, let alone when you have 3-4 factions all adding new rules and things to consider into the game. It reminded me of Oath in a number of ways.

[@nin_4_me58]

Campaign is much less vicious than base…

[@aaronchapa1117]

Can I ask why you guys don't have a Patreon? I'd like to support beyond my like and subscription

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Mainly because generally on a patreon you're expected to offer extra stuff for the different tiers, and we both have full time jobs, script our content (mostly), record, edit, fill B roll, and play the games 5+ times minimum plus at different player counts. Honestly, I don't know what we could offer across multiple tiers that we would actually have time to do or commit to!

[@aaronchapa1117]

@@BoardOfItReviews gotcha, thanks for the response. Is it possible you guys could enable Super Thanks on videos?

[@tilted3564]

Not to be that guy but if a player ransacks the court due to outrage, they take agents on a court card as TROPHIES, not captives, so she wouldn't have surpassed you in tyrant in that example. ❤

[@BoardOfItReviews]

No worries I think we had this comment in another forum and you're correct in pointing it out, but I'll just copy my answer here: It wasn't played wrong at the time - I just misspoke in the video as I was remembering on the fly and associated the agents with Tyrant, but you are completely right. It would have been Warlord, Empath & Keeper. Good catch!

[@wuuduu609]

its... ugly

[@BoardOfItReviews]

Cheerfully disagree!

[@blairblack281]

a m e n.

[@ernieficklin3593]

And here I thought it was dead sexy. Love the colors

[@kennyorkenneth]

Big fan of your videos, but it's a thumbs down for the clickbait-y title. Glad you love the game. I do too.

[@BoardOfItReviews]

It's not clickbaity in how we mean it- more of a humorous twist on all of the "best game of 2024" titles because we are obviously gonna love it ;). It's sarcastic because we are British...

[@bearhustler]

@@BoardOfItReviews Yep it read as British sarcasm to me and I loved it :)