{"id":5958,"date":"2019-12-16T16:30:17","date_gmt":"2019-12-16T14:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/playlab.uta.fi\/?p=5958"},"modified":"2019-12-16T16:30:17","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T14:30:17","slug":"the-tides-of-war-scythe-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/the-tides-of-war-scythe-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tides of War \u2013 Scythe Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scythe is an engine-building boardgame set in<\/span>\u00a0the 1920s when the war still affected how people lived and survived. The story of Scythe is not based on WW1, however, but\u00a0<\/span>an alternate reality where \u2018The Factory\u2019 is the most\u00a0<\/span>sought after<\/span>\u00a0spot on the map.<\/span>\u00a0Players take the role of one of the factions\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0loosely represent different countries. Each faction has a different starting place on the map but they all ultimately have the same<\/span>\u00a0goal: gather resources, build structures, construct mechs and seek world domination.<\/span>\u00a0Every single player also receives a secret objective they must\u00a0<\/span>complete<\/span>\u00a0for extra juic<\/span>i<\/span>ness<\/span>\u00a0to an already incredible gameplay experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 In Scythe there are no classic player turns, no phases, no lack of action. The game uses something called the \u2018player mat\u2019 through which players can select one of a few actions to take.<\/span>\u00a0During your round you can decide whether you want to move, trade for resources, build, bolster your strength or increase popularity and a few other things, all through the player mat!<\/span>\u00a0This feature keeps the game engaging and it makes the moves of your opponents unexpected. There is no time to waste checking your phone because the constant need for strategy will keep you absolutely hooked.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0 The first time I\u00a0<\/span>play<\/span>ed Scythe I felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information thrown at me from the very beginning. I found that as soon as you have the basics covered it\u2019s very easy to get into the flow of the game and begin coming up with ways to surprise and subdue your opponents. But\u00a0<\/span>wait, there\u2019s more! Scythe might be a game set in war\u00a0<\/span>times<\/span>\u00a0but it is not all about player versus player interaction. You can play Scythe without fighting\u00a0<\/span>your opponents a single time! The way the game is constructed allows for a myriad of different gameplays and\u00a0<\/span>strategies<\/span>\u00a0which are not all based around combat. This made it very attractive to me as I am not very player versus player inclined and tend to stray away from those types of games.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 While the base game guarantees a lot of hours of fun, the expansions released are just\u00a0<\/span>an added bonus<\/span>\u00a0of awesomeness. To date, Scythe has t<\/span>hree<\/span>\u00a0expansions<\/span>, namely\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Invaders from afar\u2019 which adds two new factions to an already varied list, \u2018The Wind Gambit\u2019 where players get to control their own<\/span>\u00a0flying ships and last but not least \u2018The Rise of Fenris\u2019 which is by far the best expansion l have seen in any boardgame. Cannot recommend\u00a0<\/span>these expansions\u00a0<\/span>enough!<\/span>\u00a0\u2018The Rise of Fenris\u2019 is basically the campaign version of the game that you play together with your friends who are also your opponents during the\u00a0<\/span>ordeal<\/span>; there are alliances, wars and surprises provided by the instructions you receive as soon as you open the expan<\/span>sion box: \u2018Do not open any of the boxes inside until instructed to do so\u2019. Playing through the campaign allows you to unlock\u00a0<\/span>access to these boxes and the story that goes with them. Various new additions to the game and twists make this the very best expansion, in my humble opinion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0This game is a classic for me and my boardgame group. It can never be boring with how many different opportunities you have and the many roads you can take to get you to your goals. Although expensive and quite extensive, Scythe is right up<\/span>\u00a0there with the best boardgames of all time to me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Designer: Jamey Stegmaier<\/span><\/p>\n

Artist: Jakub Rozalski<\/span><\/p>\n

Year Published: 2016<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Genre: Sci-fi<\/span><\/p>\n

Players:\u00a01-5<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Age Suggestion:\u00a014+<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Play Time:\u00a090-115 minutes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A review of one of the most engaging boardgames out there. Here are a few words about Scythe, the engine-building game of war and peace. Will you try to defeat your opponents through combat? Will you aim to complete your secret objective? Will you form lasting alliances? All this, and more, in a 40×40 cm box full of action!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":5963,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-reviews","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}