The RockyMountainNavy boys and I were in the FLGS a few weeks back and saw Scythe (Stonemaier Games, 2016) sitting on the shelf. This game had come to my attention recently (hattip to the Heavy Cardboard podcast) and it looked interesting. As much as I want to support my FLGS I had a hard time pulling the trigger on what I saw as an expensive game and instead ordered it online. This weekend I got around to unboxing the game.
OMG!
Components – Stunning is too weak a description. The box is huge and all the components are of top quality. Love the plastic leaders and mechs, the wooden bits, the cards, the indents for tokens on the player tableau, and so much more.
Learning – In this Age of the Internet there are not only many reviews but also an abundance of How-to-Play and Actual Play videos available. With a game like Scythe it only makes sense to take advantage of them. It certainly has helped me grok the core mechanic of the game faster and will assist in me teaching others.
Gameplay – I really like the thought of mixing factions with production cards in numerous different ways. Adding in the factory card makes even more combinations possible and is sure to repeatedly challenge those who try to maximize every combination. After setting up the game and pushing pieces around I can’t wait to get this onto the table for a full play.
Scythe has certainly raised the bar of production standards across the board gaming community. For this price – which even at full retail is still a bargain for all that one gets – the game components exceed reasonable expectations. Layer on top of that outstanding gameplay and the value skyrockets. Can someone say “expansions?”
P.S. To Jamey Stegmaier – a part of me feels SOOO sorry that I bought this at a discount price online and saved my money instead of rewarding you fully. Scythe is an incredibly beautiful game and well worth the money. You should be rewarded properly.
* OK…sorry but not sorry – a family guy has gotta save money somewhere….
Rocky Mountain Navy Gamer 