Arcs: The Blighted Reach turns the single-session base game into a three-Act campaign. It requires Arcs and adds Fates, individual objectives, an Empire and its politics, Blight, events, a changing Court and a persistent map. It is best approached after everyone has played the base game at least once; the campaign rulebook specifically recommends that all players know Arcs first.
What does The Blighted Reach add?
Each player begins with an A Fate and a personal objective. At the intermission after an Act, you may keep your Fate or take a new one; switching after Act I leads to a B Fate and switching after Act II can lead to a C Fate. Your Fate gives a particular path to Power and may add special cards, pieces or rules. This creates asymmetric stories from the choices players make across the campaign.
The campaign also changes the shared world. Regents and Outlaws interact with the Empire, the First Regent governs through Edicts, and Blight spreads through events and crises. A Summit can create room for negotiation. These systems make the political state and the board position matter from one Act to the next.
How long is the campaign?
It is three games, called Acts, rather than one extended session. Acts I and II each last three chapters; Act III lasts four. The single-session five-chapter limit and the usual 27/30/33 Power thresholds do not end an Act early. At the end of Act III, the campaign winner is generally the player with the most Power accumulated over all Acts, subject to the rulebook’s final-objective and tie rules.
An intermission follows Acts I and II. This is when objectives are checked, Fates can change and the campaign state is prepared for the next Act. The rulebook includes packing and log instructions to preserve the map and player state between sittings.
How are objectives different from ambitions?
Base Arcs ambitions still structure chapter scoring, but a Fate also gives you an objective in Acts I and II. Your objective marker moves toward zero as you meet its conditions. Completing it brings an intermission benefit; failing it can cost Power. In Act III, some Fates offer grand ambitions or a final objective. Read the Fate card and campaign rules for the exact condition; the objective is personal, while an ordinary declared ambition can be scored by every player.
What changes in setup and play?
- Setup: use the campaign setup and campaign Court rather than the base-game setup cards and Court. No map clusters are put out of play for campaign setup.
- Events: special Event cards can lead to Summits, Crises or Edicts at round end. The Blight can hit ships during a Crisis, so a safe route in the base game may become exposed.
- Politics: the Regent and Outlaw relationship changes how the Empire’s ships and the Imperial Council work. Check the campaign rulebook before applying a base-game battle assumption to an Imperial piece.
- Persistence: the map and many player choices carry into later Acts. A short-term advantage may come at the cost of a harder objective or a vulnerable position next session.
Who should buy the expansion?
It suits a stable group that already likes Arcs’ direct interaction and wants asymmetric arcs over several sittings. If your group is still learning initiative, the Court and chapter scoring, play the single-session game first. If you mainly want a compact one-night game, the base box already provides a complete experience. The Blighted Reach is a campaign expansion, not a replacement for Arcs.
First-campaign tips
- Teach the base game and its five ambitions before opening the campaign.
- Keep each Fate’s objective visible and check its progress at every chapter end.
- Read new campaign rules aloud when cards enter the booklet; they can affect everyone.
- Use the log sheet and packing instructions after each Act so the persistent board state is accurate.
Continue learning
Sources and scope
Checked against the official Blighted Reach campaign rulebook and the official Arcs base rulebook in September 2026. This is a buying and learning overview; use the campaign rulebook for Fate-specific exceptions.