I recently had the pleasure of immersing myself in the captivating world of Stonemaier Games’ Scythe, an engaging strategy board game set against the backdrop of an alternate-history 1920s Europe. The game offers a unique blend of farming, warfare, and innovation, all wrapped up in a storyline that keeps you hooked from start to finish. As one of the five distinct factions, each with its own individual board, I found myself eagerly anticipating my turns, strategizing my moves, and exploring new territories. The engine-building aspect is particularly intriguing, as it allows for a high level of customization and replayability. The streamlined action-selection mechanism ensures that the game maintains a brisk pace, with minimal downtime between turns. Even the elements of luck, primarily through ‘encounter’ cards, feel relatively insignificant compared to the almost complete control players have over their fate. The artwork, designed by Jakub Rozalski and featuring richly developed alternate reality scenes, is nothing short of stunning. Each character, animal companion, and mech tells a compelling story, adding depth to the gameplay experience. One aspect that stands out is the cold war tension that pervades the game – the threat of combat looms large, but it’s the strategic decisions you make that truly shape your journey. The thematically designed mechanisms, such as the reward descriptions on the Encounter cards and the upgrades system, further enhance this immersive experience. For solo players, there’s even an Automa to provide a challenging opponent for a solitaire experience. All in all, Scythe is a must-play for strategy enthusiasts and board game aficionados alike. ,
EXPLORE: 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.
ALTERNATE HISTORY: Scythe is an engine-building game set in an alternate-history 1920s period in Eastern Europe. It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and rusted gears, innovation and valor.
VARIABILITY: With five different factions and five different player boards, players can mix and match to enhance replayability. Asymmetric powers keep the game fresh every time!
QUICK TURNS: Scythe uses a streamlined action-selection mechanism (no rounds or phases) to keep gameplay moving at a brisk pace and reduce downtime between turns. 1-5 Players, 115 mins, Ages 14+
LOW LUCK AND RANDOMNESS: Scythe gives players almost complete control over their fate. Other than each players individual hidden objective card, the only elements of luck are encounter cards that players will draw as they interact with the citizens of newly explored lands.
BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED AND ILLUSTRATED: Designed by Jamey Stegmaier (Viticulture). Richly developed alternate reality with interesting and beautiful 1920+ artwork done by Jakub Rozalski (Iron Harvest).
COLD WAR TENSION: The tension comes more from the threat of combat than the combat itself. Combat hurts both parties but can also benefit both parties. Popularity is lost when you are the attacker in Scythe or forcing a worker to move off of their land, but popularity is gained when making decisions that would gain popularity in a story.
THEMATICALLY DESIGNED MECHANISMS: The reward descriptions on the Encounter cards add a role-playing feel to Scythe, giving your decisions some morality conflicts besides just selecting from resource benefits.The animal companions, mechs, and characters all tell a rich story of intrigue and sought glory. Upgrades reveal more benefits and make progress in the game easier, giving the feeling of actually upgrading something.
SOLO PLAY: Features an Automa to play against in a single player game for a fun solitaire experience. The Automa simulates an opponent for you to compete against, while your game as a player remains the same. On the Automas turn, flip a card to see what action it takes.
PUBLISHED BY STONEMAIER: Stonemaier is a tabletop game publisher based in St. Louis and distributed worldwide. Stonemaier’s brands include Viticulture, Euphoria, Between Two Cities, Scythe, Charterstone, My Little Scythe, Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Wingspan, Tapestry, Pendulum, Red Rising, Rolling Realms, Libertalia, Smitten, Expeditions, Apiary, and Wyrmspan.
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
