348: Arcs Leaders - Agitator, Quartermaster, and Noble (w/ Tom Brewster)
Apr 24, 2024
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Board game enthusiast Tom Brewster joins the hosts to discuss the Agitator, Quartermaster, and Noble Leaders in Arcs. They explore strategies, card importance, faction insights, player count dynamics, and meta evolution in an engaging and humorous conversation.
Agitator focuses on thin spreading, weapon prioritization, fuel acquisition, and resource slot enhancement for weapons.
Quartermaster emphasizes aggression, multiple starports, and resilient ship repair for dominance on the map.
Agitator excels in intercept defenses with weapon cards, union cards for actions, and relic fence for tactical advantage.
Noble's court card focus, influence power, and early ambition declarations are crucial for court control and resource management.
Deep dives
Agitator Strategy - Spread Thin, Utilize Weapons, Focus on Fuel and Materials
Agitator strategy involves spreading thin to mitigate losses, prioritizing weapons usage due to asymmetrical defense, focusing on acquiring fuel for strategic flexibility, and using materials to enhance resource slots for weapons collection.
Quartermaster Strategy - Focus on Aggression, Mobilization, and Repair
Quartermaster strategy emphasizes aggression and mobilization actions over administration, specifically capitalizing on the resilient ability to repair ships, building a strong fleet presence with multiple starports, and prioritizing aggressive moves to assert dominance across the map.
Agitator - Emphasizing on Weapons, Union Cards, and Relics for Strength in Battles
Agitator's effectiveness lies in prioritizing weapon cards to boost intercept defenses, focusing on acquiring union cards for additional actions, and utilizing relic fence to convert resources into relics for tactical advantage.
Quartermaster - Leveraging Resilient Ability and Focusing on Fleet Expansion
Quartermaster relies on the resilient ability to repair ships after battles, coupled with fleet expansion through additional starports, making aggressive moves and utilizing repair to establish dominance on the map effectively.
Focus on Court Cards and Influence
As the noble faction, it is crucial to focus on securing court cards and using your influence power strategically. By placing two influence on a single card, you can prevent others from contesting your choices and take control of the court. This approach allows you to build a strong court presence and protect key cards that align with your ambitions, especially beneficial in manipulating the court dynamics to your advantage.
Strategic Declaration of Ambitions
The noble's unique power to declare ambitions early in the game can be a defining strategy. By declaring ambitions aggressively, you can gain access to top court cards and disrupt opponents' plans. This approach allows you to secure beneficial cards and potentially sacrifice some points early on to set yourself up for success in later rounds. It is a tactical move that can give you an edge in court control and resource management.
Securing Essential Resources and Ambitions
In playing the noble faction, focus on securing key resources like relics and psionics early on to capitalize on your strengths. By ensuring access to these resources and locking down specific planets, you can control the flow of the game and deter opponents' advancements. Prioritize ambitions related to these resources to consolidate your power and leverage your privileged court position effectively.
Effective Use of Guild and Law Cards
Utilizing guild and law cards that complement your defensive strategy can enhance your noble gameplay. Opt for cards that provide additional actions or discourage raids on your starports, such as railgun arrays and spike-like effects, to fortify your position. Moreover, cards that amplify your resource control, like secret order, can help in securing your court dominance and thwarting adversaries' plans effectively.
It is finally time to dig in deeper to Arcs! The base game adds asymmetry to each player via the Leaders, and it's more asymmetry than many of us realized. Our excitement just wasn't enough; we had to go and recruit Shut Up and Sit Down's Tom Brewster to join us in presenting three Leaders and offering up what strategic insights we could muster. We started with three Leaders available in the Leaders and Lore expansion, the Agitator, the Quartermaster, and the Noble. Why did we start with expansion leaders over the ones available in the base game? Hey, quit asking so many questions! We got a fun special guest and you're embarrassing us in front of him!
Music and Sounds by Brian Kupillas. https://wanderinglake.bandcamp.com/
