Scythe: The Wind Gambit Review - with Tom Vasel

Tom Vasel takes a look at The Wind Gambit, an expansion for Jamey Stegmaier's mega hit, Scythe!
00:00 - Introduction
01:26 - Game overview
07:08 - Final thoughts
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[@TrickyMcnickle]

You do these reviews for people like me who are still learning a lot about tabletop games. I've never heard of Scythe but will check it out now.

[@casmx7300]

Yup, got shipping confirmation on my expansion. Should be here in a few days. Also, thumbs up for expansions that add minor nuances to the game without completely changing things. I love Scythe and I feel, after watching this review, that this expansion adds just enough to breathe a bit of fresh air into the game without over complicating things and making the game overall too convoluted. Definitely looking forward to playing around with these.

[@madisonbelanger3560]

I'm excited for this! Especially the different end game conditions.

[@DigitalMagicianYT]

"if you like scythe you already ordered the expansion."...yep!

[@redeyedghost1406]

You left out the best part! "I don't even know why we're doing this review. If you like scythe you already ordered the expansion anyways." And yeah, he totally nailed that. I ordered this as as it was up for preorder on MM.

[@HarukoZ001]

I usually don't order a lot of expansions but I was interested in the movement options the ships grant, so I preordered it. :D

[@ExWallStreet]

I agree

[@matthewchant9425]

@@SauerGustavo > has zero interest in expansion > watches video/participates in discussion about expansion somehow i doubt that mate.

[@pilotvc]

When i opened the box i was really surprised to see how big those "miniatures" were.

[@CrimsonFox36]

I recommend using the bigger board with the Airships. It allows each player to see more clearly whats going on, as the ships can bog up the airspace and sight-lines, impeding player decisions

[@Possi_ball]

Hahaha, that were the guys feom No Pun Included in the end! That's another great KZbin channel btw.

[@_varden]

So these are like, actual tiles? I thought these would be cards - I was wondering why I'm not able to find any information about the sleeves.

[@ryanangell9911]

The ending cards seems good. I've only played scythe a couple times and the " oh the game is over?!" factor really turned a few people in the group off.

[@AkmalGameAtion]

Ryan Angell yes the resolution module really makes the end game fun

[@tallyparrothead]

Cant believe this isn't in your top 100

[@CapriciousIntent]

Seriously. I had only played it one time and it jumped up to number 11 for me.

[@dougmoore4653]

blood rage and scythe should be in top 100 - yeah baby

[@zachdurocher1166]

Top 1 of 1 for me

[@adriang6259]

Nice. I'm a huge fan of air ship stuff and I like Scythe. Still had to ask Tom, though.

[@Birnbaum81]

oh no.. i had hoped each faction would have a unique airship... :(

[@McBehrer]

Havelock Vetinari It's better this way. Each one having a unique ability adds WAY too much info to keep track of. Unless you mean the models. Yeah, that's a bit of a bummer, but whatever.

[@KissellMissile]

Jamey addressed this somewhere. Basically, the cost to make new molds for each airship would have made the cost too high for an expansion.

[@McBehrer]

Ian Kissell I knew there was a reason for it, I just didn't remember what it was

[@mienzillaz]

@@KissellMissile well, not that much.. it still required at least 4 molds for each color, for sure more - depends on quantity. So the only cost would be for artist to come up with the models.. so again depends on quantity these cost would be really small per unit cost. Therefore i don't like the fact all factions got same ship, it feel incomplete with base game..

[@KissellMissile]

@@mienzillaz the cost for a mold is around $6,000-10,000 typically. The game as printed only needed one mold. If each had a different mold, it would be another $50,000 or so in printing costs (all estimates of course). That is a lot of money if you don't know how many units will sell.

[@McBehrer]

Oh man, and wait until the third and final expansion comes out! No one knows what's in it, but it's supposed to be the size of Wind Gambit and Invaders From Afar combined!

[@CosmicTavern]

That sounds fantastic!

[@wroot_lt]

I was expecting every airship having unique abilities (either faction tied or randomly assigned). I get that it will be too confusing probably. But now i see that this expansion is more to spice it up for all players by adding new common rules. I guess it works too. But doesn't sound so exciting like after reading the announcement.

[@mescaLEO]

I like airships, but I think zeppelins would have been more close to the theme of the game

[@johnsmodularjams2123]

a zeppelin is a type of airship

[@mescaLEO]

you don't get my point

[@Diego_Ni]

Zepellins are to much Steam punk for the Diesel punk theme of the game.

[@H0lyMoley]

Does the airship unbalance the Nordic faction? Its special power is to move workers across rivers without needing to carry them on a mech or through a tunnel / mine. Seems as though the Nordic faction's special power becomes pretty obsolete with airships, whereas every other faction power is still very much doable.

[@natehocking8884]

H0lyMoley I was going to ask the same thing!

[@PLKanter]

for the Nordic faction, their ability is still useful, since the Nordic faction could be using its airship for other things while also moving their workers across rivers. Other factions still can't move their workers across rivers without the help of a mech or their airship, so that particular advantage of the Nordic faction is still there. Other Factions still are dependent on an airship or mech, the Nordic faction doesn't. Their airship may be someplace on the board where it doesn't help their workers, where as ANY Nordic worker can cross rivers on any turn.

[@dhc3po]

Airships can only transport workers if it is part of the aggressive ability tile. Airships will not be able to transport workers in every game.

[@PLKanter]

+Brett M while you say it unbalances the game and then rebalances the game, did it make Poland much more likely to win, or did other Factions create strategies and become the winners? Was Poland winning all the time, or no? Were any Factions winning all the time because of airships?

[@TheAlfredo094]

That's the first thing that came to my mind.

[@SuperFrancoco]

I get what Tom means when he doesn't know how he likes this expansion. I feel the same way about the Abomination Pack for Black Plague. It's not necessary and it doesn't add much, but what it adds is REALLY good despite the small amount of content.

[@LiaanZeeKun]

”Let’s look what is inScythe it* 🌚

[@trumanway3763]

I fell sorry for the guy who has to clean up after the intro where all the parts fall

[@vzuzukin]

"My top 100 games..." Tom Vasel, can you please list your top 10 or 20 board games, preferably in order? Thanks!

[@StraboSE]

Should have been zeppelins

[@Nic1700]

I love the mechanisms and gameplay of Scythe, but I dislike how the game's ending is triggered and how scoring worked. It has an arbitrary feel to it. Why 6 stars? How did you determine those exact points and weights for everything? It makes no sense for somebody who is not going to win to end the game, unless they want to be kingmaker. But with the depth of the score computation, it's impossible to really know where everyone is sitting when you decide to place your last star. It's a real feel bad when you think I feel ahead I'm going end this and then lose by 3 points. This is a problem I have with a lot Euro games. In an attempt to eliminate some bad gameplay element, they have to end the game in weird and unsatisfying ways. The best example, sure player elimination isn't the most fun, but there's something to be said for the simplicity of ending the game when there is one player left and that player wins. I was hoping this expansion would come to the rescue with a game ending and way to determine the winner that made sense, but they all seem just as arbitrary and convoluted.

[@amorbavian]

Nic1700 I haven't even played or bought it yet and already see that as a small problem. Was watching videos to see if it's in any way possible to follow the score but it seems impossible more or less. On the positive side it makes the gameplay shorter that you can quickly move through player actions instead of wasting time on trying to calculate score.

[@charlesmccoy7219]

So your problem is that the game is a Euro and not Ameritrash? This is a building game unlike say, Risk, which is just area control. Six is the perfect number because it allows both militaristic and passive players to win, unlike say Race for the Galaxy or 7 Wonders, both Euro, both disadvantageous to the military. Any more or fewer stars and it would skew towards the aggressor or the passive player. And for the scoring the point is quick computation, everything times what area your popularity is. This is man vs board vs player, not pvp, not pve. Much like your character struggling against the world of diesel mechs you need to upgrade and move and do your best and then compare. In general the one at five should try to improve their popularity, and gain resources. The only hidden knowledge are the objective cards and they really shouldn't be that big of deal. I think what really happened is you weren't paying attention and lost and are now flipping the table over one game and are now bitter.

[@Lugo428]

My profane mind thought Tom was gonna say something different when he said "huge, honking m-". Being that this is a family friendly channel, I'll censor myself here.

[@th3nak3djimmy62]

I was hoping this would fix some issues with the base game, but it seems to be a convoluted mess. New end game triggers read like this - Put you left hand on the blue wall, if its 2 minutes passed an odd number on the red clock, then place another players left leg out the window. If the wind is blowing from a northerly direction the game ends, if its raining keep playing until someone sneezes.

[@Airdaman1]

Th3 Nak3d Jimmy um no

[@VorpalSlade]

Exactly this

[@bosefasaurus]

Ugh...tiles?! Why would they make them tiles? So easily marked...should have made then cards so we could sleeve them.