<s>
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
was	O
a	O
tabletop	O
miniature	O
wargaming	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
combines	O
physical	O
miniatures	O
on	O
a	O
game	O
board	O
with	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
that	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
gameplay	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
;	O
the	O
physical	O
pieces	O
and	O
the	O
app	B-Application
communicate	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
stylus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
including	O
special	O
abilities	O
and	O
optional	O
missions	O
,	O
exist	O
only	O
within	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
was	O
funded	O
through	O
a	O
Kickstarter	O
campaign	O
that	O
launched	O
in	O
September	O
2013	O
and	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
raise	O
over	O
$	O
500,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
studio	O
co-founder	O
Jordan	O
Weisman	O
and	O
executive	O
producer	O
Ray	O
Winninger	O
had	O
extensive	O
experience	O
developing	O
both	O
video	O
games	O
and	O
tabletop	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
primary	O
motivations	O
in	O
creating	O
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
was	O
to	O
merge	O
the	O
two	O
gaming	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
were	O
split	O
in	O
their	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
hybrid	O
of	O
physical	O
pieces	O
and	O
the	O
digital	O
app	B-Application
,	O
with	O
some	O
seeing	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
boon	O
and	O
others	O
as	O
a	O
detriment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
is	O
a	O
two	O
to	O
eight-player	O
miniature	O
wargaming	O
game	O
that	O
interfaces	O
with	O
a	O
digital	O
app	B-Application
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
stylus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ultimate	O
goal	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
to	O
collect	O
a	O
set	O
number	O
of	O
"	O
victory	O
points	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
gathered	O
by	O
defeating	O
opposing	O
golems	O
,	O
completing	O
scenario	O
objectives	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
rewards	O
for	O
completing	O
optional	O
missions	O
encountered	O
through	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
stylus	O
that	O
comes	O
with	O
the	O
starter	O
kit	O
reads	O
the	O
dots	O
to	O
transmit	O
information	O
from	O
the	O
board	O
to	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
information	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
position	O
of	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
golems	O
,	O
terrain	O
and	O
map	O
effects	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
rules	O
are	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
app	B-Application
,	O
which	O
uses	O
that	O
information	O
to	O
determine	O
and	O
present	O
players	O
with	O
available	O
moves	O
,	O
attack	O
accuracy	O
and	O
damage	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
statistics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
then	O
use	O
the	O
stylus	O
to	O
choose	O
where	O
to	O
move	O
and	O
what	O
actions	O
to	O
take	O
;	O
players	O
still	O
have	O
to	O
move	O
the	O
physical	O
pieces	O
on	O
the	O
board	O
,	O
but	O
their	O
moves	O
are	O
also	O
reflected	O
in	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
has	O
several	O
components	O
that	O
exist	O
only	O
within	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ancient	O
Ones	O
are	O
cast	O
using	O
mana	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
acquired	O
in	O
several	O
ways	O
,	O
including	O
when	O
a	O
golem	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
is	O
defeated	O
or	O
though	O
missions	O
that	O
appear	O
in	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
in	O
July	O
2013	O
in	O
a	O
blog	O
post	O
on	O
developer	O
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
 '	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
blog	O
post	O
indicated	O
that	O
the	O
studio	O
would	O
return	O
to	O
Kickstarter	O
to	O
fund	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
studio	O
's	O
staff	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
their	O
other	O
project	O
,	O
Shadowrun	B-Application
Returns	I-Application
,	O
while	O
a	O
few	O
would	O
be	O
split	O
off	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
13	O
August	O
2014	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
digital	O
component	O
available	O
for	O
both	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
statement	O
sent	O
to	O
ICv2	O
,	O
the	O
studio	O
had	O
ensured	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
companion	O
app	B-Application
supported	O
as	O
many	O
devices	O
and	O
operating	O
systems	O
as	O
possible	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
but	O
could	O
not	O
promise	O
compatibility	O
or	O
support	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Winninger	O
,	O
comparing	O
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
to	O
Skylanders	O
,	O
another	O
game	O
with	O
both	O
physical	O
and	O
digital	O
components	O
,	O
stressed	O
that	O
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
was	O
less	O
focused	O
on	O
components	O
and	O
more	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
social	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Weisman	O
pointed	O
to	O
his	O
disappointment	O
that	O
"	O
kids	O
 '	O
idea	O
of	O
playing	O
together	O
after	O
school	O
these	O
days	O
usually	O
means	O
just	O
meeting	O
online	O
from	O
their	O
own	O
houses	O
"	O
in	O
stressing	O
that	O
participants	O
playing	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
would	O
do	O
so	O
face-to-face	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
upon	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
were	O
divided	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
defining	O
feature	O
–	O
the	O
hybrid	O
of	O
physical	O
miniature	O
and	O
digital	O
app	B-Application
,	O
but	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
visuals	O
,	O
lore	O
,	O
and	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
Rock	O
,	O
Paper	O
,	O
Shotgun	O
,	O
Robert	O
Florence	O
praised	O
the	O
app	B-Application
for	O
calculating	O
variables	O
like	O
movement	O
range	O
and	O
tracking	O
statistics	O
like	O
health	O
and	O
ability	O
cooldowns	O
,	O
but	O
spoke	O
of	O
a	O
disconnect	O
caused	O
by	O
constantly	O
shifting	O
focus	O
between	O
the	O
screen	O
and	O
the	O
board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hutton	O
found	O
it	O
cumbersome	O
that	O
the	O
starter	O
kit	O
came	O
with	O
only	O
one	O
stylus	O
and	O
that	O
only	O
one	O
device	O
running	O
the	O
app	B-Application
could	O
be	O
synced	O
to	O
a	O
given	O
game	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
necessitating	O
that	O
the	O
screen	O
and	O
stylus	O
be	O
passed	O
back	O
and	O
forth	O
between	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VentureBeats	O
Jay	O
Henningsen	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
had	O
nothing	O
but	O
praise	O
for	O
the	O
app	B-Application
and	O
stylus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
fifteen	O
minutes	O
he	O
found	O
using	O
the	O
stylus	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
almost	O
natural	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
found	O
that	O
the	O
app	B-Application
handling	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
rules	O
and	O
stat-keeping	O
made	O
for	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
easiest	O
experiences	O
I	O
've	O
ever	O
had	O
getting	O
into	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Academy	O
of	O
Adventure	O
Gaming	O
Arts	O
&	O
Design	O
awarded	O
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
the	O
"	O
Best	O
Miniature	O
Figure	O
Rules	O
"	O
prize	O
in	O
the	O
2015	O
Origins	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
