ARC Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• How To Play (Front Insert)
  • Using ARC Energy to Play Cards
  • Exhaust and Refresh
  • Your Character
  • Other Cards
  • Card Types
    • Aeons
    • Trinkets and Armaments
    • Events
    • Traps
    • Relics
    • Eras
    • Lightspeed
  • Customize Your Deck
  • Your First Game
    • Setting Up
    • Player One's First Turn
    • Player Two's First Turn
    • Every Turn After That
  • How to Win
• The Timeline (Back Insert)
  • Opponent's Side
  • Row 1
  • Row 2
  • Row 3
  • "Nexus" and "Void"
• Multi-Player
• Turn Order
• Limbo
• Priority

How To Play (Front Insert)

Using ARC Energy to Play Cards

You play cards using "ARC Energy". Your ARC Energy is equal to the number of cards in your hand.

Each card you can play from your hand has a circle on the top left corner with a number in it; this is known as a card's "ARC Requirement". If your ARC Energy is at least equal to a card's ARC Requirement, you may play that card. ARC Energy isn't spent like an allowance; it's always there, so you can keep playing cards as long as you meet their ARC Requirements.

Some cards, like Aeons, give bonus ARC Energy. Aeon cards display this bonus amount in the top left corner. Include any bonuses to your ARC Energy whenever you need to meet an ARC Requirement.

Exhaust and Refresh

Many cards in ARC, including Aeons, require you to "Exhaust" them in order to use their abilities. To exhaust a card, turn it sideways 90 degrees. As long as a non-Aeon card is exhausted, it can't be used. An Aeon card can be exhausted a second time by turning it all the way upside down. At the start of your turn, "refresh" all of your exhausted cards by turning them upright again.

Your Character

The card callouts for your character are:

• ARC Energy Bonus: Aeon cards have an ARC Energy bonus in the top left corner.
• Power and Health: The left number is your "Power". Your Power is how much damage you deal when you attack. The right number is your "Starting Health", and is the health you begin the game with.
• Abilities: This text tells you what the card does, what abilities you can use, and what you have to do to use them.

Other Cards

The card callouts for other cards are:

• ARC Requirement: Event and item cards have an ARC Requirement in the top left corner.
• Present/Timeless: This tells you what era(s) a card can affect. "Present" means a card only affects the era it was used in. "Timeless" means that it may affect up to all eras! For example, you may only target another Aeon with Electromagnetic Surge if they are in the same era as Electromagnetic Surge because it says "present".
• Type: This tells you what kind of card this is.
• Draw or Discard Amount: This tells you how many cards you draw or discard when you play this card. Positive numbers mean you draw, and negative numbers mean you discard from your hand.

Card Types

Aeons

Aeon character cards are time travellers that represent players in the game. All Aeons have Power and Health (see above) as well as four printed abilities. You may use up to two of these abilities during your turn, but you may not use the same ability more than once. These abilities include attacking, which lets you deal damage to another Aeon in the same era, and rifting, which is moving to another era.

Trinkets and Armaments

Trinkets and Armaments enter the timeline attached to your Aeon and move with you from era to era. They enter the timeline refreshed and may be used no matter which era you are in. You may have any number of trinkets, but only three armaments at a time. If you play a fourth armament, you must put one of the armaments you previously played in your void! You may not play two armaments with the same name.

Events

Events are different from other cards because they go directly to your void once played. All other cards stay in the timeline and are collectively called "Items".

Traps

Traps may be played from your hand for free. They enter the timeline attached to the era you're in face-down and exhausted. They stay in that era until used. Once refreshed, a trap may be used regardless of the era you're in by turning it face-up if you meet its ARC Requirement. When you do, it goes to your void.

Relics

Relics, like traps, enter the timeline attached to the era you're in and stay in that era. Unlike traps, however, relics enter the timeline refreshed and may only be used if you are in the same era. You may not have more than one relic with the same name in any one era.

Eras

Era cards are the locations in time that make up the timeline (see page 2) at the beginning of the game. Aeons, relics, and traps are all attached to specific eras while they are in the timeline.

Lightspeed

Some cards have an ability called "Lightspeed". Cards with Lightspeed may be played anytime. You may even respond to another player's actions with cards that have Lightspeed. For example, if another player plays a card that would deal damage to you, you can "respond" with Field Dressing Kit and gain 3 health before you take any damage.

Traps and some items have abilities that can be used from the timeline. These abilities may be used whenever you could play cards with Lightspeed 1.

Some cards have higher levels of lightspeed which limit how players may respond to them. For example, if you play a card with Lightspeed 2, no one may respond with lower level lightspeed cards.

Customize Your Deck

The ARC preconstructed decks are good decks for beginners, but after you and some friends have played a few games, you may decide to customize your decks. You can mix and match most of the cards from all of the ARC decks to fit your play style, but there are a few restrictions.

Bound cards have the word "Bound" on their "Type" line. These cards may not be played unlesss they share a faction (color) with your Aeon. Except for bound cards, you may put any ARC card into your deck. There is, however, a penalty for playing cards from other factions (cards with different colored borders). If you play a card that is not the same faction as your Aeon's, you must pay 2 health when you play it (This does not apply to gray "Universal" cards). You must have a minimum of 60 cards in your deck and you may only play 3 copies of each card, not counting Aeon and Era cards. You must always use an Era card that is part of the same faction as your Aeon.

Your First Game

Setting Up

Set up four era cards in a row with a past era card on one end, a future era card on the other end, and the player's era cards in between them. Then place each player's Aeon card in its own era.

Once you have this row set up, each player shuffles their own deck separately (don't shuffle them together). Decide which player will go first, then each player draws a hand of four cards.

Player One's First Turn

If you're the first player, you don't draw a card on your first turn.

If you meet the ARC requirement of any of the cards in your hand, you may play them. You may also use up to two of the abilities on your Aeon character card during your turn, but you may not use the same ability more than once.

If you have any items in the Timeline, you may use those as well.

Once you're done, your turn is over. If you have more than six cards in your hand, discard down to six cards.

Player Two's First Turn

If you're the second player, you draw a card when your turn starts. After that, you follow the same steps listed above; using Aeons, items, and playing cards.

Every Turn After That

To start your second turn (and every turn after that) you "refresh" your Aeon and any of your items that are exhausted, then draw a card for your turn and continue with the rest of the steps listed for the first turn.

How to Win

You win the game when your opponent has reached zero health, or if they have no cards in their nexus (deck) at the end of their turn.

The Timeline (Back Insert)

The "Timeline" is like a board that you play the game on. This diagram shows you how to set it up. There are three rows and different items go in each row. Aeons, Eras, and all items that are in play are "in the timeline." Cards in your hand, your nexus (deck) and your void (discard pile) are "outside the timeline". Cards that are outside the game are, by definition, also outside the timeline.

Opponent's Side

Your opponent has their own rows for their cards. Below is an example that shows what one side of the timeline looks like for a single player in the middle of a game.

[Diagram: one side of the timeline for a single player mid-game, showing each player's Aeon cards in different eras.]

In the diagram below, each player's Aeon cards are in different eras. This means they can only target each other with "timeless" cards (see present/timeless on other side). In order to target each other with "present" cards, like Lightning Storm, one of them will have to "rift" (move) to the other's era.

Row 1

This row is shared by both players. This is where all of the era cards are, and represents places in time that your Aeon can "rift" to. Each player has their own era card here, which is the era your Aeon character card will start the game in.

Row 2

Row 2 is where Relic and Trap cards are played. These cards are placed below the eras that they are "attached" to. Remember that traps are played face-down and exhausted, and can't be used until your next turn.

Row 3

Row 3 is where armaments and trinkets are played. These are attached to your Aeon character card, not an individual era, so you can place them anywhere in this row.

"Nexus" and "Void"

Your deck (Nexus) and your discard pile (Void) are placed to the left of the timeline in the picture shown above. Each player has their own Nexus and Void that they use throughout the game.

Multi-Player

The sheet's title is printed as "MULIT-PLAYER"; it is reproduced here under the corrected heading.

When you add a 3rd or 4th player to a game of ARC you must adjust the timeline layout slightly to accommodate their relics and traps. For each player you add, you must also add another "Row 2" to one side of the timeline. The additional Row 2 is made available so the additional players have an organized play space to put their relics and traps in.

So what happens to "Row 3"…!? You must move Row 3 next to your nexus and void. In the diagram on the next page a four player game has been illustrated so you know what the board layout should look like.

You must also make room for the additional player's eras. You may put the additional eras anywhere in between the future and the past.

When playing a game of ARC with 3 or more players, there is only one change in actual game play rules. The change is:

• Each player draws a card at the beginning of their turn, including player one's first turn.

Note 1: Please refer to the "How To Play" rules insert that came with your deck for an explanation on what "Row 2" and "Row 3" are.

[Diagram: four-player timeline layout with Player 1 to Player 4 areas, each with its own deck, void, armaments and trinkets, relics and traps, and Aeons, and the eras between Past and Future.]

Turn Order

Phase 1: Start Phase

• Step 1: You and all items you control in the timeline refresh.
• Step 2: Beginning of turn effects happen.
• Step 3: You draw a card.

Phase 2: Main Phase

• Step 1: You may play cards, use the abilities of items you control in the timeline, and use up to 2 of your special abilities. You may not use the same special ability twice.

Phase 3: End Phase

• Step 1: If you have no cards in your Nexus you lose the game.
• Step 2: End of turn effects happen.
• Step 3: If you have more than 6 cards in your hand, discard down to 6 cards.

Limbo

Limbo is a place cards and abilities pass through before they enter the timeline or happen within the timeline. When something leaves limbo and moves into the timeline it "Materializes" from limbo. Limbo exists simultaneously in all times. Think of limbo as something that blankets the entire timeline.

Whenever a card is played from your hand or an ability is used in the timeline it must be placed into limbo first before its effects happen. Each time a card or ability is placed into limbo, players may respond with cards or abilities going clockwise from the last person to play a card or use an ability. Cards and abilities materialize from limbo into the timeline once each player consecutively chooses not to play cards or use abilities.

Cards and abilities in limbo materialize into the timeline one by one in the reverse order they were used or played in. Every time a card or ability materializes from limbo, each player starting with the player whose turn it currently is going clockwise, may play cards and use abilities again until each player consecutively chooses not to play cards or use abilities. This means you have the option of allowing some cards to materialize from limbo and then respond to other cards that are still in limbo before they materialize.

Note 1: You may only respond with cards and abilities that happen at lightspeed 1 or higher.

Note 2: All cards in ARC that you play from your hand have a "Draw/Discard" effect. The "Draw/Discard" effect happens just before the card leaves limbo, however the card is still in limbo when it happens. This means that regardless of where you are in the timeline you still must adhere to a cards "Draw/Discard" effect when it is played from your hand.

Note 3: For additional clarification on who gets to play what and when, please see the rules on "Priority".

Priority

"Priority" defines who gets to do what and when, or in other words, if someone has priority they may play cards and use abilities. Only one player at a time may have priority.

On your turn you start with priority, and have priority at the beginning of each phase/step and whenever limbo is empty during each phase/step. Priority passes to each player going clockwise whenever a someone moves from one phase/step to another on their turn, or if a player plays a card or uses an ability.

Each time a card or ability materializes from limbo, the player whose turn it currently is gains priority if they do not already have it. That player may then choose to respond to the next card in limbo or pass priority going clockwise. Once each player passes priority consecutively the next card in limbo materializes. This means each player has a chance to respond to every card in limbo before it materializes, including the person who played the card.

Your turn begins as you refresh your cards, which is the first step of the first phase on your turn. This step may not be responded to by anyone ever! This is the only step that may not be responded to by anyone. Even though it is your turn and your have priority, you may not play cards or use abilities during this step.

Your turn is over once you have completed all of the phases and steps on your turn. The player whose turn it currently is chooses when they want to move from one phase/step to another. In order to move from one phase/step to another limbo must be empty.

Note: You may only play cards and use abilities on other player's turns if those cards or abilities happen at lightspeed 1.