I have really enjoyed Arcs by Cole Wehrle as my modern Diplomacy-like asymmetrical war game - cutthroat, negotiating, area control, but also more randomness, variety and theme. And the campaign totally changes the vibe into a space opera!
Root was also very good but I think is harder to master as the factions are so different and so runaway games are common IMO.
I enjoyed my Arcs campaign playthrough, but it'll be a long time before I put it on the table again. By the third act, the energy was very low (even though we played over 3 days).
I've played the campaign a few times now (10+) and my advice is
1. it's much better/ more manageable at 3 players unless everyone is already pretty experienced.
2. Try to play the first two acts in quick succession then the third maybe a week later once the dust has settled.
parasubvert · · focus · HN ↗
Root was also very good but I think is harder to master as the factions are so different and so runaway games are common IMO.
timvdalen · · focus · HN ↗
tomgp · · focus · HN ↗