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Golem Arcana Announces Updates

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golem arcana featuredHarebrained Schemes have announced some updates for their digitally-enhanced miniatures board game Golem Arcana. This update includes numerous expansions and new features that are added for free through the Golem Arcana App.

These features provide greater re-playability, even more strategy & tactics, and new support systems for Golem Arcana Emissaries running in-store events.

  • Scenario Builder – Players can design their own custom games laying out map tiles, mana wells, deployment zones, capture zones, and set unique victory conditions. This feature significantly expands the variety of Golem Arcana scenarios.
  • Army Builder – Golem Arcana’s built-in Army Builder has been revamped to include many new player-requested features, including a highly flexible Unit Sorting system and Tap-to-Find-Unit system.
  • In-App Purchases – While building their forces, players will have the option to instantly download digital Knights and Ancient Ones to add to their armies. These powerful new units provide players with exciting new tactics and strategies while the Army Builder maintains the game’s balance.
  • Save Game – For the first time, players will be able to save the status of their boardgame and resume it at a convenient time.
  • Emissary System – The new Emissary System makes organizing and running Organized Play events a snap and provides Golem Arcana’s dedicated team of Emissaries around the world with management features such as Event Registration, the ability to unlock special in-store only scenarios, and provide feedback on events.

More updates to the Golem Arcana App are already planned. The game’s follow-up release will allow up to 8 players to vie for supremacy in giant free-for-all battles.

Harebrained Scheme’s first Living World Campaign, Shadow of the Khan, is already underway. Living World Campaigns consist of three story-arc scenarios in which players’ in-game choices have a direct effect on the world of Eretsu. These special scenarios, each available for a limited two week window, give players the opportunity to directly affect the game setting through their choices of factions and leaders, acceptance and completion of quests, conversations with game characters and, of course, the win or loss of every battle.

Data is collected during each scenario and trending results are tweeted as “dispatches from the front” at @HeraldofEretsu. The final results of players’ actions are aggregated to determine the fate of the world of Eretsu.

The Shadow of the Khan campaign’s first scenario, The Battle of Two Rock, has already been recorded in the annals of Eretus History and can be read here. The next scenario, The Caves of Mahtis, is live and can be played through December 3rd. The final scenario, The Lords of the Line will be live from December 10th through December 24th.

Finally, the company announced the next seven Golem Expansion Sets beginning with Urugal – Reapers of the Sands, available in retail stores starting today. Golem Expansion Sets increase a player’s army building strategies and add exciting new battlefield tactics. Titles and release dates are:

  • Urugal – Reapers of the Sands – November 19, 2014
  • Iron Earthfall and Carapace Brute, Elite Golems– December 3, 2014
  • Gudanna Valkali Colossus – December 10, 2014
  • Map Tile Set 3: Marshes of Kesh – December 10, 2014
  • Jade Guardian Elite Set – January 7, 2015
  • Durani – Scions of Honor – January 21, 2015
  • Rangers of the Oath Elite Set – February 4, 2015
  • Zikia – Spirits of the Wildwood – February 11, 2015

We purchased and played the game at Gen Con, experiencing numerous issues with the app. You can read our initial review here. After upgrading to newer technology we still have experienced numerous issues including frozen games and bluetooth connection issues. Our initial review stands that the game is a great concept, but without serious work on the app itself, the game is a crap-shoot if it’s playable.

Gen Con 2014: Golem Arcana, the Hot Game… That Has Some Bugs

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Copy of logo_GolemArcanaOne of the hot releases at Gen Con 2014 has been Golem Arcana the successful Kickstarter game project by Harebrained Schemes. Golem Arcana is a point-based army building game that blends the physical fun of tabletop gaming with the power of digital technology. It “seamlessly” connects a smartphone or tablet to the game’s figures, board, and cards via a Bluetooth-powered stylus designed specifically for tabletop gaming. Simply tap any of the game pieces with the stylus to send information to the app, or tap the board to make a move.

That “seamlessly connects” and blending technology with physical miniatures is both the best, and worst part of the game. On the floor of the show, with nice tablets, and big screens, I received a seamless demo of how the game worked. Using a stylus, you’re able to control figures, with no need of a rulebook to memorize, dice to role, and an endless possibility to the game play. Myself, and those with me, were so excited about the game, and the demo was so good, we (myself and some other friends) decided to buy the game, $120 worth of it.

Product 15Back to the hotel that evening to play, we opened the game, attempting to sync it with our iPad. It turns out, though we were told that the app worked on a generation 2 iPad or higher, in fact we needed a third generation and higher. Luckily we also had an iPhone 4S handy, one of the devices listed on the apps page. If your game relies on a device, you probably should know the device it can work on, we lucked out (I have a first generation iPad myself so no game for me I guess until the PC app is released down the road). The internet was slow, but we downloaded it to play the next day.

After our second day, we excitedly got back to our room to play. Every few minutes, the iPhone crashed. With each reload, a new synch of the stylus was needed. We’d click some screens, and a crash again. After many attempts of this, we gave up, frustrated. Add this on top of the small screen, and you can see how our excitement was dimmed quickly. We couldn’t get past the first turn of the first player in the tutorial.

golem_arcana_requirementsGo to the Golem Arcana app page and at the end of the list of devices that it should work on is “This app is optimized for iPhone 5.” So, here’s the issue…. on top of the $120 spent on the game (main game, plus two figure packs), we’re left in a quandary. To actually play, what is an amazing game, we’d need to invest another few hundred to get the right device to be able to do so.

The irony in the end is, by using technology to free us the gamers from massive physical rulebooks, that same technology has also made it impossible to actually enjoy the game.

Gen Con 2014: Golem Arcana Debuts

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HBS_logo_xlargeGen Con 2014 has yet to start and Harebrained Schemes has launched their much anticipated digitally-enhanced miniatures board game Golem Arcana. The game is now available at retail stores, and the accompanying free mobile app can be downloaded for Android smartphones and tablets from Google Play and for iPhone and iPads from the App Store. Five additional expansion sets are also available.

Golem Arcana is a point-based army building game that blends the physical fun of tabletop gaming with the power of digital technology. It seamlessly connects a smartphone or tablet to the game’s figures, board, and cards via a Bluetooth-powered stylus designed specifically for tabletop gaming. Simply tap any of the game pieces with the stylus to send information to the app, or tap the board to make a move.

Copy of logo_GolemArcanaThe story for Golem Arcana begins after the meteoric rise and fall of the Great Khan. In the ensuing chaos, conquered tribes and clans rise up to reclaim their sovereignty, and neighboring empires mobilize to reclaim lost territory and honor, as the heirs of the Khan battle each other for control of the Gudanna Dominion.

Playing the Game

In Golem Arcana, players assemble armies looking for the best combination of attributes and special actions that will allow them to unleash havoc on the enemy.  Each player fields an army consisting of Golems, Knights (sorcerers who “pilot” the Golems), Ancient Ones (powerful gods that might intervene on the army’s behalf) and Relics (powerful magical artifacts that can be carried and deployed by Golems).

Product 15Key Features

  • Depth of play and socialization.  For a generation raised on video games more than board games, Golem Arcana brings the convenience they expect from video and mobile games to the tabletop.
  • Easy to Learn and Accessible.  No need to read or memorize complex rules – the app does all the math, but also shows players the breakdown.
  • Fast Playing Time.  Standard scenarios play in about thirty minutes, for larger games it’s under two hours.
  • Gameplay Evolves in Real Time.  The app regularly downloads new scenarios. Knights and Ancient Ones are digital playing pieces that are released regularly and can be purchased instantly.
  • Organized Play (OP) Support. The app makes organizing and running events a snap. The app alerts players to in-store OP events in their area.
  • Living World. Players control the fate of the world of Eretsu. The results of each game are automatically tallied and applied to the greater conflict. Major developments in the Golem Arcana story are triggered by the collective results of all the individual games.

The Base Set

The Golem Arcana base set is priced at SRP $79.99 and includes six modular terrain tiles, a TDI (Tabletop Digital Interface) stylus, two ten-sided dice, two control cards, a quick-start instruction and lore book, and six pre-painted, large-scale Golem miniatures. The free mobile app comes pre-loaded with more than 80 digital characters, with many more soon to be available for sale.

Expansions

Several expansions are available to enhance a player’s strategic options and new expansions will be added regularly starting in September. Players can create new armies and add new tactical options with an expanded selection of Golems and Relic cards. Expansion sets with additional figures and relic cards are available for $34.99 each and a set of six double-sided game boards is available for $24.99. The four expansion sets now available include:

  • The Durani: The Khan’s Pyre Expansion  includes the Jeweled Harpy, the Winged Preserver, the Fire Ram, three banner stands, three TDI Golem Cards, two double-sided Blessing and Curse tokens, four new Relic Cards, the Bulwark of Vajra, Daku’s Lens, the Peridot of Hantra and the Idol of Preyas.
  • The Gudanna Terrors of the Steppes  includes the Sand Lion, the Dune Viper, the Devil Djinn, three banner stands, three TDI Golem Cards, two double-sided Mana Well tokens, four new Relic Cards, Baylr’s Dagger, Zyama’s Censer, Santapa’s Ward and the Gauntlet of Ganna.
  • The Urugal Keepers of the Pyre Expansion  includes the Horned Blight, Plague Bringer, Carrion Raptor, three banner stands, three TDI Golem Cards, two double-sided Blessing and Curse tokens, four new Relic Cards, the Bone Scarab, the Lamp of Dusaka, the Bone Gate Totem and Zayla’s Cauldron.
  • The Zikia Spirits of the Wildwood Expansion includes Bramblehorn, the Woodguard, the  Wildwood Dryad, three banner stands, three TDI Golem Cards, two double-sided Mana Well tokens, four new Relic Cards, the Tendrils of Smera, the Tree of Life, the Rooted Road and the Cistern of T’Lo-Lu.