6 votes

Scythe tips and tricks?

Hello! I'm an avid fan of the board game Scythe and I've played quite a few games now. While everything seems very well balanced and thought out, no one in my group has ever managed a win using the Saxony faction. Some have come close, but never enough to beat Rusivet and Crimea (the usual victors). If there are some other Scythe fans here, what are your tips and tricks besides focusing on combat?

Some info on our general playstyle:

  • Most people go for all their enlist actions
  • Factions always have a star or two from combat in the end
  • Everyone wants their factory card, all the time

Thanks!

EDIT: I'm going to play a game this evening, will report back on what went on.
EDIT #2: It turns out Saxony wasn't played becuase we used the expansion factions. Coupled with airships, I don't think I can explain it all!

9 comments

  1. [3]
    clerical_terrors
    (edited )
    Link
    Some notes on each faction, especially the mech/hero powers: Saxony: The fact that you have no limit on the number of starts you can get from combat can actually serve as a pressure mechanism....
    • Exemplary

    Some notes on each faction, especially the mech/hero powers:

    Saxony:

    • The fact that you have no limit on the number of starts you can get from combat can actually serve as a pressure mechanism. Every fight with Saxony can potentially earn them a star and end the game in a state another player might not find desirable, this goes whether Saxony was attacker or defender. So attacking Saxony carries far more weight in the late game then people tend to assume. Corollary is that this means Saxony can be very good at bullying or disrupting other players because they might not wish to let them win, forcing them to spend a lot of military points or cards.
    • Mountain Pass turns every mountain you control into a tunnel, which is very strong for both deep striking enemy territory or retreating your mechs to your own lands to defend workers.

    Crimea

    • Wayfare is less useful the more players there are, but Scout is an absolute joy to use and works incredibly well with Coercion

    Polania:

    • Meander gives you two bonuses from encounter cards, and you can use the returns of one bonus to pay for the other, which allows you to make some pretty funny combos sometimes
    • Camaraderie means you can chase off workers with impunity, which is very strong in the late game, where workers are used to secure territories for the final calculations.
    • Submerge turns every lake into a tunnel, it also makes you the only faction who can definitively chase Nordic mechs out of a lake, which can be a diplomatic bargaining chip

    Nordic:

    • Seaworthy is insanely strong, not just because it gives you free movement over lakes but because it allows you to retreat mechs or heroes to adjacent lakes, where other factions can't attack you (save Polania). This means the lakes separating the starting points from the continent are all prime spots to stage harassment attacks from, which can also serve as a means of exerting pressure on opponents, since they now suddenly have to keep the presence of your mechs in mind without being able to chase them off.
    • Artillery Is so good (pay 1 military point to take off 2 off your opponents gauge) there's essentially never any reason not to do it

    Rusviet

    • People's Army can be a big existential threat to anyone trying to bully your workers or steal your resources.
    • Due to the Factory's central location Township is actually really handy
    • People tend to underestimate one thing about Relentless which is that it makes it nigh impossible to accurately predict Rusviet moves. You can no longer rely on the internal logic of the game dictating that all moves are to be followed up by a different one. However Rusviet players sometimes get so excited by this that they railroad themselves into certain objectives and become even more predictable (for example chaining movement turns to gather encounters)

    I would say that one of the most important aspects of Scythe is that the game rules force you to plan several turns ahead and create favorable executions for yourself. This means that the best way to disrupt other players is often as simple as forcing them to make turns they didn't intend to make as to delay their optimized strategy or throw them off. You may already have noticed that when the opposite happens, when a player is left to their own devices for a long time, they tend to get ahead very quickly.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      TownshipTeleporter
      Link Parent
      The last part of your comment is actually really helpful. A few of our games have had a snowballing player and I couldn't exactly put my finger on what was making them win. I'll try to disrupt...

      The last part of your comment is actually really helpful. A few of our games have had a snowballing player and I couldn't exactly put my finger on what was making them win. I'll try to disrupt evenly so that no one gets particularily ahead.

      All in all, if I'm understanding correctly, you play Saxony like you would any other faction and go for military power in the end to get your way?

      1 vote
      1. clerical_terrors
        Link Parent
        It really varies from game to game, given the fact that your moves card is also random each time. I wouldn't say Saxony needs to "go for the military power to get your way", rather Saxony should...

        It really varies from game to game, given the fact that your moves card is also random each time. I wouldn't say Saxony needs to "go for the military power to get your way", rather Saxony should use the peculiarities of their powers to mess with the decision process of the other factions (and you can apply that to each faction individually).

        The funny thing about combat in Scythe is that you can win without making gains, because your point expenditure offsets whatever small advantage you get, but for Saxony every win is a star and stars are worth the most in the end-game calculations. You don't have to use that to gain points, but you should make other players aware of it, because then every single mech you put down is a potential headache for them.

        2 votes
  2. [5]
    KapteinB
    Link
    I'm a beginner myself, having played 10 or so matches, and just once with more than 2 players. I'm not sure my tips would work very well with more than 2 players. Go for the structure bonus. 4...

    I'm a beginner myself, having played 10 or so matches, and just once with more than 2 players. I'm not sure my tips would work very well with more than 2 players.

    • Go for the structure bonus. 4 well-placed buildings give you 1 star, 4 territory, and potentially a lot of points from the structure bonus.
    • Make sure to get enough popularity for the highest multiplier. If your opponents are aggressive, bait them into attacking your workers to reduce their popularity.
    • The free stuff from events seem to me to be more helpful than the factory card.
    3 votes
    1. clerical_terrors
      Link Parent
      All of these are great tips bit I have one commentary: do not underestimate the double move. Once you unlock mech speed with the factory move you can suddenly zip workers and goods across the map...

      All of these are great tips bit I have one commentary: do not underestimate the double move. Once you unlock mech speed with the factory move you can suddenly zip workers and goods across the map in the blink of an eye.

      2 votes
    2. [3]
      TownshipTeleporter
      Link Parent
      But doesn't Saxony's unique faction ability go against growing popularity? Because from what I understood, you should be extra agressive, deploy all mechs and go to town with combat in order to...

      But doesn't Saxony's unique faction ability go against growing popularity? Because from what I understood, you should be extra agressive, deploy all mechs and go to town with combat in order to place all your stars before anyone gets to popularity tier 2 or 3. However, that's proven to be just short of winner-material.

      I agree that encounters are very useful, but with every mat occupied, you get 2 or 3 at most which means chasing them is a very short-term strategy.

      1 vote
      1. KapteinB
        Link Parent
        If it's proven to not work; try something else. :-) You may be right. As I said I've yet to try the game with more than 3 players. I agree that holding the factory at game end is probably...

        However, that's proven to be just short of winner-material.

        If it's proven to not work; try something else. :-)

        I agree that encounters are very useful, but with every mat occupied, you get 2 or 3 at most which means chasing them is a very short-term strategy.

        You may be right. As I said I've yet to try the game with more than 3 players. I agree that holding the factory at game end is probably worthwhile, since it counts as 3 territories, but the factory cards don't really seem worth the hassle to me. Try to hold back next time you play and let your friends spend all their power fighting each other over the factory. Then swoop in near the end and try to hold it for the scoring.

        1 vote
      2. clerical_terrors
        Link Parent
        Saxony's faction ability doesn't necessarily go against growing popularity, remember that you only lose popularity if you chase off workers, if you just fight mechs or characters you're always...

        Saxony's faction ability doesn't necessarily go against growing popularity, remember that you only lose popularity if you chase off workers, if you just fight mechs or characters you're always going to either get a star or a combat card. More to the point: building the monument can help you gain both popularity and military power at the same time.

        1 vote
  3. clerical_terrors
    (edited )
    Link
    I've played about 7 or so matches so far so here are my own tips: faction powers are incredibly strong, use them. try and optimize your turns, make sure you can perform the two actions of your...

    I've played about 7 or so matches so far so here are my own tips:

    • faction powers are incredibly strong, use them.
    • try and optimize your turns, make sure you can perform the two actions of your row.
    • trading is a lot more versatile then it might seem at first, especially in the early game when you might be strapped for ressources
    • the triple land bonus from the factory is absurdly powerful in the end-game calculations
    • the loser of combat always receives a combat card if they used at least 1 power through cards or points, this is especially handy for Crimea as you can simply gather resources during your move turn by attacking players with 1-power feints.
    2 votes