Does Scythe need fixing? What do the expansions bring to Scythe? - The Mill

This week on The Mill I'm inspired by a review that says Scythe: The Rise of Fenris doesn’t fix anything in Scythe. Does Scythe require fixing? I’m going to take that another direction and we’re going to talk about what the expansions bring to Scythe. Are addition player counts fixes? What about end game conditions? Let’s discuss… and sorry about the sick voice. :)
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 and 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 watches 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

[@Hakucho64]

Finally a channel that pronounces this game’s name correctly.

[@CrazyBunnyGuy]

Airships helped a lot, A LOT. Mere fact that you now have this "vertical" component, as you say, or that you're now playing in 3D is awesome, plus they help a lot with Togawa and Albion who are slower, especially if coupled with good passive/agressive abilities such as reap or drill or what's that one called when airships can deploy mechs or build buildings... In any case, airships are invaluable and ever since we got WG expansion we never ever play without the airships. A few days ago we tried giving each player their unique airship abilities. Granted, it was a 2p game, but it was FUN! Such a different experience. Togawa got the +1 movement whenever leaving base or airship's territory and you could really see how helpful that was. As for Fenris, well, I just bought it, coming in today, so I can't wait to see what's in there! And the modular board is preordered, my only complaint with it is that it doesn't have like a 20 different double sided hex tiles, but only 4, but there's plenty of time for Jamie or fans to come up with something. Board could use some new mechanics or some new hexes. Not new resources, that would be too complicated, but something... an ambush territory where you roll something or do something to see if you can pass the guerilla leftovers! Marshes which impede movement, I dunno, I'm just shooting blanks here, but something that could fit in thematically. Jamie would probably hit me with a club if he read this, and these aren't "fixes", these are... like an extra half a teaspoon of chilli seeds in your chilli con carne

[@meandHF]

As a tremendous fan of Scythe I appreciate your video a lot, all your videos actually. Someone who posted on the forum for the modular board put it best. They said they felt that Jamey was handing over the keys of Sycthe to the fans. I feel like every expansion has done just that, whether that was his intention or not. But as fans we've been given so many ingredients, we can make Scythe whatever we want. And if none of those flavors are for you that's good, because if we all loved the same thing there wouldn't be anything different.

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you kindly, Kevin. I obviously agree that the keys to the kingdom have been handed over to us. Without Fenris spoilers, some of those modules are amazing to that end. I also agree that us all loving different things ultimately results in better games for all of us. Variety, after all, is the spice of life. :)

[@tonybowers9490]

great overview. thanks! I'm new to the game, so this was extremely helpful to me.

[@TheMillShow]

I'm so glad it was helpful, Tony. Thank you for the kind words. Welcome to Scythe! It's a great fan base.

[@ryanlopezdevinaspre69]

Thanks for the video, Dusty! Your assessment is close to what I was going for in RoF. I don't expect anyone to like everything in the box, but I suspect fans of the game should find several things they enjoy. We really wanted to pull out the stops and offer tremendous variety and value. :)

[@TheMillShow]

Thanks, Ryan! The Rise of Fenris is so ambitious, and there is so much in there that you literally could drop the campaign and still have so much variety and content in there and so many ways to switch up how you usually play. It's been a while since we finished our campaign, but I was just flipping through the rulebook yesterday and marveling. There is so much in that expansion. Thank you for closing out the expansion trilogy strong. :)

[@riverOfWinds]

First video from your channel that I've watched... and I am hooked! Your detailed explanation, your energy, your knowledge and the enthusiasm you bring is so refreshing! I'll definitely be watching more of your videos after this. Out of mere curiosity (because the box looks cool), what is that game with the moon and trees pictured on it. Between Mice & Mystics and that Spider-Man drawing. And now that I've written down Mice & Mystics, would you recommend that game for adults? (I'm 30.) I've played Descent and Imperial Assault which I both love. It's obviously lighter than them, but the theme looks fantastic. Thanks for your input! *SUSCRIBE button clicked*

[@riverOfWinds]

Wow. Those last 30 seconds warmed my heart. The world needs people with that outlook.

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you for both of your kind comments. Glad to have you aboard. Kindness is most always a choice, right? Take care of yourself. :)

[@FredzGreen]

Rise of Fenris sounds really cool. I love Scythe more and more - I was one of those who didn't like it at first because I thought it was a war game, but I got over it and now I really appreciate what it does, so strategic and intensive on the brink of war feel - wow. Thanks for you vids.

[@TheMillShow]

Rise of Fenris IS really cool, especially if you enjoy the story of The World of 1920+. It felt like the lore was piled high for the initial game and the history book that was a part of the Kickstarter (and available afterward too) but it sort of felt like it stopped there. I loved that Ryan Lopez picked that up and expanded upon it officially. I really enjoyed the story that came out of that expansion and how there were branching paths, so you could get a slightly different story the next playthrough. I do think a lot of people share that same misconception about Scythe that you mention. You see these mechs that occupy the board and it looks like a war game, but even the story of Scythe mentions that this is post "The Great War" and the people are war-weary. They don't want to fight, but they still have the equipment to do so IF they must. And when you look at combat, in Scythe, it's not the main attraction, it's just show a number, show a number, you win or I win, and depending on the combat, you maybe lose some popularity, maybe gain some resources and map position, but otherwise.. it's.. okay. I love that thematically and mechanically the mechs are truly just supposed to be a deterrent. Ah.. good stuff! Thanks for kind words, and thank you for checking out The Mill.

[@xDooKx]

In my opinion, the rise of Fenris is the best what they could do in the final addon. I love scythe very much cuz of game mechanics and arts and this addon gave me a bunch of emotions :)

[@TheMillShow]

Ryan and Jamey really knocked that last expansion out of the water. Rise of Fenris is fantastic!

[@wraithwrecker_]

My brother just bought me vanilla Scythe and we're really enjoying the game so far. Your video has convinced me to go ahead and get all the expansions. Thanks for taking the time to discuss this. I was skeptical about the Rise of Fenris because I wasn't sure if a campaign would interest me, but you did a great job talking about how the highlight features aren't the only aspect to each expansion. All of them seem worth it from that perspective! Thanks!!!

[@TheMillShow]

Welcome to the Scythe family! I definitely think Scythe is great on it's own but I love what each expansion adds and I really like how it feels like the expansions add something new to the game. Rise of Fenris will always feel like a 'love letter to Scythe and it's fandom' due to all of the modular pieces that really like you design something that is cool and tailored to what you love about Scythe. Love combat? Create more. Think combat is the weakest part? Create less. If you like Scythe, and you like other campaign games that have varying rules and objectives, I think you'll like Rise of Fenris. I do think it takes some tolerance for the fact that not every game in the campaign is going to feel exactly like Scythe. In some games you're after an objective and it isn't stars! Some folks, like myself, have been surprised by what Ryan and Jamey came up with "I didn't know Scythe could do this!" and others have been disappointed because they wanted the game of Scythe that they know and love. The campaign itself is full of surprises and as a real fan of the game, the campaign felt like looking at a beloved thing with new eyes. I hope you and your brother continue to enjoy Scythe! It's still my favorite game!

[@joshbain8032]

Awesome video! Recently bought Scythe and can't get enough of it. You helped sell me on Invaders and RoF expansions. Still don't know if I want to get the airships, but time will tell. Love your attitude about seeing the good things in something, it's refreshing!

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you for the kind words. If I had to choose, I think I'd pick up the expansions in the order you listed. While I love the idea of the airships and it's fun when you get someone else who will experiment with you, I find that some players sort of have a strategy in mind from the pre-Wind Gambit days and they can rush an end game while you're still pushing the buttons and seeing what the airship powers can do. The end game resolution tiles are cool though, I really like how changing the objective can really change up your strategy. Thank you again for taking a moment to share a positive word. That, too, is refreshing. :)

[@LastNameTom]

Our house rules are for the airships. You do not start out with an airship, you only get yours after you go to the factory and get your factory card. We've found that this keeps people from bunkering down and not expanding outwards because the airship really changes the game. Also, depending on how we want to play that game, combat only causes you to lose popularity if you lost, and gains popularity if you win. Or we just remove popularity linked to combat all together. This increases the combat and changes the game up a lot.

[@TheMillShow]

That’s a pretty cool thematic touch for how to acquire airships. Like there is just an airship graveyard at the factory and you happened to get one flying. I like that. As for the popularity changes, I can definitely see how that’d change the game a lot. I don’t think I agree, but I know there are people who don’t really like the combat in Scythe, did the house rule you created increased combat significantly and was that a welcome change at your table?

[@Raraoolala]

Am I missing something, isn't popularity only affected if in battle there are workers present at the battle-site that are pushed away? I am not sure I am understanding fully what you mean about losing/gaining popularity if you lose/win the battle nor the comment "we just remove popularity linked to combat all together." This is not the case in the base game, did wind gambit change this?

[@sniikker7220]

Great video! :) Btw, what is the Spiderman thing on the left? Is it a game? Is it a book? It looks awesome.

[@TheMillShow]

I'm not sure why KZbin thought this was spam, but thank you for the kind words. The Spiderman thing is a picture my daughter drew for me. I had been playing Insomniac Games excellent Spiderman game on PS4 and she was watching regularly and was inspired to draw it.

[@J.B.90]

I often tell people that Scythe is a game set during a steampunk cold war. There's combat, but it isn't the point of the game. I like your example of calling it a posturing game.

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you, James. I have heard of it mentioned that Scythe takes place in a time the people have grown tired of war and the machines are there, but the desire is to not have to use them. I think people see the mechs and just assume that battle is what the game is about.

[@kentkacs3140]

This is a nice review of the expansions. You talked me into them :). I'm new to Scythe but quite like it. The first time we set up the board in order to learn it, my first thought was, "Oh, this looks like an overly-complicated RISK." But twenty minutes into it, I had two very pleasant realizations. One, it's nowhere near as complicated as it looks at first glance, and two, it's pleasantly NOT all about battling each other. I'm really curious about Rise of Fenris now.

[@TheMillShow]

Welcome aboard! You had much the same realization I did. I also thought it was a war game and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was more of a 'posturing for war' game, and as you said, also no where near as complicated as it first appears. If you check out The Rise of Fenris (or any of the expansions) I hope you find them to be a great experience.

[@Blister77]

The last minute was the best part of this Dusty. If only people did that all the time. Regarding the game. I love the base game and while I’d like to buy loads of expansions I have a limited budget and there’s so many other games to choose from as well so I’ve never got around to buying the expansions.

[@TheMillShow]

Thank you so much for the kind words, what a different place this would be if we did more caring for each other. As for the expansions, in my opinion, you still have a fantastic game even without the expansions. In fact, I'd guess that probably even half or more of my games played are just the base game of Scythe. And yeah, if you had to choose between a new game and an expansion, then I think there are many times I'd go for the new game too. Thank you again for the kind words. I hope you have a great week!

[@dnaseb9214]

I would love more factions.

[@TheMillShow]

More factions would definitely be cool. I was pretty bummed when Jamey said Scythe was complete. I totally understand his reasons but I was still bummed.

[@dnaseb9214]

@@TheMillShow Well extra factions dont add more game mechanics. And its a addon that makes sense after the game is complete. Iron Harvest, a Scythe inspired RTS video game, added Arabia and Usonia as 2 factions. I would love to see Murica, Arabia, France, Romania, Ottomans, Bulgaria, Greece, Italia, etc. make it in. Perhaps with a even bigger board, with more spaces on it.

[@CoolBreeze055]

Does anyone play this on Steam? My wife and I have the board game and everything for it, but it's not her favorite and only plays it to humor me once in awhile. I picked up the digital and am looking for some friends to play it with!

[@Redskies453]

You can also get the Scythekick app and play multiple Automa. You can do a lot of stuff to customize your game and it's very streamlined and efficient.

[@alekskostov3551]

Dude, which Spider-man game is that? :)

[@TheMillShow]

lol. We had been playing a lot of PS4 Spider-man and my daughter decided to draw him. I'd really be down for a good Spider-man board game. Though I might have to try out Marvel Champions. It's not just Spidey, but it might still be fun! :)

[@alekskostov3551]

@@TheMillShow Well... your daughter is a gem :))) Thank you, keep rocking!

[@Jindorek]

I thought this was going to be a show and tell. much disappoint :( Personally i feel it is a great game but with some severe limitations. and many of the limitations are then completely broken by some faction rules. why impose them then? If the only purpose of a limitation is to design a faction around it, why not make them unique in more interesting ways? I feel the event system was a last minute kickstarter addon and it was not well designed and ends up being incredibly dull and unexciting for a game that has so much potential.

[@veerchasm1]

Too many stupid rules and with every expansion it just gets worse

[@TheMillShow]

It's certainly not a lightweight game, but after a game with a particular faction, I've felt like I know them well enough. I mean, I'm not going to compete with anyone for a championship or anything, but I think it's straight forward enough. That said, I do find myself playing with the core set more often than not.