Scythe: Invaders From Afar - How To Play

[@JaredRutledgePhD]

Rodney, I appreciate your time and attention to detail with these videos. Keep being awesome.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very kind Jared - thank you!

[@madifinley7018]

I bought Scythe at Gen Con and have yet to play it but these two new factions look great. I'd love to pick this up. Great video but I expect nothing less. Watch It Played has the production value of something you would see on a major television network, IMHO.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Too kind Eric. Glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@nicolasfredette8564]

I assume you've played it since you commented to this video... Let me ask you, how much have you played it since then ?? :D

[@MichaelJones-ti9fx]

So glad that you covered this expansion. Our three player game may extend to 7.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@ToxDrawace]

I pre-ordered it because I love Scythe and also SM games in general, but I hadn't actually looked at what the new factions could do. I'm even more excited now! Thanks as always for the video!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you're jazzed Scott!

[@jesusbruschimendez1241]

Can you use this expansion to add it to the solo play? Like choose one of these factions?

[@Xhawk33]

Hmm... it was hinted at the past few months that at least 1 of the new factions would make use of the Objective deck (there is a spot for the deck on the board, but is really not necessary considering once you draw your starting 2 its never touched again). Jamey said repeatedly he put the spot on the board in case some future faction could interact with deck. I guess apparently he changed his mind :(

[@WatchItPlayed]

My memory of it was more that he said the potential existed to use the deck for that, in the future, at some point. Not that it would be used in the very next expansion. For what it's worth, I don't know anything for sure, one way or the other. I'm more cautioning against making assumptions :)

[@jameystegmaier]

What I've said is that when I was designing Scythe, it occurred to me that it is possible that a future expansion may offer interactions with the objective deck, so it would be better to have a place on the board for that deck. That's just a designer note, not a hint at anything specific.

[@HoldentheHuman]

I need this in my life... RIGHT MEOW!!! Good thing I preordered last month.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Purrr.

[@awseomeACE]

I agree you do, played this game until 3 am once.

[@jimsmith7445]

This is great... love the new factions! Can't wait to get this.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you enjoyed the video Jim!

[@gene_santiago]

Rodney, can’t express how much I appreciate these videos. I wanted to ask is it required/better to play 6-7 players in order for me to use one of these factions? Or can I play with these factions with any number? Thanks,

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey Gene, thanks for the kind words! You can include them at any number! I think generally you might want to avoid the higher player counts, unless you have the time for a longer game :)

[@TheAngelScorn]

Another great Scythe tutorial. Thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks Alex!

[@bloodravensterminator8594]

I hope they will add more

[@danieldematos5545]

Quick question about the 2 special tokens to modify the mech and special ability power. Is this a permanent change for all future games whether or not you are playing with the expansion? or only used when you play with expansion armies?

[@WatchItPlayed]

These are used in all 6 or 7 player games (but only games at that player count).

[@kavaking]

OMG HOW DID YOU GET THIS SO EARLY!!!

[@WatchItPlayed]

THe publisher will have a few sample copies for ensuring the manufacturing process is going right, and they will sometimes send these out to content creators early to help provide information on the game.

[@kavaking]

Watch It Played thank you

[@applejuicefool69]

Question: Can the purple faction re-arm a trap by moving onto it normally before they acquire the Shinobi ability, or even after they acquire it, or must they specifically use that ability to arm a trap? After they acquire the ability, I guess they could say they're using the ability even from only one hex away.

[@WatchItPlayed]

You cannot re-arm traps until you have the Shinobi ability. And you can only re-arm a trap if you moved onto a hex by using the Shinobi ability. But you're right, there's nothing stopping you from using it while only one space away.

[@TheFourOnSix]

Do you have to play 6-7 players for the expansion or is this feasible to just randomize the factions more with 3-4 players?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey John, you can absolutely use these with fewer than 6-7 players (the rules even caution against a 6-7 player game, as they can go quite long - but the option is there, if you really want to do a full player count like that).

[@TheFourOnSix]

Awesome. Thanks for the help. We just got the base game and are addicted!

[@Metronom11]

What happens when I have togawa's character and an armed trap token on a hex which my opponent moves into. Does the combat resolve or do the trap activate first?

[@jameystegmaier]

The trap activates before anything else.

[@Metronom11]

Thank you Jamey for the clarification!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks to Jamey for the assist!

[@TheRcKiwis]

Hey! Before combat, the albian faction may gain 2 power, if that makes him get his 6th star does the game end before the combat? Cheers!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Each individual combat happens in a self-contained bubble-once a combat begins, it continues through completion. This is a rare case where it’s possible for two players to have 6 stars (it is not possible to get a 7th star, as there is no 7th star token).

[@sharingmatters]

Another great, dynamic review. I believe this expansion is more to bring new fractions than to enable 7-player game which must be... borring. 4-5 is optimum but requires people to avoid long thiniking. What is your opinion?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey Paweł, I avoid offering opinions on the games I feature, as I find each viewer will have their own unique experience (some will find 7 player boring, others will enjoy). I prefer just to show how the game works and hope that it provides the information necessary for the viewer to decide what works best for them. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@googleisevilnow3186]

I would say probably reinforce the "next player starts during bottom actions". Maybe a chess style turn clock? I've yet to play with that many peeps and also do agree with the official reply, it's best to go by the in house atmosphere. My son and I like to take foreverrrrr haha

[@alexandraknox813]

Can the shinobi ability be used at any time during the player's turn, or only as part of a move action?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Sorry, just seeing this now and I’m travelling and not near my copy of the game so can’t easily assist right now.

[@tomassoldier]

may i take a trap or flag token when i finished the movement with a character? OR only if i made an encounter or a combat?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey Tamás, these tokens stay on the board when they are placed, you don't take them after moving or after combat. Not sure exactly how to clarify the rule, but if you could give that section for each token a listen again and let me know what you think the rule is (they both work a little different at the end of the game), then I can let you know which part you might be misunderstanding.

[@tomassoldier]

I understand what you said. The correct question is the following: May i PUT a trap or flag token when i finished the movement with a character? OR only after the encounter or a combat?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Ah, I see what you mean. You can place it after movement. The video says this as well, it just clarifies, that you have to 'first' resolve any combat or encounters, IF there is any. If there isn't any combat or encounter, than you can just place the token. Hope that helps!

[@filipb3839]

Hi! May I use these new factions and players mats to replace 2 factions and 2 players mats from the core game when I play up to 5 players? Thank you...

[@WatchItPlayed]

The factions can be played in any combination. Is that what you're asking?

[@filipb3839]

@@WatchItPlayed Yes! I wasn't sure if they could be used in less than 6 or 7 players! Thank you...

[@madduckattacks]

What happens if you can't pay the trap cost? Say you have no money left, or have 1 popularity but not 2 to give up.

[@WatchItPlayed]

You pay what you have.

[@marcskanaal]

Can you pick one of the 2 new factions even if you play a 3 or 4 player game? And do the modifiers then still apply?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Yes to your first question Not sure what you mean on your second (I shot this video a long time ago, so I need more details to refresh my memory).

[@mikesprague]

what's the street date for this release?

[@WatchItPlayed]

November.

[@alexhero8957]

Оооо

[@BadAndy3]

Why the new tiles of existing faction special abilities? Were they deemed too strong/weak?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Andrew Petyo Those are adjustments you only include when playing with 6-7 players, to ensure balance when you have more spaces being used at the start and over the course of the game.

[@Hix108]

Basically, the old abilities are too weak when there are 6-7 players. The replaced mech ability enables mechs move to bases of absent players, which is useless in a 7-player game. The replaced faction ability is a bonus for having encounters, which is much less useful when there is so much competition for the encounters.

[@christiangronholz2934]

Hey Rodney. Can a trap be placed on the factory?

[@WatchItPlayed]

You can place a trap on the factory!

[@vladyslavremnov5696]

Great video! Thank you! One question about placement of flags by the Albion fraction: in the video you mentioned the character can place a flag once an encounter coin is picked. Does it mean that flags can be placed only on the territories with the encounter coins? Later in the video where you are talking about how the Albion fractions’ territories are counted, one of the flags was not on such tile. Appreciate the answer!

[@WatchItPlayed]

It's been awhile since I've looked at the rules, but I believe in the video I mention you resolve any encounter if there is one to resolve. If there isn't, then you can still place a flag (you just place the flag AFTER any encounter that might be there to resolve). Hope that helps!

[@vladyslavremnov5696]

@@WatchItPlayedmany thanks for the reply!

[@joesyuh]

Backed the collectors edition on kickstarter and then bought the expansion afterworda. Kind of disappointed that they added a new currency as cardboard...

[@WatchItPlayed]

You can get metal versions as well - Meeplesource has them, I believe.

[@francopdx]

Thank you. I feel like I have a good understanding now of how these new factions work.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very nice to know - glad this was helpful!

[@kenthd415]

How can I tell which top board pair with which bottom board? in the base game at least the rule book has pictures to help but I'm at a lost for this expansion.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey Kent, in Scythe, you don't pair certain tops and bottoms. They are always dealt randomly. You mix them up. You'll find this rule along with all the rest here, in our tutorial video, which you might find helpful, to double check all the other rules as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJewfXyCatZ6h8k

[@kenthd415]

@@WatchItPlayed Oh! Thanks so much, it makes sense now. Btw, your channel is really awesome, big fan!

[@WatchItPlayed]

@@kenthd415 A pleasure to assist!