Scythe

Product Type: Standalone board game.

Scythe is a competitive strategy board game set in an alternate-history 1920s Europe of farming, industry, unrest, and massive dieselpunk mechs.

Players lead rival factions trying to gain power in the lands around the Factory. Each faction has its own abilities and position on the board, while each player board creates a different economic rhythm. Over the game, players produce resources, move workers and mechs, build structures, upgrade actions, enlist recruits, complete objectives, and occasionally clash in combat.

Despite its dramatic mechs and military theme, Scythe is mainly an engine-building and area-control strategy game. Victory comes from efficient development, smart positioning, resource management, popularity, territory control, and well-timed achievements.

Scythe is a modern strategy classic with strong table presence, asymmetric factions, and a large range of possible strategies from game to game.

Boardgamegeneral advice:

"Scythe is not mainly a battle game, even though the mechs look like they are begging for constant war. The tension comes from building toward objectives, watching the board, and deciding when to make the critical move you have been preparing.

A good game of Scythe often turns on timing. Can you complete one more objective before you strike? Can your faction and player board combination let you squeeze out an extra action at the right moment? Do you use your military strength now, or hold it back and risk the game ending before it matters?

Combat and military presence are important, but Scythe is not a game where players normally spend the whole session blowing up each other’s mechs. It is better recommended for players who want a challenging mix of engine building, resource management, area control, and tactical timing. It is less ideal if you mainly want a battle game where mech fights are the constant focus."