ERRATA AN D FAQ

as at January 2021

OVERVIEW
This Errata and FAQ contains official documentation issued by or endorsed by the game publisher and game author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Errata & Recommended Variants................................................................................................................................2
Scythe Core Game FAQ..............................................................................................................................................3
How the Mill building works: The Definitive Guide......................................................................................................5
Invaders from Afar FAQ.............................................................................................................................................7
The Wind Gambit Errata and FAQ...............................................................................................................................8
The Rise of Fenris FAQ..............................................................................................................................................9
Automa FAQ............................................................................................................................................................11
Tips, Curiosities and Unofficial Variants....................................................................................................................12
 E R R AT A & R E C O M M E N D E D V A R I A N T S
(Source: Stonemaier Games https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/ )

ERRATA
FORCING WORKERS TO RETREAT: The first two sentences on the right column of 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: 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.

BANNED COMBINATIONS
Due to the speed at which an experienced player can finish a game of Scythe with the following faction mat/player mat
combinations, they are banned (except when used by brand-new Scythe players during their first game). If you draw into
either of these combinations during setup, return your player mat to the pool and gain another.

2 • Rusviet – Industrial
• Crimea – Patriotic

RECOMMENDED VARIANT
• Also, in 2-3 player games (where each player is likely to get more encounters), the Rusviet player cannot use their
faction ability to place their player token on their Factory card on sequential turns.
 SCYTHE CORE GAME FAQ
(Source: Stonemaier Games https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/ )

I have 8 worker meeples. 6 start on my player mat. Where do the other 2 go?
Place those meeples on the 2 territories adjacent to your home base.

Can I take an action more than once per turn?

Nope. On your turn, you choose one section of your player mat, and you can either take the top action, the bottom action,
both, or neither. You cannot take the same action more than once.

When I use the Move action, can I move the same unit twice?
No. You may only move 2 different  units (or more, if you’ve upgraded the Move action).

Can I move a unit 0 spaces?

No. If you select a unit to move, and you don’t actually move it at least 1 space, it has not moved.

When I use the Produce action, how much does it cost to produce workers?
You produce workers in the same way that you produce resources, with Village as the terrain type that produces villagers.
You first pay the cost to use the Produce action (the revealed cost in red at the top of the action). Then you gain the benefit
(produce on 2 different territories–ALL workers on those 2 territories may produce).
For example, let’s say that you have 3 total workers on the board, which means that there is no exposed Produce cost in red. 3
2 of those workers are on a Mountain and the other worker is on a village. When you Produce, you pay nothing. Then you
gain the benefit: Each of the workers on the mountain produces 1 metal, and the worker on the village produces 1 worker.
The action is complete. The worker you produced revealed a cost, so the next time you take the Produce action, you must
first pay that cost.

If I’ve already deployed all 4 mechs, can I ever use the Deploy action again?
Yes. All printed benefits on your player mat are optional, so you can pay to use a bottom-row action even if it is only to gain
the associated coins and/or recruit ongoing benefit.

How does the Mill work?

It’s similar to the upgrade on the Produce action, with a bonus. If you upgrade the Produce action, you get to produce on 3
different territories, right? The Mill does the exact same thing–it’s a third territory for production (or a fourth if you’ve
already upgraded the Produce action). In addition to that, if you choose the Mill’s territory as 1 of the 3 territories where
you produce, the Mill itself produces as if it is a worker.
If you choose to produce on the Mill’s territory (say, a mountain) and you have 1 worker there, the Mill produces 1 metal
and the worker produces 1 metal. You could even choose the Mill’s territory if there are no workers there, and the Mill
would still produce 1 metal (in that example) as if it were a worker. Here’s where Rodney talks about it in his Watch It
Played video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffMLIL5qGQg&feature=emb_logo
Example: You have 1 worker each on a mountain, farm, and tundra. You also have a Mill on the village. When you select the
Produce action, you may choose 2 territories from the mountain, farm, and tundra to produce on. The Mill is on the
village, so the village will also produce if you want it to. The Mill itself will act as a worker for production, so it produces 1
worker. If you would have had another worker on the village you may also produce 1 worker (though having a worker on the
Mill’s territory is not necessary for the Mill itself to produce).
A BGG user created a short guide that explains the Mill (see the How the Mill Building works: The Definitive Guide
section).
 Can I move a mech/character with Seaworthy or Submerge onto or off of a lake if they don’t have Riverwalk?
Yes. There isn’t a river between your mech/character and the lake. Think of it like this: If you walk along the shore of a lake,
is there a river between you and the lake? Nope. It’s just land, then water. Same thing in Scythe–rivers are between  two
land territories, while a lake is adjacent  to land territories.

In 1-5 player games, does Crimea’s Wayfare ability allow it leave resources on home bases (theirs and inactive factions)?
When using Wayfare, it’s possible for your character/mech to transport and drop off resources onto a home base. While
those resources are on the home base, you cannot spend them and you will not count them during end-game scoring.

When certain mech abilities have been unlocked, can Rusviet’s mechs and character move from their home base across the
river onto the farm to the north? Can Polania do the same with the lake adjacent to their home base?
Rusviet can use Riverwalk to cross from their home base to the farm to the north, and Polania can use Submerge to move
from their home base to the lake to the north.

4
 HOW THE MILL BUILDING WORKS:
THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE
(Source: Board Game Geek by @killersnake10
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1624088/how-mill-building-works-definitive-guide
Referred to by the Stonemaier Games Scythe Core Game FAQ: “A BGG user created a short guide that explains the Mill
here.” https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/ )

MILL: Whenever you take the Produce action, the territory with your Mill may count as an extra (bonus) territory for
production. The Mill will produce 1 resource (as if it were a worker). If there are actual workers on the Mill territory, they
may also produce resources.

If still confused, this is a detailed breakdown of the definition:

The Mill structure essentially provides two optional effects when you take the Produce action on your turn.
1. The hex the Mill structure is on counts as a free tile to produce on. Produce on that tile following normal rules of
production.
2. The Mill structure itself will produce 1 resource (or 1 worker if the tile is a village). Think of the Mill as a
stationary worker who is always on duty.

Example: Bob has 2 workers on Territory A (Mountain hex), 3 workers on Territory B (Tundra hex), and 1 Mill building + 1
worker on Territory C (Forrest hex).
5
Bob chooses the Produce action and selects Territory A and B for production. AND he decides to take advantage of the Mill
therefore he also selects Territory C (alongside A and B for production).
Bob gains 2 Metals on Territory A, 3 Oils on Territory B, and 2 Woods on Territory C.

FAQ
Does activating production on the territory hex with the Mill count towards my initial 2 (or 3) selection of territory
production?
No, the Mill territory hex production is ON TOP OF/IN ADDITION TO the 2 (or 3) territories you chose to produce in.

Can I choose not to produce on the territory hex with the Mill?
Yes, you may choose not to produce anything on it. (There may be strategic reasons why you wouldn't.)

Can I choose the territory with the Mill with my produce action AND activate the bonus Mill production -effectively
doubling up my production on one single territory hex?
No, you may not do this. The same territory hex can only produce a total of once per turn. You are better off selecting a
different territory for your Produce action.

Does the Mill produce any type of resource or the resource is based on the terrain it is on?
The Mill produces resources based on the terrain it is on. Example: If it is on a Mountain, it will produce a Metal.
 Can my Mill produce a resource even if no units are on that territory?
Yes, it can produce a resource even if there are no units on that hex. As long as a territory remains in your control, you may
produce on it. Remember, an otherwise empty territory hex with your building on it counts as being under your control
(Territory Control, pg18).

Can my Mill produce if it is currently occupied by my opponent's Character, Mechs, and/or Workers?
No, your Mill cannot produce if the territory it is on is not under your control. Remember, a territory is not under your
control if there are any units (Character, Mechs, and/or Workers) on it that do not belong to your faction.

Can my opponent use my Mill on their turn if they have control over the territory it is on?
No, they cannot use your Mill and that hex does not count as a bonus territory for them to use. However, they can still
produce resource(s) on that hex if they have worker(s) on it as part of their normal Produce action. Remember, NONE of
your structures' abilities can be used by your opponent (pg 18).

Can the Mill be built on a Village hex and be used to produce workers?
Yes, the Mill can be used to produce 1 worker if it were placed on a Village hex (Source).
Edit (Feb 28 2018): A few people seem to be confused by my original rewording of the Mill building because I used the
term "resource" and not the more generic term "tokens" (which should include both resources and workers). This was a
stylistic decision on my part because I think resource is much more intuitive than the word "token" to the casual player
and in most cases the Mill building will be built on a resource rich hex rather than a village. However, nothing precludes
building a Mill on a village and producing workers if one so desired.

Can the Mill move around the board as if it were a worker?

No, it cannot. Remember, buildings cannot be moved around once it is built (Permanence, pg18).
6
Can the Mill be activated when I use actions on my Factory card?
No, it cannot. Remember, actions taken on Factory cards do not trigger building bonuses (Factory, pg31).

Good luck, I will take suggestions and make improvements if necessary.

EDIT (Aug 31 2016):

I am absolutely floored by all the positive feedback this post has generated! Especially the initial comment by boss creator
Jamey Stegmaier himself! I'm super glad my clarification has helped everyone enjoy Scythe to its full potential. Game on!!

EDIT 2 (FEB 28 2018):

I added some parts to re-clarify that the Mill can produce workers and not just "resources" as this seems to be a
reoccurring point of contention. I am surprised this thread is still generating both discussion and positive feedback!
Appreciate all those who bothered to leave a THUMP UP/GOLD and/or thank you note. I am glad my writing is still helping
people even today.
 INVADERS FROM AFAR FAQ
(Source: Stonemaier Games https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/ )
If my mech/character ability lets me gain 2 power at the beginning of combat, and if that power boost would give me a star
(16 total power), does the game end immediately or does that combat happen?
Each individual combat happens in a self-contained bubble–once a combat begins, it continues through completion. This
is a rare case where it’s possible for two players to have 6 stars (it is not possible to get a 7th star, as there is no 7th star
token).

Can I place a Trap or Flag on the Factory?

Yes (consistent with other rules about Trap and Flag placement, of course). If Albion has a Flag on the Factory at the end of
the game (and they control that territory), the Factory is worth a total of 4 territories for end-game scoring.

How exactly does the timing of placing a Flag work with the Rally ability (or Traps with Shinobi)?
If your character lands on a territory that results in no combat and no encounter, they may immediately place a trap/flag
token. If you have movement available (and shinobi/rally unlocked), you may then move a mech to that territory.
If your character is on a combat/encounter territory, you must wait until all units’ movements end. Then you perform the
combat and/or encounter, and afterwards–if you still control the territory–you may place a trap/flag.

Why don’t the expansion factions have power dials?

It’s a matter of coherency and consistency. The Scythe expansion is a retail product that is compatible with any version of
Scythe, but as a retail product, it needs to be cohesive and consistent with the retail core game. If a retail customer opens
7
an expansion box to discover 2 new power dials, they might wonder if they should have gotten 5 in the original game. While
I highly, highly value our backers, in the long run, the majority of people who own Scythe will have the retail version, so
consistency with that version is the long tail.
When considering things like this, we also look necessity and impact on price. Only 2 dials are ever needed in any game of
Scythe. It’s not like combats are happening so quickly that you don’t have time to pass the dial to your neighbor. It’s
nothing more than a nice bonus to have extra dials, hence how it’s ripe for a promo product. Also, more dials equals higher
cost, and higher cost equals higher price. Adding the dials would increase the price of the expansion from $30 to $35, and
we don’t think it’s fair to charge all people for something only some  people want.
The dials are available as promos: https://stonemaiergames.com/buy-scythe/

Is the expansion compatible with my special Kickstarter edition of Scythe?

Of course! Everything you have in your special KS edition already covers what you need to play the expansion (coins,
resources, power dials, etc.). We’re making expansion-themed coins and power dials for sale in early 2017, but they’re
ancillary, not necessary: https://stonemaiergames.com/buy-scythe/

Help! Why are my Albion mechs broken?

Here’s the detailed story: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1709171/article/24780371#24780371

Is the expansion available in other languages?

Yes! Almost all of our international partners for Scythe also have the expansion.
 THE WIND GAMBIT ERRATA AND FAQ
(Source: Stonemaier Games https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/ )
TOLL: It’s possible for 2 players to park their airships right outside of an opponent’s home base, preventing that opponent’s
units from leaving. This isn’t in the spirit of the game, so as an errata, we’re saying that airships with Toll cannot be placed
on either of an opponent’s starting territories (basically, you can’t block them in).
With Toll, if there are 2 airships on a territory and a third player wants to enter the territory with their ground unit, what
happens?
The ground unit must be able to pay the toll to both of the airships to enter the territory. The ground unit chooses which
player to pay first. That player (the airship’s controller) chooses a resource from the ground unit, then the other player
chooses.

Can I move an airship 0 spaces to pick up or drop off workers/resources?

No. If you select a unit to move, and you don’t actually move it at least 1 space, it has not moved, so you may not pick up or
drop off workers/resources.

Why are all the airship miniatures the same sculpt?

Each of the 7 factions has 1 airship miniature in their faction color, but the sculpts are identical. There are three reasons
for this:
1. Thematically, all airships have the same abilities (the abilities are randomized at the beginning of each game). We
tested it both ways, and it worked best this way.

8 2. The cost to make a high-quality mould for a miniature this size is about $10,000. Expansions like this are a low-
margin product, so adding an additional $60,000 for six more moulds is a significant expense.
3. And this is really important–when we get the original sculpt from a 3D modeler, it’s not like we instantly start
making miniatures. Rather, it’s the beginning of an extensive process to maximize the durability and aesthetics,
as well as exactly how different parts of the mini will fit into the mould (big miniatures like this are often
comprised of multiple pieces).
For the Wind Gambit, this process took 2 months for a single miniature. At the end of that process, I actually sent the
updated digital model to the original sculptor so he could do some final touch-ups to the updated design. This was
particularly important because Panda was in charge of ensuring that workers and resource tokens could fit onto the
miniature.

Don’t the airships make the Nordic faction ability worthless?

The Nordic ability is quite different from the airship ability. With Nordic’s ability, your workers can cross rivers at any
time, allowing them to go in completely different directions, establish area control, and build/deploy/produce. With
airships, you can only pick up or drop off workers during the airship’s movement, and the airship can’t divide a conquer
the way multiple workers can, nor can workers on airships do anything (they don’t control territories, build, deploy,
produce, etc). Also, only half of the airships can carry workers.

Am I missing Automa card #7?

Nope! There is no Automa card #7.

Is the French version okay?

There are some typos in the first printing of the French version of The Wind Gambit, but it is still playable. For more
information, please scroll down this page to read the message from Matagot.
 THE RISE OF FENRIS FAQ
(Source: Stonemaier Games https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/ )
UNBOXING: Even though you shouldn’t look in the various tuckboxes before the game tells you to, if you do, you might find that
there are only 3 mechs in the Fenris box (Box D). Before you fill out the replacement parts form, please look inside Box C
to find the 4th mech.

ALLIANCES (EPISODE 2):  If you’re playing with 6-7 players (Invaders from Afar), Polania has an upgraded faction ability.
However, their Alliance token retains their original faction ability for the player they ally with. The fewest coins you can
end the game with–even after breaking an Alliance that may drop you below $0–is $0.

TOWNSHIP (EPISODE 3):  In this episode, the rulebook notes that the Rusviet faction is required to replace the normal “Township”
mech ability with an alternate ability. However, if mech mods have been unlocked, the Rusviet player could replace
Township with a mech mod instead.

VESNA (END OF EPISODE 3): The new Vesna player actually should not use their previous home base, as that faction may be claimed
by another player. Rather, after faction selection, the Vesna player chooses a home base from among the unselected
factions (placing their home base tile there on subsequent games). Vesna’s airship does not include a plastic stand, as you
need The Wind Gambit to play with the airship, and more than enough plastic stands are included in The Wind Gambit.

AUTOMA (CHOOSING A HOME BASE): If at any time the Automa needs to choose a home base, mix the icon tokens for all unselected
home bases and draw one for the Automa.

FENRIS AGENTS (EPISODE 4 – FRENCH VERSION): There is a small mistranslation in the French version. Please put 2 Fenris agents on the
Factory at the beginning of the game, not 1. 9

FENRIS AGENTS (EPISODE 4 AUTOMA): For the move worker action, territories with Fenris agents cannot be valid. For ALL other
Automa movement actions, Fenris agents are ignored when identifying valid territories.

INFRASTRUCTURE MODS: For the Spy mod, remove the words “or Faction”–that’s a remnant from an older version. The Spy mod
only impacts mech abilities (which grant special abilities to mechs and characters). Infrastructure mods such as Spy,
Propaganda, and Cavalry may only be used in combat/movement that the mod owner is participating in. All other
infrastructure mods may only be used during your turn.

FIRST UNLOCK (EPISODE 5):  Play game 5 until a player has the opportunity to move a unit to the Factory for the first time, then read
the next line here.
Continue movement of all units as usual, but any units that reach the Factory while Box C is still in play must stop.
When dealing with the thing you unlock, draw 4 cards, not 3 (the original rulebook says 3).

AUTOMA (EPISODE 5):  The following note should be visible from the beginning of Episode 5: “During setup, place the Automa’s
popularity token on space 2 of the popularity track. When the Star Tracker token reaches row 4 on the Star Tracker card,
move the Automa´s popularity token to space 10.”

END OF EPISODE 5: You’ve now unlocked 2 airships (1 for Vesna, 1 for Fenris), but no airship stands. This is on purpose–no
stands are included in The Rise of Fenris. You can only use the airships when playing with The Wind Gambit expansion,
and you can only use a total of 7 airships at a time (in a 7-player game), so you already have enough stands (7) in The Wind
Gambit to cover that necessity.

POLISH VERSION (END OF EPISODE 5): While the Vesna player may not change factions at this point, they may change later when the
game tells them.
 FENRIS (END OF EPISODE 5):  The fewest coins you can end the game with–even after gaining Influence tokens that may reduce your
coin total below $0–is $0. Also, when using the faction ability, you can only place the faraway influence token if your
character also placed an influence token on its territory this turn.

DEATH RAY (END OF EPISODE 5): For each combat, you can decide to use or not use the Death Ray ability.

EPISODE 8B: If you enter 2 combats on your turn, and if one of them is against Mad Tesla on the Factory, you must execute that
combat first.

EPISODE 8B (AUTOMA): The Automa gains popularity in the exact same way that you do when (and only when) fighting Mad Tesla.

END OF EPISODE 8: If you don’t want to write in your book, you can download and print the campaign scoring guide here.

10
 AUTOMA FAQ
(Source: Stonemaier Games https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/ )
What are some things I should keep in mind during my first play of Scythe (single player)?
Here are two detailed threads on BoardGameGeek to check out:
• https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1635185/automa-examples
• https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1613475/common-automa-mistakes
Do I need multiple sets of the expansion Automa cards if I also have multiple sets of the original Automa deck?
Basically, if you purchased Scythe after the Kickstarter campaign, you have the correct versions of cards 5, 8, 18, and 19.
You don’t need any other versions of those cards, and if you got them in your copy of Invaders from Afar, you can recycle
them, as they’re redundant.
The current version of the deck will work with any faction (original or expansion). The original deck wouldn’t work with
the two new factions. The 4 replacement cards (the expansion set) are identical to the cards they replace in the original
deck, with the following exception: These 4 new cards have faction specific actions for the two new factions. Therefore, you
ONLY need to have these cards in your deck, if that deck was published before the expansion and if you are having the
Automa play one of the two new factions (the new cards still work fine if you are not playing one of the two new factions).
If you are updating original Automa decks, you need a maximum of two expansion sets  and this is only if you are having the
Automa play as BOTH of the new factions at the same time. As an example, you could play as Albion against the Automa
who is playing, Togawa, Rusviet, and Polonia, with three Automa decks, but only one needs to have been updated with the
expansion set (for Togawa).

When the Automa gains its first star from the Star Tracker, when do I reshuffle its deck? 11
Reshuffle before the Automa’s next turn.

If the character and the mech are at the home base, what is the automa priority order for combat?
Choose the character.

How does an attacking move work when no Automa combat units are on any territory but there’s a mech and the character
on the Automa’s base?
In this case, the Automa moves the character.
 TIPS, CURIOSITIES AND UNOFFICIAL
VARIANTS
(Source: Stonemaier Games https://stonemaiergames.com/games/scythe/faq-scythe/ )

What are some things I should keep in mind during my first play of Scythe (multiplayer)?
Complete the steps of each action from top to bottom. This is particularly important on the Produce action. Before you do
anything else on that action, pay the cost (if any). Are you done paying the cost? Good. Now proceed to gain the benefit.
Overlapping turns. There is a note in the rule book that says that when the opponent to your right is taking a bottom-row
action, you can start to take your turn. That’s because an opponent’s bottom-row action rarely has an immediate impact on
you. Once you get into the flow of doing this, you can significantly decrease Scythe’s playing time.
Scoring over $100 is very rare, except in low-player-count games with little combat. If you score over $100, there’s a good
chance you might be missing an important rule. I would recommend you read Highlighted Rules on page 31 (in fact, I
would recommend that to everyone after your first game).

Since the first player is the player with person with the lowest-numbered player mat, it’s possible for the next player
(clockwise) to have a much higher-numbered player mat with more starting components than the next player. How is that
fair?
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
12 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. If you find it’s more fun for you to deal out the mats clockwise
by number, it will not break the game.

UNOFFICIAL VARIANTS
Team Variant: Play Scythe in teams of 2 (decide teams at the beginning of the game). Play everything as normal, except each
team has 10 stars to place (instead of 6 per player), and they may only place 1 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 total 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.

MUSIC
Here is some of the official music from Scythe Digital, playable via Soundcloud during any game of Scythe.

FAN EXPANSIONS
• Mihir Shah: Secret Desires, Magic Potion, and the Golden Scythe (also Winds of Change)
• Hoby Chou: Christmas Expansion and Easter Expansion
• J C: Roaming Factions
• Ryan Lopez: Lessons of the Past
 • Conor M. O’Brien: Variations Cards
• Marcus Ekman: new faction
• Mark Caro: Elder Scythe
• Steven St. John: more objective cards
• Patrice Piron: more structure bonus tiles
• Per Holmgren: new faction
• Dan Michalowski: balance changes and tweaks, new player mats, and The Reaping epilogue to The Rise of Fenris
• The various fan factions depicted in this thread.
• Ahmad Siddiqi: Underdogs of Europa (3 new factions)
• Brandon Francis and Jamie Siciliani: New Horizons campaign

Why is there a place on the board for objective cards?

There’s a place on the board for the objective cards in case a future expansion has players draw cards from the objective
deck or interact with it in different ways. There is no such interaction in the base game. [Update: There is such an
interaction in The Wind Gambit expansion!]

Is there a painting guide I can use to beautify my Scythe miniatures?

Tabletop Gaming magazine has a great painting guide in their October issue.

Why does a little bit of the back-of-board art show up on the edges of the front of the board?
When you print a double–sided board, you’re actually printing two pieces of paper and applying one to side A and one
to side B. You have to apply one piece of paper first, then the other. The second piece of paper has to wrap around the other 13
side a little bit to stay in place.
Usually you don’t notice this in a game because the board only has one side or the two sides
are very similar. But in the case of Scythe, the art of the back is at a different scale than the
front. We decided to wrap it the way we did so players who use the extended board would
have a seamless game board—the seam between the board and the board extension would be
disrupted by the extra wrapping.

Can I log my game stats somewhere and see if some factions or player mats are stronger than others?
Sure! Fabrice Essner set up two surveys for this purpose (BGG link). This site is also great for tracking stats:
https://scythebg.ga/
• Part 1 (8 questions)
• Part 2 (7 questions)

Why do the character miniatures in the current retail version look slightly different than the original versions?
After making 40,000 or so miniatures, we had to update the moulds for the original Scythe characters. Whenever we do
that, we take the opportunity to improve details and durability. They’re the same miniature sculpts, just with slightly
different moulds. A few people have asked if they could purchase the updated models, so we’ve made them
available here (the 2 Invaders from Afar characters are included, though they have not changed).

Why is Scythe classified as a 4x game?

My intent isn’t to wedge Scythe into that category or mislabel it, but rather to expand what seems to be a narrow definition.
Below are the Wikipedia definitions of each of the Xs:
 Explore means players send scouts across a map to reveal surrounding territories.
Expand means players claim new territory by creating new settlements, or sometimes by extending the influence of
existing settlements.
Exploit means players gather and use resources in areas they control, and improve the efficiency of that usage.
Exterminate means attacking and eliminating rival players. Since in some games all territory is eventually claimed,
eliminating a rival’s presence may be the only way to achieve further expansion.
Here’s why I chose to apply the 4x label to Scythe:
Explore: In Scythe, characters are moving from their homeland onto a patch of land surrounding the mysterious Factory.
The landscape itself is known–you can look across the horizon and see there’s a mountain there. What you don’t know is
(a) the encounters you’ll have along the way and (b) what you’ll find when you get to the Factory. It’s in those elements of
discovery that you are exploring in Scythe.
Expand: In Scythe, players claim new territories with their units and buildings. At the end of the game, territory control is
a big part of scoring.
Exploit: In Scythe, players gather and use resources (food, metal, oil, and wood) and improve the efficiency of that usage
through upgrades, building, and enlisting.
Exterminate: In Scythe, players can use mechs and characters attack other players and eliminate opposing units from
territories. It’s true that you’re not permanently killing units, though in any game it’s tough to kill an inanimate plastic
token (maybe melt it?). It’s also true that Scythe is more often about the threat of combat than combat itself.
All of that said, I don’t want people thinking that Scythe is a game about flipping over hexes and constantly killing
opponents’ troops. Rather, I hope people see Scythe as a different take on 4x.

Why is a dollar sign used for currency instead of another symbol?

Jakub and I discussed in detail which symbol we should use for currency in Scythe, and we decided that the $ sign was the
clearest symbol. Each coin in Scythe’s fictional 1920s universe is based on a different faction–there is no universal
14 currency (the Euro didn’t exist yet). Yes, we could have created a new symbol, but it would have been yet another symbol
for players to remember. We had the choice between making something up (which would have confused a lot of people) or
using a universally recognized symbol for money. We chose the latter, especially since $ is used to represent currency for a
number of real-world countries. This decision was well informed by discussions with backers and finalized during the
Kickstarter campaign.

Why are there typos in the art book?

There are about 8 pages with text in the entire book. 7 of them were proofread and are near-perfect. 1 of them (page 4) was
not, and it’s for a reason.
Page 4 contains a letter written by Jakub to the reader of the book. Jakub’s English is excellent, but it’s not his first
language. I could have edited and rewritten Jakub’s letter, but it would be like editing an exact quote. You can’t do that
(well, you can, but I didn’t feel it was right).
Please don’t read page 4 and see typos. Read page 4 and see the words of an artist who put his heart into the world of
Scythe–the art, the game, and the book. Jakub is very proud of this book, so give him the opportunity to speak to you on
page 4 as if you were looking him eye to eye, thanking him for letting us into his world.

Why isn’t the board modular?

There are five key reasons why the original board wasn’t modular.
1. The rivers are biggest challenge in creating a modular board. If the board were a random set of hexagonal tiles,
you would have rivers that only run along a single edge between tiles, which doesn’t really serve a mechanical
purpose (nor does it work aesthetically or thematically).
2. The art simply wouldn’t be nearly as cohesive if it were made of modular tiles. The Scythe board tells a story;
modular hexes do not. The world of Scythe isn’t modular–this is a specific world we’ve built that’s based on an
alternate-history 1920s Eastern Europe, not a random one generated by the players.
 3. The map is one of the biggest aspects of the faction-based asymmetry in the game. We’ve designed the Nordic
faction’s abilities based on them starting in the north with limited access to certain resources, for example, and
all factions have a mech “riverwalk” ability that correlates precisely to their homeland. Same with all the other
factions.
4. The board includes three tracks and several places to put cards, which allows for better organization than if these
items were floating around the table.
5. There’s already a lot of variability in the Scythe setup (namely, 25 different combinations of faction and player
mats and tons of different objective and encounter cards).

Will you ever sell a special version of Scythe that includes everything?
While we appreciate the interest that some people might have in an all-in-one version of Scythe (the game, all expansions,
all accessories, and all promos), there are a few reasons why we won’t be doing that. First, it would be prohibitively
expensive for customers (around $300), which also makes it very difficult to sell via distribution channels. Second, it
would be a 180 reversal for us, as we’ve said for years that we wouldn’t make such a product, and many people have bought
into Scythe’s ala-carte style system–it wouldn’t be fair to them. Third, the ala carte system allows people to pick and choose
exactly which elements of Scythe they want, which ensures that everyone pays for exactly what they want, nothing more. For
those reasons, we won’t be making an all-in-one version of Scythe.

Will you ever make a Scythe RPG (role-playing game)?

We considered it a while ago, and we even accepted a few submissions for a Scythe RPG. But then I realized that I know
nothing about RPGs—I couldn’t judge the quality of the submissions, and even if we did publish it, the RPG market is
completely different than the hobby game market (I know how the hobby game market works, but not the RPG market). So
while Stonemaier Games won’t be publishing a Scythe RPG, it is possible that Jakub will publish one in the future, as he
owns the rights to his 1920+ world.

Is Iron Harvest a Scythe video game? 15

Iron Harvest is a video game set in the same 1920+ world (created by Jakub Rozalski) as Scythe. It is a real-time combat
game developed by a company called King Art Games.
Stonemaier Games has absolutely no connection to Iron Harvest (other than the personal connection that we support
Jakub).
Jakub owns the entire 1920+ intellectual property (Stonemaier Games only has the tabletop game rights). That’s
why there’s content out there–like Iron Harvest, puzzles, framed art, etc–that inhabits the same world but has no
connection to Stonemaier Games.
Scythe Digital is different than Iron Harvest. Whereas Iron Harvest is a real-time combat game, Scythe Digital is the
Scythe board game in digital form with full AI.

Should I consider dual-layered mats in my game, just like Scythe?

From what I’ve seen (working with Panda), dual-layered player mats cost about 3-4x more than regular player mats. Part of
it is the additional materials cost–you’re printing 2 full player mats instead of just 1. The other part is labor, which is
twofold: First, someone has to punch the top layer, removing all of the chits. Second, someone has to glue the top layer to
the bottom layer. Those might seem like quick things to do, but compared to just running a sheet of paper through a
printer and applying it to a piece of cardboard, it adds a significant labor cost.
Also, from the graphic design perspective, it’s kind of a nightmare, as the graphic designer needs to create 3 different
layers for each mat. I’ve attached an example here from the Scythe expansion.
One of the stipulations for making any insert with holes in it (whether it’s like Scythe or Evolution) is that the holes need to
be far enough away from each other and from the edge of the cardboard that the cardboard in between is substantial and
sturdy. Some games don’t have that much room between information on the punchboard.
Also, you run the risk of components not fitting into the mats. They might fit now, but things can change (sometimes
without you knowing it) on subsequent print runs: the diecuts may be adjusted, the printing/punching/gluing methods
may change, and the tokens may get slightly bigger or smaller based on paint, type of wood, plastic moulds, etc.
Last, there is a higher risk of the dual-layered mats warping due to the way the glue expands and contracts.
An alternative to the precarious dual-layered mat is something like the mats in Evolution and Dice Forge—a single mat
with holes punched in it. You can use that if no information necessary under each hole. Also see Summit, which uses dual-
layered mats similar to Scythe, but slightly different.
For all of these reasons, I’m extremely hesitant to use dual-layered mats in future games. I would only do so if absolutely
necessary.

How big and heavy is Scythe?

All versions of Scythe are 300 x 365 x 98mm. The weight of the retail version is 3.28 kg (7.2 lbs).

What are the card totals for the KS editions of Scythe?

• 36 encounter cards (8 of these are promos)
• 18 factory cards (6 of these are promos)
• 27 objective cards (4 of these are promos)
• 42 combat cards
• 5 Riverwalk cards
• 5 quick-start cards
• 31 Automa cards
In the KS versions, the promos are in the same shrinkwrap as the other cards.