I've been really excited about Scythe ever since <PERSON> teased us all with the initial announcement featuring some of <PERSON>'s artwork. Since I was immediately sucked in by the art, and Viticulture/ Tuscany is one of my favorite games, I had high hopes for Scythe. But I was cautious, because I have found that getting too excited about something simply because it's based on, or similar to, something else can really let you down. For example if your favorite superhero is <PERSON>, and you wait through three X-Men movies for him to show up, but he doesn't. Then when he finally does, he has a bit part in the crappy <PERSON> spinoff. You know, just hypothetically.
Anyway, I tried to be cautiously optimistic, but the more <PERSON> revealed about the game, the more excited I got. Then I got to playtest it, and it far exceeded my expectations. I won’t go into detail about the gameplay and mechanics, because <PERSON> already did a fantastic job in his review here. https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1433140/scythe-beautiful-th...
What I will do is rave about how beautifully everything I love about gaming has come together into this one box.
In Scythe, the game ends when one player places their sixth star (in a method similar to Euphoria). Coincidentally there are six things in particular that I really love about Scythe.
Quick Note: This review is based on a prototype, so things mentioned in it may not be included in the final edition. That said, it was Wave 3 of playtesting, so it's safe to say it's very close to what the finished product will look like, and the things I’ll be discussing are core elements to the game that can’t really be changed at this point.
Theme
There are three things that immediately make me love a game; theme, mechanics, and beautiful artwork/components.
When one or two of those things are present, they can often make up for the third being lackluster. Francis Drake, for example, is a moderately fun game, but the components are of such high quality that they make the game more engaging. I love Runebound for the theme so much that I’m willing to overlook the fact that it’s a lot of dice-rolling and math. I’m a big fan of Feld’s games, and I love the mechanics in Trajan and Burgundy, despite the fact that the theme isn’t very immersive.
So in the rare times when all three of those come together, it makes for an absolutely brilliant gaming experience. 504
If I were to compare it to food (which is my other favorite hobby) I would say that it’s like having Wensleydale cheese with blueberries and lemon-roasted almonds. Each of them are great on their own, but taken all together, the result is glorious. (And yes, I know most people would have said peanut butter and chocolate, but I'm kind of pretentious, and I love cheese on a Wallace and Gromit type of level.)
Anyway, Scythe is that sort of game. The stunning and creative artwork, the bleak, yet intriguing world that <PERSON> created, and the engaging gameplay all come together beautifully, in a way that few other games can match. Again, since it's not published yet, there is some speculation on the quality of the components, but I'm very confident about they will be excellent, based on Stonemaier's other games, and what I've seen so far.
Variable Player Powers
This is a huge draw for me; I absolutely love games that feature this mechanic. Not only because I enjoy the interaction of each player utilizing different strategies, but because of what happens before the game. In most games the only choice a player gets prior to set up is what color their meeples are. With variable player powers, there’s actually a significant decision to be made by evaluating a character’s abilities. That element of choice actually brings a lot of excitement for me, especially in fantasy/adventure games. I love the role-playing aspect of selecting a character with certain abilities. In Scythe, not only does each faction have a passive ability that is significantly different from the others, but they each also have three more unique abilities that are unlocked by deploying Mechs. Plus, every faction’s character has their own appeal with the animal companions. There's a sense of confidence that comes from having a bear, or wolves, or a Siberian tiger on your side.
Replayability
This follows the previous point, because games with variable powers generally lend themselves well to replayability. During playtesting I looked forward to each new game where I got to use a new faction. 579