Scythe (board game)

Scythe gameplay

Scythe takes place in an alternate history version of 1920s Europe that is recovering from the effects of a great war. Players represent different factions seeking their fortune in the redeveloping landscape. Players build an economic engine by selecting one of four main actions each turn. Each action is listed on the top of a personal player board, and players cannot take the same action in consecutive turns. They may also take a corresponding second action as listed on their player board. Actions allow players to move units on the board, trade for or produce good, bolster their military for combat, deploy mechs, enlist recruits for continuous bonuses, build structures. The actions themselves may also be upgraded, making them either less costly to enact or stronger when deployed.[7]

Each player is given six stars, which are placed on their player boards when they complete specific goals, such as deploying all four of their mechs.[1] The game immediately ends when one player has completed all of their goals. Players then tally the money that they receive from achievements earned, territory controlled, and gathered resources based on their in-game popularity achieved; the player who finishes the game with the most money wins.[8]

Painting by Różalski, 1920 – Before the Storm, used as the cover for the board game Scythe

Scythe was designed by Jamey Stegmaier, the CEO of Stonemaier Games, and was revealed as a Kickstarter campaign on October 13, 2015. Backers contributed over $1.8 million to the campaign.[9][10] Physical copies of the game were delivered to backers in July 2016; it was later released in Gen Con and other retail stores the following month.[1]

While browsing the website Kotaku in August 2014, Stegmaier discovered World of 1920+, a series of alternate history artworks created by Polish visual artist Jakub Różalski. Impressed by Różalski's work, Stegmaier contacted him and asked if he would like to help create a board game set within the fictional world Różalski was creating.[11][12] Różalski had focused World of 1920+ on two factions inspired by those of the Polish–Soviet War.[12] Wanting to respect his collaborator's vision for World of 1920+, Stegmaier's suggestions focused on improvements to gameplay, such as the addition of a factory and the creation of more factions, which would allow more players to participate.[12][13] Stegmaier's original design was card-based, with each faction receiving their own card deck, but this design was altered during game development.[12] Inspired by Wojtek, a bear involved in Polish–Soviet War, Stegmaier wanted to incorporate bear units into each faction. During development, however, Stegmaier played Dead of Winter and was inspired by the depth and diversity of characters in the game. As a result, the main character from each faction in Scythe was accompanied by a different animal.[14]

After conceiving and proposing multiple names for the game, Stegmaier and Różalski agreed on the name Scythe. Stegmaier suggested the name, which was selected because the tool of the same name, used both for harvest and for combat, was representative of the themes of the game. Różalski designed the logo for the game, incorporating a scythe into the letter "C".[11]

Scythe was released to acclaim from board game critics, who praised its mechanism, gameplay, and art. It was listed as one of the best games of 2016 from several reviewers, including William Herkewitz from Popular Mechanics, Aaron Zimmerman from Ars Technica, and Peter Jenkinson from the Telegraph.[41][42][43] The reviewer Aaron Zimmerman described it as a "deep, puzzly, interactive Euro-style board game". Zimmerman also praised the complementary nature of the simple turn structure and the "many complex, interlocking parts" of the engine building mechanics.[1] This sentiment was echoed by Matt Jarvis from Tabletop Gaming, who praised the game's balance of depth and accessibility, the "cleverly designed" player mats, and as the encounter mechanism, which he believed "round[s] out Scythe's in-game universe and offer[s] a more micro-level human edge".[4] Several years after its release, Scythe appeared on a list from The Wirecutter of the best board games. The reviewers praised the game's "immense strategic depth" and "beautiful, steampunk-meets-pastoral idyll world-building aesthetic".[44]

Reviewers particularly highlighted Scythe's use of Eurogame-style resource management and combat mechanics found in American-style board games. Zimmerman compared the simplicity of combat to the systems in Kemet and Dune, describing it as a "tense exercise", but also noted the relative infrequency of combat within the game world.[1] Jarvis praised the "quick and highly strategic" combat system but found that resource production was instrumental for victory.[4] Luke Plunkett from Kotaku also observed that resource management and construction were more significant for in-game success than combat.[5] Różalski's artwork also received significant praise from reviewers, with Charlie Hall of Polygon acknowledging the game's use of artwork as a thematic core for objective and encounter cards and stating that each card "is a treasure".[8] PC Gamer editor Jonathan Bolding also commended the art quality, noting that "[t]he cards have fascinating scenes of agrarian life juxtaposed with smoking dieselpunk mechs and war machines".[45] Zimmerman was additionally complimentary, writing that the game is "tied together through the stunning art".[1]

The Automa, an artificial opponent designed for a single-player game of Scythe, was also generally well-received. Plunkett praised the functionality of the Automa as "a great way to learn the ropes before getting a crew together", but noted that there were major differences between the game's single- and multiplayer modes.[5] Travis Williams from TechRaptor agreed, saying that the Automa was "slickly designed" and praising its suitability as a non-player faction in multiplayer games.[46]

Scythe received four Golden Geek Awards from BoardGameGeek in 2016, for Board Game of the Year, Artwork & Presentation, Strategy Game, and Solo Game, while also placing as a runner-up for Most Innovative.[47][48] The game was also well received commercially: as of April 2021, Stonemaier Games had sold over 382,000 copies. Scythe had the highest sales of any Stonemaier Game until 2021, when it was surpassed by Wingspan.[49]

• Scythe at Stonemaier Games