Scythe

It is a time of unrest in 1920s Europa. The ashes from the first great war still darken the snow. The capitalistic city-state known simply as “The Factory”, which fueled the war with heavily armored mechs, has closed its doors, drawing the attention of several nearby countries.

The story behind Scythe (as I know it) is that Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games saw Jakub Rozalski's phenomenal "dieselpunk, alternate post-WW1" Artwork and went "wow! I need to make a game about this!" and what a game he made!

Scythe has amazing elegance in its worker placement, variable/modular setup and in spite of its wargame trappings, give it one play and you will realise that outright aggression is not a way to stay earn victory points - you tend not to be very popular with the common folk whose farms your mechs keep trashing! (That is, unless you're Saxony... and military might is great!)

There's enough expansions (including a campaign!) to keep the variety up even with experienced playgroups, and learning the ins and outs of how the different factions and backgrounds interact will keep you on your toes for many plays.

Perfect for: history enthusiasts, optimisation experts, people who make "STOMP STOMP" noises as they move their mechs around the board!

Complexity: 3.45/5

If you like this, try: Expeditions for more in the same world or My Little Scythe for the younger gamers in your life