Scythe - Automa (Solo) Playthrough - Part 1

[@mjcarcus]

Something to clarify: AT 8:56 you state there is nothing the automa can do this turn. This is technically not correct in that the automa moving to it's current hex is considered a valid move(automa rules page 4). So you would pick up the automa and "move" it to the valid hex closest to enemy units, which is the same hex it began on. Same would apply to the worker move at 13:00. On the example card, it doesn't make a difference, but in some cases this is important. For example, a card with a Mech non-combat move followed by a worker move. The mech could move to the same hex it began in as a valid move, and therefore the Worker move action will not be performed. At 16:10, the mech should move to the lake to the left of the tunnel because the tie breaker is closest to the factory. At 17:20, it is actually in the neighborhood of 4 automa units (3 automa controlled hexes). At 18:40, worker should move to the hex with the mech. It is in the neighborhood of 4 units (1 mech, 1 player marker, and 2 workers). The lake near the factory would also be a valid hex in the neighborhood of only 3 automa units. At 21:20, you can't actually enlist because you don't control the 2 food that you left on the farm near your base when you used your mech to move across the river. Sorry to sound nit-picky, but I made many similar mistakes and spent a lot of time reading and posting on BGG to clarify some of these things, and want to help others learn the automa (I think it's great once you learn it but can be intimidating).

[@slickerdrips]

+mjcarcus thanks for noticing this! I won't be able to get to a pc for a little while but as soon as I can I'll add notes!

[@veerchasm1]

Best explanation of this game’s convoluted Automa movement

[@slickerdrips]

Thank you! 😀

[@this2ndlife]

Thanks for this - I got so majorly confused reading through the rules and trying to play!

[@newlgh]

i really liked the video, nice and fast paced. i noticed a few errors too but still really enjoyed watching. thanks.

[@jeremyshahan2218]

21:24 How did you spend 4 food when you only control territories with 2 food? The other hex you are pulling food resources from is not one you currently control.

[@rolandoorozco599]

Thank you for this. It's exactly what I needed. I find it helpful to have read the instructions and the Automata instructions prior to watching. Makes a lot more sense.

[@ChristianGastl]

18:37 shouldn’t the worker be placed on the Hex on the LEFT side of your Mech ? because he has even more automa players adjacent to this hex and he would be closer to the factory ? Any Automa model can be standing on seas as if they would be land.

[@ericchen5909]

I agree with you

[@pietjehans206]

I think it should be placed ON the Mech. This hex has 4 units in the neiborhood.

[@jamesandresen7033]

Thank you for the video. It really cleared up a couple of mistakes that I had made in my first playthrough.

[@benfiller3157]

When you move your worker out at 18:40, isnt there a hex to the left of that that is equidistant from the factory? And because of reading order would go there? At 19:28, don’t you count the home base when calculating neighbourhood? So that worker would end up in the square right next to its base as this space is in the neighbourhood of 3 ?

[@jumaal-joujou7366]

17:13 It's neighboring 4 automa units, isn't it?

[@TheCOMICCOMMANDER]

20:10 doesnt there need to be workers present on that hex to trade?? The card shows "trade w/meeple, 2 resource". You moved the meeple away with your mech, that hex only had food on it and you added more food from the trade but with no meeple on it. Am I wrong?

[@nihlify]

It looks like there's a worker on the hex he placed the resources but it doesn't matter, you can always trade anyway. You pay for the trade, picked two resources freely and put them on ANY territory you have a worker on.

[@TheWildernessEnthusiast]

Ooh, I thought they would perform every action between the (/). So it’s just one, from left to right. Thank you!

[@greyknightcaine3000]

good review. thanks for sharing.

[@abhishekmondal3275]

17:18 , the automa is moving in the destination hex with most automa units in the neighbourhood.I think it will move in that particular hex because in the neighbourhood there are four automa unit not three.If I am wrong please rectify.

[@LarrySchneider]

Your video was extremely clear. Unfortunately, I found a couple errors in your play (one or two other people may have already mentioned one or two of these comments): 2:05 You're starting with 8 coins when you should only be starting with 6. 16:05 I believe the Nordic Character would move to the Lake territory immediately to the left of the Territory you moved it to. The lake is the same distance away from the Crimean Mech but comes first in reading order. Did you forget that once the Automa can cross rivers, it can also move onto lake hexes? 18:40 I believe the Nordic Worker would move to the territory containing the Nordic Mech that's 2 spaces away from the factory. 19:30 Same comment as for 18:40. 20:14 You placed the 2 food in a territory that does not contain a worker (and also, you no longer control that territory). 21:25 As previously mentioned, you don't technically own 4 food because you don't control the space where the food is. When you moved your mech and your worker to the tundra territory a couple turns back, you should have taken your food with you. 22:11 The Nordic Mech should move to the territory immediately to the right of the factory. That territory is also 2 spaces away from the Crimean Mech, but it's also closer to the factory than the territory you moved the mech to. 23:41 Now the Nordic Mech should move to the Lake territory immediately to the northwest of where you moved it to. Once again, that hex is equally close to one of the Crimean combat units, but it's also closer to the factory.

[@mjcarcus]

A few comments. I believe he is starting with a 3 coin, and 3 1 coins... So 6. You are correct on 16:05 is correct, but because it is closest to the factory, not because it is in reading order. I think the rule about treating lakes as hexes was missed, which leads to a few different mistakes later on.

[@LarrySchneider]

Exactly, re: my 16:05 comment.

[@slickerdrips]

+Larry Schneider Thanks for all this Larry, I'll get a correction video and annotations up when I'm back from my holiday (I think there are too many mistakes for just annotations this time!)

[@slickerdrips]

Phew, at least something was right :D hopefully I can condense these into main error points when I can get back to my copy, something like -automa units can use lake hexes -adjacency rules for tunnels The normal goofs like putting resources on the wrong hex could be done with annotations but I think the things above need to be made more clear to anyone watching (and to me, it seems!)

[@mjcarcus]

Note that I was incorrect about the tunnel adjancy... When determining an automas worker move, only consider directly adjacent player combat units, with the exception of rivers that the combat units cannot cross with Riverwalk.

[@DigitalMagicianYT]

Thank you for this! Jamey posted it in the Scythe group.

[@ChristianGastl]

16:04 wouldn’t it be right to move the Mech on the Hex on the LEFT side of your main character ? Since it has the same distance to the factory as the Hex you chose and because of that you have to check out the „reading direction“ I am new to this game and the automa movement is the most complicated part ... that’s why I am asking.. Great video though!!

[@siriusczech]

Not sure - as long as Automa can treat lakes like land, the mech should probably end on that lake next to the factory

[@usexsoap]

Excellent video! One thing worth mentioning is when you trade, which I noticed right in the beginning, you don't have to do 2 of the same resources. You may give a worker 1 food and 1 oil, for example. They do not have to be the same but in the video you say 2 of the same. But yah, awesome video and thanks for making them!

[@BartyMahem]

correct

[@Jinnzzo99]

The Nordic Kingdoms Workers do have riverwalk don't they?!

[@bookaddict777]

Woot! Glad to see this!! Thanks, Tom.

[@slickerdrips]

+Stasia Doster No problem :) thanks for asking for it, I probably wouldn't have even thought about getting it and it's been really fun! Can't wait to try the experimental multiplayer vs multiple Automa rules when I get back home

[@bookaddict777]

Glad to hear you have enjoyed your plays!

[@RaduStanculescu]

Where did you find information about those rules?

[@slickerdrips]

boardgamegeek.com/thread/1469589/playing-scythe-any-combination-humans-and-automas

[@adaslabai]

All benefits from encounter cards is gained to same hex as character is, and not where u want

[@konnnaan1875]

This is so nice!!!

[@UltimateLooping]

Hey Tom, nice video. However correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you can use ressources on territories you don't control therefore you can't enlist at 21:16

[@slickerdrips]

+Florian Elizagoien Thanks Florian, I'm sure I've forgotten things like this :) I won't be able to add an annotation for a little while but I will when I can!

[@JonaBullets]

in hindsight, just pretend he moved the food with the worker/mech across the river, as the 2 food was traded, it wouldn't have made a difference.

[@veerchasm1]

Wonderful video! I wish you had slowed down when explaining the Automa movements which are poorly explained in the rulebook. Thank you

[@nuggets1356]

How does one know when the automa card says to move a worker that you take one from the home base or whether you're supposed to move one that is already on the board?

[@simon9522]

Use the one closest to base

[@leeko8581]

Perhaps I've been playing wrong, but at 20:33 should the automa have gained a star for getting all its workers out?

[@nuggets1356]

If I understand correctly I don't think so because the automa gets its stars via the star tracking card. So I'm pretty positive the automa doesn't earn stars the same way the human player does.

[@MafiulRobin]

12:51 - The move you made is correct but the explanation given is wrong. The left most action (worker move) is valid, It is doing "0 Move". Thus the second action (mech move) shall not come into consideration, as first move is valid.

[@TheJorgen99]

Thanks for making this video, I haven't tried the Automa yet. I think you made an error at 7:33. You're not allowed to trade if all your workers are on your home base.

[@slickerdrips]

+Jörgen Lundberg hi Jörgen! I won't be able to check until later today, but are you sure they were all on home base? That's the circle with my faction symbol not the 3 territories I can move to before riverwalk

[@TheJorgen99]

+slickerdrips Ah, my bad! I thought that the home base was the whole starting area.

[@slickerdrips]

+Jörgen Lundberg no problem, I'm just glad I haven't made even more mistakes :)

[@TheJorgen99]

Ah, don't worry about that. It's better to make the effort of making the video and then have people discuss and clear up any missunderstandings than not making the video in fear of making a misstake. I'm trying out the Automa as I write this and I probably wouldn't have done it until much later if it wasn't for your video.

[@slickerdrips]

+Jörgen Lundberg that's an excellent way of looking at it, thanks :)

[@robertbate9735]

Great video and I like the way you show and explain everything. But as you know too many mistakes with automa movement. Would be nice with at new video and If you have the wind gambit as well :)

[@slickerdrips]

Yup, this was an early one that had to be recorded in a rush sadly. I don't have Scythe any more but maybe one day Stonemaier would like a video with all the expansions turned on :)

[@ericchen5909]

Shouldn't the character on the player mat in the very beginning?

[@CollectionTHX1138]

very nice

[@gberardo6269]

At 19:35 why doesn't the worker move to the hex beside the mech in the front. Doesn't that hex have 3? The character, the worker, and the mech

[@slickerdrips]

He should, I'll add a note thanks!

[@siriusczech]

@@slickerdrips never added them, man ;)

[@slickerdrips]

Actually, all the notes used to get added to the videos as annotations but KZbin deleted them on every video sadly. I use the Klingon subtitles now, but videos older than say 3 years ago got all their notes deleted which is frustrating.

[@Metronom11]

My gut would be much happier with a static cam.

[@charlesmccoy7219]

You should watch a different KZbin personality, maybe one that does nothing but repeat themselves again and again or couples with either grating personalities, bad microphones or both?

[@TheCOMICCOMMANDER]

What is the back of the game board for?? Its only half of the regular board? Is that for like a focused 2 player game or something??

[@slickerdrips]

You can buy the other half as an accessory and then it's a huge board - not sure if the layout is different

[@nihlify]

@@slickerdrips It exactly the same, just bigger.

[@fabbro8747]

Thank you for this.. I am watching it now after the Automa beat me in my first experimental game. I think you've made an error though, as far I can tell so far. The "Move a Worker" action for the Automa at 18:31 it should have gone to the lake hex to the left of its mech. You've already unlocked its river ability on its track. Also worth noting, the Automa is playing the Nordic faction, and its ability is for the workers to swim, so they could have gone beyond their home territory had you drawn more worker movement cards.

[@slickerdrips]

+It-could-be-worse thanks for that, I seem to have made a few mistakes relating to movement - I haven't got the rules to hand, but I thought the special faction abilities didn't apply for Automa?

[@fabbro8747]

Ah yeah... you're right, it's on the first page. Neverrmind then :)

[@carluno8604]

I know that I am late in the comment section but I just found out that this game is actually solo capable, and this is the first video I chose to watch with a solo play through. I just have to say that I think it is so nice to hear people that have their own board game channels to mention other channels that is in the same genre, in this case you mentioned Rodney Smith. This is something I have noticed about the board gaming community, especially online videos. Thank you for that and a very informative and entertaining video.

[@charlesmccoy7219]

I recommend purchasing the (unofficial) app. You can input units and the app will move for you. It has problems but overall it takes care of putting things in the right place.

[@henriqueribeiro4954]

Can you Tell which problems?

[@therpginger]

9.35 you produce two workers and a food. have I muss understood. I thought produce could only produce two resources. is it actually just two hexes. And yiu produce however many workers on the hex ?

[@slickerdrips]

Yeah, you pick two hexes and they produce based on the workers

[@Mark-OutWest]

Will a video be made incorporating all the changes? As someone who doesn't know how to use automa anyway I should probably not even watch this.

[@Alex-sj9uq]

Pay two combat lmao. Great video though