Why You Should Play Scythe

Scythe is one of Johnny's favourite board games, but what makes this asymmetric industrial game so good? Find out as we enthusiastically explain why you should play Scythe.
Scythe is available here (UK) - www.amazon.co.uk/Stonemaier-G...
and here (US) - www.amazon.com/Stonemaier-Gam...
Designed by Jamey Stegmaier
Art and world building by Jakub Rozalski
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[@Letshavesomelunch]

Back at Uni, someone used to always bring Scythe to the Table Top Society but he struggled to get any of us to play it because it looked so intimidating, he also wasn't great at selling it. But, after about half a year of him begging, I begrudgingly sat down to play it and I've never regretted taking so long to play a game as much as I did then. Scythe is fantastic. Please listen to Johnny, you'll have a bloody grand old time.

[@KnightmareLive]

Bacon dogs! Milk horses! A better cat. In the distance, the shadow of a mech looms large!

[@brocksisson7128]

The passion Johnny obviously has for board games is leaping through the screen.

[@TheWillz02]

FYI Theres also a digital version of scythe for anyone that wants to try it ojt.

[@SnowTheBard]

"In other words there is an awful lot you can do in Scythe but it eases you into the bottom gently." -- Johnny 2019

[@douglochery8641]

I shall now be calling all the Oil I generate in this game "Johnny juice" in honour of that statement.

[@raecosmos939]

"it's also good to have your meatballs in a good position when you next decide to produce some stuff."

[@malogranatum4914]

I want to give OP a like, but it’s at freaking 69 and I don’t want to ruin that 😂

[@xxdarkehammerxx6121]

Best thread ever 😂👍

[@thecastawaydc]

A Polish lady whose friend is a bear? I think Wheels will tell you that that is a Poley Bear...

[@peterhague5626]

I'm realising that I've not played many table tops games. One thing this channel is doing, is making me really want to drag my friends to the board game cafe in town and spend a day learning what I've been missing

[@vattmann1387]

My mates and I have been finding all sorts of interesting board games in charity shops and car boot sales. It's worth popping in to them as you may get lucky :)

[@peterhague5626]

@@vattmann1387 I'm already one of those insufferable people that likes to check out charity shops for second hand records. Never thought to look for board games before, thanks for the tip. With its last breath, my bank balance curses Dave Watson!!!

[@douglochery8641]

Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it........(etc. etc.) :) It's really good fun and a change from the norm. We often take games to the pub or restaurants with my group and just take over places. Always gets people looking to join in the fun.

[@peterhague5626]

@@douglochery8641 Dicebreaker has come along at the perfect time for me. Whenever I look at board games I get a bit overawed by the variety and have no idea where to start. This looks like it might just solve that. Also lines up with me having a bit of (paid) time away from work. Can't think of a better time really!

[@danacoleman4007]

Don't do it

[@jpcorkery]

Johnny at 1:24 - "Scythe is a game that looks very complex, but is actually surprisingly simple to pick up." Johnny at 0:04 - "*groooooooooooan*... Scythe!"

[@douglochery8641]

Johnny has done a great job of introducing Scythe here - definitely appreciate the easy style of his video. He's spot on when he says that the game isn't as complex as it appears - it's actually a very simple game bolted to a second simple game to make something much more rich. HINT: The game looks like an area control wargame style thing (like Risk or Smallworld or a thousand WWII inspired games) but it really isn't. It's really a resource management game at it's heart. Think "Settlers of Catan" crossed with "howl's Moving Castle" but with animal companions for your general.

[@marshallhill5900]

is this that game you can bludgeon people with?

[@darkstar4341]

There are many, but I think this is one that set the standard for doubling as a heavy weapon!

[@freakstylebjdstudios8198]

There is also Gloomhaven, but its box size makes it an unwieldy weapon. Dropping it out of a window WILL cause a minor earth quake though, so bunus points for that.

[@megamer29]

I can't think of Big, Heavy Game without thinking of Kingdom Death: Monster, myself. Also an unwieldly weapon, though.

[@fierybookworm]

Yes

[@abduladzimshahabudin]

Yes, like watching "Die Hard" on mute. You see some actions, but no sound, and right after they juxtapose to the next scene of school or harmless farming and you wonder if you'd watch this film again on mute (or play Scythe again).

[@JachAnen]

As a Dane, I can confirm that it's quite normal for a Norwegian to ride a bison. Many still consider cars sorcery

[@williamp7861]

I'm a simple man. I get complimented by Johnny, I press "Like".

[@berlinoisette3532]

Thank you for introducing this game! It does indeed sound interesting, I would love to see you guys play! More puns please!

[@gabrielstrong2186]

Damn straight!! More puns are always needed!

[@mummamortitia]

2:51 🤣😂🤣 "Bottom action" So much innuendo......waits for the inevitable innuendo comment....

[@pyroflame04]

One thing about these video’s that would make it better is a demonstration, or a separate video where you play it, just an idea.

[@kaushtubhchauhan]

Yeah,I thought about that in the last video about the villager game....maybe a how to play video or just a round to demonstrate the game

[@joshvella9614]

It is early days, they have the idea, the planning to what they want to cover etc. Fingers crossed that they either plan to do separate videos in the future or that they will see that a lot of people are making these comments and work towards what the viewers want to see.

[@bobdagno4036]

Be careful what you wish for. I would suggest looking up the average play time for scythe.

[@bobdagno4036]

Be careful what you wish for. I would suggest looking up the average play time for scythe. It is a great game though.

[@kaushtubhchauhan]

@@bobdagno4036 well acc. to the box exactly 115 min. No more ,no less(found from Google) 😁😁 we don't want them to play the whole game but just a round to how it works..should not be more than 25-30 min video

[@rupertfranklin9816]

Great video Johnny. I played my first game of Scythe a few weeks ago and have been itching to play it again since. You're totally right that it's surprisingly beginner friendly, and what I particularly liked was that when I looked back at the game, I could already start to see the mis-steps I'd made and the strategies that I'd like to try next time. Ace game, and ace vid!

[@jessewilkin]

This is one of my favourite games. Made me happy to see you make a video on it

[@EzraColdsGarage]

These vids were totally worth the wait. I'm so glad I subscribed.

[@thatmoorefella4625]

I used to work in a dispatch office that delivered board games but I wasn't there long enough to really borrow many to take home to play, so I remember being really fascinated with loads of them and Scythe was always one that stuck out. Basically, thanks for starting Dicebreaker! You guys are clearly so passionate and I'm just glad that I'm going to get more of a sense of these wonderful games that I got so close to but never experienced.

[@boomxhakalaca3660]

This channel is something I didn't know I needed! Wanted to get a broader taste for board games and didn't know where to turn! Couldn't be happier to have ended up here!

[@MrRaffle]

What wonderful timing, I'm heading back home this weekend and my friends there are planning on introducing me to Scythe, very much looking forward to it now.

[@KarateKitty5000]

I'm learning so much from this channel! Thanks Johnny and Whelan!

[@amagicalduck155]

I've seen Scythe in games stores before and always thought it looked super cool but I never picked it up. Absolutely will now, seems like it'll be really fun.

[@IntermezzoR]

Awesome summary of the game Johnny! Absolutely looking forward to all the great content to come. 😃

[@addynorfolk1824]

I've been interested in this for ages. You've convinced me to finally give it a go.

[@joeltrinidad4939]

I've been circling this game for years, mostly because it's quite pricey (especially in my country). But this video makes it look totally worth it. [SHAKES FIST IN THE AIR] Damn you, Johnny! Damn your infectious enthusiasm!!!

[@brendanssound]

Thinking of getting into this tabletop games stuff now thanks to you Johnny.. we need a good video on games to play as a beginner

[@LiamDuke]

You guys are already killing it with this channel, I love it

[@Lost77]

After Geek & Sundry stopped making TableTop, I've been looking for some places that talk about board games and such. Scythe was a game I was considering for my friends, so I'll have to watch this video later to see if it's worth buying. Looking forward to seeing how this channel develops

[@veight7]

Woohoo only 4 videos in and I love this channel! I don't play table top games but I'm starting to be swayed into trying it

[@mrtinboy75]

Very good video! Subbed and recommended to my friends.

[@davidclarke8840]

I've always been interested in Scythe so this video was great for me! Although I don't have any friends to play it with it will be on my purchase list when I do find a group to play with. Can't wait for more videos from the Dicebreaker team :)

[@ObsessionsAreIn]

I'm loving this channel, can't wait to see more from you guys! ❤️ I love table top games but none of my friends are interested in playing :(

[@hughgorick7680]

Loving these videos, and loving the Heilung shirt!

[@krishnaprasadb5712]

Great review. Gotta order it soon

[@averyjohnson7578]

Not only are you one of the most fun DM's I've seen you actually pique my interest in board games I've been too tentative about trying. Shame there's nowhere near where I live to do it!

[@DrPluton]

My friend was part of the Kickstarter campaign for Scythe, and I was quite intimidated when we first sat down to play it. I was surprised with how simple the game was to learn and play. He even paid a little extra for metal resource tokens instead of the wood ones that you get with the basic version. I enjoy the game even though my strategy doesn't always pay off.

[@codywilson4938]

I am so glad you have your own channel!

[@davidgeorgis987]

Just want to say thank you to Dicebreaker for showing us this game. Me and the missus just picked it up and fell in love with it. You guys are amazing.

[@DreadWulfie]

Ooh, we're getting spoiled with all these videos. I'd love to give this game a try even though I'm not sure if it's for me.

[@Amaritudine]

Some friends have this one - I've been curious, but haven't joined in a game yet. Thanks to Johnny's explanation and enthusiasm, I might have to give it a go next time!

[@inoutsoccer11]

Haven’t played scythe in years. It’s been staring at me from the bottom of my collection. I think it’s about time to open it back up. Thanks for the video!

[@jetsetradio01]

This is another game I've been toying with the idea of getting. This video is really helpful :)

[@KitSixty322]

Hey Johnny! Hopefully Dicebreaker will introduce many more people to the hobby, and I’m loving the content so far. For those who haven’t, perhaps, spent as much time in boardgames, how about a video that serves as kind of a glossary? Something covering different terms, like ‘meeple’, ‘worker placement’, and all those little bits of board game jargon that we use to parse the pastime?

[@raukwannerton3940]

Great video, you are hilarious! Thanks for the explanation 👌🏼

[@THEOUTCASTSCREATIVE]

I just picked up the game, so thanks for this video, its really helpful. hoping to give it a good crack in lockdown.

[@OstrichOwner]

I've been seeing Scythe in our local board game cafe and but we'd not got around to playing it yet. It's definitely going on the list now though! Thank you!!

[@TheDarktater]

Great overview, thank you. This one was already in my top 10 but the Rise of Fenris expansion bumped it to my top spot.

[@bradyv8324]

I love this! i never even heard of this game and now I am interested. I saw in your 20 questions video that you spoke highly of merchants and marauders, please do a video on that!

[@dicebreaker]

With pleasure!

[@Hundmathr]

Thank you Johnny the game looks lovely. I also love the shirt.

[@MrMccarthycdxx]

This game looks great, I will be looking at my local shop for this one. I would love to see a lets play of this even if just a number of turns to get the idea. Great video

[@JKM395]

Not sure this one is exactly for me, but I would certainly love to give it a shot were I given the opportunity. Congrats on the new channel. An excellent beginning.

[@weronikamatczuk8642]

Well there goes my plan to win over the continent with meticulously planned electronic presentations

[@cebbi1313]

My brother and I got the scythe campaign "The Rise of Fenris" for our dad's birthday. (Buying a gift for ourselves at its finest) Not only is it an excellent legacy game, and worth replaying since there's different paths you can go down, but also you can inject any of the new components and alternate rules and scenarios into a normal game. We created some rules for playing three rounds of the game using the different components. If the person who won the first round won using a warlike strategy then in the next game we play with the peacetime rules from the campaign in the next. Other winning strategies are similarly punished. The person who collected the most encounter tokens can switch factions or take mods. The rest of of take mods too but proportional to encounter tokens. I cannot reccomend the Rise of Fenris enough.

[@bushcraftybert113]

its a golden age for board games and boardgames channels on youtube we are very lucky...

[@benhoff901]

Wow, you are a really good game reviewer. This is my first video and you just earned yourself a subscriber.

[@WolfBiteZed]

i Love Jakub Rozalski's art it is so beautiful and he makes my favorite werewolf art other than maybe Chris Rahn

[@timjones990]

I bought this a couple of weeks ago and had first run through this weekend, solo self teach 2 player game. Once you get a hang of the basics, it is, as Johnny says, quite straight forward. The help cards prompt you to try different moves and a few turns in i felt quite confident in moving forward. It looks like an intimidating game but get past that and it really is a great game, and that's only after one play :)

[@KieranChakravorty]

I bought this game off the back of this review and couldn't be happier, this is an awesome game. Thanks Johnny!

[@JoshuaKrogman]

Just bought this game...it arrives today. I am STOKED to open it up and play as soon as I can!

[@ambientshine8534]

Awesome vid!

[@alanfulford5304]

Always liked the look of this game but thought it looked too in depth for me to get into. You made this seem really approachable, thanks!

[@josuesepulveda6850]

Great video!

[@svendhondt5352]

One of my favorite games and the new modular board is awesome!

[@MichaelHill-we7vt]

This review was witty, very well done, and very watchable. I've just got myself a copy of Scythe, and this has simply reinforced my opinions of the game.. it's incredible! The review does make the point that no matter how intimidating it looks, it's actually clever, deceptively simple to pick up and it just brilliantly succeeds at what every game should be, which is enjoyable! The excellent and stylish artwork, the superb production quality and the ingenious way it all works puts it head and shoulders above anything else I've played.......so yes indeed, you SHOULD play Scythe..........

[@Ryslaw]

One of my fav games ever. But, even though I'm Polish, only once have I managed to win as Polania. Many victories as Crimea though :) And I would definitely suggest buying the big board. It makes the game much easier to read.

[@blakearmentrout7717]

This one sounds cool, reminded me a bit of a Sid Myers Civilization game, and the artwork is pretty sweet. Also when Johnny starts talking about war crimes I swear I heard Dob screaming "OH NO! The Consequences!" lol

[@hibbo1989]

My friend brought Scythe to a party and it was such a great game to play. It really does seem daunting at the beginning, but you soon get the hang of it and it's loads of fun.

[@Technoir444]

Loving the new channel, best one since Wil Wheaton’s tabletop series. Any chance of doing one of the fantasy flight games Eldritch Horror, Arkham horror etc.

[@MatthewRachansky]

Scythe has been on my board game shortlist a while now, so I'm glad to see a breakdown of the game itself, the mechanics, and the parts. Now, I just need to make room for that box....

[@micjames9352]

Totally agree. Scythe is one of those games that look complicated but play really well and ease the player into the game...just a superb game... Nice vid. 😁

[@FalkaRiannon]

Oh I just noticed the Heilung shirt. So not only are you fans of games but also amazing music. ^^

[@amylouise3798]

I was eyeing this up in my uni’s bookshop the other day - might have to go treat myself now!

[@shanewaldron1911]

Thankyou Johnny finally decided to give Scythe a go. Played my first game and I've fallen in love a little confusing to start but got there in the end and this video helped a lot. P.s DBreaker has been awesome so far can't wait to see what else you bring to the board.

[@NuthouseKid88]

I'm mostly here because I'm a huge fan of Johnny from Eurogamer and I love tabletop RPGs, I've never been quite as drawn to board games. But this, this looks pretty fantastic.

[@cthulhufhtagn2483]

Amazing! Got this game for Christmas, haven't really got a chance to play it properly yet, but it's super cool nonetheless. I knew about some of the expansions, but I didn't know about all of them. Neat! Btw, the Norwegian man is riding a musk ox. Bison are strictly North American.

[@rioterism]

Scythe is a totally awesome game - exceptional artwork and themes, very interesting gameplay and overall surely one of the best board games I have ever played and own.

[@JamesPorter]

Wow, there is so much to board games that I never even knew about. I'm afraid my experience is as limited as monopoly and as a kid snakes & ladders, and while I enjoy those they are rather simple compared to this. I don't know anyone who'd even consider playing something like this though, hmm. Edit: Also Johnny looks to be having so much fun with this. It reminds me of some of the Chiodini's Kitchen videos (which I do miss) when he was particularly into a certain game/recipe.

[@kcollier710]

My friends have it and we play when I come to visit- very different and very good game...

[@pyroflame04]

Love that USSR anthem in the background

[@ewanhodson9627]

Pyro Flame Comrade Choidini

[@zhivik]

Which also happens to be the current Russian anthem (different lyrics, thankfully) - probably a good idea to play only the first chord ... :)

[@drymice500]

Zhivko Yakimov Джонни, мы гордимся тобой! 😉

[@anikadark]

Zhivko Yakimov funny enough I always have the original lyrics in my head rather than the new one. Shows my age I suppose

[@jasonthelemon7287]

I'm very happy to see Johnny with this new boardgame/tabletop game channel, unfortunately this is going to amplify my already terrible boardgame collecting addiction seeing all these games I don't have yet............ahhh well

[@Aurelio4491]

I've always loved the artwork

[@salavora]

Sounds great! My friends are just not into long or to complicated games, so convincing them might get a bit hard -.-

[@TransGamerNerd27]

I love in depth board games. I’d never heard of this game before this video but I might ask my best friend to get me this for my upcoming birthday

[@Tometh28]

This video has absolutely convinced me to get scythe but I would love to see a let's play of it

[@mw9520]

Please do Terraforming Mars! Best Boardgame last decade! Oh an nice work! Love this Channel :)

[@sebas379]

Looks cool! The setting, theme etc reminds me a lot of Iron Harvest, is it set in that universe? This channel is going to be great, I love your obvious enthusiasm for the games!

[@Paper-dust]

It is. Scythe and Iron Harvest both take place in Jakub Rozalski's own universe: 1920+

[@wackamack9829]

I love the look of this game, and since it's my birthday in a few weeks, it might be time to start dropping those hint bombs

[@LB-kk3kw]

Fun and informative! Still unsure. Thanks for the video.

[@sicklendhammerstudio]

i've been wanting to get this and was desperate for you to cover it so i could hop off the fence

[@torgranael]

Just bought this game a few days ago. Played it for the first time this morning. Although it looks complex and took some time to get used to, it's actually fairly easy to play, even as a novice like myself. I love it allows you to be highly strategic while keeping the actual turns as short as possible. Thanks for the recommendation, best $130 (AU) I've ever spent.

[@MonkeysAreBananas77]

I have recently bought this game on steam, I know it’s not the same as having it in real life but as it’s £15 and the cheapest I can find the physical game for is £70 then you can’t really blame me. I really badly want it though because it looks absolutely beautiful and Johnny has done a brilliant job here of describing and explaining it so clearly. This channel is so exciting and I am so pleased for Johnny that he has this channel to share his love of tabletop gaming and that love is shining through so clearly. You go Johnny!

[@gradyhamilton9101]

Scythe is my secret shame. I kickstarted it and got my copy, opened it up and admired all the components a lot. To this day have never actually played it.

[@davidpercik3956]

I agree with most of this video - I spent most of my first game of Scythe just exploring the board with my bear friend. In particular I endorse descriptive encounters. Another way of making these more interesting is not to tell the player whose turn it is the precise consequences of the three actions. However, I am one of the people whose enjoyment depends on who I am playing it with, as I'm less keen on the game when it becomes an arms race. That's just my preference - PvP is an important part of the design and suits the setting. Johnny, you did a good job of explaining an intimidating but fun game.

[@grahamthiel7321]

Got my game on order should come next week

[@Haiddon]

the first time I played, I immediately grabbed the polish because it's got bear cavalry, and then the faction ability was just the perfect thing for my play style

[@markgibson8599]

Another video? You are spoiling us!

[@D2588]

Love to see you do a playthrough of something with Aoife and Ian

[@markuskrottendorfer6120]

Looks awesome! And some question off topic - where did you get that shirt?

[@Xyxthris]

Already finding this easier to follow with more "live action" sections of explanation, holding and pointing out the models etc. Go Dicebreaker!

[@nnk055]

When Johnny pulled out the board it did look intimidating but his passion for it and the way he went about going over the game made me interested for sure.