•23 is a fast-paced collectible card game, the first in the ARC System series. The ARC System is a line of card games set in different worlds but sharing the same rules system. All ARC System games will be compatible, so cards from one set can be played with or against cards from any of the others.
This particular game is set in a wild and wooly future that is the brainstorm of comic book artist Jim Lee (who is authoring a companion line of comic books). In this four-color future, the Earth's surface is occupied by a race of intelligent insects, the Angelans. The remnants of humanity live in an underground colony but have vowed to retake the surface. Their primary tool: cybernetically enhanced soldiers, the HyperShocks. Swirling amid this martial chaos, there are a number of larger-than-life characters who dominate the action, such as Cronus, the possibly insane leader of the humans, and Phyla, an Angelan (but quite sexy for a bug) who leads a human rebellion against Cronus. Players don't actually take sides in this war and can play with a mixture of human and Angelan cards.
In the game, players lay down Resource cards, which are used to pay for all the other kinds of cards--Character, Action and Combat. Those cards have a cost, which is the number of Resource cards that must be tapped (turned sideways) to bring them into play. Once in play, Characters may attack the opposing side. They can be blocked by other Characters, and Action and Combat cards can be used to affect combat. Successful attacks cause the opponent to discard cards from his or her deck, and the first person to run out of cards loses.
At first glance it seems simple. Look again.
Players of Wizards of the Coast's first and most successful game, Magic: The Gathering, will pick C•23 up in less than two minutes. Make no mistake, the ARC System is simplified Magic. But this is in no way a bad thing. Magic is a good game, but full of intricate timing rules and bizarre card interactions that have necessitated the creation of a special rulings document that is almost 300 pages long. The ARC System sweeps away the problematic card types and turn phases. Wizards applied their long experience with Magic to create a game that's streamlined but still has strategic aspects. Special abilities--like "Gung-Ho" and "Vitality"--mean that there are a number of elements to consider when designing a deck besides just grabbing the biggest and baddest cards.
The actual design and layout of the C•23 cards is also excellent, with lots of real estate devoted to art, and with large numbers and names that are easily read across a table. C•23's overall style is splashy, melodramatic and action-packed, much like a comic book. The characters are Olympian in stature, musclebound and fond of Lycra body suits.
Swift gameplay, slick cards, smart rules and a dynamic universe all combine for a terrific game. It also makes a great introduction to collectible card games for the uninitiated. Too bad there are only 162 cards in the set, though--that's a little small. But there will be expansions, and next in the ARC System lineup are games based on the Hercules and Xena television franchises. Because they're compatible, those classical warriors can battle the Angelans or HyperShocks.
