Cole Wehrle and Kyle Ferrin's newly formed Buried Giant Studios has plenty to celebrate. Their debut Kickstarter, Arcs: Beyond the Reach, has cruised past $1.3 million from more than 10,800 backers with over two weeks left on the clock.
Wehrle, the designer behind Root and Oath, founded Buried Giant in January 2026 alongside illustrator Kyle Ferrin, his brother Drew Wehrle, and Ted Caya. Leder Games, their former home, sold the Arcs and Oath IPs to the new studio in an amicable split that kept Root under Leder's banner. Arcs itself picked up three Golden Geek awards in 2024, winning Best Wargame, Most Innovative Game, and Best Expansion, so the fanbase was already primed for more.
The campaign offers three expansion modules. Lost Vaults and Fated Leaders ($40) adds a fifth player seat, an alternative Court deck, new star system types, and unique faction leaders. If you enjoy the base game's political scheming, this one deepens it considerably. The full bundle ($90) adds Beyond the Reach and Halls of Power on top of Lost Vaults, bolting on a campaign layer with an extraplanar threat and giving each faction leader a secret personal agenda.
For anyone who bounced off Arcs the first time, the expansions might be worth a second look. Wehrle's designs tend to open up with more content, and Root's trajectory from solid base game to essential-with-expansions is the obvious template here.
The campaign runs until April 28, with delivery estimated for August 2027. If you have been on the fence, there is still time to jump in at the Kickstarter page.
Sources: Kickstarter | Board Game Wire | Tabletop Analytics
