Scythe
Scythe is an engine-building game set in an alternate-history 1920s period. It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and rusted gears, innovation and valor. Players conquer territory, enlist new recruits, reap resources, gain villagers, build structures, and activate monstrous mechs.
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It is a time of unrest in 1920s Europa. The ashes from the first great war still darken the snow. The capitalistic city-state known simply as “The Factory”, which fueled the war with heavily armored mechs, has closed its doors, drawing the attention of several nearby countries.
Scythe is an engine-building game set in an alternate-history 1920s period. It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and rusted gears, innovation and valor. In Scythe, each player represents a character from one of five factions of Eastern Europe who are attempting to earn their fortune and claim their faction’s stake in the land around the mysterious Factory. Players conquer territory, enlist new recruits, reap resources, gain villagers, build structures, and activate monstrous mechs.
Each player begins the game with different resources (power, coins, combat acumen, and popularity), a different starting location, and a hidden goal. Starting positions are specially calibrated to contribute to each faction’s uniqueness and the asymmetrical nature of the game (each faction always starts in the same place).
Scythe gives players almost complete control over their fate. Other than each player’s individual hidden objective card, the only elements of luck or variability are “encounter” cards that players will draw as they interact with the citizens of newly explored lands. Each encounter card provides the player with several options, allowing them to mitigate the luck of the draw through their selection. Combat is also driven by choices, not luck or randomness.
Scythe uses a streamlined action-selection mechanism (no rounds or phases) to keep gameplay moving at a brisk pace and reduce downtime between turns. While there is plenty of direct conflict for players who seek it, there is no player elimination.
Every part of Scythe has an aspect of engine-building to it. Players can upgrade actions to become more efficient, build structures that improve their position on the map, enlist new recruits to enhance character abilities, activate mechs to deter opponents from invading, and expand their borders to reap greater types and quantities of resources. These engine-building aspects create a sense of momentum and progress throughout the game. The order in which players improve their engine adds to the unique feel of each game, even when playing one faction multiple times.
Designer | Jamey Stegmaier |
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Publisher | Angry Lion Games, Crowd Games, Fire on Board Jogos, Ludofy Creative, Morning, Playfun Games, Albi, Arclight, Delta Vision Publishing, Feuerland Spiele, Ghenos Games, Maldito Games, Matagot, PHALANX, Stonemaier Games |
Play Time | 90m – 115m |
Mechanics | Area Control / Area Influence, Grid Movement, Miniatures, Variable Player Powers |
Players | Solo, 2 Players, 3 Players, 4 Players, 5 Players |
Ages | 14+ |
Theme | Economic, Fighting, Science Fiction, Territory Building |
adamw
Finally got to play this highly rated game. I liked it! It felt good to move your units around a pursue a unique strategy fit for your abilities. I liked the overall smoothness of play which made your turns (to me at least) clear and fast (others at the table did struggle a bit to make decisions). One take back is the clarity of the winner prior to the end game - i.e. you know who is most likely going to win and lose before the game ends. Also, the game felt quite crowded even without the max players at the table (we played with 4). So very good game - one that I would play if offered.
Achire
9/25/20: A game I've enjoyed a great deal, although I'm now a little burned out on it. Highly recommend playing through the Fenris campaign. Enjoyed it greatly, but it did make me feel that I've 'completed' my Scythe experience. I'll likely return to it at a later date. 3/5/17: Plays very differently depending on the combination you get & maximizing your combo's potential is essential. I haven't played enough to know whether all combos are well-balanced. Fun, tense game that provides a variety of paths to victory. Beautiful design & components. Excellent streamlined engine-building gameplay. Things that keep it from being a ten: some fiddly rules that feel like they could have been streamlined, a little low on interaction for a game with combat, and finally: the encounter cards not coming with thematic intro text to describe the situation and doing mostly the same thing. The encounter part could easily be fixed in a mini-expansion, and that alone would probably be enough to push it up to a 10.
ab999
Excellent game. Really enjoy it. I play it a bit more tactically than strategically after less than 10 plays, but expect to "graduate" soon as I learn the different capabilities of the factions and player boards. Looks more daunting than it is. Rules fairly simple to remember and implement. Your choices are a delicate balance. To me, it lives up to the hype.