Arcs – The Most Innovative Sci-Fi Strategy Game of 2024

Card-driven galactic warfare, collapsing empires, and the most unique action system in modern board gaming — Cole Wehrle does it again.

Arcs is the latest game from Cole Wehrle — the designer behind Root — and it carries all the marks of his design philosophy: deep asymmetry, high player interaction, and a system that feels unlike anything else in the hobby. Set in a collapsing galactic empire known as The Reach, Arcs pits rival factions against each other in a struggle for political, military, and economic dominance across the stars.

What sets Arcs apart is its card-driven action system inspired by trick-taking games. It's a mechanic that sounds unusual for a strategy game — and it is. But it works brilliantly, creating a tight, reactive experience where reading your opponents matters as much as your own long-term plan.

Players who discover Arcs consistently describe the same experience — the first round feels confusing, the second round clicks, and by the third round they're already planning their next session.

What Is Arcs?

Arcs is a competitive sci-fi strategy game for 2 to 4 players. Set in the dying Reach galactic empire, players control rival factions competing for dominance through fleet battles, territorial control, political influence, and economic management over a series of rounds.

The game uses a card-driven system where the leading player chooses an action — and all other players must either follow that action or pivot to a different one. This creates a constant tug-of-war between committing to your plan and reacting to what others are doing. No two rounds ever feel the same.

Variable objectives called Ambitions shift throughout the game, ensuring that no single strategy dominates and that players must remain flexible rather than locking into a single long-term plan.

How Does the Card System Work?

At its core, Arcs uses a trick-taking inspired action selection. Each round, the leading player plays a card and declares an action — moving fleets, raiding, building, taxing, or influencing. The card's suit determines which actions are available.

Other players then choose: follow the lead action (using a matching card) to take the same action, or pivot to a completely different action by playing a higher-value card and becoming the new leader. This creates a dynamic flow of initiative that keeps everyone engaged on every turn.

The result is a game that feels simultaneously planned and reactive. You have a strategy, but you're constantly adjusting it based on what the leader is doing and what cards you hold. The tension is constant and the decisions are always meaningful.

Rating Breakdown

Pros & Cons

Who Is This Game For?

Arcs vs Root — How Do They Compare?

Both Arcs and Root are designed by Cole Wehrle and published by Leder Games, share Kyle Ferrin's distinctive artwork, and feature high player interaction. But they deliver very different experiences.

Root is asymmetric — every faction has completely different rules. Arcs is more symmetric — all players use the same card system, with differences coming from position, resources, and Ambitions rather than unique faction mechanics.

Root feels like four different games happening simultaneously. Arcs feels like one intensely reactive game where the card system creates constant tension. Both are exceptional — they just scratch different itches.