Top 5 Scythe Strategies with Jamey Stegmaier

Jamey Stegmaier presenting an inside look at the development of Scythe and his top 5 tips/strategies for winning.
00:00 background questions
15:00 Strategies/tips
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1...
KZbin Channel: / boardgamenetwork
Facebook: / boardgamenetwork
Our site: www.boardgamenetwork.org
Twitter: @DeckertJames

[@CyanRam]

1. At the start of the game, consecutively Trade and Produce to get a Bottom Row action on your second turn 15:45 2. Try to aim for 5 workers to keep spending down, get more later if necessary 17:33 3. Ignore Objective cards if they don't fit in with your faction/player mat strategy 19:18 4. Spread out across the board, particularly with workers; slows down other players 20:40 5. Continue taking Bottom Row actions even after completely upgrading them to reap the benefits 22:20

[@Froh]

Ah great, the 15 mn intro was kinda long...

[@stevepegg7828]

You sir! are a King among men. F that intro!

[@lightingman117]

You're doing God's work my friend :)

[@rfalconer]

Nice work. When the topic of a 25 minute video can be neatly summarised by a few lines of text then the video is too long.

[@Amungoon]

Damn tip 1. wouldn't work for Crimea (starts with farm and village) with that example mat.

[@Marco9603]

Please remove that intro and outro music when the guest is talking.

[@BoardGameNetwork]

Sorry, once it's been uploaded, it can't be modified.

[@Talamare]

Don't lie! Fix it and upload it... AGAIN Hell, leave both videos up.

[@chittalk4777]

Huh, I didn't even notice it until you mentioned it.

[@BrandonGraham]

Sounded fine to me.

[@zachroesch9112]

Very annoying

[@aaronchiafos]

I just received my copy of the game last week. A bit late to the party, but grabbed it while it was on sale. Fantastic game! Played three games already in the past 48 hours. One 4 player game, and two solo "automa" games. The game components are high quality, and the theme is fantastic. Plus, I also love euros. Probably in one of my top 3 board games of all time. Thanks, Jamey, for designing such a wonderful game.

[@destroyer8000]

Top 5 starts at 14:57.

[@Mark-OutWest]

Talk about burying the lead. Put the first 15 minutes in some other video.

[@oswin5565]

Blake A. Thank you!

[@BoardGameNetwork]

I passed on several questions to Jamey that might be interesting to viewers. Jamey answered the questions then went into the top 5. Several people like the questions, and some only wanted the top 5. Hard to please everyone.

[@rebeccahicks4949]

You could have please everybody by dividing it into two videos, one titled "top five strategies" the other titled "Interview".

[@Dreisina]

you da real mvp

[@joejose9190]

As a game designer, I have a huge respect for other game designers, and also a huge interest in how they come about to creating their games!

[@drwarner]

Great to hear you talk about scythe. I love the fact that you play it so much. I definitely agree with you about the objective cards. you can normally see straight away whether pursuing that objective will drag you down an unprofitable route.

[@rajbhangu9029]

Great to hear the inner workings of creating a game!!

[@veerchasm1]

Jamey, Can you rap these tips over that hip hop beat?

[@WitchDoctor87]

Please keep the Scythe theme going. I just bought this game and I love everything about it. Another good idea that I would like to see from you if you make another game is a Cyber punk themed game like Scythe.

[@bill0804]

I love the double layer player mat ! I wish Terraforming Mars had them

[@iffioho]

I wish faction cards had them!

[@dsstuff9712]

Great video. The last tip is a great one! Thanks Jamey. Great job with Scythe. Love it.

[@benjaminbruhn4360]

Nice video. That kind you for sharing. I was not aware that you can use the bottom action after getting a star for it. I'll definitely consider this in my future games. My favorite strategy: Claiming the middle as soon as possible and leave a combat unit in there. + You have the best options on your 5th action slot + Can can use the powerful option slot almost from the beginning an you can consider it's power for your strategy + Other players need to fight you if they want the extra action option (if I can win I'll all in [Hello first star], if not I'll invest only 1 Power/1 weak card to get another card) - You'll focus less on encounters

[@CitizenRare]

Just got this game for my girlfriend and I… and it’s just incredible. We’ve been playing it almost every night. Having so much fun with it. Huge props to Jamey for creating this masterpiece.

[@zachariahhoffman6508]

omg thank you just learned so much more been playing for 2 years.

[@DanieleMazzoni]

very interesting video also about the background of a great designer!

[@olebrommm]

love the artwork on the wall there :)

[@tomjones634]

just played this for the first time last weekend.. new favourite game. Its very well thought out game play and the theme and artwork are beautiful. thor was a nice little touch. all gamers love easter eggs and that one had us pausing the game for 10 minutes so we could go over the board looking for more lol. great work!

[@catherineblack6330]

I love Scythe and enjoyed hearing some of your back story into its creation. The art is amazing. I love that the setups are so random for every time the game is played. I highly recommend this game! My own contribution is that I am usually so caught in my own strategy that I forget to watch the other players. Things move quickly and often unexpectedly. I like that dice are not used and that the combat sequences do not dominate the game.

[@eric8621]

I don't think the music could be any more distracting while he's talking...

[@robertcavanna789]

Ha! I was also in Kyoto my Junior year of college. Spring of '99.

[@rpriske]

Watching this in the future is pretty cool. "We are working on a game from another designer. The theme is birds..."

[@5L04d3s]

Jamey, I'm interested to hear how you factor Popularity into your strategy - as the score multiplier in the game, it seems to be the most important factor.

[@Redskies453]

I would think just making tier 2 is the optional strategy. I won my first game tonight as a rusviet on 1 popularity with full upgrades, 8 workers, 4 mechs, a mission, 5 hexes and a huge stockpile. I won by two coins. This is almost impossible and one more star for the opposition would have destroyed me. Tier 3 popularity is going to be too hard without sacrificing other things. Bottom of tier 2 for the win.

[@manicmonarch2608]

That part about the Recruit bonus benefiting the player that uses the bottom row action is huge. I've been playing this game wrong for years now. When our group read the rules we thought the Recruit bonus only occurred when the players to your left and right used that bottom row action. This part of the rules need to be made more plain. The part of the repeatable bottom row actions needs to be expounded upon in the rules as well. I don't know if I'm enlightened or disheartened from finding this video.

[@senorallen9938]

Just got the game a few days ago, played it twice so far and cannot wait to play it again! One small tweak I made is that I place the structure bonus card face down and do not reveal it until scoring. For me, so far, it's been enough learning strategies without worrying about where I've been building but also it's a fun surprise finding out what the card is at the end. I was wondering if anyone else has tried this method.

[@BoardGameNetwork]

I really hope this video has helped with your strategy

[@calebokeefe376]

Good video, I need to buy this game to play it more often but I mostly wanted to comment because I feel like my first game was fairly different from how games typically work. I won the only game I've played, 5 players as Nordic/Engineer. Ended the game in the middle of the favor track and had zero mechs, only 3 stars, and never made it to the factory.. However, only one other player prioritized the favor track and as Nordic I was able to take a move action on what ended up being my last turn and covering a significant portion of the board as I had maxed my workers and had slowly begun to spread out. Most everyone else was prioritizing mechs and combat and largely avoided me to prevent the hit to favor and the immediate end to their move actions so there was basically nothing in it for them. Final score put me somewhere low 80s (IIRC) and won by over 10 points. I know it's an insignificant sample size of just 1 game, but I thought Jamey might appreciate the odd outcome if you see this.

[@thomashaire8863]

Was this the first mention of wingspan?

[@jamesbuchanan3888]

As a totally new player ... I could not find anything specific in the rules concerning multiple top or bottom row actions on a single turn. I may have missed it, but the rules did not explicitly state that only one top and bottom action per turn are permitted if willing and able to pay the price.

[@BigSteelThrill]

Tip # 4! *holds up 3 fingers* :)

[@rizalpramana9868]

i didnt know you also get the benefit from the recruitment slot as an active plyer by doing bottom act.. i thought its only active if the neighboring plyer do the bottom action

[@RobertKonigsberg]

Me too. Well, #til

[@tttopolis]

Very col. I play with one guy who always camps out on the factory space with 1 mech for the whole game. Any ideas on how to deal with this and get a factory card from the space?

[@averageplayer4673]

Ofc get more militarny points by faking attacks using only 2 points card.

[@broor]

Attack with 1 or 2 mechs/character and gain a star and a factory card

[@Geert-1988]

Did someone try out an agressive move with all 4 mechs althat take 4 workers with it and try to block the player so he cant move past you without encountering your mechs with a worker so they will lose hearts???

[@averageplayer4673]

There is not enough time for that . By the time u get 4 mechs , Ur opponents will be all over the place

[@caseyhawthorne7138]

Expanded rubber playmat please! :)

[@thebaldmedic9063]

If you are Albion faction and you plant a flag at the factory and occupy the space, does it count as 4 spaces or 6 at the end of the game?

[@loanbreuleux7625]

The flag Tokens counts as +1 and are not doubling the score, so it would count as 4 territories

[@bartdierickx5150]

Kemet is the best, that game can't be beaten! But Scythe comes so so so so close :D Love to hear a legend game designer also likes Kemet :)

[@loanbreuleux7625]

Discovered Kemet myself years ago at a BG-Festival and it then was one of my first games i bought because i loved it. Now Scythe is easily in my top 3 favourites and it's amazing to hear where the ideas came from and what games the designer likes :)

[@polischristodoulou4357]

In a 3 player game what can you do to stop others from progressing

[@broor]

If you know this now i would love to learn it. We always play in a group of 3 and it would be nice to team against the rusviet!

[@h3mis]

Still waiting for the crappy music to fade out

[@5L04d3s]

Agree with previous comments... this should be two separate videos, and the intro/outro music shouldn't overrun Jamey talking. Otherwise great.

[@ArroganceClause]

So weird hearing you hint about wingspan in this video

[@CascadeHush]

I got 4 stars in a turn once to end the game to the complete surprise of everybody. As Saxony I won 2 combat and completely 2 objective cards (based on occupying certain terrain types).

[@bgm-1961]

So running Stonemaier Games has been your living since working at WUSL, and not a part time gig as is the case with so many other publishers?

[@jameystegmaier]

For the first 2 years I was working 40 hours a week at Wash U, and soon that also became 40 hours a week at Stonemaier. Then I went down to 4 days a week at Wash U, and 6 months later I went full-time at Stonemaier. That's continued for the last 3 years.

[@bgm-1961]

I figured that would be your answer, so the point of the question is, congratulations on turning Stonemaier into the success which allows you to earn a living from it! I know a LOT of publishers that haven't been able to do that yet.

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks! I'm very fortunate to be able to do this full time. :)

[@erikaskrivelis9011]

Can you trade with players ?

[@mattlisko9010]

You cannot trade resources but you can make deals that inolved taking or not taking certain actions or combat values/cards to be played. The only physical thing that can be "traded" is coins.

[@justicejustin9147]

Wingspan!!!

[@konstantinosangelidis250]

I would like to ask how it is possible to have an average of winning point around 80.My friends and I have played the game many many times, and in fact we keep tract of the stats, through a program which also provides visualized data (charts).The link can be provided if you want. All of our games, end in maximum 15 rounds.The fastest win is actually not registered yet and it is 12 rounds (Russia with Industrial and perfect mission). We have located an almost broken combination of Russia with Industrial mat, which until now is unbeatable. Even in test mode, we have not managed to find a way that someone can overcome that pace of game.This is our main problem with the game, that certain combinations are extremely bad or extremely good. Our second problem is the winning conditions. The build option, even though it has the extra winning condition, is still not preferable as it only has one win. The popularity star, is pretty much unplayable with 0 wins registered even though we tried multiple times to achieve it. Our games are approximately 60.

[@jameystegmaier]

Konstantinos: That's correct, the Rusviet/Industrial combination is broken for players who know what they're doing (this is noted on the FAQ: stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/) However, I'm concerned that you may be playing a rule incorrectly (I'm not sure which rule) if you're finishing in a maximum of 15 rounds. I don't think that's possible if you're playing correctly. Games typically end in 20-24 rounds. Have you reread the rules (or at least pages 31 and the quick-reference guide) to make sure you're not missing something? I'm happy to help identify the issue.

[@konstantinosangelidis250]

I am pretty sure we have not missed anything in the rules.I was actually having the same question and we read the rules once more.We could not find anything that we missed or played incorrectly.Nevertheless, I will have another look at book just in case. Regarding the number of rounds the game ends, we actually noticed, that the player who hits 6 stars usually wins and that lead to the fast pace of the game.If anyone tries to go for the ''long run'' (over 20 rounds) they end up with pretty much nothing.We did have 3 games where the player that ended the game actually lost, but in over 60 games, the percentage is not significant. We have also tried any possible strategy we could think of (including popularity with Polania who has the resources and the ability to gather it and other tribes) but has never worked so far. If I encounter any rule we missed out, i will post it though.

[@jameystegmaier]

Maybe check out the rules for the Produce action? Sometimes people don't realize you have to pay the full cost (the amount visible in red) before you take the Produce action, no matter what you're producing. Also, you're only taking a bottom-row action once per turn, right? That is, if your mechs cost 2 metal to deploy and you have 4 metal, you can only make 1 mech that turn.

[@MrStoenz]

We as a group experienced the same with 21 games most end between 15-19. (the better we understood the rules the faster it went)

[@konstantinosangelidis250]

Hi Jamey, We are aware of those rules.Also we checked the rule book once more and we are not missing anything.Games end on average at 15.5 rounds.The fastest we have calculated is 12 rounds (unbeatable) with Russians Industrial combo.You may have a look at some of our stats (not all games are recorded though) in the following link. dictummortuum.github.io/scythe/

[@keithlacey]

hey Jamey, on your last tip you mention the bottom row action to continue gaining the coins but you also mention the additional enlist both times - once for the power and once for the popularity. Am I wrong in thinking that this is only for players either right or left of you that you get this benefit if they play their bottom row action? I didn't think you get it from a normal bottom row action once that enlist is exposed.

[@BoardGameNetwork]

Keith: I think I've pulled the statement from the rulebook for you that applies. "For the rest of the game, whenever you or the player to your immediate left or right (these players are shown in the icon in the red circle) take the bottom-row action in the section of the Player Mat from which the recruit was taken, you may gain the specified bonus. Top-row actions or a similar action on a Factory card (see Factory section, page 25) do not count."

[@jameystegmaier]

Keith: Sure, it's in the rulebook on page 20: You gain the benefit of a recruit ongoing benefit whenever "you or the player to the immediate left or right" take the corresponding bottom-row action. This is shown by the little icon above the benefit: It shows three players, you and the player to your left and right.

[@keithlacey]

Jamey Stegmaier yep I understand this rule but I was picking up from the video that it's something you gain when you take the bottom row action which it's not. Thanks for clarifying thou ;)

[@roywarnerfilms]

But it is, and you just thanked them for clarifying that...

[@Noise-Maker]

I think i misunderstood. For a two player game you can only take the enlist bonus from another player once per game correct?

[@misomiso8228]

3:48 what came could you be talking about....?

[@edgykoala1732]

Hometown boy .. i am in china just trying to learn this game so i can look smart to nerds

[@dougmoore4653]

not sure why you say the coin to resource is better conversion as you get 1 vp / coin but with resource you get the level where your heart is for 2 resources with can amount to more vp if you have higher hearts. you also can be giving the bottom bonus to your opponents. well if you have upgrades and your getting the heart then it may be feasible to do it. I think I would not do it UNLESS I was in need of coins for something else.

[@jameystegmaier]

The conversion is based on your popularity level, so there are situations where it's better to have the coins and other situations where it's better to have the resources. But at best, you can convert 2 resources to $3 on the popularity track, while it's possible (with upgrades) to trade 1 resource for $3 or even $4 using bottom-row actions.

[@GaryBabcock]

I feel like the first 15 min was a waste. Maybe would have been better at the end if people were interested.

[@mmckiel]

Sometimes less is more, e.g. 4 minutes instead of 25!

[@domdoot8715]

"Project Manager" - world's vaguest job description

[@weedstore]

Hey stegi i hope u make the box for the last addon in an size that i dont need the 3 boxes from the legendary box pls dont understand me wrong i love the artwork from the 3 boxes in the legendary box but the original addon boxes so much better because its not like paper i hope u listen 2 that because i pay fucking box for 30€ and i cant accept the quality from the 3 paperboxes makes me little bit angry and for the addon no3 i hope u let the airships more usefull for the game i love the game pls save the good work

[@johnyramble]

A little bit of interaction? My very first game a guy just used a meck ability to get into my territory right away, steal crucial resources and set me so far back it was impossible for me to effectively get back in the game. I don't understand why the attacker wins ties. That encourages attacking and for a game with so much resource management it seems overwhelming to me. You want to have interaction in a euro game, sure, go ahead but at least give the defender the benefit. Combat should be a difficult decision involving risk for the initiator.

[@PointyGorman]

It's very difficult to attack and steal resources. You have to use a move action to get into combat, wait a full turn without being counterattacked (no easy feat considering that you are in enemy territory, and you probably just gave them a power card, you probably lost your own power card, power, and popularity), then escape back to your territory, which usually takes a few moves. This gives the defending player 2 turns to try and react in most cases. Considering the already large defending advantage (closer to the battle, not losing popularity, gaining power cards) things are not in the attackers favor unless they plan ahead.

[@Bundeskaiser]

This is indeed a rule I have problems with. That the attacker wins ties makes combat for the attacker very calculable and had an impact several times when I played. Yes, you can always calculate as an attacker who you can or will probably beat when you attack and at least my group tends to attack players who are already weak for an easy 1-2 stars. But often they knew that they can't lose because they knew that the opponent can at best achieve a draw which wouldn't be enough. That made the battle for the defender rather pointless. Yes, he can save his power and card(s) then by simply spending 0 but as battles tend to happen at the end of the game, often as finishing moves, this doesn't provide much of a benefit for the defender (and as he knows what he has on hand he can calculate if it's even worth it to spend power or cards). Would the defender win ties on the other hand (what would make more sense anyway as the defender has the homefield advantage as he is more familiar with the surroundings) it would be more risky for the attacker when it's close, forcing him to spend more power or a higher card to be at least 1 above a possible draw. This would make it harder to win 2 battles in a row, possibly ending the game. This is especially a problem when you combine that with the rule that the game ends immediately when a player has placed his 6th star, so the other players can't react and fight you back during their last turn (most other games give every player an event amount of turns before the game ends or give at least every other player 1 last turn when the end was triggered, negating the starting player advantage).

[@Tockohead260]

I think it’s cool that the creator of the game is doing the top five strategies of Scythe but 15 minutes of autobiography before he does the list is pretty ridiculous. It should be two different videos.

[@mongoose6685]

While we are politely ripping other publishers that are charging more for their games... how about giving people a power dial for every faction instead of making us fork another 14$ to get one for every one of the starting 5 factions, another 10$ for an "expanded" map that merely completes the incomplete one we bought at the store and then having to buy a 30$ expansion to play with all factions? (A game of thrones was a nice 80$ with everything included to play up to 6 just for comparisons)

[@mienzillaz]

a/v out of sync..

[@Popcornio]

Came for a "Top 5 Scythe Strategies" video, not a video about your life story.

[@thomasmuehlgrabner]

-1 for taking forever to get to the actual content

[@markcardenas8843]

So, the designer himself is admitting that objectives aren't a good game design??? Bizarre as hell...

[@artfulstories]

He said he probably ignores them 50% of the time, not all the time.

[@trumanway3763]

While I love scythe. It is a very smartly designed game , but . Split the videos up. You spent 15 min talking about something not related to the title. Make two videos.

[@raymondcameron]

Get to the point. I came for strategy tips not your life story.

[@b.h.4824]

Whats that disturbing noise ? Oh, you'r talking.. sorry