Greetings Jacob! Thank you for the kind words. ICE is a solid game, and the more overtly positive reviews are definitely merited. I genuinely believe the breadth of gameplay options will allow for a variety of enjoyable experiences. It was well received, but I always try to mine out the reasons behind any hesitations. It’s the sort of game where I can see what everyone is saying, but I also see something in myself and my preferences that gets in the way. I’ve not had a chance to play since the prototype, though, so my thoughts aren’t as fresh all these months later.

Hey Bo,

Thanks for reading, and for your comment. I did not personally enjoy the game, because I found myself getting funneled into a more restrictive set of decisions. I attempted to make it clear in the review that this was *my* experience, not one I think everyone will have. I did not have the opportunity to play more than one full campaign, but my emotional experience didn’t change drastically as it went on. If I were asked to participate in a campaign again, I would give it another go, and I would love to have a better experience. That’s a win for everybody!

My distaste for the experience didn’t stop me from appreciating that it is a magnificent design, and unlike anything I’ve played before. It is the unfortunate reality of SEO that star ratings are necessary, and my experience with Arcs is one that doesn’t settle easily into such a system.

Seems to be more like first impressions, and I disagree with the randomness critique. With my experience the campaign is much more forgiving than the base game.

Give it another shot, maybe you won’t hate it so much.

Hey Jon,

Sorry you didn’t care for the review! I rated The Blighted Reach 5 stars because I think it is a singular achievement, and I’ve never played anything like it. I feel as though I said as much in the review, though perhaps I could have been clearer. I felt hesitation in giving it the 5 star rating because of the text equivalent, but the rating is correct. Just because *I* hated it doesn’t mean I don’t recognize that it’s excellent, which I believe I did state rather explicitly in the review.

This year definitely saw a huge jump! Even by the best numbers I heard though, GenCon dwarfs it! And that’s not to mention things like SPIEL or UKGE!

Thanks for the heads up. Do you have a source for that info?