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Ark Nova
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,126
- BGG rating
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Arctic
2024
Rules assistance for Arctic
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 20–40 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Arctic
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Arctic is a board game released in 2024 for 2–4 players, 20–40 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Cédric Lefebvre and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Set Collection.
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About the game
White, white, nothing but white. You scan the snowy expanse of the Arctic, hoping to catch a glimpse of the inhabitants that live there. The more animals of a type that you see together, the better — yet you also want to diversify your sightings, while moving your totem animal toward the pack ice as far as possible. In Arctic, you move across the landscape and spot animals, creating a pile of animal cards in front of you. The card on top of your personal pile is your "visible" animal card. Each animal card contains four pieces of information: A placement value The main animal depicted on the card A companion animal A draw value At the start of your turn, place as many cards from your hand into your personal pile as the placement value of your visible animal card. (On your first turn, place one animal from your starting hand of three cards.) For each card you can't place, draw a card facedown from the deck and place it in a personal penalty pile. Next, using your new visible animal card, move the token of the main animal forward one space on the landscape and the companion animal backward one space or vice versa. Finally, draw as many animal cards from the "river" of six animal cards as the draw value of your visible animal card. (If you now have more than seven cards in hand, discard into your penalty pile until you have seven.) Each time you place an animal on your pile, take the matching animal power card from the center of play or whoever currently has it. You can use the listed power each turn for as long as you hold this card, such as moving an animal token an additional space, drawing from your penalty pile, or refilling the river after each card you draw. When the deck runs out, you finish the round, then place cards one more time, then score points. For each type of animal, you score points based on the largest set of consecutive cards of this type you have in your pile. You score a bonus based on the number of sets you've completed. Reveal the animal token you received at the start of the game, and score based on how far it advanced across the landscape. Lose 1 point for each card in your penalty pile. Whoever has the highest score wins.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Devir
- Gémklub
- GateOnGames
- Ludonaute
Questions and answers
Arctic supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Arctic is 20–40 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Arctic for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Arctic has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Arctic belongs to these categories: Card Game, Animals, and Environmental. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Set Collection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Arctic are: Cédric Lefebvre. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Arctic as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.