Partway through my last game of Tournament Arc, tragedy struck.
Mr. Bear transferred schools and was then immediately hit by a bus.
Obviously, this did not bode well for his odds in the hot dog eating competition (which was ultimately won by Bonk Dents, despite starting the game with most of their bones already broken).
More would be broken later.
These were just a few of the memorable events from my last game of Tournament Arc. A few other highlights included stacking three athletes on top of each other to make a single, suspiciously larger athlete, and the running favorite turning out to be their own evil clone.
All of which is to say: I like Tournament Arc. And if after reading the rest of this, you like the sounds of it as well, I encourage you to check out the Kickstarter, which will be launching on Tuesday, May 20th.
Tournament Arc is a light party game inspired by sports anime. After drafting a set of athletes, players take turns playing episode cards onto said athletes in attempt to prepare (or perhaps un-prepare them, when you start debuffing other players athletes) for The Big Sports Game.
What is the Big Game? Well, no one knows until partway through training, when the sport card gets flipped up. And even that is no guarantee it’s what they’ll actually be competing in, since some episode cards can change the sport.
This might sound like a bit of a chaotic mess, and honestly, that’s why I love it. The joy of tournament arc is in the incredibly wacky narrative it creates. Did someone make one of their players the coach’s favorite? Arrest the coach! Is one of your players suffering from insecurity? Well, that’s probably why they started doing steroids.
It’s very much a game about the journey, and not the destination. Especially when that journey involves someone being raised by Olympian parents who were also clowns.
I don’t have any real critiques of Tournament Arc. It’s a game about telling goofy anime-style stories, not one about the strategic decisions of running a coal mine in industrial Europe. The game is incredibly funny, the art is wonderfully cute. And it doesn’t play off “that” part of anime. You know. The one that makes you wince.
Tournament Arc is going to launch on Kickstarter on May 20th, 2025. If you like the sound of it, or are looking for a very funny party game, maybe check it out and help push it over the finish line. And if you’re not sure yet, you can learn more about it on the game’s website.
