The Complete Scythe Board Game and Expansion Buying Guide (2024)

The year is 1920, and a new conflict is rising from the ashes of the First World War. In the alternate reality in which the Scythe board game takes place, five major factions look to claim as much of Europe as possible using destructive, steam-powered mechs. At the heart of the continent lies The Factory, a technological marvel that every great leader seeks to control. 

Interested in starting or expanding your journey into the world of Scythe? In this article, we’re breaking down all the available products, expansions, and spin-off games to help you experience the best that this incredible strategy board game has to offer. 

How to Start Playing Scythe

The base game is, as you might have guessed, the best place to start playing Scythe. There are five playable factions, each with their own unique ability and geographic advantage: Polonia, Rusviet, Saxony, Crimea, and the Nords. Each faction also has a different character miniature, a set of four mechs, and eight workers.

Engine building is a key component of a successful Scythe strategy. A majority of the game’s points are awarded for actions like building structures, manufacturing mechs, and generating resources. However, combat with other factions will still play a key role in most games. A pair of special objective cards are also dealt to each player at the beginning of the game, ensuring that there are many paths to victory.

Scythe Board Game Expansions

There are three major expansions for Scythe, along with one smaller expansion with new encounter cards. If you’ve already played the base game but want to discover all that the game has to offer, we recommend purchasing the expansions in the following order: Invaders from Afar, The Wind Gambit, The Rise of Fenris, and finally, Scythe Encounters. Read on to find out more details about each one.

1. Scythe: Invaders from Afar Expansion

Invaders from Afar adds two new playable factions, Albion and Togawa, and allows players to expand the maximum player count to seven. Both of the new factions favor experienced players, with the Togawa faction being particularly difficult to master- though for that exact reason I find it to be particularly enjoyable to play. Additional player mats, resource tokens, and coins are also included to ensure there’s enough for everyone in a seven-player game.

2. Scythe: The Wind Gambit Expansion

The Wind Gambit adds two new awesome layers to the game: airships and resolution cards. Airships are a type of unit with randomized abilities that can easily move across rivers and lakes. Unlike mechs, you don’t need to build your airship; the miniature starts at your home base and can depart right away. Resolution cards, on the other hand, primarily affect the end of the game. They add unique win conditions, shared objectives, and other new scoring mechanics.

3. Scythe: Rise of Fenris Expansion

The last of the three major Scythe expansions, the Rise of Fenris, adds a campaign experience that further builds out the alternate reality in which the game takes place. The new content is unlocked gradually over the course of eight story-driven chapters and eleven game modules. It also includes a nice campaign book for tracking all the lingering effects of your decisions and play style from session to session. The story serves as a good conclusion for the original Scythe premise, and is thus usually the last of the three main expansions that you should play.

4. Scythe Encounters 

Though it’s not technically considered an expansion by Stonemaier Games, Scythe Encounters is an excellent addition to the base game that doubles the size of the encounter deck using new promo cards that the game’s fans had a hand in developing. They make each playthrough more unpredictable, and are best for experienced players looking to shake things up. Once you have these encounter cards, you’ll pretty much always include them.

More Scythe Board Games

There are two additional standalone board games set in the world of Scythe. Each offers its own unique gameplay experience, and each is a fairly radical departure from the original Scythe board game-though in completely different ways.

Expeditions

Expeditions is the direct sequel to Scythe, and takes players out to the expanses of Siberia in search of the site where a mysterious meteorite recently hit Earth. Players focus on exploring tiles and gathering power to stop the spread of supernatural corruption, and will also have an upgradeable mech that makes it easier to explore new places. Engine building is still a key component of gameplay, and the incredible art style from the first title makes a welcome return, but beyond that, Expeditions is a completely new game.

My Little Scythe

Though the themes and art style of Scythe are pretty dark and gritty, the game still inspired a fun spin-off that targets younger players and replaces mechs with cute animals. My Little Scythe uses many of the same base mechanics as the original, but simplifies them in a way that makes them accessible and easier to manage. The end result is a fun experience for all ages. Though it might look goofy, it’s actually great.

My Little Scythe: Pie in the Sky Expansion

Pie in the Sky uses many of the same ideas as the original Scythe’s expansions. It adds airships, more player tokens, and the playable owl and arctic fox animals, along with the appropriate matching minatures. If you enjoyed playing My Little Scythe, you’re definitely going to love this adorable expansion.

Even More Scythe

Can’t get enough of this incredible strategy board game and its fascinating alternate version of history? There are even more ways to improve your play experience.

The Legendary Box

If you’re looking for the ultimate storage solution for all your Scythe expansions and minatures, then Stonemaier’s official Legendary Box will be just the ticket. It includes individual boxes for all of the game’s expansions, and puts Jakub Rozalski’s iconic artwork front and center.

Scythe: Realistic Resources Pack

The Realistic Resources Pack is a great way to upgrade the visual appeal of your Scythe board. It replaces the original resource tokens with colorful new metal ones shaped to look like chopped wood, oil barrels, metal bars, and bags of food.