Scythe Board Game Review: You're Playing This Wrong
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- čas přidán 13. 07. 2024
- Despite Scythe, sitting on the 16th ranking spot on Board Game Geek, I've always found discourse around the game to be divisive. After playing it myself, I think this is largely a combination of misinterpreting what the game is about or even outright rejecting it.
*Gideon's Bias*
Review Copy Used: Yes
Number of plays: 10+
Player Counts Played: 1, 2, 3 and 4
Fan of Genre: Yes
Fan of Weight: Yes
Gaming Groups Thoughts: Enjoyed It
*Scythe Information*
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Designers: Jamey Stegmaier
Player Count: 1-5
Genre: Engine Building and Territory Control
Weight: Heavy
Price: $99
*Pros*
Highly asymmetric factions
A great blend of engine building, territory control, and war
Awesome components including detailed mech miniatures
Interesting mechanisms that make the threat of war as important as war
Tons of freedom with many paths to victory
High player interaction when you pursue it
Excellent action selection system that makes Scythe fast to play and easy to learn despite its weight
Inset player mats are neat
Plays well at multiple-player counts
*Cons*
The board features space for 7 factions, but only 5 are present in the base game
The lack of flavor text on encounter cards makes them feel dry
The Automa for solo play is difficult to learn
The tacked-on diplomacy mechanism is terrible
The combat system is simplistic, that's a bummer considering the coolness of the mechs and setting
The unique character miniatures are essentially for show, as there is no gameplay difference between them.
You can play Scythe "wrong" which will impact your enjoyment if you don't meet it where it stands.
*Links*
Website: gideonsgaming.com/
Twitter: / gideonsgaming
Instagram: / gideonsgaming
Patreon: / gaminggideon
Kofi: ko-fi.com/gaminggideon
*Interested in the card holders I use in my photos?*
They are from Build with Ti'tains whom can be found on Instagram: / build_with_titains
*Time Stamps*
00:00 Overview
01:35 Presentation
04:25 Learning Curve
06:13 Gameplay
08:29 War, what is it good for?
11:27 Player Interaction
15:31 Why it works
17:04 The Rusty Bits
19:41 Player Count
21:34 Verdict
#boardgames #scythe #gideonsgaming - Hry
I think you present a wonderful review of what is one of my favorite games. I agree wholeheartedly about how the game doesn't really match initial expectations ("Mech minis? Must be a combat game!"). It's one of the first things I stress when teaching a new player.
i always say this on every review of scythe ive watched,,i traded scythe for agricola revised ed. because my group didnt like the combat,,its barely there,,and seeing those mech tells me theres gonna be a bloodbath coming, i mean greasebath XD but it failed me,its a good game and the art style is so beautiful,but i was expecting more for its combat (coming from a bloodrage player)
Thank you so much. I've played this game for almost seven years now and your video has made me see it differently. My family/game group tends towards multiplayer solitaire and we've been pretty happy building and racing engines. But now I'm eager to see if the game is improved by turning up the heat a bit. I'm looking forward to my next play; thanks!
GREAT video. I'm going to send the link to every one of my game group friends who's complained about losing at Scythe, because without fail, every one of them ignored the fact that Scythe is _not,_ in fact, a "multiplayer solitaire" engine-building game.
This review is a great introduction to playing Scythe. This is one of my favorite games. Thank you.
Thanks so much!
@@GideonsGaming will you be looking at the expansions?
@@allenkwest Definitely at somepoint. I already have Invaders from Afar. I haven't decided if it's large enough to warrant it's own review yet. I want to pick up Rise of Fenris and review it sometime.
If you played enough Scythe you would see the encounter cards are purely mechanical and the art is just an addition (although they are somehow thematically connected). To have these beautiful paintings on cards without even needing them gameplay wise, well we must be at least happy to have them. And not bothered by some opponent missing to see your encounter art. After all, no players would miss an encounter, therefore their unique artworks (there is one encounter in all home territories).
I played Scythe hundreds of times. The only "flaw" or me don't getting it is the obvious differences between difficulty of the beige cards (that is just nitpicking, doesn't really break the game). Everything else is just designners decisions and matter of personal taste.
There is one rule in Scythe that one or more players always get wrong. I don't understand why. The rule is both simple and clear.
The last few times I have taught Scythe, I explained it like this: "When you do an enlistment, for the rest of the game, you get a bonus when you take the corresponding action." Pause. "And furthermore, you also get the bonus when one of the players sitting next to you takes that action." Each time, somebody asks in the middle of the game: "Oh! Do you also get the bonus when you take the action yourself?"
Why? Is that really so difficult to understand?
Really nice video of this fantastic game. I would like to subscribe but one thing disturbed me, the corny background music made me skip to the end to hear your verdict. I have a hard time concentrate on what you say when hearing unnecessary music at the same time in the background. I hope you do not have any music in your future videos. I really love most kinds of music, don´t get me wrong, but not at the same time as concentrate on a board game review.
As someone with sensory issues, I get it. The music is there to cover up imperfections in my voiceover since I don't have the best equipment to work with. Next time I record I'll test out how it sounds with no music, but I can't make any promises.
@@GideonsGaming Sounds great. Looking forward to it. 👍
@@stefangustavsson9 Is it only music that's an issue? Would another type of background noise be acceptable or would it have the same effect?
@@GideonsGaming Perhaps it could work with some nature sounds, just as long as it´s not music.
I am a musician as well as a singer so music is way too distracting for me.
Thank you for your suggestion.
Subscribing now.
I heard this game is unbalanced. I was interested in getting it but unsure. Any inputt
I havent encountered any issues, so there is nothing glaringly unbalanced. However, given the various ways the boards combo, it's possible that some combos may come out stronger in the hands of really experienced players. If it's an issue, I doubt it comes up at many tables.
Scythe is a boring engine building game that has great components and dull as dishwater gameplay.
Your opinion of course and one that carries very little weight considering how popular this game have been for a long time.