---
title: "1 | Introduction"
description: "> 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…"
url: "https://momatoes.com/arcanum/introduction/"
updated: "2022-01-16"
category: A. Start Playing
---

# 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.

[Slay The Apocalypse with ARC | TLDP](https://www.youtube.com/embed/SdWfh00zF-8?feature=oembed)

An overview of ARC in under 6 minutes

## 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.