Scythe

2016

Engage in Scythe, an engine-building board game set in 1920s Europa. Command factions, conquer territories, and activate mechs while navigating the mysteries of The Factory.

115
minutes

1 - 5
player(s)

14+

Medium Heavy

About the game

Scythe is a highly immersive and strategic board game, designed by Jamey Stegmaier and published by Stonemaier Games. The game is set in an alternative history during the 1920s period, within a place known as “Europa”. The theme revolves around the tension brewing between five factions that have risen from the ash of the ‘Great War’, each vying for dominance and control over the valuable ‘Factory’ – the capital of an empire long gone.

The uniqueness of Scythe lies in its intricate blend of strategy, combat, resource management, and exploration. This game beautifully combines elements of 4X games (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) with Eurogame mechanics, ensuring a captivating and dynamic gameplay experience that progresses smoothly with minimal luck and randomness.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Scythe is a strategic board game set in an alternate 1920s period. The game is known for its complex mechanics and wide range of components, each playing a unique role in the gameplay. Here are the components included in Scythe and their functions:

1. Game Board: The central component of the game where all the action takes place. It includes various territories for players to conquer and control.

2. Player Mats: Each player receives a unique player mat at the beginning of the game. The mat provides information about the player’s faction and shows specific abilities, costs, and benefits.

3. Faction Tokens and Miniatures: Each player controls a faction, represented by tokens and miniatures. These include:

Character Miniature: Represents the player’s hero on the game board.
Mech Miniatures: Used for combat and controlling territories.
Worker Tokens: Used to produce resources and construct buildings.

4. Encounter Cards: These cards offer players choices when their character lands on an encounter spot on the game board. The player can choose one option from the card, often involving a trade-off.

5. Objective Cards: These cards provide players with specific goals to achieve for extra points. Each player starts the game with two, but can only complete one.

6. Factory Cards: These cards give players special abilities. They can be claimed by sending the character to the central Factory location on the game board.

7. Combat Cards: These cards are used during combat to provide an additional layer of strategy. Players can use these cards to potentially overpower their opponents.

8. Resource Tokens: These tokens represent the four different resources in the game: food, wood, metal, and oil. Players collect and spend these resources to carry out various actions.

9. Coins: Coins represent the currency in the game. They are used in various transactions and also contribute to the final score.

10. Popularity and Power Tracks: Located on the game board, these tracks record each player’s popularity and military power. Both factors significantly influence the game’s outcome.

11. Structures: These tokens represent the four types of buildings players can construct: mines, armories, monuments, and windmills. Each provides a specific benefit.

12. Technology Track: Located on the player mat, this track shows the player’s progress in terms of technology. As the game progresses, players can advance on this track to gain new abilities.

13. Territory Tiles: These tiles represent the different types of land on the game board. They affect what resources can be produced and what actions can be taken.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Scythe is a popular board game that blends strategy, combat, and resource management. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

1. Player Selection:

Each player selects a faction mat and a player mat. The combination should be random and unique for each player.
Players receive faction-specific meeples, tokens and structures, and a power dial.

2. Board Placement:

Unfold the game board in the middle of the playing area. For games with fewer than 5 players, place a cardboard overlay on the board to reduce its size.
Separate and shuffle the encounter cards, objective cards, and combat cards, placing them face down near the game board.
Place the factory cards in a deck next to the factory in the middle of the board.
Arrange the resource tokens, coins, and star tokens in separate piles next to the game board.

3. Initial Resources:

Each player starts with different resources, as indicated on their faction mat. This typically includes coins, power, popularity, and combat cards.
Place your character and starting workers on the game board as indicated on your faction mat.
Each player should place their six star tokens on the triumph track on the game board.

4. Random Elements:

Deal two objective cards to each player. They can complete one of these objectives during the game for a star token.
Each player draws a secret mission card. This gives the player a unique goal to accomplish during the game.

The game is now set up and ready to play. Remember, the aim of Scythe is not just to wage war and conquer territories, but also to win the hearts and minds of the people, build a robust economy, and achieve scientific and technological dominance.

Game flow Round and round we go

Scythe is a competitive board game designed by Jamey Stegmaier. The game is set in an alternate history 1920s period and is a game of conquest, economy, and strategy. Players represent different factions trying to gain dominance over a fictional, uncharted region in Eastern Europe.

Setup:

Each player selects a faction mat and a player mat.
The game board is laid out with resources placed on their respective territories.
Players place their character and workers on their starting locations.

Gameplay:

The game proceeds in rounds, with no set number of rounds. Each round, every player takes a turn starting from the player with the highest initiative on their faction mat. On their turn, players perform actions based on the section of their player mat they choose. There are four sections on each player mat, each with a top-row and a bottom-row action. The top-row actions are primarily economic (gaining resources), while the bottom-row actions are more strategic (building, upgrading, etc.).

Players can perform one action from their player mat each turn. However, players cannot choose the same action in consecutive turns unless they have activated a specific faction ability. The actions are as follows:

Move: This action allows the player to move their units (characters, mechs, or workers) across the game board, claiming territories and engaging in combat.
Trade: Players can pay to gain any two resources of their choice or increase their popularity.
Produce: This action allows players to produce resources on territories they control that have workers.
Bolster: Players can pay to gain power, a key factor in combat, or draw combat cards.
Upgrade: This action allows players to enhance their abilities by moving cubes from the top-row actions to the bottom-row actions, reducing the cost of bottom-row actions and increasing the benefits of top-row actions.
Deploy: Players can pay to place one of their mechs on the game board, providing new abilities to their faction.
Build: This action allows players to construct buildings on territories they control, providing ongoing benefits.
Enlist: Players can pay to recruit new recruits, gaining ongoing benefits whenever they or their neighbors take certain actions.

The game ends when a player places their sixth star, which can be earned in various ways such as winning combats, completing objectives, etc. After this, the game moves to the scoring phase.

Scoring:

Scoring is based on the number of territories controlled, the number of resources possessed, and the number of achievements (indicated by stars) a player has earned. The player with the most coins at the end of the game is the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Scythe is a strategy board game that offers players multiple actions and strategic choices to make on their turns. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

Each turn in Scythe involves two distinct sections: the Top-Action Section and the Bottom-Action Section. A player may choose to take a top action, a bottom action, both, or none during their turn.

Top-Action Section:

Move: This action allows a player to move their units (workers, mechs, or the character) across the board. The type and number of locations a unit can move to depends on the unit’s abilities and the player’s current technologies.
Bolster: The player can increase their power on the power track or gain combat cards, which are useful in combat situations.
Trade: The player can pay to gain resources of their choice, which are placed on a territory they control. These resources can be used to perform various actions and build structures.
Produce: This action lets a player produce resources on territories they control. The type and amount of resources produced depend on the territories and the number of workers present.

Bottom-Action Section:

Upgrade: A player can pay resources to upgrade a section of their player mat. Upgrading reduces the cost of bottom actions and enhances the benefits of top actions, improving efficiency.
Deploy: The player can deploy one of their mechs onto the board, granting them new abilities and improving their military presence.
Build: The player can build a structure on a territory they control. Structures grant various ongoing benefits and contribute to end-game scoring.
Enlist: Enlisting recruits can provide immediate and ongoing benefits. Each recruit also contributes to end-game scoring.

Strategically choosing which actions to take and when can greatly affect the gameplay in Scythe. For example, focusing on upgrading early can make actions more efficient in the long term, and deploying mechs can deter other players from attacking. The player’s choices must be balanced based on their current situation, long-term strategy, and the actions of other players.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Scythe’ ends when a player places their sixth star on the Triumph Track. This can happen in a variety of ways, as stars are awarded for completing different objectives and tasks.

Victory Conditions:

Combat Victory: Each time a player wins a combat, they may place one of their stars on the Triumph Track.
Objective Completion: If a player completes an objective (as per their objective card), they can place a star.
Full Power: A player can place a star if they manage to move their power marker to the top of the Power Track.
Full Popularity: Similar to the Power Track, a player can place a star if they move their popularity marker to the top of the Popularity Track.
All Workers: A player can place a star if they manage to get all eight of their workers on the game board.
All Mechs: A player can place a star if they manage to build all four of their mechs.
All Structures: If a player builds all four of their structures, they can place a star.
All Recruits: A star can be placed if a player recruits all four of their characters.
All Upgrades: A player can place a star if they upgrade all six sections of their Player Mat.

Once a player has placed their sixth star, the game ends immediately, even if other players have not finished their turns. There are no additional actions that players need to take before final scoring. Instead, final scoring occurs immediately after the game ends.

During final scoring, players tally their scores based on the number of stars they have placed, the territories they control, the resources they possess, and their position on the popularity track. The player with the highest total score is declared the winner of the game.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘Scythe’, players accumulate points throughout the game based on the number of territories they control, the resources they have collected, and the achievements they have made from the ‘Star’ track. Here is a detailed explanation of the scoring system:

Scoring Stars:

Stars are the achievements players can earn during the game. Each star is worth a certain amount of coins depending on your popularity level. For instance, at the lowest popularity level, each star is worth 3 coins, at the middle level 4 coins, and at the highest level 5 coins. There are 10 stars in total and the first player to place all of their stars ends the game.

Scoring Territories:

Scoring based on territories depends on the number of hexes you control on the map at the end of the game. A player controls a hex if they have a character, mech, or structure on it. Each hex is worth 2, 3, or 4 coins depending on your popularity level.

Scoring Resources:

Players also score based on the resources they have on the map. Each pair of resources is worth 1, 2, or 3 coins depending on your popularity level. A pair of resources can be any combination of oil, metal, wood, or food.

Tie-Breaking Rules:

In the event of a tie, the tie-breaking rules of Scythe are applied. First, the player with the most coins left (not spent on popularity or power) wins. If there’s still a tie, the player with the highest popularity wins. If there’s still a tie, the player with the most power wins. If there’s still a tie after all that, the player who played earlier in the turn order wins.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Scythe is a complex board game with a number of special rules and exceptions. Here are some of the key points to keep in mind:

Riverwalk and Lakes:

Units (characters and mechs) can move across rivers using the Riverwalk ability, but they can’t end their move on a lake.
However, if a faction has the ‘Swim’ ability, their units can move to and end their move on lakes.

Factory Cards:

Only one Factory card can be held by a player at any given time. If a player’s character is on the Factory and they already have a Factory card, they cannot look at the Factory deck again.
Factory cards can be used as a fifth action, in addition to the four actions on the player’s faction mat.

Combat Cards and Power:

During a combat, a player can play a number of combat cards equal to or less than the number of their units in the combat.
Players can choose to use no power or combat cards in a combat, but they must still lose popularity if they initiated the combat and lose.

Resources and Control:

Resources are controlled by the player whose units are on the territory with the resources, not the player who controls the territory.
If there are no units on a territory, the resources on that territory are uncontrolled and cannot be used by any player.

End of the Game:

The game ends immediately after a player places their sixth star. There is no final round where all other players get one more turn.
Any remaining money, resources, and power do not contribute to a player’s final score. Only stars, territories controlled, and popularity determine the final score.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies:

Scythe is a game of careful planning and strategic maneuvering. Here are some advanced strategies you can try:

Focus on Popular Actions: Pay attention to what actions your opponents often take and try to predict their moves. For instance, if an opponent often uses the ‘Produce’ action, make sure you have enough resources to take advantage of ‘Trade’ or ‘Upgrade’ actions on your turn.
Monitor the Popularity Track: The popularity track can significantly influence the endgame scoring. Try to stay ahead on this track as much as possible, and use the actions that can increase your popularity.
Expand Quickly: Expansion is crucial in Scythe. Try to spread your workers across the board to gain access to more resources and control more territories.
Upgrade Wisely: Upgrades can greatly enhance your efficiency and power. Consider upgrading your ‘Move’ action early to increase your mobility across the board.

Beginner Tips:

If you are new to Scythe, here are a few tips to help you get started:

Understand Your Faction: Each faction in Scythe has unique abilities. Take time to understand your faction’s strengths and weaknesses and use them to your advantage.
Plan Your Turns: Try to plan your next move during others’ turns. This will save you time and allow you to focus on your strategy.
Balance Your Actions: It’s important to balance between producing resources, building structures, and moving your units. Don’t focus too much on one action at the expense of others.
Use Your Mechs: Mechs are powerful units that can change the dynamics of the game. Use them wisely to control territories and intimidate your opponents.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Scythe is a complex game, and beginners often make these mistakes:

Ignoring the Objective Cards: Objective cards can provide a considerable amount of victory points. Ignoring them can be a big mistake.
Not Expanding: It’s easy to concentrate on your starting area, but expansion is essential for success. Try to control as much territory as possible.
Not Using Stars Wisely: Stars are crucial for endgame scoring. Avoid wasting them on actions that don’t align with your strategy.
Overlooking Opponents: Always keep an eye on your opponents’ actions and strategies. Failing to do so can leave you unprepared for their moves.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

To optimize your gameplay in Scythe, consider these tips:

Practice With Different Factions: Each faction plays differently. Practicing with different factions can help you understand the game better and refine your strategies.
Manage Your Resources: Resources are key in Scythe. Ensure you manage your resources wisely to avoid running out at crucial moments.
Use Your Hero: Your hero unit is a vital asset. Use it for exploration, combat, and controlling key areas of the board.
Learn From Others: Watching other players and learning from their strategies can greatly improve your gameplay. Consider watching tutorial videos or reading strategy guides.