Play Report and Mild Review: Scythe

  Son #3, Sam, asked for Scythe for Christmas and got it, so yesterday we played a quick game of it. This is a very quick play report and review:

No dice: While factions, cards, etc. are random, combat resolution is simple math.

No destruction: Figurines can only be sent home, not destroyed.

Thievery: You can take resources from others

  The quick version we played had me with the Nordics, Nick with the Poles, Sam with Crimea, Jen with Saxony, and Jack with Russia.

  We played this song a lot during Jack's turns.

  We also think gameplay will be enhanced by a variety of hats.

  Observations-

  Threat of combat is more effective than combat- because you can't permanently destroy foes you can't really do a 'knock-out' or suffer one. Oddly enough, this makes conflict less likely because combat makes you more vulnerable if you win and if you lose knocks you out of position.  The resources or territory must really be worth fighting over.

  Mobility is critical at the beginning but declines in importance over time.

  Random factions, action combinations, and objectives prevent repetitive playing strategies. 

  Overall- We look forward to years of play.

  Initial score- 4 out of 5