Stonemaier Games: Scythe (Base Game) by Jamey Stegmaier | an Engine-Building, Area Control Strategy Board Game with Mechs, Set in Dieselpunk 1920+ Europe for Adults and Family | 1-5 Players, 115 Mins
This is an affiliate link. Buyyyah may earn a commission if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you.
Description
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. High Replayability and 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. This area majority strategy game for 1-5 players has a 115 minute playing time with only a 5 minute setup time. Great game for couples, solo gamers, 2 players, family, and friends. Low Luck and Randomness: Scythe gives players almost complete control over their fate. Other than each player’s 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 1-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 Automa’s 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, Wingspan, Tapestry, Pendulum, Red Rising, Rolling Realms Collection, Libertalia, Smitten, Expeditions, Apiary, Wyrmspan, Stamp Swap, Finspan, Tokaido, Vantage, and Origin Story. Show more See more product details
Details
Product information Item details Age Range Description Adult Brand Name Stonemaier Games Included Components 1 game board, 5 player mats, 5 faction mats, 5 plastic character miniatures, 20 plastic mech miniatures, 2 rulebooks (multiplayer and solo), 1 quick reference guide, 6 structure bonus tiles, 42 combat cards, 23 objective cards, 28 encounter cards, 12 factory cards, 5 riverwalk cards, 5 quick-start cards, 2 power dials, 80 coins tokens, 12 multiplier tokens, 12 encounter tokens, 36 wooden technology cubes, 80 wooden resource tokens, 5 wooden action tokens, 5 wooden popularity tokens, 36 wooden star tokens, 20 wooden structure tokens, 20 wooden recruit tokens, 48 wooden workers Unit Count 1.0 Count Item Type Name board game Model Name Scythe Set Name Base Game UPC 791109147986 653341025005 Global Trade Identification Number 00653341025005 Manufacturer Maximum Age (MONTHS) 1200.0 Manufacturer Minimum Age (MONTHS) 168 Model Number STM600 Item Part Number STM600 Manufacturer Part Number STM600 Manufacturer Warranty Description No Warranty Manufacturer Stonemaier Games Best Sellers Rank #36,771 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #850 in Board Games (Toys & Games) ASIN B01IPUGYK6 Customer Reviews 4.8 out of 5 stars Additional details Material Type Cardboard, Cardstock, Plastic, Wood Warranty & Support Feedback Features & Specs Number of Players 1-5 Number of Items 1 Language English Estimated Playing Time 115 Minutes Is Assembly Required No Indoor Outdoor Usage Indoor Educational Objective Develop strategic thinking and planning skills Operation Mode Manual Power Source Board Game Supported Battery Types No battery required Style Theme Mystery Color Multi-colored Subject Character Sichel Product Style Base Grenre Eurogame, Strategy Measurements Item Dimensions L x W 14.57"L x 11.81"W Package Quantity 1 Item Weight 7.3 Pounds Unit Count 1.0 Count Size One Size Item Dimensions 11.81 x 4 x 14.57 inches
Customer reviews
-
Behold!! Gaze in amazement, as you have stumbled upon the greatest board game, in all the ages!
Behold!! Gaze in amazement, as you have stumbled upon the greatest board game, in all the ages! Prepare yourself to be immersed in a glorious steam-punk reality of endless wonder! You my friend, are about to embark on the intrepid journey that is.... Scythe!! With the expansion pack, choose from 7 different factions, and 7 different game boards to set forth on your quest of glory! Boost your defenses, conquer your surrounding land, and take no prisoners from your enemies! I've currently played well over 100 games of scythe, which probably clocks in close to 150 hours of total game time. I can honestly say it is THE most fun board game I've played, and I'm still not tired of it. Many other board games I will vouch for as being amazing, and I've played them several times over, but at some point, even those games become a little stale, and the gameplay itself becomes boiled down to a science. Such is not the case with scythe. It's got just enough random elements to keep it fresh and new every time you play it, without making it so random that you have no control over the outcome. It's the perfect blend. And now with its most recent expansion "Wind Gambits" the game has evolved anymore. But for newcomers, don't let the expansion intimidate you. I highly recommend playing the base game of Scythe for all it's worth (which is a TON) before worrying about playing with the expansion. I am an avid board gamer, and this is truly a one of a kind game that I have yet to become bored with, and I have yet to dice up into a science. Every single game will have you attempting new strategies, and exploring new options to declare yourself the victor. One of the most exciting parts of Scythe is that when the game ends, rarely will there ever be a distinct winner before the final points have been carefully calculated. There is a Scythe app on iOS and Android that I highly recommend downloading for deciding factions at the beginning of the game, and tallying score at the end. Without going into game play detail (I'll leave that to the rulebook) What I can say is that Scythe is, on the surface, a very complex game, but once you get your feet wet and play it, it really isn't too terrifying to learn. There's only so much you can do per turn, and once you run through it a few times, you begin to see the gears of the game click and turn, and you'll have a well running engine of a faction in no time! If you're just starting out with a group of people who are also new to the game, you're going to have your questions and missteps along the way where you might find you weren't playing certain rules down to their very exact intent, but this is perfectly fine. A lot of the fun in Scythe is discovering all the things you missed, or even may have been doing incorrectly, and changing up your game for the next time. For the most part, Scythe is an incredibly balanced game. If you get into a rhythm of playing with a core group of people, you'll start to realize the few imbalances it has *cough* Industrial Rusviet *cough* and learn to play around them. Again, figuring out what each faction is good at, how to make it work with your unique play mat, and formulate the best plan of attack, are just a few of the things that make Scythe such an immersive and brilliant game that will have you wanting to re-rack the game again and again. Hour and half to two-hour sessions seem like mere minutes when you really start grasp how fun the game is. If I had one gripe about the game, it would be the amount of players that can play. It's nice that Scythe can include 7 players, especially if you have a lot of board-game savvy friends who all want to be included. But be warned! 6 or 7-player games of Scythe tend to drag on, and when that happens, more often than not, one if not more people will lose interest, and thus become unenthused with the game. And nothing kills the fun of a game, like some one who is currently playing the game and not giving a crap about it. So if you have 6 or 7 brave souls willing to stick it out, it's best that all parties involved have a vast knowledge of the game, and indeed the actually WANT to play, knowing full well what they are signing up for. The sweet spot for Scythe, seems to be around the 4-5 player mark. The games are long enough that you don't feel cheated out of an epic board game experience, but short enough that the ADD in your friends doesn't start to show itself, and manifest into playing candy crush on their phones in between turns. Scythe is a massively wonderful game of strategy that I would absolutely suggest to any board game enthusiast looking to play one of the greatest games of all time. If new to board games, I would suggest watching several Scythe tutorials on the internet or playing with some one who has played before and has a good concept of the game. Again, it's complex, but not so much that I would say anyone wanting to learn the game, wouldn't be able to, regardless of their prior knowledge of board games. If you're willing to invest a little time to learn this game, you won't be disappointed!!
Behold!! Gaze in amazement, as you have stumbled upon the greatest board game, in all the ages! Prepare yourself to be immersed in a glorious steam-punk reality of endless wonder! You my friend, are about to embark on the intrepid journey that is.... Scythe!! With the expansion pack, choose from 7 different factions, and 7 different game boards to set forth on your quest of glory! Boost your defenses, conquer your surrounding land, and take no prisoners from your enemies! I've currently played well over 100 games of scythe, which probably clocks in close to 150 hours of total game time. I can honestly say it is THE most fun board game I've played, and I'm still not tired of it. Many other board games I will vouch for as being amazing, and I've played them several times over, but at some point, even those games become a little stale, and the gameplay itself becomes boiled down to a science. Such is not the case with scythe. It's got just enough random elements to keep it fresh and new every time you play it, without making it so random that you have no control over the outcome. It's the perfect blend. And now with its most recent expansion "Wind Gambits" the game has evolved anymore. But for newcomers, don't let the expansion intimidate you. I highly recommend playing the base game of Scythe for all it's worth (which is a TON) before worrying about playing with the expansion. I am an avid board gamer, and this is truly a one of a kind game that I have yet to become bored with, and I have yet to dice up into a science. Every single game will have you attempting new strategies, and exploring new options to declare yourself the victor. One of the most exciting parts of Scythe is that when the game ends, rarely will there ever be a distinct winner before the final points have been carefully calculated. There is a Scythe app on iOS and Android that I highly recommend downloading for deciding factions at the beginning of the game, and tallying score at the end. Without going into game play detail (I'll leave that to the rulebook) What I can say is that Scythe is, on the surface, a very complex game, but once you get your feet wet and play it, it really isn't too terrifying to learn. There's only so much you can do per turn, and once you run through it a few times, you begin to see the gears of the game click and turn, and you'll have a well running engine of a faction in no time! If you're just starting out with a group of people who are also new to the game, you're going to have your questions and missteps along the way where you might find you weren't playing certain rules down to their very exact intent, but this is perfectly fine. A lot of the fun in Scythe is discovering all the things you missed, or even may have been doing incorrectly, and changing up your game for the next time. For the most part, Scythe is an incredibly balanced game. If you get into a rhythm of playing with a core group of people, you'll start to realize the few imbalances it has *cough* Industrial Rusviet *cough* and learn to play around them. Again, figuring out what each faction is good at, how to make it work with your unique play mat, and formulate the best plan of attack, are just a few of the things that make Scythe such an immersive and brilliant game that will have you wanting to re-rack the game again and again. Hour and half to two-hour sessions seem like mere minutes when you really start grasp how fun the game is. If I had one gripe about the game, it would be the amount of players that can play. It's nice that Scythe can include 7 players, especially if you have a lot of board-game savvy friends who all want to be included. But be warned! 6 or 7-player games of Scythe tend to drag on, and when that happens, more often than not, one if not more people will lose interest, and thus become unenthused with the game. And nothing kills the fun of a game, like some one who is currently playing the game and not giving a crap about it. So if you have 6 or 7 brave souls willing to stick it out, it's best that all parties involved have a vast knowledge of the game, and indeed the actually WANT to play, knowing full well what they are signing up for. The sweet spot for Scythe, seems to be around the 4-5 player mark. The games are long enough that you don't feel cheated out of an epic board game experience, but short enough that the ADD in your friends doesn't start to show itself, and manifest into playing candy crush on their phones in between turns. Scythe is a massively wonderful game of strategy that I would absolutely suggest to any board game enthusiast looking to play one of the greatest games of all time. If new to board games, I would suggest watching several Scythe tutorials on the internet or playing with some one who has played before and has a good concept of the game. Again, it's complex, but not so much that I would say anyone wanting to learn the game, wouldn't be able to, regardless of their prior knowledge of board games. If you're willing to invest a little time to learn this game, you won't be disappointed!!
-
Gorgeous and Exceptional Game: A Worthy Pursuit.
Scythe is an incredible board game of economic engine management and territory control. The components are top-notch and the art is absolutely gorgeous. It is an immersive, lengthy game with a rather steep learning curve for casual games. It is suitable for patient adults and advanced adolescents. Expect to spend about four hours familiarizing yourself with the rules and the board, and playing your first game. It may be difficult to play with a large group if your friends and family aren't fully committed to learning a fairly exhaustive (though not particularly intimidating) rulebook. "Replayability" is uncommonly high, as well, due to Scythe's rich assortment of "factions" and unpredictability. I can imagine nearly infinite ways a game could unfold. Scythe pits factions of power-hungry individuals against each other in an imaginary, post-WWI world of nearly dystopian scarcity. Players assume the roles of characters that represent different nation-states, all of which are vying for resources and territory following a period of sociopolitical unrest. Players can control character movement, select actions to increase resource production, maximize efficiency to gain power an influence, and conquer territories. Your global achievements in these arenas contribute to your final score and the game ends after a player completes six specific objectives. Played poorly, one could conceivably end the game by completing these achievements AND lose. Scythe is unique because skill is valued more than chance. On that note, luck's role is Scythe is kept to a bare minimum compared to other games in similar genres. Resource management, move/turn prioritization, and skillful board mastery are rewarded more handsomely than rote combat, of which there is surprisingly little. Combat interactions are performed using power modifiers that are mostly the result of judicious play. Mine, harvest, trade, bribe, build, conquer, pillage: Scythe has it all in spades. Of note, the "Automa" deck - a group of cards and rules designed to simulate a human opponent for solo play - is a world-class production. Its moves are intuitive, and its actions never feel random nor arbitrary. Automa feels like a living, sentient, rational opponent that is always one step ahead of you. Automa's difficultly level is also adjustable from "easy" (a loose interpretation of the word) to extraordinarily challenging, and you can buy expansion packs to play against multiple simulated players. It's a great way to spend an evening. If you're up for a completely immersive, steampunk-inspired game that values efficient choices and skill above dice rolling (not a die to be found), I highly recommend giving Scythe a try. It is a complex game of beauty that will soon be heralded amongst the best board games ever created. Very, very well done, Stonemaier Games.
Scythe is an incredible board game of economic engine management and territory control. The components are top-notch and the art is absolutely gorgeous. It is an immersive, lengthy game with a rather steep learning curve for casual games. It is suitable for patient adults and advanced adolescents. Expect to spend about four hours familiarizing yourself with the rules and the board, and playing your first game. It may be difficult to play with a large group if your friends and family aren't fully committed to learning a fairly exhaustive (though not particularly intimidating) rulebook. "Replayability" is uncommonly high, as well, due to Scythe's rich assortment of "factions" and unpredictability. I can imagine nearly infinite ways a game could unfold. Scythe pits factions of power-hungry individuals against each other in an imaginary, post-WWI world of nearly dystopian scarcity. Players assume the roles of characters that represent different nation-states, all of which are vying for resources and territory following a period of sociopolitical unrest. Players can control character movement, select actions to increase resource production, maximize efficiency to gain power an influence, and conquer territories. Your global achievements in these arenas contribute to your final score and the game ends after a player completes six specific objectives. Played poorly, one could conceivably end the game by completing these achievements AND lose. Scythe is unique because skill is valued more than chance. On that note, luck's role is Scythe is kept to a bare minimum compared to other games in similar genres. Resource management, move/turn prioritization, and skillful board mastery are rewarded more handsomely than rote combat, of which there is surprisingly little. Combat interactions are performed using power modifiers that are mostly the result of judicious play. Mine, harvest, trade, bribe, build, conquer, pillage: Scythe has it all in spades. Of note, the "Automa" deck - a group of cards and rules designed to simulate a human opponent for solo play - is a world-class production. Its moves are intuitive, and its actions never feel random nor arbitrary. Automa feels like a living, sentient, rational opponent that is always one step ahead of you. Automa's difficultly level is also adjustable from "easy" (a loose interpretation of the word) to extraordinarily challenging, and you can buy expansion packs to play against multiple simulated players. It's a great way to spend an evening. If you're up for a completely immersive, steampunk-inspired game that values efficient choices and skill above dice rolling (not a die to be found), I highly recommend giving Scythe a try. It is a complex game of beauty that will soon be heralded amongst the best board games ever created. Very, very well done, Stonemaier Games.
-
Don't fear the reaper and go get yourself this phenomenal game. It has mechs and pets.
There is a reason this game is so high on the best of all time list on boardgamegeek. I've played a ton of games, some with very little luck involved (Puerto Rico) and some with great concepts/themes, but a little TOO much luck (like HeroScape). Scythe strikes a good balance between strategic planning and the random nature of their wartorn area in an alternate history. I'd probably call it a 4x game (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate), but it feels like it does each of those concepts a little (or a lot) different than many other games out there. Combat plays out kind of like a bluffing game of poker. No dice rolling. Personally I like dice combat when it's balanced or has cards/abilities to offset pure randomness. So the combat took some getting used to, but there are pretty good incentives NOT to attack as well. Overall, it feels like you're doing your own thing with the occasional skirmish. That is apparently intentional and I like that. Terra Mystica is similar, but no combat at all in that game. Scythe is not an easy game to pick up and play. It's very easy to play the game incorrectly and sometimes the cards or rules are just vague. I had to look up a few things online when it was clear in the rulebook (or took too long). I think a lot of the confusion lies in the game design. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, but there needs to be clearer game icons and navigation. The biggest offenders are the faction/player mats and most of your time will be spent looking at these. There are symbols that don't really help define anything, can and can't actions that don't have a visually logical flow, and too much reliance on the rulebook. That last part sounds dumb, but I believe there should be visual reminders to the game's rules on the pieces, cards, and mats in front of you. One of the few games I've played that gives players a "turn order/what actions you can do" card that is almost worthless. There are also no "footstomps," in the rulebook. Important rules should be bolded, highlighted, have reminders, examples, etc. There is a terminology list at the back, but I found myself looking stuff up on my phone because it was a lot faster and the answer was clearer. One of our players struggled bad with the concept of producing since it shows that you "pay a worker" first. It's not very clear when/where/how to do something without reading the 30+ page rulebook. The inverse of that mildly bad gameflow design, is that once you get the general flow of the game, it can play pretty quickly. It took 3 of us 1 hr and 40 minutes the first time we played. Not bad considering they estimate 25 minutes per player. I know it sounds like quite a bit of complaining, but to me these are mild annoyances that are merely highlighted because the game is so fantastic.
There is a reason this game is so high on the best of all time list on boardgamegeek. I've played a ton of games, some with very little luck involved (Puerto Rico) and some with great concepts/themes, but a little TOO much luck (like HeroScape). Scythe strikes a good balance between strategic planning and the random nature of their wartorn area in an alternate history. I'd probably call it a 4x game (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate), but it feels like it does each of those concepts a little (or a lot) different than many other games out there. Combat plays out kind of like a bluffing game of poker. No dice rolling. Personally I like dice combat when it's balanced or has cards/abilities to offset pure randomness. So the combat took some getting used to, but there are pretty good incentives NOT to attack as well. Overall, it feels like you're doing your own thing with the occasional skirmish. That is apparently intentional and I like that. Terra Mystica is similar, but no combat at all in that game. Scythe is not an easy game to pick up and play. It's very easy to play the game incorrectly and sometimes the cards or rules are just vague. I had to look up a few things online when it was clear in the rulebook (or took too long). I think a lot of the confusion lies in the game design. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, but there needs to be clearer game icons and navigation. The biggest offenders are the faction/player mats and most of your time will be spent looking at these. There are symbols that don't really help define anything, can and can't actions that don't have a visually logical flow, and too much reliance on the rulebook. That last part sounds dumb, but I believe there should be visual reminders to the game's rules on the pieces, cards, and mats in front of you. One of the few games I've played that gives players a "turn order/what actions you can do" card that is almost worthless. There are also no "footstomps," in the rulebook. Important rules should be bolded, highlighted, have reminders, examples, etc. There is a terminology list at the back, but I found myself looking stuff up on my phone because it was a lot faster and the answer was clearer. One of our players struggled bad with the concept of producing since it shows that you "pay a worker" first. It's not very clear when/where/how to do something without reading the 30+ page rulebook. The inverse of that mildly bad gameflow design, is that once you get the general flow of the game, it can play pretty quickly. It took 3 of us 1 hr and 40 minutes the first time we played. Not bad considering they estimate 25 minutes per player. I know it sounds like quite a bit of complaining, but to me these are mild annoyances that are merely highlighted because the game is so fantastic.
-
What a game!
I’ve been playing Scythe for a little over a year or two now. After researching heavy group board game I cane across this one and I knew immediately it was the one. I was 14 or 15 when I bought it and I played mainly with other adult friends and a couple of friends my age. Pros: Insane replay ability Once you pick it up, it’s easy to retain SUPER fun 95% Strategy Competitive Cons: Expansions not cheap 2.5-4+ hours for a game, depending on people and the amount of people (or maybe that’s a pro). ;) Takes a while to explain it to new people Definitely not a party game (oh wait… that’s absolutely a pro) Lots of pieces to loose, but if you’re playing this and cared enough to throw Amazon this much cash and basically pay half of the money needed to send Jeff Bezos to space, then you won’t loose them. (We haven’t) and you can always buy a specific replacement from Stonemaier. The cons mean nothing to me (though maybe to other people) So make like Palpatine and Do It. You won’t regret it. I didn’t get into the gameplay with the review but it’s hands down the best game I’ve ever played. 1-5 players base game 1-7 with the expansion (which are fun and crazy expensive). This is a long term investment, but if you like strategy games that test your limits, and playing games with people, then this is a must have for your collection. Have fun with it! One piece of advice: make sure you have people who would want to play this. Once you have a solid group of 3- 10 people that want to or know how to play, then you know it was unquestionably worth your money. This game is fun with a group, but that group has to want to play it. It’s a pain to teach over and over to new people who come and go. The best games are made of those who have played before. If people don’t want to play it, then trying to play with them ain’t gonna end well. But if you find at least two others that would play, then it’s worth it. So do it Thanks for reading
I’ve been playing Scythe for a little over a year or two now. After researching heavy group board game I cane across this one and I knew immediately it was the one. I was 14 or 15 when I bought it and I played mainly with other adult friends and a couple of friends my age. Pros: Insane replay ability Once you pick it up, it’s easy to retain SUPER fun 95% Strategy Competitive Cons: Expansions not cheap 2.5-4+ hours for a game, depending on people and the amount of people (or maybe that’s a pro). ;) Takes a while to explain it to new people Definitely not a party game (oh wait… that’s absolutely a pro) Lots of pieces to loose, but if you’re playing this and cared enough to throw Amazon this much cash and basically pay half of the money needed to send Jeff Bezos to space, then you won’t loose them. (We haven’t) and you can always buy a specific replacement from Stonemaier. The cons mean nothing to me (though maybe to other people) So make like Palpatine and Do It. You won’t regret it. I didn’t get into the gameplay with the review but it’s hands down the best game I’ve ever played. 1-5 players base game 1-7 with the expansion (which are fun and crazy expensive). This is a long term investment, but if you like strategy games that test your limits, and playing games with people, then this is a must have for your collection. Have fun with it! One piece of advice: make sure you have people who would want to play this. Once you have a solid group of 3- 10 people that want to or know how to play, then you know it was unquestionably worth your money. This game is fun with a group, but that group has to want to play it. It’s a pain to teach over and over to new people who come and go. The best games are made of those who have played before. If people don’t want to play it, then trying to play with them ain’t gonna end well. But if you find at least two others that would play, then it’s worth it. So do it Thanks for reading
