Playing a Chapter
Table of Contents
A game of Arcs lasts up to 5 chapters. In each chapter, you play some number of rounds. In a round, each player takes one turn, starting with the player with the initiative marker.
Broadly, on your turn, you must play 1 action card, which lets you take one or more actions.
At the end of the round, the initiative marker might go to a new player based on which cards were played.
Keep playing rounds until everyone runs out of action cards. At this point, the chapter ends (page 18).
Step 1: Player with Initiative Takes Turn
As the player with initiative, you must play one action card face up as the lead card. You may take one action (pages 12-16) for each action pip on the lead card based on its suit:
- Administration pips can tax, repair, or influence.
- Aggression pips can battle, move, or secure.
- Construction pips can build or repair.
- Mobilization pips can move or influence.
Place the card in the “Lead“ card slot on the left map edge, so players can reference it during the round.
Passing Initiative
If you have the initiative, but you have no cards in your hand or just choose to skip your turn, you must pass the initiative.
When you pass the initiative, give the initiative marker to the next clockwise player who has any cards in their hand, then immediately end the round. The player who now has initiative will play the lead card of the new round.
If everyone with cards in their hand passes consecutively, discard all action cards and end the chapter (page 18).
Declaring an Ambition
If you have the initiative, you may declare the ambition shown on your lead card before taking any actions:
- The “1” cards have no ambition. (Four players only.)
- The “2” through 6” cards let you declare the matching ambition. (They are listed on page 18.)
- The “7” cards let you declare any ambition. (Four players only.)
You can even declare an ambition that was declared in an earlier round! Just place another ambition marker in its box.
Take the highest-number ambition marker from the Available Markers section on the right map edge, and place it in the ambition box of the declared ambition.
Place the zero marker onto the lead card to cover the card number in its top-left corner—its card number is now 0.
You cannot declare an ambition if all ambitions markers are already placed.
You cannot declare an ambition multiple times using the same card.
Declaring does not change your card's number of action pips.
Step 2: Other Players Take Turns
After the player with initiative takes their turn, each other player in clockwise order takes a turn. Players with no cards in their hand skip their turn.
On your turn, you must play an action card in one of three ways:
- Surpass: Play an action card face up of the lead card's suit. Its card number must be higher than the lead card. You may take actions up to the number of action pips on your card.
- Copy: Play any action card face down. You may take only one action of the lead card.
- Pivot: Play an action card face up that is not of the lead card's suit. It can have any card number. You may take only one action on your card.
Surpassing only needs a card higher than the lead card, not all played cards!
Pivoting does not change the lead suit.
Place the card in the “Surpass, Copy, or Pivot“ card slot on the left map edge, so players can reference it during the round.
Seizing the Initiative
When you play a card, before taking any actions, you can seize the initiative marker from the player who holds it. There are two ways to do this:
- You may choose to play an extra action card. Place it face down beside the card you played as a reminder. You do not get actions for it.
- You Surpass with a “7” action card. You still get to take its actions. (Only four-player games have “7” cards.)
To Surpass, you must match the lead suit!
If the initiative is seized, you can still Surpass with a “7” card—you just won't seize the initiative.
Take the initiative marker and lay it down to show it is seized. For the rest of this round, players cannot seize the initiative.
The player with initiative cannot seize the initiative.
Step 3: Check Initiative
After everyone has taken a turn, check whether the initiative marker goes to a new player.
If no one seized the initiative this round, give the initiative to the player who Surpassed with the highest card number. If no one Surpassed, the initiative stays with its holder.
If someone seized the initiative this round, that player keeps the initiative.
Step 4: Discard Cards & Check for New Round
Discard all played action cards, and any action card used to seize the initiative, into the action discard pile on the map face down.
If any players have any action cards left in their hand, start the next round. Otherwise, end the chapter (page 18).