Golem Arcana

Update: Only a few hours remain in Harebrained Schemes nail biter of a Kickstarter for Golem Arcana. If you hope to see this unique amalgam of miniature and video gaming move forward, or if you just enjoy watching a close race, now's the time to check in on the game's site.

Original story:

Earlier today, we featured an interview with Harebrained Schemes about its recent release of Shadowrun Returns, but its new project is equally exciting. Golem Arcana is currently in the midst of its Kickstarter drive, and with 11 days to go, it’s worth taking a look if you think you want to add your funding dollars. 

Golem Arcana proposes a fascinating possibility. Take the fun, camaraderie, and rivalry of a tabletop miniature skirmish game, and put all the complicated rules, computation, and refereeing inside an accompanying mobile app. This app isn’t an optional secondary way to play the game, but rather a fundamental piece of the core game. In other words, Golem Arcana is not purely a video game, but also not purely a physical tabletop game either. It’s both.

The integration of real-life tabletop and digital gaming is made possible by an included stylus, which is used to tap areas of the playmat and the miniatures to enact movements and attacks. The Bluetooth-enabled stylus then sends the requisite info to your mobile device, and measures things like whether you’ve made a legal move, or computes the cover computations between you and a figure you’re attacking. In short, Golem Arcana attempts to strip out the tedious elements of consulting tables or rule books that are often inherent to miniature gaming, but keeps the fun of moving physical objects around the board at a shared table. Moreover, the digital element of the game allow Harebrained Schemes to offer dynamic content over time, like new scenarios and updates to the rules, without the need to purchase a new edition of an existing ruleset. 

Above and beyond the cool combination of video gaming and tabletop gaming,  Golem Arcana also stands out because of its gorgeous visual aesthetic and intriguing fiction. The world of Golem Arcana is a rich fantasy setting of warring factions. Millennia ago, the Ancient Ones crafted massive golems (represented by the game’s miniatures) with the power to shape continents. Today, golem knights (represented digitally inside the app) bring their own powers to bear as they ride these titanic golems into battle. Some knights can even channel special powers from their Ancient One ancestors. By smartly combining digitally presented knights with the physical golem miniatures you choose to include in your army, Harebrained Schemes aims to offer lots of flexibility for customization.

Golem Arcana is one of several games already released or on the horizon that blur the lines between physical and digital play. Harebrained Schemes has already developed lots of details about both the fiction of Golem Arcana and the minutiae of the gameplay rules. Plus, you can take a look at the gorgeous, fully pre-painted golem miniatures that are planned for inclusion in the game.  If Golem Arcana sounds like a world you want to play in, head over to Harebrained Schemes’ new Kickstarter and show your monetary support.