1 | Introduction

His hands shook. The sword had never felt heavier than this moment but the champion beside him didn’t seem to notice—or care. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but erm,” he stammered, “won’t our lives be in danger?”

She looked him dead in the eyes. “The world is ending. It’s the least we can do.

What is ARC? #

ARC is a rules-light, tension-heavy fantasy tabletop role-playing game where anyone can create urgent stories ticking down to a seemingly inescapable apocalypse.

Why play ARC? #

Play ARC to:

1. Escape to a world filled with memorable, heart-racing tales. Challenge awaits you. Can you overcome looming obliteration?
2. Build a story together. Support each other as heroes on a fantasy adventure creating narratives that alter the course of destiny.
3. Have fun­—even when you’ve never played or run a tabletop RPG before. It’s easy to feel anxious and uncertain with a new hobby. This game will guide you on becoming heroes immersed in adventure so that you worry about the Doom and not yourself.

Play ARC if you want to slay the apocalypse.

What do I need to play? #

You will need:

People #

• one player, called the Guide, to facilitate the game.
• 2–6 other players to role-play as heroes. Simply referred to as ‘player.’

Tools #

• the book or an online source document for referencing game rules.
• character sheets to track heroes’ stats and capabilities.
• a stopwatch or timer—digital or otherwise.
• several six-sided dice. ARC can technically be played with one die but having at least three is nice.

And lastly #

• a few hours of free time, respect for fellow players, and a willingness to save the world.

※ A note about dice

Throughout the book six-sided dice are referred to as “d6.” If there is a number before that, you roll that many dice. A 2d6 roll, for example, means you roll 2 dice simultaneously.