Give my creation life: Golem Arcana’s Shadow of the Khan campaign arrives

A staring contest for the ages.

It wasn’t too long ago that we checked in on app-driven miniatures game (and Kickstarter success, by mere dint of existing) Golem Arcana. Post GenCon, developers Harebrained Schemes had sketched out some plans on their blog about where the mixed-media game was going–specifically, they discussed their grand and buzz-wordy plan for a “Living World.”

Now, Golem Arcana is making good on the ambitious goals proffered in the game’s Kickstarter pitch. The first of these player-influenced campaigns–Shadow of the Khan–went live last week, and it in turn is comprised of three smaller scenarios. The opener, The Battle of Two Rock, is available until November 12, at which point one of Arcana’s factions (and the players loyal to that faction) will undoubtedly emerge victorious. Harebrained have even set up a Twitter account for play-by-play style updates on campaigns, with notifications ranging from straight-faced breakdowns to goofy, pal-around chatter.

Mercenary’s fighting for the Durani at #TwoRock have shown their true loyalties killing couriers the payment bound for Vanya and the Untamed

— Herald of Eretsu (@HeraldofEretsu) November 4, 2014

Word has spread through the ranks of the Gudanna at #TwoRock of MitchB’s slaying of a Durani Jagara Colossus, rallying the defenders resolve

— Herald of Eretsu (@HeraldofEretsu) November 4, 2014

(Of course, I’m assuming “MitchB” isn’t an official part of Arcana lore.)

Team PT have gone off before about the exciting things happening at the crossroads between tabletop and tablet gaming, and we’re likely to again. Bristle at the catchphrase all you like (Guild Wars 2 uses the same one) but, if successful, these Golem Arcana scenarios stand to give the gaming experiences of handfuls of players the kind of community and context you might normally see only at a well-attended hobby shop. This is especially noteworthy considering that board game designs gone digital often suffer criticism over a perceived lack of human interaction.

The base Golem Arcana set is $80, with the companion app free on iOS and Android. Video after the break is a largely unrelated introduction to some new golems in a recent expansion, but it has some shots of the game and the phrase “demon lash,” so that’s nice.