Scythe
| Scythe - The board game | |
|---|---|
| Game data | |
| author | Jamey Stegmaier |
| graphic | Jakub Rozalski , |
| publishing company |
Stonemaier Games , Tierra del Fuego Games |
| Publishing year | 2016 |
| Art | Board game |
| Teammates | 1–5, (7 with extension) |
| Duration | 30-180 minutes |
| Age | 14 years and older
|
| Awards | |
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Scythe (English for "Sense") is a board and strategy game by the American game designer Jamey Stegmaier . Scythe is from 2016. The game for two to five players, ages fourteen, is published in English and other languages by the game publisher Stonemaier Games and in German by Feuerland Spiele . Scythe was originally pre-funded on the Kickstarter platform and pre-supported by over 17,000 buyers with $ 1,800,000. It was then also sold through the publisher and was sold out in several editions.
Playing style and equipment
Scythe thematically plays in an alternative reality in Eastern Europe in the 1920s and is about a capitalist city-state in which "the factory" supplies several parties in a war with armored ' Mechs . In the game, the players take over one of five (with expansion seven) different factions from neighboring countries that meet in the battle for the factory. The game includes research, expansion, conquest, and resource management. Players explore and conquer areas, erect buildings, recruit workers, recruit soldiers, and produce resources and gigantic mechs to accomplish your goals. The game ends as soon as a player has fulfilled 6 of 10 different goals and thus placed his 6th star on a track. In the final settlement, the number of stars, controlled areas and resources of the players is multiplied by the reputation achieved by the player on another scoring track to generate additional money / victory points for the final settlement.
In addition to the instructions, the game material consists of:
- 80 wooden resource markers
- 20 mech miniatures
- 5 leader miniatures
- 42 battle cards
- 23 destination cards
- 28 encounter cards
- 12 factory cards
- 80 coins
- 12 encounter tiles
- 6 building bonus cards
- 5 action boards
- 5 faction boards
- 5 jump start cards
- 2 combat wheels
- 1 game board
- 155 wooden markers / figures (31 per nation)
Preparations
Each player gets a faction drawn, in addition to the faction, another action plan is drawn. The faction and action plans differ from one another, so that there are always new and different variants of factions.
Course of the game
The game is played clockwise. Each player has four different action combinations on his action board, each of which is divided into an upper and a lower action. The player takes one or both of his actions on his turn. In the action above, the player receives resources or can move units and in the action below, the player spends resources to improve his factions or to build something.
The following actions are available:
- Moving units: Movement of the leader, mech, workers or troop transport consisting of mech and any number of workers
- Produce resources: Produces resources (grain, iron, oil, wood or other workers) on fields occupied by your own workers
- Upgrade Combat Strength: Increases the combat strength that can be used in battles between leaders and mechs and serves as an additional currency in certain cases
- Boost reputation: Multiplier for settlement at the end of the game and serves as an additional currency in certain cases
- Trade: Exchange any resource for money
- Erect buildings: Build one of four buildings that unlock further advantages
- Build mechs: Build additional combat units
- Research developments: Increases the yield of upper actions and at the same time reduces the costs to be paid for lower actions
- Recruit recruits: Unlocks the bonus if the player or the person sitting next to him carries out the corresponding action below.
Each faction offers different racial abilities and unlocks different, additional unit abilities when building mechs. The action boards differ with regard to the arrangement of the upper abilities as well as the costs and income of carrying out the lower abilities.
Playing
The end of the game is initiated as soon as the first player has placed his 6th star for goals fulfilled. This player has not yet won automatically. The winner is whoever has the most money after the final settlement. The additional money paid out in the final settlement depends heavily on the reputation earned. This serves as a multi-level multiplier in which the players receive additional money for stars earned at the end of the game, controlled areas on the board and resources held.
Extensions
An expansion for the game called Scythe: Invaders from Afar (German-language version as Scythe: Invasoren aus der Ferne ) was published in 2016 . This supplements u. a. the game for two new factions for a game with a maximum of seven players. The second expansion followed in 2017. Jamey developed together with the German game designer Kai Starck Scythe: The Wind Gambit ( Scythe: Colossi of the skies ), which introduces airships as new transport units and game modules. In 2018, the third extension was The Rise of Fenris: Scythe ( Scythe: Fenris rise ) and has lead a campaign mode. Jamey also developed the third and last major expansion together with a co-author, Ryan Lopez DeVinaspre from the USA. In 2019, a modular game plan was released, which enables a variable game structure and a smaller playing field with a smaller number of players. In addition, a game board expansion to complete the 50% larger game board (this is already largely printed on the back of the standard game board) and other smaller expansions and promotional materials have appeared.
Digital version
Asmodee Digital announced a digital version of Scythe , which was released in 2018.
Issues and evaluation
| Meta page | rating |
|---|---|
| BoardGameGeek | 8.3 out of 10 points |
| Game cult | 7 out of 10 points |
| Meeple magazine | big highlight of 2016 |
The game material from Scythe is very extensive and the quality is outstanding. The game has a special charm because two randomly different game plans always lead to completely different playable leaders, so the player always has different starting conditions. There are mechs in the game, but Scythe isn't a war game, it's about popularity. Only two of the six necessary game objectives can be achieved by winning a conflict. Civilians involved in combat are punished in the game. You can win Scythe without conflict, by fulfilling six of the other goals.
Awards and honors
Scythe has won five Golden Geek awards in 2016 from BoardGameGeek , the largest board game site, the Game of the Year award for Artwork & Presentation, for Strategy Game, and for Solo Game, and the greatest innovation. Scythe also won the "Origins award for 2016 board game of the year". Scythe also won the "Dice Tower Con's Best Game of the Year for 2016", as well as the "Geek and Sundry's best board games of 2016". Popular Mechanics named Scythe “best game of 2016”.
- 2017 Jogo do Ano Nominee
- 2017 Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game Nominee
- 2017 As d'Or - Jeu de l'Année Expert : Winner
- 2016 Tric Trac Nominee
- 2016 Swiss Gamers Award : Winner
- 2016 Golden Geek Most Innovative Board Game Nominee
- 2016 Golden Geek Board Game of the Year Winner
- 2016 Golden Geek Best Thematic Board Game Winner
- 2016 Golden Geek Best Strategy Board Game Winner
- 2016 Golden Geek Best Solo Board Game Winner
- 2016 Golden Geek Best Board Game Artwork & Presentation Winner
Web links
- Scythe in the board game database BoardGameGeek (English)
- Scythe at Meeple Magazine
- Scythe at Erklaerpeer
- Scythe at Spielkult
- Game video by Scythe on Youtube (German)
supporting documents
- ↑ Thomas Oide: Fueled by love of games, MU professor creates successful board game of his own . In: Columbia Missourian . March 8, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- ^ Sarah Fenske: St. Louis-Based Company's Kickstarter Rakes in $ 1.5 Million (Seriously) . In: The Riverfront Times . March 26, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- ↑ Nick Igdahl: Asmodee Digital is Having a Big Year with More on the way, including 'Scythe' and 'Terraforming Mars' . In: TouchArcade . August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ↑ Emily Sowden: Asmodee Digital brings Zombicide, Scythe, Terraforming Mars, and more to digital platforms . In: Pocket Gamer . August 21, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
- ^ Charlie Hall: The best board games of 2016 . In: polygon . March 9, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- ^ Scythe named Game of the Year at Origins Awards . In: Tabletop Gaming . June 19, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ Dice Tower Awards . Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Charlie Theel: The Best Board Games of 2016 - Scythe . In: Geek and Sundry . December 28, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ↑ William Herkewitz: The 50 Best New Board Games . In: Popular Mechanics . September 29, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.