How to Play Res Arcana: Essences, Artifacts & Places of Power

Overview

Res Arcana is a compact engine-builder where each mage works with a very small artifact deck. Players collect five types of magical essence and convert them into artifacts, monuments and Places of Power that generate resources and victory points.

Scope: base game only, excluding Lux et Tenebrae and Perlae Imperii.

Start each round with Collect Essence

Resolve collect abilities on your mage, artifacts, Places of Power and other components, gaining the shown essences before normal actions begin.

Then alternate one action at a time

• Play an artifact by paying its essence cost.
• Claim a monument or Place of Power by paying its cost.
• Activate an eligible power on a card/component.
• Discard an artifact card for the standard essence benefit.
• Pass and take/swap a magic item.

Tapped components cannot normally activate twice

Many powers rotate/tap a component as part of their cost. It remains unavailable until refreshed according to the round structure unless another ability explicitly straightens it.

Places of Power are major point engines

These shared objectives are claimed by paying their costs and can generate VP directly or through stored essences/creatures and card interactions.

Passing determines next-round priority

Once you pass, you take no more actions that round. The first player to pass gains first-player priority for the next round and chooses a magic item as directed by the rules.

Victory is checked at the end of a round

If at least one player has 10 or more VP when the round ends, resolve the victory check. The player with the highest qualifying total wins after applying the official tiebreak.

• Res Arcana game guide
• Res Arcana strategy
• Res Arcana scoring

Publisher reference: Sand Castle Games: Res Arcana. Rules facts checked September 21, 2026.