Arcs The Blighted Reach Expansion

What does a person do when they are sick?

They lie down and rest.

What does a true gamer do?

They complete the entire Arcs The Blighted Reach campaign in one day!

With this strong determination, we spent our Thursday. Some cosmic filth had gotten hold of us, and the only cure was to play board games.

Arcs The Blighted Reach Expansion invites us to experience an epic adventure consisting of three acts. Each act heralds one game in Arcs with slightly modified rules compared to the previous act. This is because the entire galaxy will change under the influence of the chosen fate and the actions we have taken in previous games.

At the end of the third act, the player who has scored the most points or the one who has fulfilled the ultimate goal of their fate will win.

Prologue

We began the prologue to our play by reading the manual. It didn’t go well, because we felt slightly overwhelmed by the new options and possibilities. We couldn’t imagine how it would all look during our game. In addition, I watched a few videos about the expansion to better prepare for our all-day marathon. But it still didn’t help. In the end, we decided to just play and see how it goes. That’s how I like it.

Prelude

At the beginning of the first act, we had to choose our fate. You could say that this is the path we will have to take to develop our options in subsequent acts. This fate gives us asymmetrical abilities and guides us on what we should focus on during the game. It also affects the situation on the map and adds new rules to Arcs.

I chose the fate of a guild spokesman. My task in the first act was to obtain as many guild cards from the market as possible.

Gosia chose the fate of a partisan. Her goal was to take the initiative and fulfill the ambitions of her supporters.

Each of us received special fate cards and instructions on how to achieve our goals.

ACT I

We started the game in a fairly standard way for two players. Everyone set out to take over new systems and obtain the resources needed for development.

However, we were not alone in space. We were accompanied by the forces of the empire and space fungi. The empire’s fleet acted as a neutral brake on our negative impulses. As I was the first regent, I was able to control them and fight the outlaws and the fungi. However, I didn’t really feel the need to do so. In the first act, I focused more on my fate than on using the neutral fleet. We didn’t worry too much about the fungus either. We pacified a few of its habitats so that there would be less of it on the map. We didn’t really know what that would give us.

Overall, our first act was about getting a feel for the new possibilities of the expansion. We also launched a few events and even held one summit meeting, but it didn’t have much impact on the situation in the galaxy. We also didn’t feel the need to exchange favors. Why would I want to help my rival?

I won the first game. However, the score was pretty low, ending 12 to 8 in my favor.

First Intermission

After each act, there is an intermission during which we check whether we have fulfilled our destiny. The cosmic plague attacks, and damaged stuff is destroyed. Something we could easily forget about.

In the first act, I managed to achieve my goal. The guilds recognized me as a worthy representative. Thanks to this, I unlocked a new skill for myself and added new guild cards to the market. Now an important decision awaited me. I could change my fate and choose something new, or continue with what I had. I decided on the second option because I was enjoying the game very much and wanted to see what awaited me next.

Because Gosia didn’t fulfill her fate, she had to choose a completely new one from the two available. She chose Hegemon. Her new goal was to dominate planets by planting banners on their surface. It didn’t quite fit her peaceful style of gameplay. However, as it turned out later, I was wrong.

Now was also the moment when we could pack the game into special containers and save our progress. However, our goal was to complete the campaign in one day, so we quickly prepared for the next act. We had some hot tea and moved on with the game.

ACT II

We started Act II where we left off. We added a few new things to the map, increased the mushroom population, and began our struggle for the Arcs throne.

In this act, we already knew what to do and how to pursue our goals. We also began to use edicts and crises more consciously. However, we still left the empire’s fleet alone. Somehow, no one felt motivated to use their help. They were more of a buffer that took the blows from the fungus. That suited us fine.

This act was also a peaceful one. We mainly competed for guild cards, and all the malice was related to them.

This time, I had to get more guild cards than my rival and try to collect different types of them.

Gosia had to take over planets and spread her banners. However, I haven’t told you the most important thing. My wife also got a huge flagship. All her cities and ports were removed from the map, and she could build them as upgrades on her flying fortress. Her stellar behemoth was indestructible and spread terror among the mushroom plague. I was a little jealous of her cool gadget.

Despite having such a huge advantage, I was once again the winner. My wife was a little discouraged about continuing the game, but I told her that everything would be decided in the final act…

Second Intermission

Both my wife and I achieved our goals. Although I did it slightly at the last minute, considering that Gosia kept interfering with my card collection. It was quite a struggle.

We quickly prepared for Act Three, curious to see what the finale of The Blighted Reach would bring.

No one changed their fate. It also turned out that in the third act, we no longer had to fulfill our destiny, but instead fought for points. In addition, our fates gained their own personal ambitions, for which we scored points at the end of each chapter.

ACT III

This act began with many aggressive moves. The first attacks between us also took place, and things were no longer so pleasant. I think everyone felt the desire to win. I particularly remember one rude move. Gosia took a member of my guild. Later, I acquired a card from the market that caused outrage to several planets of the same type. As a result, she had to discard a lot of her cards and resources. However, she did not remain indebted to me and invaded several of my systems with her flagship.

The imperial fleet remained stationary. We were too busy fighting each other and pursuing our ambitions.

The game was very even, and everything was decided in the last chapter of the third act.

Gosia was placing her banners, and her hegemony was not threatened. I only needed to get a few more guild cards to equal her score. However, she managed to thwart my plans and did not allow me to secure new cards. Even though I destroyed a large part of her fleet, I lost on points.

Gosia won with 114 points to my 97.

It took us 8 hours to complete the entire campaign, with short breaks for food and toilet breaks. Just so you know, I allowed such comforts…

Fin de Arcs

Summing up the whole day spent with Arcs, I can say that it was epic. Although the beginning was quite difficult and we didn’t quite know how to interpret the new rules, we enjoyed playing very much. We got practically the same thing as in the basic Arcs, but with the addition of personal goals, a living and evolving world, and strong asymmetry resulting from our fates.

In my opinion, it’s the choice of our fate and how it guided us in the game that makes The Blighted Reach so great. All these new options were spectacular and allowed us to build our star empire in different ways. Even though the campaign took us a whole day, I didn’t feel tired of the gameplay. I was satisfied even though I lost the final battle.

Although I enjoyed playing with two players, I think Arcs The Blighted Reach would work better with a larger group. I missed the struggle to take over the imperial fleet, and the fact that there was little point in two players making deals and promises to each other. I would love to invite my friends to experience this game someday.

One of the things that disappointed me was the star plague. Somehow, I didn’t feel threatened by them and didn’t really think they would take over the entire galaxy. They were more of a hindrance and a punching bags. It’s also a shame that the story layer of the expansion is so minimal. I would like to read more about the different races and the political systems that exist in the empire. It would probably give me a greater immersion in the gameplay.

Final verdict: Arcs The Blighted Reach is an example of how something good can be turned into something epic!

Even a few days after finishing our campaign, we are still talking about what we could have done differently and are curious about what other fate cards have in store.

[Game provided by Leder Games]