Scythe
Scythe Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- COMPONENTS
- OBJECT OF THE GAME
- IMPORTANT CONCEPTS
- TYPES OF UNITS
- SETUP
- MODULAR BOARD
- GAMEPLAY
- TOP-ROW ACTIONS
- BOTTOM-ROW ACTIONS
- FACTION ABILITIES
- COMBAT
- ENCOUNTERS
- THE FACTORY
- OBJECTIVES
- ALLIANCES AND BRIBES
- AIRSHIP MODULE
- PLACING STARS
- GAME END AND SCORING
- MODULAR RULES
- DESOLATION: A COOPERATIVE MODULE
- ERRATA AND VARIANTS
- UNOFFICIAL VARIANTS
- HIGHLIGHTED RULES
COMPONENTS
GLOBAL COMPONENTS
- 1 quick-reference guide
- 5 player mats
- 1 game board
- 80 resource tokens (20 each of food, metal, wood, and oil, either as wooden tokens—regular Scythe—or realistic tokens—Collector’s and Art Connoisseur Editions)
- 80 cardboard coins
- 12 multiplier tokens
- 12 encounter tokens
- 6 structure bonus tiles
- 42 combat cards (yellow)
- 23 objective cards (beige)
- 28 encounter cards (green)
- 12 Factory cards (purple)
- 2 Power Dials
- 5 Riverwalk cards
- 5 quick-start cards
- Promo Items
FACTION COMPONENTS
FACTION, PRIMARY COLOR
- NORDIC, BLUE
- SAXONY, BLACK
- POLANIA, WHITE
- CRIMEA, YELLOW
- RUSVIET, RED
EACH FACTION:
- 1 faction mat
- 1 action token
- 1 popularity token
- 1 power token
- 6 star tokens
- 4 structure tokens
- 4 recruit tokens
- 4 mech miniatures
- 1 character miniature
- 8 workers
- 6 technology cubes
INVADERS FROM AFAR EXPANSION
GLOBAL COMPONENTS
- 1 rulebook
- 2 player mats
- 1 box
- 1 punchboard
FACTION COMPONENTS
- 1 faction mat
- 1 action token
- 1 popularity token
- 1 power token
- 6 star tokens
- 4 structure tokens
- 4 recruit tokens
- 4 mech miniatures
- 1 character miniature
- 8 workers
- 6 technology cubes
- cardboard tokens
WIND GAMBIT EXPANSION
COMPONENTS
- 1 rulebook
- 1 achievement sheet
- 1 box
- 16 airship tiles
- 8 resolution tiles
- 7 airship miniatures
- 7 clear plastic stands
MODULAR BOARD COMPONENTS
- double-sided board
- 8 structure bonus tiles
- 7 home base tiles
- 4 double-sided hex tiles
- 1 inactive home base tile
- 1 rulebook
OBJECT OF THE GAME
In Scythe, each player represents a character attempting to make their faction the richest and most powerful in Eastern Europa. Players explore and conquer territory, enlist new recruits, produce resources and workers, build structures, and deploy monstrous mechs. A game of Scythe typically begins with players building up their infrastructure, exploring the world, then engaging each other in combat.
The game progresses as players place stars (achievements) on the board, and it ends when a player places their 6th star on the Triumph Track. You can earn a star for accomplishing any of the following:
- Complete all 6 upgrades
- Deploy all 4 mechs
- Build all 4 structures
- Enlist all 4 recruits
- Have all 8 workers on the board
- Reveal 1 completed objective card
- Win combat (up to 2 times)
- Have 18 popularity
- Have 16 power
GOAL
The goal is to have the greatest fortune at the end of the game; a typical winning fortune is around $75. You can accumulate coins during the game, but you will earn most of them during endgame scoring in the following three categories:
- Every star token placed
- Every territory controlled
- Every 2 resources controlled
The amount of coins you earn depends on your level on the Popularity Track. The higher your popularity, the more coins you will earn. You can also get a few bonus coins based on where you built structures.
IMPORTANT CONCEPTS
TERRITORY
A territory is a hex on the board labeled with one of the following terrain types:
- FARM
- FOREST
- MOUNTAIN
- TUNDRA
- VILLAGE
- LAKE
- FACTORY
HOME BASE
You have a home base that serves as a starting point and as a place to retreat after losing combat.
IT’S NOT A TERRITORY: A home base is not a territory, so by default you cannot move units, build structures, or deploy mechs onto any home base, including your own.
EXPANSION FACTIONS: There are two home bases on the game board without corresponding pieces. These are placeholders for expansion factions.
CONTROL
You control a territory if you have at least one unit there (a character, worker, or mech) OR if you have a structure there with no enemy characters, workers, or mechs. Only one player at a time can control a territory.
RESOURCES
Resource tokens (wood, food, metal, and oil) remain on the board once produced. You may only spend resources from territories you currently control.
SPEND RESOURCES FROM ANY TERRITORIES YOU CONTROL: You can spend resources on territories you control for actions related to territories anywhere on the board. For example, you can spend 3 metal tokens you control on one or more territories to deploy a mech on the same or a different territory (if you have a worker on that territory).
SUPPLY: When you spend a resource, remove it from the board and place it in the general supply at the side of the board. When you produce or trade for a resource (details in the Top-Row Actions section), move it from the supply to the territory where it was produced. There are no limits to the number of resource tokens in the game—use multiplier tokens as needed.
WORKERS AREN’T RESOURCES. Resources are wood, food, metal, and oil. Workers are not resources.
TYPES OF UNITS
Each of the three unit types in the game—characters, mechs, and workers—share two key similarities:
- They can move around the board (not over rivers or onto lakes, by default).
- They can transport any number of resource tokens.
Each type of unit also has some unique traits that aren’t shared by the other unit types. These concepts will be explained in detail later in the rules.
Characters can engage in combat, can have encounters, and (once per game) gain a Factory card if they end their movement on the Factory. You are represented on the board by your character. You have been sent on a mission by your faction’s leader to claim the uncharted lands surrounding the defunct Factory.
Mechs can engage in combat and, when moving, can transport any number of workers. Mechs cannot transport your character. Mechs are built for war (and for discouraging other factions from engaging in war with them), and they’re big enough that they can carry workers within their iron shells.
Workers can produce resources and more workers, deploy mechs, and build structures. These are the people of the land who have joined your cause to build an empire for you.
WIND GAMBIT EXPANSION
An Airships are distinctly different from characters, mechs, and workers. Unlike those units, airships never control territories. Airships are moved via a Move action, and rivers and lakes do not constrain their movement. Each game, all airships have two randomly combined abilities that are the same for all players.
A visual cue in Scythe is that tokens that take part in combat are made out of plastic (characters, mechs and airships - in some instances when noted by airship tile). All other tokens are made out of wood to show that they do not take part in combat (workers, resources, and structures).
SETUP
BOARD SETUP
ENCOUNTER TOKENS (GREEN COMPASS): Place 1 encounter token on each territory marked with an encounter symbol on the board (11 total tokens).
RESOURCES AND COINS: Place the resource tokens (wood, oil, food, and metal), coins, and multiplier tokens in a supply area next to the board.
COMBAT CARDS (YELLOW): Shuffle the combat cards and put them on the board. If a combat card would need to be drawn from an empty deck, first shuffle the discard pile to create a new deck. If both the deck and discard pile are empty, no cards are drawn.
FACTORY CARDS (PURPLE): Shuffle the Factory cards and randomly select X cards face-down, where X is the number of players plus 1. Place those cards on the board face-down and return the rest of the Factory cards to the box without looking at them.
ENCOUNTER CARDS (GREEN): Shuffle the encounter cards and put them on the board.
OBJECTIVE CARDS (BEIGE): Shuffle the objective cards and put them on the board.
STRUCTURE BONUS TILE: Randomly select one of the structure bonus tiles and place it face-up at the bottom of the Popularity Track.
FACTION SELECTION
Randomly shuffle the faction mats and player mats, then deal 1 of each to each player. Each player should sit near the home base for their faction with their faction mat and player mat positioned in front of them; the seating order should be Nordic, Rusviet, Crimea, Saxony, Polania (clockwise from top).
Note: The faction mat/player mat combinations of Rusviet/Industrial and Crimea/Patriotic are banned. If you draw either of those combinations, discard the player mat and randomly gain another.
AIRSHIP MODULE SETUP
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Each player claims the airship in their faction’s color and places it on their home base.
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Shuffle the 2 types of airship tiles separately (they have different backs). Reveal 1 aggressive tile (red) and 1 passive (green). Place the selected tiles on the board next to the encounter deck. All players’ airships have a combination of both abilities at all times.
SETUP FOR PLAYING WITH 6 OR 7 PLAYERS
The Invaders From Afar expansion allows for up to 7 players to play Scythe. There are no changes to the map; as would be the case in the real world, the game board is simply more crowded with more factions trying to conquer it. There are two small changes to the rules for 6-7 player games:
CRIMEA: One of the original Crimean mech abilities (Wayfare) is a non-factor in 6-7 player games. In a game of this size, the Crimean faction should replace the Wayfare ability with this new ability (placing the appropriate punchboard token on their faction mat): Move to any unoccupied farm.
POLANIA: The original Polania faction ability (Meander) results in a minimal benefit in 6-7 player games.
When playing games of this size, the Polania faction should replace the Meander ability with this new ability (placing the appropriate punchboard token on their faction mat): Pick up to 2 options per encounter card. At end of game, gain $3 for each encounter territory you control.
While there are no other rule changes when adding a 6th or 7th player, please take into account the following notes regarding games of this size:
GAME LENGTH: A game of Scythe usually lasts about 25 minutes per player, so it will take longer with more players.
NEW PLAYERS: If this is a player’s first time playing Scythe, we highly recommend they randomly select one of the original factions, not Albion or Togawa.
OVERLAPPING TURNS: Regardless of the player count, you may begin your turn once the player to your right starts to take a bottom-row action.
FIRST PLAYER: The new player mats—which are now shuffled in with the other player mats during setup for all games of Scythe regardless of player count—are numbered 2a and 3a. These numbers only matter when you are determining the first player based on the lowest-numbered player mat: The order is 1, 2, 2a, 3, 3a, 4, 5.
STARTING CARDS AND TRACK POSITIONS
Both the faction mat and player mat indicate your starting cards and track positions in the boxes on the far right of each mat.
FACTION MAT
POWER TOKEN: Place your power token on the indicated level of the Power Track on the game board. Power is the commodity you will spend in combat.
COMBAT CARDS: Draw the indicated number of combat cards. The number of combat cards you have is public information, but the content of those cards is kept secret from opponents.
PLAYER MAT
POPULARITY TOKEN: Place your popularity token on the indicated level of the Popularity Track on the game board.
OBJECTIVE CARDS: Draw the indicated number of objective cards. The content of those cards is kept secret from opponents. After all players have drawn their objective cards, return the objective deck to the board.
COINS: Gain the indicated amount of coins and place them on your faction mat. While the number of coins you have during the game is not hidden information, you are never required to reveal their total value to other players. The decisions you make in Scythe are not impacted by each of your opponent’s coin totals.
CHARACTER
Place your character (miniature with the person & animal) on your faction’s home base.
WORKERS
Place 1 worker on each of the territories connected to your home base by land (a total of 2 workers).
PLAYER MAT
Your player mat is where you’ll be choosing actions during the game.
TECHNOLOGY CUBES: Put 6 technology cubes on your player mat on the green boxes that have a black square in the bottom right corner.
WORKERS: Your remaining 6 workers (meeples) go on the rectangles above the Produce action.
STRUCTURE TOKENS: Your 4 structure tokens (wooden buildings: Armory, Monument, Mine, and Mill) go on top of the corresponding boxes. Each player has the same 4 structures.
ACTION TOKEN: Place your action token next to the player mat.
RECRUIT TOKENS: Your 4 recruit tokens (cylinders) go on the circular spaces on the bottom row of the player mat.
STARTING PLAYER: The player with the lowest number in the label on their player mat will go first. Play proceeds clockwise from there.
DESIGNER’S NOTE: The higher-numbered player mats offer slightly more lucrative starting track positions than the others, as those players are more likely to have 1 fewer turn by the end of the game than the player who goes first.
FACTION MAT
Your faction mat is where you keep your mechs, stars, and coins. Each faction mat also shows a special ability in the upper right corner.
Do not put tokens on top of the Recruit One-Time Bonuses (bottom left corner)—you’ll gain these benefits when enlisting recruits during the game.
STARS: Place your 6 star tokens at the upper left near the faction emblem.
MECHS: Place your 4 mech miniatures on top of the 4 mech/character abilities.
QUICK-START CARD
We recommend that you don’t try to teach every little rule to new players. Instead, give each player a quickstart card. This card contains key information about units on one side, and the other side covers broad concepts and gives players something specific to do for their first five turns.
Your first game of Scythe isn’t about devising a masterful plan or understanding every little rule. Just jump in and start pushing buttons to see how things work, referring to the rules when necessary.
RIVERWALK CARD
The riverwalk cards—one per player—are a reminder as to which factions have the ability to cross into each home territory if they unlock the Riverwalk mech ability, as each Riverwalk ability is slightly different. This ability is explained for each faction.
MODULAR BOARD
The Scythe modular board adds a new level of variability to Scythe, with the map and the faction locations changing every time you play.
SETUP
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Randomly select either side of the board.
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Randomly place the modular tiles on the designated areas of the board, oriented in the proper direction. If a tile placement results in a lake being adjacent to a home base, flip the tile over to the other side (one of the two sides is guaranteed to fit).
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Randomly place a home base tile on each of the corresponding hexes, regardless of player count.
a. If you do not have The Rise of Fenris, use all 8 of these home base tiles, including the inactive one.
b. Note that we don’t recommend using the modular board during campaign play, as certain random layouts may conflict with various episodes.
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Randomly deal a player mat to each player.
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Starting with the highest-numbered mat, select a faction. Continue in descending order through the player mats until each player has selected their faction (descending order is 5, 4, 3a, 3, 2a, 2, 1).
a. IMPORTANT: When making a faction selection, consider their Riverwalk ability, particularly if they have access to metal (for deploying mechs) but not wood (for building a Mine). Experienced players may need to guide newer players through this decision.
b. FIRST PLAYER: As normal, the player with the lowest-numbered mat will be the first player, with play continuing clockwise.
FACTION-SPECIFIC NOTES
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BANNED COMBINATIONS: The player with the Industrial player mat may not choose the Rusviet faction, and the player with the Patriotic player mat may not choose the Crimean faction. If you draw either of those combinations, discard the player mat and randomly gain another.
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WAYFARE (CRIMEA): Even in 6-7 player games, Crimea should use their original Wayfare ability. Any inactive home base is eligible for this ability (e.g., there will be 1 inactive home base in a 7-player game, 2 in a 6-player game, and so on).
OTHER NOTES
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LAKES: If there is water on a non-lake territory that connects to an adjacent lake, it is considered part of the lake (you don’t need Riverwalk to cross it, but you do need a lakewalk ability).
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PLAYER COUNT VARIANT: You may choose to remove modular tiles based on player count, leaving parts of the board empty. Do this after faction selection. The exact tiles and even the number of tiles removed will depend on which home bases were selected, but a general approximation is as follows:
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2 – 3 players: remove 2-3 modular tiles
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4 players: remove 1 modular tile
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5 – 7 players: remove 0 modular tiles
If you have The Rise of Fenris, use 7 of these home base tiles and the 2 new faction tiles (after the random placement, 1 faction will be excluded). Do not use the inactive home base tile.
GAMEPLAY
Scythe uses an ongoing action-selection mechanism (no rounds or phases). Players take turns one after another until a player places their 6th star on the board, immediately ending the game.
On your turn, do the following in sequential order:
- Place your action token on a different section of your player mat than where it was on your previous turn.
- Take the top-row action on that section once (optional).
- Take the bottom-row action on that section once (optional).
Thus, you may take a single action, both actions (from top to bottom), or neither action (but you must still move your action token). You may use resources gained from the top-row action to pay for the bottom-row action. Also, you may complete an objective card during your turn (see Objective section).
The costs (red boxes) and benefits (green boxes) on your player mat are shown by the number of empty spaces before the action is taken. When taking an action, first pay the cost, then gain as much or as little of the benefit as you wish. You may only take an action once on your turn, not multiple times.
After you’ve completed your turn (or as you’re finalizing your decision on a bottom-row action—it is crucial for turns to overlap in this manner to keep the game moving at a steady pace), the next person in clockwise order takes their turn.
TOP-ROW ACTIONS
The top-row actions appear in a different order on each player mat, though each action is identical. The player mat visuals and the default costs and benefits explained in this section are based on the starting position of each player mat.
MOVE
Do one of the following (“/” means “or”):
MOVE: Move up to 2 different units you control (character, worker, airship or mech) from one territory (or home base) to one adjacent territory. Move one, then move the other.
GAIN COIN(S): Gain $1.
Here are some important notes about how movement works:
RESOURCES AND WORKERS: Units may pick up and drop off any number of resource tokens during a Move action.
MECHS: In addition to resources, your mechs can pick up and drop off any number of your workers during a Move action. If they do, this does not count as movement for the workers, just the mech. So you could transport some workers on a mech, and then one of those workers could move on its own. You could also use part of your Move action to move a worker onto a territory with a mech, then move the mech while carrying the worker.
RIVERS AND LAKES: By default, units may not move across rivers or onto lakes. This rule is broken by some mech abilities (see Mech abilities for Polania and Nordic).
RIVER: A river is a body of water on the border between two land territories.
LAKE: A lake is a body of water comprised of an entire territory hex. It extends from the hex to any adjacent shoreline. Thus, in the example shown here, if a player has a special lake-movement ability, they could move from any of the surrounding territories onto the lake.
TUNNELS: For the purposes of the Move action for any unit except airships, all territories with the tunnel icon are considered to be adjacent to each other.
MOVING INTO OPPONENT-CONTROLLED TERRITORIES
CONTROLLED BY WORKERS
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If your character or mech move into a territory controlled by an opponent’s workers (and no other units), its movement ends (even if you have a mech ability that would allow it to move further). Each of the opponent’s workers on that territory immediately retreats to their faction’s home base, leaving behind any resource tokens. You lose 1 popularity for each of their workers you forced to retreat—they’re not happy with you for forcing them off their land (in the case that you cannot reduce your popularity any further, the workers are still forced to retreat).
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Your workers cannot move by themselves into territories controlled by opponent workers.
CONTROLLED BY A STRUCTURE
- Any unit can move into a territory controlled only by a structure. The player who controls the unit now also controls the territory.
CONTROLLED BY CHARACTER AND/OR MECHS
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If your character or mech move into a territory controlled by an opponent’s character and/or mechs, its movement ends (even if you have a mech ability that would allow it to move further). The opponent still temporarily controls that territory. After you’ve completed all Move actions, if any of your mechs or your character share a territory with an opponent’s character or mechs, combat happens (see Combat section).
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Your workers cannot move by themselves into or out of territories controlled by opponent characters and/ or mechs.
HOME BASE: By default, you may not use the Move action to move any unit from the board into any home base (including yours).
ENCOUNTERS: If you move your character into a territory with an encounter token, its movement ends and they cannot move again this turn. After resolving all combats for this turn, if your character is still in such a territory, discard the encounter token and resolve the encounter (see Encounters).
NO LIMIT: There is no limit to the number of same-faction units that can be on a territory.
BOLSTER
Pay the cost ($1) and gain one of the following:
POWER: Increase your power by 2 on the Power Track. Power is the commodity you will spend in combat.
COMBAT CARD(S): Draw 1 combat card. Combat cards are used to augment the power you spend in combat (you may spend up to 1 combat card per character/mech in combat). If a combat card would need to be drawn from an empty deck, first shuffle the discard pile to create a new deck. If there is no discard pile, no cards are drawn.
TRADE
Pay the cost ($1) and gain one of the following:
RESOURCES: Gain any 2 resource tokens (any combination of oil, metal, food, and/or wood) and place them on any territory you control with at least one worker on it. You may not take the trade action to pay for resources if all of your workers are on your home base.
POPULARITY: Increase your popularity by 1 on the Popularity Track. Popularity is a commodity used in encounters, and it determines your scoring multiplier at the end of the game.
STRATEGY TIP: While producing with workers will provide the bulk of most players’ resources, trading has some benefits over producing that should not be underestimated. For example, trading for a desired resource is sometimes preferable to moving a worker to a territory that provides that resource. The action that you would have spent on movement can now be used for something more productive. Trading also allows players to access resources that aren’t available in their homeland.
PRODUCE
Pay the cost (depending on what is shown on all exposed red rectangles before taking the Produce action), choose up to 2 different territories you control, and all workers on those territories may produce.
On the territories you selected for production, each worker may produce 1 token. The resource token is placed on the territory where it was produced. If a worker produces another worker (by producing on a village), after paying the Produce cost, pick up the leftmost worker of the Produce action on your player mat and place it on the village.
| TERRAIN TYPE | WHAT IT PRODUCES |
|---|---|
| MOUNTAIN | METAL |
| FARM | FOOD |
| TUNDRA | OIL |
| FOREST | WOOD |
| VILLAGE | WORKER |
| LAKE | |
| FACTORY |
PAYMENT IS REQUIRED: As is the case with any action, you must be able to pay the full cost to take the Produce action. If you don’t have the coins, popularity, and/or power, you must take other actions instead.
NO LIMIT: Any number of resource tokens or workers can be on a territory. There are no limits to the number of resource tokens in the game. If necessary, place a multiplier token next to resource tokens on the board.
WORKERS ARE PERMANENT: Once you have a worker on the board, you cannot return it to your player mat.
It is possible—albeit very rare—that players may find themselves in a position where they cannot take any actions (if they last took a Move action and have no coins, resources, power, or popularity). If that happens, the player must take a “dead turn” where they choose another section of the player mat without taking any of the actions there. We recommend being thrifty with coins early in the game to prevent this from happening.
BOTTOM-ROW ACTIONS
The bottom-row actions are in the same order on all player mats, but the costs and benefits vary. The player mat visuals and the default costs and benefits explained in this section are based on the starting position of each player mat.
OVERLAPPING TURNS: Usually when a player starts to take the bottom-row action (which isn’t interactive but may take a few seconds to figure out), the next player can start to take their turn.
COINS: Most of the bottom actions give you at least one coin when you pay to take that action. We recommend that players take the coins before implementing the main focus of the action so they don’t forget to gain those coins. A player may choose not to take the coins (e.g., if coins interfere with their objective).
COMPLETING ACTIONS: Eventually you may “complete” a bottom-row action (e.g., with the Upgrade action, at some point you may have nothing more to upgrade). After that point you may continue to pay the cost of the action to gain the coins (and the recruit bonus, if applicable).
RECRUITS: Each of the bottom actions has a Recruit Ongoing Bonus (green circle). If it is exposed, it rewards a player when they or adjacent opponents take this action. See the Enlist section for details.
UPGRADE
Upgrading improves the efficiency of the infrastructure in your growing empire. The resource used to upgrade is oil.
To upgrade, pay the cost, pick up a technology cube from any green box on your player mat, and place it on any empty red box with bracketed borders. Red boxes with solid black borders are off limits for upgrades.
DEPLOY
You can deploy mechs (miniatures) to protect your workers, expand your empire, and add new abilities to your character and other mechs. The resource used to deploy mechs is metal.
To deploy a mech, pay the cost, choose any mech on your faction mat, and place that mech on a territory you control with at least one worker on it. You can’t deploy mechs on lakes (even if your faction has mech abilities allowing your mechs to move onto lakes).
From now on, your character and all mechs (not your workers) gain the ability on the faction mat that was under the mech miniature. These abilities vary from faction to faction.
SAXONY
RIVERWALK: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto forests and mountains.
UNDERPASS: For the purposes of Move actions for your character and mechs, mountains you control and all tunnels are considered to be adjacent to each other. For example, if your mech is on a mountain, it can move from that mountain to (a) any other mountain you control or (b) any tunnel (or your Mine).
DISARM: Before you engage in combat on a territory with a tunnel or your Mine, the combating opponent loses 2 power. This loss of power is reflected on the Power Track. You may do this once per combat, not once per unit.
SPEED: Your character and mechs may move one additional territory when moving. If any of those units move into a territory containing an opponent’s character, mech, or worker, their movement ends and they cannot move again this turn. Moving from one tunnel to another still counts as 1 move, so with this ability you could move an additional territory before or after moving through a tunnel. Your mechs can pick up and drop off resources and workers in the middle of a Move action when they have the Speed ability.
RUSVIET
RIVERWALK: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto farms and villages.
TOWNSHIP: For the purposes of Move actions for your character and mechs, villages you control and the Factory are considered to be adjacent to each other. For example, if your mech is on a village, it can move from that village to (a) any other village you control or (b) the Factory.
PEOPLE’S ARMY: In combat where you have at least 1 worker, you may play one additional combat card. You still require a character or mech to participate in combat. For example, if you have 2 mechs and 3 workers in combat, you may play up to 3 combat cards (1 for each of the mechs and 1 because you have at least 1 worker).
SPEED: Your character and mechs may move one additional territory per movement. See Speed for full details.
NORDIC
RIVERWALK: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto forests and mountains.
SEAWORTHY: Your character and mechs can move to and from lakes and retreat onto adjacent lakes (you may still also retreat those units to your home base). This allows for lake hexes to be treated the same as other territories for movement. If a mech transports workers onto a lake (during a Move action or when retreating) or if a character or mech transports resources onto a lake, you may not leave those workers or resources on the lake after moving off of it, nor may a worker move off of the lake without the assistance of the mech. Lakes are territories, so if two factions have a lake-movement ability, it’s possible for combat to happen on a lake. You cannot build a structure or deploy a mech on a lake.
ARTILLERY: Before you engage in combat, you may pay 1 power to force the combating opponent to lose 2 power. This loss of power is reflected on the Power Track. You may do this once per combat, not once per unit.
SPEED: Your character and mechs may move one additional territory per movement. See Speed for full details.
CRIMEA
RIVERWALK: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto farms and tundra.
WAYFARE: Your character and mechs may move from a territory or home base to any inactive faction’s home base or your own regardless of the distance. An “inactive faction” is any faction not currently in the game, including the expansion factions. Normally players may not move into any home base, but this is an exception to that rule. In a 6-7 player game not using the modular board replace the Wayfare ability with the new ability: Move to any unoccupied farm (place the appropriate punchboard token on their faction mat).
SCOUT: Before you engage in combat, steal one of the opponent’s combat cards at random and add it to your hand. You may do this once per combat, not once per unit.
SPEED: Your character and mechs may move one additional territory per movement. See Speed for full details.
POLANIA
RIVERWALK: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto villages and mountains.
SUBMERGE: Your character and mechs may move to and from lakes and move from any lake to another (similar to tunnel movement, but with lakes). If a mech transports workers onto a lake or if a character or mech transports resources onto a lake, you may not leave those workers or resources on the lake after moving off of it, nor may a worker move off of the lake without the assistance of the mech. Lakes are territories, so if two factions have a lake-movement ability, it’s possible for combat to happen on a lake. You cannot build a structure or deploy a mech on a lake.
CAMARADERIE: You do not lose popularity when forcing an opponent’s workers to retreat after winning combat as the aggressor. This applies any time on your turn when your character or mechs force an opponent’s workers to retreat after combat, but not when moving into a territory controlled by workers (not combat).
SPEED: Your character and mechs may move one additional territory per movement. See Speed for full details.
CLAN ALBION
(Invaders from Afar expansion)
BURROW: Your character and mechs may cross rivers into, or out of, any adjacent tunnel territory. A territory containing your Mine counts as a tunnel territory, but a territory containing an opponent’s Mine does not.
SWORD: Before you engage in combat as the attacker, the defender loses 2 power. The loss of power is reflected on the Power Track (players cannot have less than 0 power). This happens once per combat, not once per unit.
SHIELD: Before you engage in combat as the defender, gain 2 power. The extra power is reflected on the Power Track. This happens once per combat, not once per unit.
RALLY: When taking a Move action, your character and mechs can move to any territory that contains at least one of your workers or a Flag token, regardless of the distance.
TOGAWA SHOGUNATE
(Invaders from Afar expansion)
TOKA: Once per turn when moving, either 1 character or 1 mech may move across a river. A mech can use this ability while transporting workers. The character or mech may not move across multiple rivers when using a Move action on a Factory card.
SUITON: Your character and mechs can move to and from lakes. If combat occurs on a lake (some other factions have lake-related abilities), you may play 1 additional combat card. You may do this once per combat, not once per unit. If a mech transports workers onto a lake or if a character or mech transports resources onto a lake, you may not leave those workers or resources on the lake after moving off of it, nor may a worker move off of the lake without the assistance of the mech. You cannot build a structure or deploy a mech on a lake, but you may place a trap there.
RONIN: Before combat where you have exactly 1 unit (0 workers and either 1 character or 1 mech), you may gain 2 power on the Power Track. Do not count airships or workers on airships.
SHINOBI: Your character and mechs can move to any territory with a Trap token, regardless of the distance. When using the Shinobi ability, if your character or mech ends their movement on the same space as a disarmed Trap token (i.e., not in the middle of a Factory card’s Move action), you may choose to arm the Trap. If using Shinobi results in combat, you may only arm the Trap if you win the combat.
VESNA
(The Rise of Fenris expansion)
MECH ABILITIES
Unlike other factions, Vesna has only 2 latent mech abilities (Riverwalk and Speed). The other spots are blank. However, her faction also comes with 18 mech ability tokens (with a blue border). Vesna may select these tokens during setup—this selection happens after Mech Mods are selected (in a non-campaign game) but before any Mods/abilities are placed on Vesna’s faction mat.
a. Randomly select 6 mech ability tokens from Vesna’s supply of 18 tokens. Return the others to the box—they won’t be used this game.
b. From your mech ability tokens and Mech Mods, you may choose 2–4 tokens. Place 2 of those tokens on the blank spaces on your faction mat; if you choose a 3rd or 4th token, place them over your printed mech abilities (Riverwalk and Speed). These tokens are locked in place for the current game; set aside unused tokens.
RIVERWALK: You may move your character and mechs across rivers to/from an adjacent territory containing any player’s structure.
SPEED: Your character and mechs may move one additional hex per Move action.
Some of Vesna’s mech ability tokens are clarified in the instructions for Mech Mods.
FENRIS
(The Rise of Fenris expansion)
MECH ABILITIES
LEAP: When moving, you may “leap over” a territory if the destination is in a straight line (allows crossing of rivers and lakes, and avoiding enemy units). You may do this twice in the same turn using a Factory card Move action.
HORRIFY: You may give an opponent 1 Influence token for each unit (character, mech, or worker) you force to retreat as an aggressor. This applies to forcing workers off territories in non-combat situations, as well as winning combat as an attacker. The Influence token must come from your personal supply.
DEATH RAY: In combat, play any number of combat cards having the same value. You may only use identical cards in each combat (regardless of the quantity of your combat units), but there is no limit to the number you may play. Once Death Ray is unlocked, before each combat, you may decide whether or not to use it. If you do not use it, you may choose any combination of power cards, up to the number your combat units involved, as normal.
FANATICAL: Your mechs and character may move to any non-adjacent territory containing an Influence token. Gain the token.
- You only gain an Influence token if you move to it with the Fanatical ability. Normal moves and Leap movements do not force you to gain Influence tokens.
BUILD
You can build structures (structure tokens) to enhance your actions, control territories, and get end-game bonuses. The resource used to build structures is wood.
To build a structure, pay the cost, pick up any structure from your player mat, and place it on a territory you control with at least one worker on it.
LIMIT 1 PER TERRITORY: Only 1 structure can be built on each territory. So if you’re the first player to build a structure on a specific territory, neither you nor any opponent may build another structure there.
STRUCTURE CONTROL: Opponents can’t use your structure abilities. You always get the abilities from your structures even if you don’t control the territories they’re on (except for the Mill—you can’t produce on the Mill’s territory if you don’t control that territory).
TERRITORY CONTROL: A territory with one of your structures on it is under your control even if you have no units there. However, if an opponent’s unit is on a territory with your structure, that territory is under their control.
PERMANENCE: Structures cannot be destroyed or moved.
FACTORY: You may build on the Factory territory.
PLACES YOU CAN’T BUILD: Home bases aren’t territories, so you can’t build there. You also can’t build structures on lakes.
ONGOING BONUS: The benefit revealed by removing a structure from your player mat is an additional benefit you will gain when taking the top-row action directly above it in the future.
MONUMENT: Whenever you take the Bolster action, also gain 1 popularity.
MILL: Whenever you take the Produce action, the territory with the Mill may count as an extra (bonus) territory for production. The Mill will produce as if it were a worker. If there are actual workers on the Mill territory, they may also produce.
MINE: The Mine acts as a tunnel that only you can use. You may move units to and from your Mine as if it is a tunnel (even if an opponent controls the territory the Mine is on). Unlike the other structures, this is an ongoing ability associated with all unit movement.
ARMORY: Whenever you take the Trade action, also gain 1 power.
END-GAME BONUS: At the end of the game, players will gain coins for achieving the goals shown on the structure bonus tile that was randomly selected during setup. You gain this bonus even if you don’t control the territories the structures are on. This bonus represents how property values have strengthened your expanding empire.
The 6 base game structure bonus tiles are as follows:
-
Number of tunnel territories adjacent to your structures. Only count each tunnel once. A Mine does not count as a tunnel for this purpose, and rivers do not break adjacency.
-
Number of lakes adjacent to your structures. Only count each lake once.
-
Number of encounters adjacent to your structures. Only count each encounter once. These count whether or not the encounter tokens are still there. Rivers do not break adjacency.
-
Number of tunnel territories with your structures on them. A Mine does not count as a tunnel for this purpose.
-
Number of your structures in a row (any continuous straight line is fine; only count the longest row of structures you have; rivers do not break continuity).
-
Number of farms and tundras with your structures on them.
STRUCTURE BONUS TILES (INCLUDED WITH THE SCYTHE MODULAR BOARD)
The 8 new structure bonus tiles should be shuffled into the original tiles for all games of Scythe, not just those played with the modular board.
- Number of structures adjacent to any home base or the Factory.
- Number of structures adjacent to the same lake.
- Number of structures on village territories.
- Number of structures on encounter territories.
- Number of structures not adjacent to other buildings (your buildings or opponents’ buildings).
- Number of structures within a diamond formation (the pictured formation from any angle). Use your largest collection of structures that matches this shape to score.
- Number of structures on mountains and forests.
- Number of structures adjacent to the same encounter territory.
ENLIST
You can enlist new recruits (cylindrical tokens) to join your forces. The resource used to enlist recruits is food.
ONE-TIME BONUS: To enlist a recruit, pay the cost, pick up a recruit token from any section of your player mat, place it on any open Recruit One-Time Bonus space on your faction mat, and immediately gain the depicted bonus. This represents what your new recruit is immediately contributing to your forces. The token remains there permanently—it can’t be moved.
The four one-time bonuses are:
- Gain 2 power
- Gain 2 coins
- Gain 2 popularity
- Draw 2 combat cards
ONGOING BONUS: In addition to the one-time bonus, each recruit gives you a Recruit Ongoing Bonus related to the action from which you selected the recruit token (the bonus in the circle). This represents a skill the recruit brings to your force.
For the rest of the game, whenever you or the player to your immediate left or right (these players are shown in the icon in the red circle) take the bottom-row action in the section of the player mat from which the recruit was taken, you may gain the specified bonus. Top-row actions or a similar action on a Factory card (see Factory section) or encounter (see Encounter section) do not count.
PLAYER ORDER: If more than one player would gain a Recruit Ongoing Bonus, the active player goes first, followed by the player to their left, then the player on their right. If one of those players places their 6th star as a result, the game immediately ends (see Game End and Scoring).
PROCLAMATION: You must announce when you take bottom-row actions so adjacent players know to check for Recruit Ongoing Bonuses.
TWO-PLAYER RULES: In a 2-player game,whenever your opponent takes an action that would give you a Recruit Ongoing Bonus, you only gain it once.
FACTION ABILITIES
Each faction has a special ability indicated at the upper right of the faction mat.
RUSVIET (RELENTLESS): You may choose the same section on your player mat as the previous turn(s).
The Rusviets push their people hard, day after day, to achieve their ultimate goal. While other factions let their infrastructure take a break from turn to turn, the Rusviet faction may choose the same section of their player mat as the previous turn(s). This ability does not apply to Factory cards.
CRIMEA (COERCION): Once per turn, you may spend 1 combat card as if it were any 1 resource token.
The Crimean faction has a longstanding tradition of selling information to the highest bidder. They may spend 1 combat card per turn as if it were a resource to pay for something (1 combat card = any 1 resource token, regardless of the number on the combat card). Combat cards are still worth nothing at the end of the game.
NORDIC (SWIM): Your workers may move across rivers.
Nordic workers are accomplished swimmers who refuse to complain even when wading through the coldest of waters. They may move across rivers onto any type of terrain (except lakes). This ability applies only to workers, not the character and mechs.
POLANIA (MEANDER): Pick up to 2 options per encounter card.
Thanks to Anna’s charismatic bear companion, Wojtek, the pair tend to stretch short encounters into longer adventures. Instead of picking just 1 option per encounter card, the Polanian faction may choose up to 2 different options per encounter card in any order. The benefit from the first selected option may be used to pay the cost for the second selected option. Only one encounter card is drawn.
SAXONY (DOMINATE): There is no limit to the number of stars you can place from completing objectives or winning combat.
Saxony’s methodical approach to conquering the eastern lands surrounding the Factory is all about asserting force and completing specific missions. The Saxon faction may complete both of their objective cards (they don’t discard the second card after achieving the first), and they are not limited to 2 combat victory stars. If Saxony has available stars, after winning combat, they must place the star.
DESIGNER’S NOTE: One of the subtle benefits of some of these faction abilities is that they help to teach and remind players of the global rules of Scythe...by breaking those rules. For example, when you read that the Rusviet faction can choose the same section of their player mat on subsequent turns, you also learn that under normal circumstances, you can’t choose the same section twice in a row. In a game with lots of rules to remember, I found that these subtle reminders really help.
TOGAWA SHOGUNATE
FACTION ABILITY (MAIFUKU): After ending your character’s movement (unless they enter combat and/or an encounter, in which case they must wait until all units have moved and the combat/encounter has been resolved on that territory), the Togawa player may place an armed Trap token of their choice from their supply onto the character’s territory (even if that territory has an opponent’s structure on it). A territory can only have 1 faction token on it (1 Flag or 1 Trap). Trap tokens may not be removed or moved once placed.
The Togawa Shogunate is united behind a common cause of controlling as much of Eastern Europa as possible…and discouraging other factions from doing the same. They have 4 Trap tokens at their disposal, each with an “armed” and a “disarmed” side. For the purposes of end-game scoring, an armed Trap token grants Togawa control of the territory (no other units are necessary). It is not possible for there to be enemy units in a territory with an armed Trap.
TRIGGERING A TRAP: If an opponent moves a unit onto a territory with an armed Trap token, that unit’s movement ends. Flip over the Trap token to reveal a penalty the opponent must incur if possible (e.g., lose 2 popularity). This happens before anything else, including combat or an encounter. The Trap token remains on the territory—it is now disarmed.
STRUCTURE INTERACTION: An opponent may build a structure on a territory with a Trap. At the end of the game, if the only player tokens on that territory are the structure and the Trap (whether the Trap is armed or disarmed), the player with the structure controls that territory.
PENALTY LIST: Lose 2 popularity; lose 3 power; lose $4; and discard 2 combat cards at random. Opponents should be made aware of the various Trap penalties before the game begins.
CLAN ALBION
FACTION ABILITY (EXALT): After ending your character’s movement (unless they enter combat and/or an encounter, in which case they must wait until all units have moved and the combat/encounter has been resolved on that territory), the Albion player may place a Flag token from their supply on the character’s territory. A territory can only have 1 faction token on it (1 Flag or 1 Trap). Flag tokens may not be removed or moved once placed.
After being confined to their homeland for centuries, Clan Albion craves control of new territories. This is exemplified by the Albion faction’s 4 Flag tokens, each of which counts as an additional territory for end-game scoring to the Albion player if (a) they control the Flag token’s territory with a character, mech, worker, or unoccupied structure AND (b) the Flag token is not on a territory adjacent to the Albion home base.
VESNA FACTION
DESIGNER’S NOTE: Vesna is an advanced faction that is highly variable and will benefit a player who is flexible in their strategies. It is a tricky faction for you, the player, and for your opponents, as her abilities change from game to game.
SETUP
- For regular (non-campaign) games of Scythe, select a random home base tile from those unused by other players and place the Vesna faction home base tile on the board in its place.
- Randomly gain 6 mech ability tokens and keep 2-4, placing them on your faction mat.
- After placing the usual number of Factory cards on the board, randomly draw 3 Factory cards from those not in use. Place them face up next to your player mat.
FACTION ABILITY
TECHNOPHILE: The 3 selected Factory cards are available to you from the start of the game. They are used like normal Factory cards (place your action token on a Factory card to use the top and/or bottom action). Every time you use a Factory card (including one acquired from the Factory), return it to the box. You may still only acquire 1 card from the Factory over the course of each game.
NOTE: Vesna’s starting Factory cards do not count toward completing Objectives.
FENRIS FACTION
DESIGNER’S NOTE: Fenris is a powerful faction, but with some handicaps. Movement is important to Fenris, and the faction will likely benefit an aggressive player more than a passive one.
SETUP
- For regular (non-campaign) games of Scythe, select a random home base tile from those unused by other players and place the Fenris faction home base tile on the board in its place.
- Place all 16 Influence tokens in your supply and then set up your faction as usual.
FACTION ABILITY
INFLUENCE: After moving your character (and resolving combat and/or encounters), you may place an Influence token on that territory if there is no other token there. You may then place 1 more Influence token on any other unoccupied, tokenless, primary terrain territory.
- A territory containing only a structure or airship is not considered “occupied” (only workers, characters, and mechs can occupy territories).
- Influence may not be placed on a territory with a Trap, Flag, Encounter, or Influence token.
- A “primary terrain territory” for the second influence token includes mountains, farms, tundras, forests, and villages (not lakes, the Factory, or home bases).
INFLUENCE TOKENS
- For non-Fenris players, whenever one of your units (character, mech, or worker) moves into a territory containing an Influence token, that unit’s movement ends. Gain the Influence token (place it on your faction mat).
- If your Mill produces a worker on a territory containing an Influence token, you gain the Influence immediately.
- Airships, and workers they carry, do not occupy territories and do not claim Influence. If your airship drops off a worker onto a territory containing an Influence token, you gain the Influence immediately.
- Fenris units do not gain Influence tokens from the board (aside from with the Fanatical mech ability), and their units do not need to stop when they reach an Influence token.
- Each Influence token is worth -$1 at the end of the game to the player who has it. (This means that the Fenris player effectively begins each game with -$16.)
END OF GAME
The fewest coins you can end the game with--even after accounting for Influence tokens that may reduce your coin total below $0—is $0.
COMBAT
Combat may happen at the end of a player’s Move action (after all units have moved but before the player takes a bottom-row action). If that player’s character and/or mechs share a territory with an opponent’s character and/or mechs, combat occurs. It’s possible for this to happen on multiple territories; in that case, the active player (the attacker) chooses the order in which these combats occur.
Combat happens only between the two players whose units share a territory, either of whom can gain a star for winning the combat. Other players may try to influence the combating players by bribing them with coins (see Alliances and Bribes).
NO REQUIREMENTS: You may initiate combat even if you have 0 power and/or 0 popularity.
ATTACKER ADVANTAGE: If the attacking player has a mech ability that impacts combat, they use that ability first, followed by the defending player. Also, if combat results in a tie, the attacking player wins.
SELECT POWER
Simultaneously and secretly select a number on your Power Dial (align the number with the icon at the top right). That is the amount of power you will spend, so you cannot choose a number higher than the amount of power you currently have on the Power Track. The track goes up to 16 but you can only spend up to 7 power on your Power Dial.
ADD COMBAT CARD(S) (OPTIONAL): By default, for each of your units involved in the current combat (character and/or mechs), you may tuck 1 combat card from your hand behind the Power Dial. You may do this even if you select 0 power on your Power Dial.
The number of combat cards you have in hand is public information, but during combat you may conceal whether or not you’ve used any of those cards. The combat deck contains the following cards:
| POWER | QUANTITY |
|---|---|
| 2 | 16 |
| 3 | 12 |
| 4 | 8 |
| 5 | 6 |
DESIGNER’S NOTE: You might be surprised by how few combats happen in a game of Scythe, especially given the universal presence of mechs in Jakub’s art. However, if you look at all of the illustrations, you’ll notice that very few of the mechs are actually fighting. In that way, Scythe is just as much about the threat of combat as it is actual combat. If your neighbor has built up a big pool of power and combat cards, you’re less likely to attack them. Similarly, you might position workers on key territories to dissuade more aggressive players from attacking you there due to the loss of popularity if they win. It is this tension that exemplifies the core theme of Scythe: the intersection of farming and war.
REVEAL
Both players reveal their Power Dials and selected combat cards simultaneously. The value provided by any combat cards provides an additional bonus to the power you spend from the Power Track as indicated on your Power Dial.
The player with the highest total power wins the combat (ties go to the attacking player). Both players then pay the amount of power they selected on their Power Dials, and they discard any combat cards they used face-up (you don’t adjust the Power Track for combat cards—they’re just a temporary boost).
WINNER: The winner gains (or maintains) control of the territory and all resource tokens on it. The winner also places 1 star token in the combat space of the Triumph Track (see Placing Stars) if they haven’t already placed 2 stars for combat victories. If the winner was the attacker, they lose 1 popularity for each worker they forced to retreat by initiating and winning combat. Also, if there was an encounter token on the territory and the winner has a character there, they now perform the encounter.
LOSER: The loser must retreat all of their units—mechs, characters, and workers—from the combat territory to their home base (pick up those units and put them down on their home base). All resources those units were carrying remain on the territory and are now under the control of the winner. If the loser revealed at least 1 power on the dial or through combat cards, they gain 1 combat card as they retreat.
LIMITED STARS AND GAME END: Each player can gain a maximum of 2 stars for winning combat (with the exception of the Saxon player, who can gain unlimited combat victory stars), but they may still engage in future combats after they’ve achieved those 2 stars. If your 6th star is placed but you still have a combat remaining on your turn, the game ends and any units you moved to initiate that combat will move back to the territory from whence they came.
BATTLE IN A LAKE: Lake battles can happen between factions like Polania and Nordic that have activated lake-related mech abilities. If a mech transporting workers is attacked while on a lake and the attacker wins combat, the attacking player loses 1 popularity for each of those workers (they are forced to retreat with the mech to their home base).
STRATEGY TIP: Just because an opponent has a lot more power than you doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll win in combat against you. They don’t know how much power you will spend or the amount of power your combat cards will add (combat cards aren’t worth anything at the end of the game, so spend them early and often). The puzzle of combat is outwitting your opponent, especially when they think they’re going to win.
ENCOUNTERS
As your character treks across Eastern Europa, they will encounter a number of local people and situations. Each encounter will present you with three options to determine how you want to interact with the people. The choice you make will often impact the peoples’ view of you, represented in the game by your popularity.
When you move your character onto a territory with an encounter token on it, their movement ends and they cannot move again this turn. When your Move action is completely over and you’ve resolved all combats (but before you take a bottom-row action, if applicable), discard the encounter token and draw an encounter card. Only characters will trigger an encounter.
Show the art to the other players and read the thematic text (the text in all caps) out loud. Then read through the various costs and benefits on the options and choose one (you must choose one and pay the cost if applicable, though you may gain as much of the benefit as you’d like). After you make your selection, discard the encounter card to the bottom of the encounter deck face-down.
REQUIRED COST AND OPTIONAL BENEFIT: If you don’t have popularity or coins to pay for certain options, those options aren’t available. You may gain as much of the benefit as you like (e.g., if a benefit would give you 2 metal and 1 worker but you don’t want the worker, you can just gain the 2 metal).
BENEFIT LOCATION: Any resources, structures, mechs, or workers you gain from the encounter card go on the same territory as your character (i.e., where the encounter took place). If there is already a structure present, and you choose a benefit that includes building a structure, that portion of the benefit is lost.
ISOLATED COST AND BENEFIT: If an encounter card instructs you to gain something or perform an action, you do not pay any additional costs or gain additional benefits beyond those on the encounter card, nor do you trigger any Recruit Ongoing Bonuses.
COMBAT: If a character moves onto a territory with an encounter token and an opponent’s mech, thus initiating combat, the encounter only happens after the character wins combat. Otherwise the encounter token remains on the territory.
NUMBER: The number in the upper left corner is just for referencing the card for questions posted on places like BoardGameGeek.com or stonemaiergames.com.
DESIGNER’S NOTE: We made a specific design decision with the beautifully illustrated encounter cards: Rather than tell the players what they’re seeing through a label or flavor text, we’ll let you use your eyes to see the scene you’ve stumbled upon. There’s often a lot happening in these scenes (it’s usually not just one specific thing that’s happening), and the three options explain the various ways in which you can act. Encounter cards are shown to all players when they’re drawn, so your gaming group can integrate as much or as little of the story into the way they play Scythe as they like. We’re giving you the same visual freedom you’d experience if you stumbled upon these scenes in real life rather than restricting you to the limitations of flavor text–after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
THE FACTORY
The Factory is the centerpiece of the Scythe board. It is a place of technological innovation and untapped power. Unlike most other territories, the Factory does not produce any resources. At the end of the game, the Factory is worth a total of 3 territories (instead of just 1) to the player who controls it.
When your Move action is completely finished (after winning combat if necessary), if your character is on the Factory for the first time this game, look through the Factory cards on the board. You must choose one card and return the rest to the board.
The first player to look at those cards will see cards equal to the number of players +1; each subsequent player to visit the Factory with their character will see one fewer card. It’s good to get there first.
FACTORY CARDS
Each Factory card is the equivalent of a fifth section of your player mat (place it next to your player mat).
USING FACTORY ACTIONS: The Factory card is treated as any other section on your player mat. On your turn, you may place your action token on the Factory card and take one or both actions (starting with the top-row action if you choose to take both).
SEPARATE FROM PLAYER MAT BONUSES: Even if the Factory card action does something similar to another action on your player mat, they’re completely independent of one another. So you get neither Recruit Ongoing Bonuses, Structure bonuses, nor coins from similar actions on your player mat.
MOVE: All Factory cards have a bottom-row Move action. It’s a little different than a standard Move action, as it says, “Move one unit up to two times within the same Move action.”
- CONSISTENT WITH OTHER RULES: All other rules for movement still apply, especially those that say that the entire Move action ends if your character moves onto a territory with an encounter token or a character/mech moves onto a territory occupied by an opponent’s unit(s).
- MINE: If you have a Mine, you may move through the Mine with this Move action.
- SPEED: If you’ve unlocked the Speed mech ability, one of your mechs or your character may move up to 3 territories with this Move action.
ONE-CARD LIMIT: You may have at most one Factory card (the one you choose the first time your character goes to the Factory).
PERMANENT SELECTION: Your selection is permanent—you may not switch your Factory card for another card if your character ends a future Move action on the Factory.
STRATEGY TIP: Don’t underestimate the power of being able to move every turn. Without a Factory card, you can only move once every other turn, but once you get that card, you become much more nimble and responsive than players without that capability.
OBJECTIVES
Each player starts the game with 2 objective cards that are kept secret from the other players. You may reveal a completed objective card during your own turn before or after you complete a top- or bottom-row action. If you do, place 1 star token on the objective space of the Triumph Track and discard the card along with your other objective to the bottom of the objective deck. You can only achieve 1 objective star, unless you’re the Saxon player, who can achieve up to 2 objective stars.
You may wait to reveal your completed objective if you wish, but you must meet the entire objective requirements at the time you reveal it.
DESIGNER’S NOTE: It may seem a little odd that each player has 2 objective cards but may only complete one of them. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the alternative would be to have each player draw 2 cards at the beginning of the game and keep 1. However, I prefer not to ask players to make decisions before the game begins, as it makes the game more welcoming to new players and gives experienced players more freedom depending on how the game starts to play out. The second is that it gives players the flexibility to change strategies mid-game. Maybe you were pursuing one strategy, but that strategy didn’t end up working out. No problem—you still have another objective card to use.
ALLIANCES AND BRIBES
Players may make informal agreements (e.g., “I won’t attack you this turn if you don’t attack me next turn”). The only tangible items that may be exchanged are coins. In tournament play, coins may not be exchanged for deals or alliances.
You can’t negotiate your way out of a combat that has already begun—that is, if a player moves their character and/or mechs onto a territory you control with your character and/ or mechs, at the end of their Move action, the two of you must engage in combat (you can’t pay them off at that point, though you could try to influence the outcome). Agreements made between players are not enforceable.
AIRSHIP MODULE
TERRITORIAL CONTROL
Airships never control territories, thus they can fly freely onto any territory (even territories controlled by opponents) unless noted by the airship tile.
SPENDING RESOURCES: Airships cannot control territories. Unless you control a territory some other way, you cannot spend resources on your airship’s territory.
END-OF-GAME TERRITORIAL CONTROL: When alone on a territory at the end of a game, an airship does not control the territory (nor the resources on that territory).
TRANSPORTING RESOURCES OR WORKERS
Each aggressive airship tile features the ability to transport either up to 3 resources or up to 2 workers. This ability is constant—it applies to all airships, even if the written ability isn’t being used.
This operates the same as how other units in the game can pick up and drop off resources (or how mechs transport workers): before, during, or after movement—it’s always part of the Move action. The exception is that the tokens are placed on the airship miniature. Airships can’t pick up resources from territories controlled by opponents.
TRANSPORTING RESOURCES: Resources remain under your control on the airship until you spend them or choose to drop them on a territory (which you can do at any time while moving the airship). Resources on your airship count during end-game scoring.
Airships may not pick up resources controlled by opponents.
TRANSPORTING WORKERS: A worker on an airship does not give you control of the airship’s territory—those workers can’t produce or trade on that territory, nor can opponents interact with those workers. In addition:
- DROPPING OFF WORKERS: Workers can only be dropped off on territories unoccupied by opponents. An airship must drop off a worker during its own move action before the worker can move or be carried by a mech in a subsequent move action (can be on the same turn). Workers can’t move directly from the airship to another territory.
- WORKERS TRANSPORTING RESOURCES: A worker picked up by an airship cannot transport resources onto the airship.
- ALBION (RALLY ABILITY): Albion can only use its Rally ability to move to a territory with Albion workers (or a Flag)—the worker must be on the territory, not on an Airship.
MOVEMENT
Like all units in Scythe, to move your airship, select the Move action and choose the airship as one of the units to move.
CORE RULES
RANGE: When moving your airship, you may move it up to the number of territories as indicated in the hex on the upper right of the passive airship tile (the “range”; this is the distance a unit can move). Remember that the standard movement rules in Scythe dictate that you must complete a unit’s movement before moving another unit.
RIVERS AND LAKES: Airships are not constrained by rivers or lakes.
AIRSHIPS ON OPPONENT-CONTROLLED TERRITORIES: Airships can move freely onto and off of any territory (even territories controlled by opponents).
MULTIPLE AIRSHIPS ON THE SAME TERRITORY: Any number of airships can be on the same territory.
OTHER NOTES
MECH ABILITIES: Airships do not benefit from mech abilities— they are not mechs or characters.
OCCUPIED/UNOCCUPIED: These terms, which are used on several airship tiles, refer to the presence of units (or the lack thereof). If a territory has at least 1 unit (a worker, a character, or a mech) on it, it is “occupied.”
FACTORY CARD: If you choose to use the Move action of a Factory card for your airship, the airship’s range is increased by +1.
HOME BASE: Airships may not move onto home bases.
TUNNELS AND MINES: Airships may not move through tunnels or mines.
COMBAT: Having an airship on a combat territory does not increase the number of combat cards you may play.
TRAPS: Airships do not trigger Traps (a mechanism in Invaders from Afar).
BLITZKRIEG: This aggressive ability allows combat to happen between 2 airships. The winner gains a star as usual. It is the only time an airship can retreat (other units on the territory do not engage or retreat).
ADVANCED VARIANT
Instead of all airships sharing the same two abilities, deal 1 aggressive airship tile and 1 passive airship tile to each player. The combination of those abilities applies only to each player’s airship. We generally recommend against doing this, particularly in games with 4+ players, as it’s a lot of information to keep track of.
PLACING STARS
When you reach a pinnacle of empire building, your faction rewards you with a star. Stars are worth coins at the end of the game.
Here are the ways to place stars, as shown on the Triumph Track:
- Complete all 6 upgrades
- Deploy all 4 mechs
- Build all 4 structures
- Enlist all 4 recruits
- Have all 8 workers on the board
- Reveal 1 completed objective card
- Win combat (up to 2 times)
- Have 18 popularity
- Have 16 power
When you achieve one of these goals, you must place a star on the appropriate space on the Triumph Track. You cannot lose a star after you’ve placed it. For example, if you place a star for reaching 18 popularity and you later drop below 18, the star remains on the track.
By default, each player may complete each of these goals exactly one time. Having a star on a goal does not prevent other players from placing their stars on the same goal.
STRATEGY TIP: You can’t place more than 6 stars, so it’s generally better to focus on completing 6 specific goals than trying to do a little of everything.
GAME END AND SCORING
The game immediately ends when a player places their 6th star token, even if they have other things they could do that turn or other things would happen afterwards.
EDGE CASES
If the 6th star comes from taking a bottom-row action, gain the primary benefit, the coins, and the Recruit Ongoing Benefit before placing the star.
If you have units (character, mechs, or workers) remaining on a territory with an opponent’s units (from a Move action), you must undo that portion of your Move action, returning the unit(s) to the territory they moved from.
If you place a star for total popularity or total power as a recruit bonus on an opponent’s turn, that placement happens after the opponent takes the action (e.g., build a structure) in clockwise order and only if that opponent didn’t place their 6th star by taking that action.
SAMPLE SCORING ROUND
The first time you play Scythe, we recommend that you run a sample scoring round during the game so players have a feel for the actual end-game scoring in advance. After any player places their first star, pause the game to let players calculate their current score. This is just for the sake of example—this scoring does not actually happen until the end of the game.
END-GAME SCORING
Accumulate your final fortune—coins you had before the game end was triggered plus end-game coins—to determine the winner. You should have a mound of coins in front of you before announcing the total to the other players.
To determine how many coins you earn for each of the three scoring categories, look at your level on the Popularity Track and pick up coins for that category (do this on your own—there is no need for a “banker”).
DESIGNER’S NOTE: Scythe incentivizes players to end the game if possible by making stars worth coins and denying additional turns to opponents. This may result in some opponents having one fewer overall turns than the player who placed their final star.
VARIANT
DELAY OF GAME: Because of the various end-game scoring categories and their connection to popularity, it’s difficult for players to determine who is in the lead (this is intentional). However, it is possible for a player to interrupt the game to calculate the final score for each player as they plan out their next few moves. That’s not fun for anyone. The Delay of Game variant says that if a player delays the game (while the game is being played, not during end-game scoring) for more than 10 seconds by trying to calculate the final score, they lose 2 popularity.
SCORING CATEGORIES
COINS IN HAND: The coins you accumulated during the game count for end-game scoring.
EVERY STAR TOKEN PLACED: Gain coins for every star token you placed during the game.
EVERY TERRITORY CONTROLLED: Gain coins for every territory you control (including lakes). Home bases aren’t territories. You control each territory where you have a worker, mech, or character, or where you have a structure (but no enemy units).
FACTORY: At the end of the game, the Factory is counted as 3 territories to the player who controls it.
EVERY 2 RESOURCES CONTROLLED: Gain coins for every 2 resource tokens you control (e.g., if you control 13 resource tokens and have 10 popularity, you’ll gain a total of 12 coins). Workers are not resources. You control all resources on territories where you have a character, worker, mech, or a structure not occupied by an opponent’s unit.
STRUCTURE BONUS TILE: Gain coins based on the number of structure bonuses you achieved. You gain this bonus even if you don’t control the territories your structures are on.
DECLARING THE WINNER
Announce your coin total, and the player with the most coins wins! If multiple players have the same total, use the following as tiebreakers (in order):
- Number of workers, mechs, and structures
- Power
- Popularity
- Number of resource tokens controlled
- Number of territories controlled
- Number of star tokens placed on board
ACHIEVEMENT SHEET: The winner of the game may write their name up to 2 times on the achievement sheet to memorialize their victory. This document commemorates the first time any player wins under a certain condition (e.g., the first victory with a specific faction).
MODULAR RULES
RESOLUTION MODULE
(The Wind Gambit expansion)
The resolution module changes the way a game of Scythe ends. If you play with this module, ignore the standard end-game trigger (when a player places their 6th star, everything stops and the game ends).
Instead, the resolution tile for the current game will determine when and how the game ends.
SETUP: Shuffle the resolution tiles, randomly select 1 tile, read it out loud, and place it face-up near the Triumph Track. This resolution tile applies to all players for the current game.
STARS: Some resolution tiles allow players to place stars on the tiles, on objective cards, etc—these still count for end-game scoring as if they are on the Triumph Track. You can never place more than 6 stars. However, it is now possible, with certain resolution tiles, for multiple players to have 6 stars.
TAKING ACTIONS FOR COINS: This is in the original rulebook, but it is particularly applicable with the resolution module. Even after you “complete” a bottom-row action (e.g., you’ve deployed all 4 of your mechs), on future turns when you choose that section of the player mat, you may still pay the cost of the bottom-row action to gain the coin benefit (and the recruit ongoing bonus, if applicable). You may not take any action more than once per turn.
NOTE: You may find that there is a certain resolution tile that meshes with your gaming group more than any other. If so, you can choose that tile every game instead of randomly selecting one.
| NAME | LOCATION | RECOMMENDED USES |
|---|---|---|
| MECH MODS | (punchboard 2) Page 49 | Use Mech Mods if you want to add more variety to each faction. After determining your faction and player mats, draw 4 Mech Mods at random (redraw duplicates) and place up to 2 of them on your faction mat. Discard all Mech Mods you neither choose nor place. |
| INFRASTRUCTURE MODS | (punchboard 3) Page 49 | Use Infrastructure Mods if you want to add more flexibility to the constraints presented to you by the player mats. After determining your faction and player mats, draw 4 Infrastructure Mods at random (redraw duplicates) and place up to 2 of them face up next to your player mat. Discard all Infrastructure Mods you neither choose nor place. |
| WAR TRIUMPH TRACK | Episode 2a (punchboard 1) Page 50 | Use the War Triumph Track if you want to encourage combat between players. |
| RIVALS | Episode 2a Page 50 | Rivals is designed to be used with the War Triumph Track, but it can be used without it if you want slightly more focus on combat. In those games, only place up to 2 stars on opponent(s) home bases instead of 4. Rivals is incompatible with the Peace Triumph Track. |
| PEACE TRIUMPH TRACK | Episode 2b (punchboard 1) Page 50 | Use the Peace Triumph Track if you want to discourage combat between players. The Peace Triumph Track is incompatible with Rivals and objective card #23. |
| ALLIANCES | Episode 2b (punchboards 1 and 5) Page 50 | Use Alliances if you want a more formal system of diplomacy than in standard Scythe. |
| VESNA FACTION | Episode 3 (Box A & punchboard 4) Page 36 | Mix in Vesna with the other factions for every game. |
| FENRIS FACTION | Episode 5 (Boxes B-D & punchboard 5) Pages 37 | Mix in Fenris with the other factions for every game. Box B contains Fenris workers. Box C contains 1 Annihilator mech. Box D and the punchboard contains all other Fenris materials. |
| TESLA | Episode 7 (Box E) Page 91 | Include Tesla if you want to encourage exploration. The first player to have 3 encounters completes the third encounter and then controls Tesla, placing him on the 3rd encounter territory. Tesla can alternately be assigned at the beginning of a game to any faction you consider to be “weaker” than the other factions. In that case, he starts on that faction’s home base. |
| TRIUMPH TILES | Episode 8a (punchboard 6) Page 50 | Use the Triumph Tiles when you want some variability in how to achieve stars. Randomize them and place them on all 10 slots of the Triumph Track. |
| MAD TESLA | Episode 8b (Box E & punchboard 6) Pages 92-93 | Use the Mad Tesla module if you’re looking for an NPC to fight instead of (or in addition to) other players. Tesla begins on the Factory. You can choose to end the game if Tesla is defeated (or someone places their 6th star), as the rules state, or you can just play until someone places their 6th star. |
| DESOLATION | (punchboard 6) Pages 51-52 | This cooperative module can be implemented using any inactive faction plus an extra miniature (6 total miniatures are needed). Players may use any combination of factions from the core game and expansions. |
| MULTIPLAYER AUTOMA | Pages 120-121 | Use Automa in multiplayer games when you’re already comfortable with the Automa rules and want to include a mix of humans and autonomous factions. |
MECH MODS
Mech Mods are persistent improvements that will be unlocked at certain points in the Rise of Fenris campaign.
These 41 tokens provide variable mech abilities that replace the abilities on your faction mat.
USING MECH MODS
- During setup, you may choose to replace mech abilities on your faction mat with your Mech Mods. Set aside any extras (which may include all of your Mods—you are not required to use them).
- Certain Mech Mods have a symbol TODO to indicate they cannot be used against non-player units.
- After an episode begins, you may not reorganize your Mods for the current episode.
MECH MOD CLARIFICATIONS
- ARMOR: The attacker decides which card to discard.
- FEINT: After adjusting your combat dial, you must be able to pay the new Power total. You do not pay the original amount.
- STEALTH: If you use Stealth and another ability (Speed, Factory card, etc) to move through a territory where you would normally initiate combat, force workers to retreat, or trigger a token penalty, you completely ignore everything on that territory.
- TACTICS: Limited to once per combat.
INFRASTRUCTURE MODS
Infrastructure Mods are persistent improvements that will be unlocked at certain points in the campaign. These 32 tokens provide once-per-episode abilities that boost your economy.
USING INFRASTRUCTURE MODS
- During setup, place your Infrastructure Mods face-up in your play area.
- Each Infrastructure Mod may be used ONCE per game (flip it over). You retain the Mod for use in future episodes.
- Each Infrastructure Mod has a triggering event that tells when it may be used. It may only be used at that time.
INFRASTRUCTURE MOD CLARIFICATIONS
- Machinery, Assembly Line, Construction, and Recruitment Office all allow players to take actions without paying the associated cost. They do not provide bonus actions. You simply take the bottom-row action as usual, but do not have to pay the associated cost.
- Automachines doubles production output by workers and mills only for the turn on which you use it.
- Spy, Propaganda, and Cavalry are triggered by other actions. If you choose to use Spy, you must declare it at the very beginning of combat.
WAR TRIUMPH TRACK
The War Triumph Track has several differences from the traditional Triumph Track:
- Place a star for 6 Upgrades OR 4 Structures. You may not place a star for both.
- All players may place up to 4 combat stars. Saxony can still place unlimited combat and objective stars.
- Place a star for having 8 Combat Cards in your hand at the end of your turn.
- There are no stars for placing all 8 workers or maximizing Popularity on the War Triumph Track.
RIVALS
SETUP: After all other setup steps are complete, you may declare “rivals” by placing 1 or more of your stars on other players’ home bases. You may place up to 4 of your stars this way, and you may place multiple stars on the same home base. All players do this simultaneously.
GAMEPLAY: A player is your rival as long as you have 1 of your stars on their home base. If you win a combat against a rival, remove 1 of your stars from that player’s home base, place it on the Triumph Track, then gain $5.
- Whenever you win combat, you may remove 1 of your stars from ANY opponent’s base and place it on the Triumph Track, but you only gain the $5 bonus if the star comes from the base of the defeated opponent.
- Stars on an opponent’s base may only be retrieved and placed on the Triumph Track through combat.
TRIUMPH TILES
Triumph Tiles (16 total) create a fully randomized, customizable version of the Triumph Track. At the beginning of setup, randomly select 10 Triumph Tiles and place them on all 10 slots of the Triumph Track.
Here are a few specific notes about possible tiles:
- Even if there are no Triumph Tiles for objectives or combat victories, Saxony retains its ability to place any number of stars for those categories.
- There is a Triumph Tile for having 8 Combat Cards in your hand on your turn.
- There is a Triumph Tile for claiming 3 encounter tokens. Place the star after completing the third encounter.
- There is a Triumph Tile for gaining a Factory card. Place the star when you gain the card (at end of turn).
- There is a Triumph Tile for controlling 16 total resources (these resources can be on various territories you control).
PEACE TRIUMPH TRACK
When using the Peace Triumph Track, remove Objective 23 from the Objective deck. Saxony starts with 3 objective cards instead of 2 (this compensates for the removal of combat stars).
The Peace Triumph Track features these changes:
- Place a star for 4 mechs OR 4 recruits, but not both.
- All players may place stars for 2 objectives. After you place your objective star, instead of discarding your other objective card, draw another objective card (if available—do not reshuffle discarded objectives).
- Place a star for claiming 3 encounter tokens.
- Place a star for achieving 13 popularity.
- Place a star for gaining a Factory card (place your star on the same turn that you gain the Factory card).
- Place a star for controlling 16 total resources (these resources do not need to be on the same territory).
- No stars are placed for combat victories or 16 power.
ALLIANCES
SETUP: Each player starts with an Alliance token that has their faction and a coin amount on the front and -$10 on the back. The other Alliance tokens are returned to the box.
GAMEPLAY: At any time during your turn, if you have your faction’s Alliance token, you may propose an alliance with another player who has their own Alliance token. If they agree, switch tokens with that player and gain the coin bonus on the token you receive from the general supply. You now have their faction ability as noted on the token in addition to the ability on your faction mat.
In games with an odd number of players, the moment you become the “odd man out,” gain $5.
If you ever attack a player who has your faction’s Alliance token or force their workers off a territory, you must flip over the token you have. You no longer have that faction ability (the other player keeps your token with the ability face up).
During end-game scoring, if the token you have is showing -$10 (i.e., you broke the alliance), lose $10.
DESOLATION: A COOPERATIVE MODULE
Desolation is a fully cooperative module for Scythe. Players work together in a race to fulfill global goals (have at least 1 star on every Triumph category or destroy all Desolation units) before the Desolation faction wins!
SETUP
-
Set up the game as normal using any combination of factions.
a. Do not use alternative Triumph Tracks, Rivals, Mad Tesla, or resolution tiles.
b. See Variants section for other options, including airships.
-
Randomize the 21 Triumph Tiles—including the 5 tiles that can only be used with this module—and reveal a number of tiles based on player count, overlaying them on top of the Triumph Track (and in that general area of the table). One of the ways to win is for there to be at least 1 star on each Triumph Tile.
- 1 PLAYER: 5 tiles (do not use the 5-star tile, and draw and discard another tile if you reveal 2 objective tiles)
- 2 PLAYERS: 8 tiles
- 3 PLAYERS: 10 tiles
- 4 PLAYERS: 12 tiles
- 5 PLAYERS: 14 tiles
- 6 PLAYERS: 16 tiles
- 7 PLAYERS: 18 tiles
-
Place the Desolation tile next to the game board (or, in 1-2 player games, covering any exposed parts of the original Triumph Track).
-
Choose an inactive faction to represent the Desolation faction (aesthetically, we recommend the Fenris faction if it’s available).
a. Place the Desolation’s 4 mechs and 1 character, as well as the Tesla miniature, on each of the 6 territories surrounding the Factory.
b. Place the Desolation’s popularity token at 18 popularity and the blue die on 12 popularity. (Popularity serves as a game timer, and 12 is when the Desolation units will start moving.)
c. Place the Desolation’s 6 star tokens and the orange die next to the Desolation Tile.
d. Draw a combat card, place it next to the Desolation tile, and mark the amount on the power track. This is the Desolation’s current power.
-
The first player is, as usual, the player with the lowest-numbered player mat. Desolation takes the last turn each round.
COOPERATION
Each player operates only their own faction, in that you can only move/transport your units, boost your popularity, build your structures, retreat to your own home base, etc.
However, the game views all players as the same faction for purposes of control. As a result:
- You can spend resources controlled by any player (with their consent), and your mechs can transport another player’s resources.
- Multiple players can have units on the same territory (they all control any resources on that territory). You cannot engage in combat (or any conflict) with other players. Each territory may still only contain 1 structure.
- Your Mill will produce even if another player has units on its territory, and any player may move units through any Mine.
- Multiple players can team up in defensive combat against Desolation to play more combat cards.
- For tokens that reference “opponents” (e.g., Traps and Influence tokens), all players ignore them, as they are not opponents in this module. Their respective factions can still use them for movement purposes.
OTHER CLARIFICATIONS
- Each player may only achieve objectives—and the “control 16 resources” Triumph Tile—using standard competitive rules (i.e., for objectives, you can’t share resources, units, territory, etc).
- Objectives and combat cards are public knowledge.
- For the 5-star Triumph Tile, you place your 6th star on it immediately after you place your 5th star.
- For the 7-territory Triumph Tile, you cannot achieve it in the middle of a Move action. For this purpose, the Factory counts as 1 territory, not 3.
- For the structure bonus Triumph Tile, to achieve it, you must build all 4 structures in such a way that they would maximize the structure bonus tile reward.
DESOLATION TURN
The Desolation faction takes the last turn each round. Follow these steps in order on the Desolation faction’s turn:
-
POPULARITY: Reduce its popularity by 1 (this is just a timer).
a. If the Desolation popularity is 13-17, its turn is over (no movement).
b. If the Desolation popularity is 1-12, proceed to movement rules below.
c. If the Desolation popularity reaches 0, the game ends, and the Desolation faction wins.
-
MOVEMENT: Roll the blue die. The number on the die corresponds to the directional hex on the Desolation tile. Move ALL Desolation units in that direction.
- A Desolation unit cannot move onto a territory containing another Desolation unit. Move these units in an order so that as many of them move as possible.
- Desolation units can cross rivers and move onto lakes, but they can’t use tunnels or interact with tokens.
- If a Desolation unit moves onto a territory containing a player’s workers (but no combat units), the workers retreat back to their home base. The Desolation faction does not lose popularity for this.
- If there are resources on a territory with a Desolation unit (most likely from winning combat), it transports those resources as it moves.
COMBAT
Any player may initiate combat with a Desolation unit, just as a Desolation unit may initiate combat with any player (if multiple Desolation units initiate combat, players choose the order in which those combats happen). Follow these steps in order:
-
Set your power dial and select combat cards as usual. This is done in full view of all players, not secretly.
a. If you’re defending against Desolation with combat units from multiple players on the same territory, each player can use mech abilities and play combat cards for their units. However, only one involved player spends power—their own—via the power dial.
b. A Desolation unit’s base power is equal to the sum of the card(s) next to the Desolation tile. There is only 1 such card at the beginning of the game (see “If you win combat” for an explanation of how the quantity of cards increases).
c. Mech Mods, Infrastructure Mods, and mech abilities that affect an opponent’s power/combat cards do not apply to combat against Desolation (they are marked with the icon). Combat abilities that affect only the player may be used, but there is no way to reduce Desolation’s power or combat cards.
-
Roll the orange six-sided die, placing it on the Combat slot on the Desolation tile. Add the number on that die to the Desolation’s base power (combat cards next to the Desolation tile) to determine its total combat strength.
-
Determine the winner. Attacker wins ties, as usual.
IF YOU LOSE COMBAT: Treat it as any other combat loss for yourself. The Desolation faction places a star on the Desolation tile. If it is the 6th Desolation star on the tile, players lose the game immediately.
IF YOU WIN COMBAT: Destroy the Desolation unit (remove it from the game). Then draw a combat card, place it next to the Desolation tile, and mark the increase on the power track (max 16 power). One of the players involved in combat places a combat victory star if available among the Triumph Tiles (there can be multiple defending players in combat, but only 1 star placed).
END OF GAME
LOSING: Players lose the game immediately if the Desolation faction has 6 stars on the Desolation Tile or 0 popularity (i.e., time runs out).
WINNING: Players win the game immediately if there is at least 1 star on each Triumph Tile or if they destroy all 6 Desolation units.
VARIANTS
EASIER: Use Mech Mods, Infrastructure Mods, and/or Alliances.
HARDER: Whenever a Desolation unit displaces a worker via movement or combat, Desolation loses 1 popularity per worker (i.e., it advances the timer).
WIND GAMBIT: You can use airships from The Wind Gambit with this module, but we don’t recommend it for the first few plays, as some of the airship abilities may result in confusing interactions due to cooperative play.
ERRATA AND VARIANTS
Scythe has some minor errata and a few recommended variants that you may not be familiar with. This information and more is available on the Stonemaier Games website (stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/), but here’s a quick recap:
FORCING WORKERS TO RETREAT: In some older versions of the core-game rulebook, page 11 (Moving into Opponent-Controlled Territories/Controlled by Workers) should read, “If your character or mech move into a territory controlled by an opponent’s workers (and no other units), its movement ends (even if you have a mech ability that would allow it to move further). Each of the opponent’s workers on that territory immediately retreats to their faction’s home base, leaving behind any resource tokens.”
This reflects the original intention of the rule, which allows a player to move a character/mech into a territory containing opponent worker(s), force those worker(s) to retreat, and then move a different unit through that territory.
COMPLETING OBJECTIVE CARDS: In some older versions of the core-game rulebook, there was some ambiguity in the original rules about exactly when on your turn you could complete an objective. Usually the timing doesn’t matter, but for a few cards it does. So we clarified the timing as follows: “You may reveal a completed objective card during your own turn before or after you complete a top- or bottom-row action.” Basically, you can’t complete an objective in the middle of an action.
RELENTLESS: Older versions of the core-game rulebook allowed the Rusviet faction ability Relentless (sequential turns with repeated sections) to be used on a Factory card. This is no longer allowed. The Relentless ability is limited to repeating the same section within the player mat.
PLAYER MAT ORDER VARIANT: The starting resources on the player mats are staggered based on two factors (both of which have a very minor impact on the game): One, player order. Two, the playtest data for each individual mat (which shifted around in terms of numerical order during playtesting). So even if the #5 mat is in the second position in clockwise order, part of the balance of that mat’s starting resources is that the #5 player mat appeared to be ever so slightly weaker than the others during the blind playtest process.
Overall, though, the impact on the game is very, very small. However, if it better suits your group, you may deal out the mats clockwise by number.
UNOFFICIAL VARIANTS
TEAM VARIANT: Play Scythe in teams of 2 (decide at the beginning of the game). Play everything as normal, except each team has 10 stars to place (instead of the 6 per player), and they may only place one star on each section of the Triumph Track ( the Saxony player does not have this limitation for objectives and combat). At the end of the game, count up each player’s coins, add them to their partner’s coins, and compare each team’s totals to determine the winner.
END GAME VARIANT: When a player places their 6th star, their turn immediately ends, and each other player may take one final turn. However, those players may not take move actions.
HIGHLIGHTED RULES
RESOURCES: All units—characters, mechs, & workers—can carry around resources (any number).
TURNS AND PLAYER MATS: On your turn, you must choose a different section of your player mat than you did the previous turn. Take either the top-row action, the bottom-row action, or both (starting with the top action). First pay the full cost of the action (all icons on exposed red boxes), then gain the benefit (exposed green boxes). If you select a bottom-row action, the player to your left may start to take their turn while you decide exactly which upgrade, mech, structure, or recruit you will gain. Remember to take the coins from the bottom-row actions!
MOVE ACTION: You must move different units (not the same unit multiple times). You may choose only to use part of the Move action if you only want to move one unit. A mech can transport workers as part of its movement, then one of those workers could also move. A unit must move at least one territory (it can move away and back) for it to be considered to have moved.
PRODUCE ACTION: Produce on 2 different territories. Each worker on those territories may produce 1 resource token. So if you have 3 workers on a forest and 2 workers on a farm, a Produce action generates 3 wood on the forest and 2 food on the farm.
WORKERS: Workers are not resources, but they are produced on villages just like resources are produced on other terrains. Just as with any Produce action, first pay the full cost on all exposed red boxes on the Produce action, then Produce the worker(s) by taking the meeple from your player mat (left to right). You may choose not to produce a worker, as it can increase the cost of future Produce actions. Once produced, workers may never return to your player mat.
TRADE: When taking the Trade action, choose any 2 resource tokens (either the same or different types) and place them on a territory you control that contains a worker.
BOLSTER: Gain power on the Power Track or draw combat card(s). If the combat card deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
BOTTOM-ROW ACTIONS: You may continue to pay to take a bottom-row action for the coin(s) even after you’ve achieved a star for the action. This will continue to trigger Recruit Ongoing Bonuses.
UPGRADE: Pick up a technology cube from any green box on your player mat and place it on any red bracketed box on your player mat.
MECHS: Only mechs may carry around workers (any number of workers)—not characters. Mech abilities apply to all mechs and your character. Each faction has a slightly different Riverwalk mech ability. If a mech has the Speed ability, it may pick up and drop off workers/resources mid-movement.
RIVERWALK: Each faction has a slightly different version of the Riverwalk ability, allowing them to move across rivers onto two specific terrain types.
STRUCTURES: Only a single structure may be present on each territory. Structures can’t be built on lakes.
RECRUITS: Gain a One-Time Recruit Bonus when taking the Enlist action. From then on, gain a Recruit Ongoing Bonus whenever you or the player to your left or right take the bottom-row action corresponding to that bonus.
COMBAT: Only characters and mechs participate in combat (moving a character or mech onto a territory containing an opponent’s worker is not combat). Ties are won by the attacker. If the loser of combat revealed any power during the combat (either on the Power Dial or via combat cards), they gain a combat card. Both the winner and loser must pay the power they selected on the Power Dial.
RETREATING WORKERS (FORCED): You only lose popularity for forcing an opponent’s worker to retreat on your turn. That is, if you are attacked by a mech with workers on it and you win the combat, you do not lose 1 popularity for forcing each of those workers to retreat. On your turn, you may force opponent workers to retreat even if you don’t have enough popularity.
ENCOUNTERS: Only characters may have encounters. To choose an option on the encounter card, you must be able to pay the cost (if any). All resources, units, or structures gained from an encounter card go on the territory where the encounter occurred. Benefits gained from encounters do not trigger Recruit Ongoing Bonuses.
FACTORY: Only characters may claim Factory cards (1 per player). Actions taken on Factory cards do not trigger Recruit Ongoing Bonuses or Structure Bonuses.
OBJECTIVES: You may reveal a completed objective on your turn. Discard the other objective card (unless you’re playing Saxony).
STAR PLACEMENT: Once a player places a star on the Triumph Track, it cannot be removed. Having a star on a goal does not prevent other players from placing their stars on the same goal. If a player places their 6th star, the game immediately ends. Nothing else happens other than end-game scoring.
END-GAME SCORING: At the end of the game, remember to include coins you earned during the game as part of your final coin total. When scoring for territorial control, you control a territory and all resources on it if you have a unit there or if you have a structure there (unless an opponent has units on that structure’s territory). Make sure to only score for every two resource tokens you control, not every resource token.