Scythe Strategy with a top-ranked player! - The Mill

Welcome to The Mill. This week I'm going to take the week off and hand the show over to a top-ranked Scythe player. If you've paid any attention to the ranked Scythe Digital Edition games there is no chance you missed the name FOMOF. He's a Twitch streamer, KZbin content creator, holds the distinction of over 1300 games played of Scythe and at one point has ranked as high as Top-4 Scythe players in the world! I can think of no better person to walk us through Scythe Strategy. FOMOF was generous enough to share his time with us. Please subscribe to his KZbin channel where he posts his Twitch streams as well as a fantastic series he began where he is going through each mat/faction combo in detail.
Thanking FOMOF is very easy. Please subscribe to his channel, if you're a Scythe fan it's a no-brainer. Hit the bell to find out whenever he makes a video, it's seriously good stuff and the streams I've sat in on have had good commentary explaining turns and making guesses at opponent strategy based on their behavior. He has a grasp on the game that I'll never have.
/ @fomof
Please give him a like, a subscribe and hit that bell to get all of the amazing Scythe Digital Edition content that he puts together.
Thank you for watching. If you like what we're doing here at The Mill, consider liking and subscribing, if you aren't already. If you are already subscribed, thank you so much for inviting The Mill into your KZbin feed. Your feedback and encouragement are very much appreciated.
Transparency Statement - This channel is sponsored by Stonemaier Games. This isn’t a review channel though. Jamey has made it VERY clear that Stonemaier Games doesn't pay for reviews. I am not a reviewer. I am passionate about Stonemaier Games though, and they sponsor me so that this fan-focused channel can exist. I create this content on my own, and while Jamey may occasionally watch these videos, he doesn’t review any content in advance. There is also no guidance in terms of what games or topics I should cover. I want to be as fully transparent as I can, so if you have any further questions, please feel free to post them in the comments.
Credits:
- A special thank you to Maximilian Berbechelov for The Mill's terrific logo
- Thank you again to FOMOF for the fantastic strategy video

[@codysimonsen9885]

Enjoyed this vid! I went to look in the description for his star rankings but couldn't find them so I thought I'd post them here. Worker Star Enlist Star Combat Star Mech Star Objective Star Power Star Build Star Upgrade Star Popularity Star

[@TheMillShow]

That's for sharing that, Cody.

[@Tr3nchJDemonie]

Very soothing voice, I feel safe.

[@jeremyspillerYT]

Great video, packed with excellent advice delivered in a calm, intelligent and friendly way. Excellent.

[@GeoffreyGreer]

Many thanks for this video. I’m new to the game at this point but enjoy it so far, and I really appreciate all this great information. Keep up the good work!

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you for the very kind words, in this case all credit goes to FOMOF who made this video. I'm sure he checks in from time to time to see what folks have said.

[@catherineblack6330]

I learned so much from Fomof. Great video. I love Scythe and highly recommend it for the random variety, thought process in strategy, and the art is amazing.

[@kirksellman1999]

A wealth of information. Thanks very much for providing this help to us.

[@antondovydaitis2261]

Domo Arigato, Fomof-sama. I have played enough so I understand what you said, and I am very impressed. I remember being confused the first time I watched it.

[@ben59320]

I got the game 3 weeks ago and already have 20 solo plays (now I manage to crush the normal automa). Thank you so much for the strategies, I've been looking for this type of video for few days now. I'll try to apply it now, I'm trying to figure the strategies on my own but it is very challenging because there as so many things to pay attention to, and so many possible actions. Huge thanks !

[@stevenamamoto585]

Benjamin, the bots are not very good players. Do yourself a favor and check out FOMOF's youtube channel if you have not already. I was beating multiple hard bots in 24-28 turns. After watching FOMOF's videos I consider it a loss if I don't win in under 20 turns.

[@TheMillShow]

I'm glad you liked the video. FOMOF did us all a solid by putting this together. I have probably watched it three times myself. :)

[@ronvon3254]

Thanks so much Fomof! Really appreciate the video, took notes and went into my game group the same evening. I had a good early game, had a solid plan but made a few mistakes. I got 2. out of 6 players :) Maybe next time I can take the win. I think its really helpful for successful and experienced players to give their insights. So new players know how to think about the game an build apon that and develop their own ideas.

[@TheMillShow]

Nice work!

[@garywebb9177]

Great vid. Only just started with this game. Thank you

[@TheMillShow]

Scythe is my favorite game. I always like to hear new folks coming to the game. Welcome!

[@MrOzGunner]

What a great video. Thanks for sharing Dusty

[@TheMillShow]

I'm glad you liked it. FOMOF was awesome.

[@markwhitmore4547]

Wow! Serious next level analysis. What a tremendous presentation. I really loved this video!

[@TheMillShow]

FOMOF really killed it in this video!

[@markwhitmore4547]

@@TheMillShow - And I should note your content is really fantastic as well. I have enjoyed everything I have seen that you have put out. Keep up the great work!

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you so much, Mark. I really appreciate the encouragement.

[@PiotrTheGreat]

brilliant stuff! I'm so new to the game, I kind of half understood some of the nuance, but hopefully the ideas become clearer after playing a while and then revisiting the video should help it all sink in better. 😄

[@TheMillShow]

Glad it helped! But let me tell you, even having dozens of plays under my belt, FOMOF is still operating at a level beyond my understanding. I GET the stuff he's telling me, but I can't read a mat/faction combo and know exactly how I'm going to play it or anticipate how someone else is going to play. He's a brilliant player!

[@BillyIndiana]

Just ordered Scythe & started playing online to learn it. This video was very helpful to understand plans & synergies!

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you for saying so, and welcome to Scythe!

[@CarloRizzante]

Thanks!

[@swampybwoy]

Amazing video

[@mrglwatson]

Enjoyed this one , he is definitely someone I don’t want to be up against , well not just yet anyway 😃

[@TheMillShow]

You and me both! :) If you ever catch his live stream it's wild how he's able to predict what others are going to do from time to time. "They have this mat, this mech is deployed, they're probably going to do this." and then boom. That's exactly what they do. It's fun to watch.

[@mihirshahisme]

Great insights, good vid

[@TheMillShow]

I have to admit I've watched it several times, Mihir, and I feel like I get something from it each time.

[@mihirshahisme]

@@TheMillShow Indeed and for many a stuff he mentions, it just solidifies what i always felt too. Though i have gotten around killing 3 birds with one stone, AKA one simple house rules i believe gets rid of 3 issues he mentions. At the start of the game we start with the upgrade cube of the coin action placed in the build bottom row action. This makes upgrade star easier to get since you have to do that action 5 times, makes build more enticing and as an indirect result makes popularity a bit easier. What do you think of it?

[@achipinthesugar]

Fantastic.

[@TheMillShow]

Many thanks, Dave!

[@JesseCaliff]

Dang, he knows his stuff!

[@TheMillShow]

He really does, FOMOF is a gift to the Scythe audience. He creates great content too over on his KZbin channel. Just search FOMOF!

[@elizabethlestrad5282]

Liked the video, though these seem like more advanced strategies. Hopefully he'll do more strategy videos down the road.

[@TheMillShow]

FOMOF is doing 5 minute strategy videos for each mat/faction combo on his KZbin channel. Or might be Twitch, but the description for the episode should have links to his content. Check them out, they are fantastic!

[@MrChickster12]

Great video thanks 🙏

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you so much!

[@AlexNguyen]

Great video

[@TheMillShow]

Thanks for the visit! FOMOF knocked it out of the park.

[@topgun5054]

I'd be curious to get his take on the modular board. I just picked it up because it was on sale but have not had a chance to really look at them yet or try them out.

[@TheMillShow]

I would love to know his thoughts too. I did a quick look at his channel (kzbin.info) and didn't see anything, but leave him a comment and maybe he'll put together a video with his thoughts.

[@nigelgraves174]

FOMOF's thoughts on this game are a pleasure to hear as always: now that Wingspan has gone digital, do you know of anyone who can do a similar strategy video for that game?

[@TheMillShow]

Not off the top of my head, but if a ranked mode is introduced, an opportunity might present itself. I'd like to see that too!

[@milanmarinkovic7590]

Nice video ty

[@TheMillShow]

All thanks to FOMOF for making this video for us. He's the real superstar, be sure to check out his channel on KZbin!

[@jrhawk0032]

I have been watching his videos to get better

[@TheMillShow]

Me too! :)

[@markalexandermaron5531]

Jamey would be so proud

[@mihirshahisme]

I would assume he is uber satisfied with the Scythe success and design, however he has always maintained that his vision for Scythe has always been a game that last's at least 18-20 turns, anything less is not an optimal experience. So now since players have figured out how to abuse certain combos after repeated plays and end the game in 12-14 turns, i feel that part might be the only thing dissatisfying for him.

[@michaelkelmonroe7547]

This was fantastic. FANTASTIC! My partner and I have been SO into Scythe (probably played 5 games in the last 7 days) and we're starting to get into the rhythm where things are starting to gel, you know? It's a fun feeling - like you start to feel the flow, the benefits of efficiency, certain things start to click as you recognize the different mats and factions and the connections between the two - such fun! This video was genius - confirmed some of my nascent intuitive suspicions (let the upgrade star come to you, for example, don't obsess over coins, and enlisting is more powerful than bldg., etc.). But the advice about workers (number of, and how that could well be the best 1st star to shoot for) was GREAT. Oh, my only feedback is that my partner's a woman, and there are a lot of woman gamers I know who are loving Scythe, so it's not logical to default to "he" all the time in our hypothetical examples of a vauge opponent, and it feels more fun and inclusive of everyone to "upgrade." The term "political correctness" is stupid, by the way. I prefer to sub that one out with "empathy." My $0.02. THANK YOU SO MUCH for making this incredibly rich video. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to spend 25 bucks 'cause I just found out you can buy metal coins (???!!!) for Scythe.

[@TheMillShow]

First of all, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. FOMOF knocked it out of the park. I'd also like to thank you for the reminder to include gender neutral language in the videos. I'm sure I've been guilty of this too, though. I do think a lot of it is "muscle memory", if you will, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't work to replaces he's and she's with they's particularly for the sake of examples when we're not addressing anyone specifically. I know, in my head, when I'm typically presenting a hypothetical situation, I'm thinking - typically- of my son who is my main opponent and so my examples come out 'he'.. but I believe in Rahdo's videos, he's typically talking about games with Jen, his wife, and so he uses 'she' a lot. I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm just saying that some of it comes honestly and not with any malice. I love that our hobby is getting more diverse and rich from the folks within it. Wingspan is such a fantastic example of how diversity in our hobby brings new exciting things and welcomes people. I'm glad you and your partner are having so much fun and getting enjoyment from Scythe. Again.. thank you for reaching out. I am going to make an effort to work on this going forward.

[@michaelkelmonroe7547]

@@TheMillShow Oh, me too. Muscle memory abounds, and more often than not there's no malice at all. It's just nice (I find it fun!) to find terms that roll nicely off the tongue on lotsa stuff like this. Like humanity vs. mankind, staffing instead of manning a table, rough-handle instead of man-handle...it's gotta be easy to say, fun, and useful for all. But I'm a language dork, so I get a kick out of stuff like this. Anyway, I've non doubt you're heart's in the right place; we're all doing the best we can / Rome wasn't built in a day, etc. :) Thanks again for making this and more! (My partner's psyched to watch too - she actually schooled me last night with a great Saxony-Militant strategy, I was struggling with Nordic-Engineering for some reason.)

[@sarawofford]

I know this is an old comment but thank you for saying something about the pronouns. It seems like a small thing but it can make a huge difference.

[@Ronaldus81]

Had my first game today, and won because of a factory power up that traded populatity for enlist/upgrade plus move. The early upgrades on moving and popularity to pay for it all in combination with encounter hunting were too fast for my opponents. I won with 68 points and only 4 workers.

[@TheMillShow]

Well done!

[@TubeYoular]

How often would you play with no upgrades at all, vs one or two?

[@TheMillShow]

@FOMOF - Any thoughts?

[@FOMOF]

It’s going to be Mat and Faction Dependent. I usually don’t upgrade without a really good reason. The Mechs on the Patriotic board benefit from at least one upgrade on the deploys because of how expensive they are. I like an upgrade on the buildings with Crimea Engineering because with Coercion it cuts the cost in half (1 wood + 1 CC vs. 2 wood + 1 CC). I don’t usually upgrade with the Mechanical mat unless I’m Nordic because of their struggle to get multiple workers on Metal. But each faction mat is going to be different. I’d like to be able to give a better answer, but it’s really situational.

[@nicepetr9740]

22:00 please explain, how you can perform actions from different columns in one move? Top from one column and buttom from other column?

[@jimmybaggz5932]

He is talking about the produce action which is the top row action associated with his bottom row enlist action. he is saying, that action will lead to his next action which will be bolster/deploy

[@TheMillShow]

Jimmy provided a great explanation here.

[@DaniCha]

Did I understand correctly that when you first enlist, you gain that bonus immediately in addition to any of the 4 bonus on the top play mat?

[@TheMillShow]

When you enlist you get the recruit one-time bonus, which is what you cover up on your player mat. So you would immediately gain either 2 power, 2 coin, 2 popularity or 2 combat cards. You do not also gain the recruit ongoing bonus which is what is uncovered by enlisting that recruit. That bonus is given when you or the player to your left or right take that action.

[@DaniCha]

@@TheMillShow got it. Thanks for the reply!!

[@TheMillShow]

You are very welcome!

[@gene1514]

Does anyone else have a really hard time remembering the name of the board when only seeing what the actions are (like in the Digital Edition screens FOMOF is showing here). I've been playing this game over a year and I still can't tell them all apart at a glance. The only one I can identify every time is the Mechanical board because its the only one with 3 bottom row actions with 2 coin econ.

[@arifmemovic3383]

Yeah, I've played 40 some hours and still don't know them.

[@KenNylandMusic]

You mention that you can get two stars for combat in the same turn with enough movement. But in the rulebook it says " If your character or mech move into a territory controlled by an opponent’s character and/or mechs, its movement ends (even if you have a mech ability that would allow it to move further)." Am I missing something that would allow you to continue moving, or take a seperate move action in the same turn?

[@TheMillShow]

Perhaps. Even before the move action is upgraded, you can move two pieces. So even if your movement ends because you put yourself into combat, you still have the other piece to move. Once movement is fully complete, then you proceed to resolving the combat. If the first combat would net you your final star, the final movement is effectively cancelled and you move that second moved mech back to where it began. But you can move 2 pieces into combat with a single move action. You just have to process them in the order they triggered combat. If these are two different engagements, and you won them both, then you’d get two stars.

[@KenNylandMusic]

@@TheMillShow Oh I see. That's really useful information. Thank you!

[@forsakenquery]

Are all these strategies applicable to all player counts ?

[@TheMillShow]

I think so though possibly to a little bit lesser degree with just 2 players. Overall, most will be consistently applicable though.

[@LordTelkar]

FOMOF referred to using cards for resources (ex. 22:34).... I can't find anything about this in searches. Am I misunderstanding? Clarity?

[@samirjafri191]

Not sure why no one answered this, but I'll throw in my two cents even though I've only played two games. I believe that he is talking about the Coercion ability that is native to the Crimea faction. The Crimea Coercion ability states' "Once per turn you may spend 1 combat card as if it were any 1 resource token" @theMill Fantastic video!! Thank you! I have watched a nber of FOMOF teaching videos. I still can't really follow the game play videos, yet. Too quick, plus I don't play on line so the I have trouble following the graphics and the board perspective.

[@seanmimder1830]

Great game but the specific faction powers need more work

[@Rofflemywaffle]

Older video but feel like it would've been awesome if the webcam wasn't blocking what he was trying to display

[@TheMillShow]

To be fair to FOMOF, I don’t think he had really done anything pre-recorded like this prior to the video. I think it was largely streaming gameplay, so it was a learning experience. His streams are great though, and I appreciate the heck out of him sharing his experience with The Mill’s viewers.

[@feelfreefpv]

I don't understand this about winning in 14th round or so, when 8-10th round still is like the beginning of the game.

[@TheMillShow]

You and me both. I've watched several of FOMOF's streams and the level that he and the folks he plays with are operating at is just beyond impressive.