Scythe: Modular Board Review - with Tom Vasel

[@RedEyedGhost1]

Pretty significant rules faux pas @2:16 The second part of setup literally tells you (with a picture example) that having a lake adjacent to a home base is not a legal placement - flip it over and it's will not a have a lake there any longer.

[@calvinholt5630]

I’m not the biggest Scythe fan but I really enjoy the modular board. It makes the game less about memorizing openings, giving more emphasis to improvisation

[@calvinholt5630]

The fact that it adds ZERO new rules is great too.

[@kyleweeks2941]

I got it because you can play on a smaller board for 2 or 3 player games. It makes those low player counts much more interesting.

[@ambrosehuang897]

Kyle Weeks it’s out already?

[@kyleweeks2941]

@@ambrosehuang897 I preordered it direct from Stonemire games

[@Thagor95]

There is one thing important about that this expansion, it helps keeping the board tighter at 2 or 3 players. For 4 or 5, I would not use it, but for 2 or 3, yes, because I don't like how the board feels empty.

[@PuertoGeekan]

I'm surprised that Stonemeier games didn't foresee the issue with the sliding tiles. They are always so mindful about their component quality. I would've expected the board to be recessed so that the tiles wouldn't slide around.

[@aerosailor1979]

Yeah, not recessing the tiles was a mistake. Though I'm sure they didn't do it due to the expense, which is a shame.

[@PuertoGeekan]

@@aerosailor1979 Yeah I'm sure cost was a factor. Maybe it could be modified using some thin magnets?

[@conillet]

@@aerosailor1979 Couldn't there just simply be holes in the board for those modules?

[@SykoLiu]

Roberto Suarez The magnets idea actually sounds pretty good. You’d have to have multiple on each board just to make them sit level, but it should work.

[@aerosailor1979]

@@conillet A die cut board would have been the way to go, the base art where the modular sections go is superfluous anyways. But again, cost...

[@TranShar]

It looks interesting but we have the larger sized game board from the original Kickstarter so I can't see wanting to go to the smaller board

[@LiiChinHo]

This is the only thing that's turning me away. I'm spoiled with the larger board and don't want to go back.

[@SykoLiu]

Then you could use it as your travel-sized board for when you don’t have a football-field sized table to play on. (I love the large board but it’s such a table hog!)

[@TranShar]

Most of the games we play are table hogs ;) we have a folding table that we pull out for game night, it takes up most of the living room.

[@82melmar]

"This rule book looks really thick, but it's literally 2 pages, just multiple languages". [That's perfect for me because I can't read anyway, and that'll be less for me to screw up. So, let's start out by putting a lake beside a home base...]

[@gordachi]

Would this be useful as a handicap mechanism? For instance, if you were teaching someone, you could give them an easy start, and give yourself a more difficult start - they don't need to know all the ins and outs of the game, and you would have more fun teaching them since you wouldn't have to hold back as much. Just a thought, not sure if this expansion really lends itself to this idea or not.

[@CosmicTavern]

I like this idea.

[@JayBee10]

I’m a little concerned that while this certainly provides more variety, it seems to violate the care that went into the original board’s layout and distribution of faction abilities. I get that they try to work around this by introducing a draft for the player boards when using the modular layout, but it still feels like it has the potential to affect significantly what balance exists.

[@jasonact]

J.B. Lewis I agree, and that’s a feature, not a bug. This modular board was made for the Scythe super-fans who asked for it. While we love the base game and its board, we WANT the occasional imbalance in the board. As Tom says, this board is for expert Scythe players who want a different kind of challenge, and this board provides that. So yes, you’re right, and that’s part of the appeal.

[@MrRadialdrift]

Yep. The base game has major flaws in the design, which was apparently play tested over 1000 times, this will just amplify the issues ten fold.

[@FeartheMalice]

And if you like using the bigger board there is no module size for the big board so you lose the big board.

[@hellboy7424]

In the hardware stores they sell a kind of transparent silicone "lentils". Only one is sufficient to make the non-slip boards. Personally ... I'm going to love this expansion. I love that now each game is less "routine" and more adaptation.

[@HALOX30]

But they are double sided. How can you make them not slip? do you need to stick it do one of the sides? that will ruin the modular boards, unless you buy 2 copies.

[@hellboy7424]

@@HALOX30 You have to put on both sides, of course. I would put two in opposite hexes. As I say above, they are tiny, the size of a lentil and are also made of transparent silicone. Only one side has glue

[@JCPRuckus]

@@hellboy7424 - Wouldn't it make more sense to put it on the board rather than the tile? You don’t care what the spot under the tile looks like anyway, and that way you won't have little bumps on the side of the tile that's facing up.

[@hellboy7424]

@@JCPRuckus Well, you're absolutely right. It is better to put them on the board. So you use less "bumpers" (that was the word, sorry, English is my second language) and it makes more sense. Thanks for the idea.

[@JCPRuckus]

@@hellboy7424 - Happy to help!... 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@dragonlance6027]

Yeah, the board should totally be recessed.

[@palarious]

Or magnets embedded in the tiles.

[@CascadeHush]

The wanted to make it recessed. It would have been absurdly expensive so they didn't do it. I think I might experiment with magnets.

[@GreysonDKB]

It's totally fine the way it is.

[@bearwynn]

could you not use a small piece of non-residue blu-tack?

[@ronyrodrigues1966]

This should have been "spaces to fill" with these modular pieces, to prevent these things from slipping. Even personal boards have dents to place the cubes X_x) that really bothered me and prevented me from buying it.

[@wilky3236]

What about playing Scythe with 2 or 3 players. Does this Add-On help for more interaction because the map is smaller?

[@hlorridirudel9627]

Yes

[@palmcrazysg]

I wonder if they will make one that will work on the neoprene gamemat.

[@brianhua3495]

Yes, people forgot rivercross line by accident most of the time

[@Mrlifewithoutlife]

I don't know what video I heard it in. I think it was Stiegmier's video. Anyhow, in that video they said that you should flip the tile if something like what happened in the lower left happens. Might just have been an recommendation but I have a memory of hearing this.

[@Mrlifewithoutlife]

Just looked it up. It was in Watch It Played's video and it sounded more like a recommendation.

[@bearwynn]

@@Mrlifewithoutlife If you read the rulebook, it is actually a rule to flip it. source: www.dropbox.com/sh/f2tekc23yvb27w3/AAC3hZdn7bQGExd0fzYRBBb4a/Scythe%20Rules%20and%20Translations/Modular%20Board?dl=0&preview=ModBoard_Rules_r14_All.pdf&subfolder_nav_tracking=1

[@Capt.Fail.]

I love Scythe but with the game’s weight we haven’t even played it enough to be bored of the base game, so we haven’t even invested in Invaders from Afar or Rise of Fenris. I suppose Wind Gambit as well though I’m not super interested in it. Anyways, like you said, definitely seems like a pass based on the fact that I just don’t need the variety

[@mescaLEO]

If you want to invest in expansions my suggestion would be - from the most interesting to the least: Fenris, Wind Gambit, Invaders

[@Capt.Fail.]

Leo T. I’ve definitely looked into them! I just want to get comfortable with the base game and create a group meta before mixing things up. And while I don’t have experience with any of them, I don’t think Wind Gambit would do much for me. I like how the game plays as is and would much rather have new mats/factions like from Invaders. But thanks for the recommendations!

[@gumed85]

LOL this is the BEST expansion for scythe because it fixes the few flaws the game has.

[@justenhug632]

I noticed there were no tunnels. So are mines obsolete then?

[@MeepleMentor]

For those who've played Scythe enough times to care to have a new map orientation...

[@bgm-1961]

I agree with Tom 100% this time.

[@bricelory9534]

One of the main things I really liked abiut Scythe is the asymmetric balance of its board...I never wanted to randomize it. :/ Pass.

[@adamholt5395]

This is nice, but is also kind of a slap in the face. I got the game. Then they released the extension board. So I bought that. Then they released the play mat. I bought that. Now I have yet another board that I should get. Ugh. Such a pain.

[@kjerins]

Well, who made you buy the first two? It's not like there was any gameplay content you were missing out on.

[@adamholt5395]

@@kjerins I liked the extension because it made the board bigger and made the game feel more grandiose. I got the play mat as a gift for Christmas.

[@HALOX30]

Tom the game is not onl made for you. You review it the way you like it but i would review it for what it is also and i dont see much of that here.

[@bricelory9534]

I saw plenty of that, explaining what it was, who would be interested, and the plusses/minuses of it. He felt really fair considering he didn't like it.

[@cammot8806]

HALOX30 well, it’s just like his opinion man.

[@HALOX30]

Well even if he would give it a bad review it would sell anyway lol

[@HALOX30]

Maybe i just hoped it would be a higher rated reiew lol.

[@MrRadialdrift]

So let me get this right. Instead of addressing the major flaws with the base game, the consumer has to pay more money to fix the issues with this game. The designer has a habit of making consumers fork yet more and more money to fix his poor design skills.

[@MrJacobSteed]

What major flaws exist in the base game....?

[@MrRadialdrift]

​@@MrJacobSteed There is the ever expanding list of imbalanced faction and action boards. Certain combos have been officially banned by the designer, depending on player count, there is a list online. Also each factions starting area is imbalanced depending on which action board they play with. So much for the supposed 1000+ play tests the game had before KS campaign finished. The two expansion races (Albion and Togawa) are totally broken in the Fenris campaign, obviously next to zero play testing was done. Also the Fenris campaign itself amplifies the existing imbalanced issues in the game and other issues arise in the campaign, some people won't care but it was the last straw for me. Also, if you setup the game as written in the rules, say in a 5 player game, the first player, action board 1, can be next to action board 5. When I raised this issue with the designer, he claims this is a non-issue, but action board 5 starts the game basically with a 4 action/turn head start = more starting gold which equates to a 2 point lead and 2 extra popularity. There is zero benefit in Scythe in going first, and its made worse when player 2 has action board 5. This isn't the first time the designer has made an imbalanced game then tired to fix said issues with expansion after expansion. Viticulture 1st ED was a complete broken mess. I think it's up to 3rd or 4th ed now, and it finally works. If you bought the 1st ED, you just had to fork out another $80 to fix the game. There are other issues with Scythe, but these are the main ones that should have been addressed before yet another expansion was released.

[@xCriticalStrikex]

This game is awful, I don't understand why anyone likes it :P It is so boring, thought a modular board would help make it interesting but it looks like it would create massive imbalances. I'm just going to give up on this game ever being interesting.