Monday, March 04, 2024

#97: Res Arcana (Mark's Top 100 2024)


Res Arcana
    BoardGameGeek 
    • rank: 125
    • rating: 7.7
    • published: 2019 
    • designer: Tom Lehmann
    Print Status
    • in print
    Why It's On The List
    • You'd think that a game with an eight card individual player deck would feel claustrophobic - instead, it's the entry point to a brilliant Tom Lehmann design that challenges each player to build a victory point engine while defending themselves against the direct and indirect challenges of the other players.
    Tips & Tricks:
    • Proper assessment of your deck at the beginning of the game is vital.
    • Like many of Tom's designs, the speed curve is slow for the first couple of turns and then accelerates rapidly toward the end of the game. 
    • You can win without taking a Place of Power - but it's not easy to do.
    • You don't have to "crank" every card in your tableau - sometimes it's smarter to pass and grab the magic item you need.
    Extras
    • The first expansion - Lux et Tennebrae - adds some nice variety to the system and a couple of new mechanics that don't overwhelm game play. (Note: my son noted that there's a lot more Tennebrae and not very much Lux in the expansion.)
    • The second expansion - Perlae Imperii - throws more new curves into the system - but again without overwhelming the incredibly solid base game.
    • The production of Res Arcana is gorgeous - and the box is appropriately sized for the components - including both expansions!
    • This is the first of seven(!) Tom Lehmann game designs on my list. 

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