Scythe (board game)

Last updated

Scythe
Scythe boxart.png
Designers Jamey Stegmaier
Illustrators Jakub Różalski
Publishers Stonemaier Games (2016)
Players1–5
Playing time90–115 minutes
Age range14+
SkillsStrategy, tactics, logic

Scythe is a board game for one to five players designed by Jamey Stegmaier and published by Stonemaier Games in 2016. Set in an alternative history version of 1920s Europe, players control factions that produce resources, develop economic infrastructure, and use dieselpunk combat mechs to engage in combat and control territories. Players take up to two actions per turn using individual player boards, and the game proceeds until one player has earned six achievements. At this point, the players receive coins for the achievements they have attained and the territories they control, and the player with the most coins is declared the winner.

Contents

Stonemaier Games crowdfunded the development of Scythe, raising over $1.8 million through a Kickstarter campaign. Scythe was released to critical and commercial praise for its gameplay, combination of Eurogame and combat mechanics, theme, and the game artwork, which was produced by Polish painter Jakub Różalski under the name World of 1920+. Three major expansions, a spin-off, and a digital version have been released for the game.

Gameplay

Scythe gameplay Scythe-gameplay.jpg
Scythe gameplay

Scythe takes place in an alternative history version of 1920s Europe that is recovering from the effects of the WWI. Players represent different factions seeking their fortune in the redeveloping landscape. Players build an economic engine by selecting one of four main actions each turn. Each action is listed on the top of a personal player board, and players cannot take the same action in consecutive turns. They may also take a corresponding second action as listed on their player board. Actions allow players to move units on the board, trade for or produce goods, bolster their military for combat, deploy mechs, enlist recruits for continuous bonuses or build structures. The actions themselves may also be upgraded, making them either less costly to enact or stronger when deployed. [1]

Each player is given six stars, which are placed onto the board when they complete specific goals, such as deploying all four of their mechs. [1] The game immediately ends when one player has placed 6 stars. Players then tally the money that they receive from achievements earned, territory controlled, and gathered resources based on their in-game popularity achieved; the player who finishes the game with the most money wins. [2]

Development and release

Scythe was designed by Jamey Stegmaier, the CEO of Stonemaier Games, and was revealed as a Kickstarter campaign on October 13, 2015. Backers contributed over $1.8 million to the campaign. [3] [4] [5] Physical copies of the game were delivered to backers in July 2016; it was later released in Gen Con and other retail stores the following month. [1]

Approximately 130 alternate history artworks were illustrated by the Polish artist Jakub Różalski. [2] [6] The game's theme is set in the 1920+ alternate history universe, which was inspired by the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921, and also later used in Iron Harvest . [7] [8] The plot focuses on the conflict between several nations in Central and Eastern Europe that occurred in the aftermath of World War I. The factions are Polania, Rusviet, Saxony, Crimea, Nordic (based on Poland, Soviet Russia, Imperial Germany, Crimean Khanate, and Scandinavia, respectively). [1] [9] [10] The video gaming website Polygon also stated that the artwork also was "the inspiration for dozens of objective and narrative cards". [2]

During playtesting, Stegmaier asked players to quantitatively rate the game with a maximum score of ten, and described that "when I start to see those ratings creep over 8, I know we’re getting really close". [11] Scythe also includes the Automa, a solo-player mode designed by Morten Monrad Pedersen, who also contributed to other Stonemaier Games products including Wingspan and Viticulture. He stated the difficulty in designing one-player games was for the Automas to resemble human players while being streamlined, which required "a purging of unnecessary mechanics" to reduce the downtime. [12]

Expansions

Scythe has received three major expansions and several promotional packages. The first expansion, Scythe: Invaders from Afar, was released in 2016. It added new player mats and two new factions into the game, increasing the player count from five to seven. [13] The new factions are Albion and Togawa (based on United Kingdom and Japan, respectively). [14] The second expansion, Scythe: The Wind Gambit, was released in 2017, featuring airships and adding variable end-game conditions to the base game. [15] The Wind Gambit was met with praise for its new victory conditions and components, but the airships were critiqued for providing only limited appeal as the game progressed. [16] In 2017, The Wind Gambit won the Golden Geek Award for Best Game Expansion. [17]

Scythe: The Rise of Fenris was published in 2018 as the third expansion of Scythe. It introduced 11 modules, featuring an eight-episode campaign, two factions (Fenris and Vesna), a cooperative mode, and a multiplayer Automa variant. [18] The Rise of Fenris was met with positive reviews, winning the 2018 Golden Geek Award for Best Game Expansion. [19] [20] Hall praised the storyline, art, and enhancements to replayability provided by the expansion, [21] while Williams described each module as "mind-blowing" and the campaign as "flavorful, exciting, memorable and, most importantly, extremely fun". [22]

Outside of traditional expansions, Stonemaier Games has released several promotional packages for Scythe. Scythe Encounters, published in December 2018, included a set of 32 promotional encounter cards designed primarily from fan submissions. [23] Scythe Modular Board, which alters the in-game map, was released in July 2019. [24] In late 2020, Scythe Complete Rulebook was released. It was compiled by Matt Griepp and Brittany Griepp, and combined rulebooks for the base game and expansions. [23]

Alternate versions

In 2017, Stonemaier Games published a stand-alone spin-off to Scythe. Titled My Little Scythe, the game was initially a fan project that was later developed into a print and play designed by Hoby and Vienna Chou, which received the 2017 Golden Geek Award for Best Print and Play  [ fr ] game. [25] [26] The game was inspired by Scythe and featured similar mechanisms, but was re-themed and simplified for a more casual, family-friendly experience. Initially, the designer wanted to incorporate the My Little Pony franchise, although due to problems with licensing, the board game is not directly connected to that franchise. [27] An expansion adding two new factions and airships, titled My Little Scythe: Pie in the Sky, was released in June 2020. [28]

In a Techraptor review, Travis Williams praised the game’s accessibility, engagement, mechanics, playtime, and components. [26] [29] This sentiment was echoed by Polygon, which also praised the game's accessibility and mechanics. [26] Michał Szewczyk from Rebel Times concluded that the game is a well-executed if simplified version of Scythe, bridging the world of serious board games and family games. [27]

In 2018, Scythe: Digital Edition, a video game, was released by Asmodee Digital as a digital adaptation of Scythe. The game was released on 5 September 2018 on Steam for PC, including both Mac and Windows. [30] [31] In 2020, a mobile version was subsequently released and available to download on iOS and Android. [32] Iron Harvest , a real-time strategy game inspired by Scythe's 1920s setting, was also released in September 2020, and was positively received for its artwork and thematic setting. [33] [34] [35] [36]

Reception

Scythe was released to acclaim from board game critics, who praised its mechanism, gameplay, and art. It was listed as one of the best games of 2016 by several reviewers, including William Herkewitz from Popular Mechanics , Aaron Zimmerman from Ars Technica, Tomasz Sokoluk from Rebel Times, and Peter Jenkinson from the Telegraph. [37] [38] [39] [40] The reviewer Aaron Zimmerman described it as a "deep, puzzly, interactive Euro-style board game". Zimmerman also praised the complementary nature of the simple turn structure and the "many complex, interlocking parts" of the engine building mechanics. [1] This sentiment was echoed by Matt Jarvis from Tabletop Gaming, who praised the game's balance of depth and accessibility, the "cleverly designed" player mats, and as the encounter mechanism, which he believed "round[s] out Scythe's in-game universe and offer[s] a more micro-level human edge". [41] Several years after its release, Scythe appeared on a list from The Wirecutter of the best board games. The reviewers praised the game's "immense strategic depth" and "beautiful, steampunk-meets-pastoral idyll world-building aesthetic". [42]

Reviewers particularly highlighted Scythe's use of Eurogame-style resource management and combat mechanics found in American-style board games. Zimmerman compared the simplicity of combat to the systems in Kemet and Dune , describing it as a "tense exercise", but also noted the relative infrequency of combat within the game world. [1] Jarvis praised the "quick and highly strategic" combat system but found that resource production was instrumental for victory. [41] Luke Plunkett from Kotaku also observed that resource management and construction were more significant for in-game success than combat. [43] Różalski's artwork also received significant praise from reviewers, with Charlie Hall of Polygon acknowledging the game's use of artwork as a thematic core for objective and encounter cards and stating that each card "is a treasure". [2] PC Gamer editor Jonathan Bolding also commended the art quality, noting that "[t]he cards have fascinating scenes of agrarian life juxtaposed with smoking dieselpunk mechs and war machines". [44] Reviewing for the Dicebreaker , Alex Meehan praised the artwork displaying both the war setting and its "consequences on the ordinary people". She concluded that it was "a huge draw for players looking for a game with an arresting setting". [45] Sokoluk also stated that the most distinctive element of the game is Różalski's art style, which has helped to create hype for the game even before its debut. [40] Zimmerman was additionally complimentary, writing that the game is "tied together through the stunning art". [1]

The single-player artificial opponent, the Automa, was also well-received. Plunkett praised the functionality of the Automa as "a great way to learn the ropes before getting a crew together", but noted that there were major differences between the game's single- and multiplayer modes. [43] Travis Williams from TechRaptor agreed, saying that the Automa was "slickly designed" and praising its suitability as a non-player faction in multiplayer games. [6]

Scythe received four Golden Geek Awards from BoardGameGeek in 2016, for Board Game of the Year, Artwork & Presentation, Strategy Game, and Solo Game, while also placing as a runner-up for Most Innovative. [46] The game was also well received commercially: as of April 2021, Stonemaier Games had sold over 382,000 copies. Scythe had the highest sales of any Stonemaier Game until 2021, when it was surpassed by Wingspan . [47]

Upon its release, Scythe: Digital Edition received mostly positive reviews upon its release on Steam. [48] Calvin Wong Tze Loon from PC Gamer commended the "slick tutorial", the mechanisms, visuals and the soundtrack; concluding that it was "evocative, clever, and rewarding". [14] Keith Law from Ars Technica also praised the visuals of the adaptation and engagement but criticised the price of 20 dollars and complexity of the tutorial. [30] In a mixed review, CD-Action noted the game's similarity with the original board game, stating that "Its biggest merit in the eyes of purists is arguably also its biggest flaw – Scythe: Digital Edition offers nothing that the original board game wouldn't". [48]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Pandemic</i> (board game) Crisis-themed cooperative strategy board game

Pandemic is a cooperative board game designed by Matt Leacock and first published by Z-Man Games in the United States in 2008. Pandemic is based on the premise that four diseases have broken out in the world, each threatening to wipe out a region. The game accommodates two to four players, each playing one of seven possible roles: dispatcher, medic, scientist, researcher, operations expert, contingency planner, or quarantine specialist. Through the combined effort of all the players, the goal is to discover all four cures before any of several game-losing conditions are reached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legacy game</span> Board game genre

A legacy game is a variant of tabletop board games in which the game itself is designed, through various mechanics, to change permanently over the course of a series of sessions.

<i>Kingdomino</i> Board game

Kingdomino is a 2016 tile board game for 2-4 players designed by Bruno Cathala and published by Blue Orange Games. In this 15-20 minute, family-oriented game, players build a five by five kingdom of oversized domino-like tiles, making sure as they place each tile that one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type already in play. The game was critically successful and won the 2017 Spiel des Jahres award, and was followed by several spin-offs and expansions.

<i>Terraforming Mars</i> (board game) 2016 strategy board game

Terraforming Mars is a board game for 1 to 5 players designed by Jacob Fryxelius and published by FryxGames in 2016, and thereafter by 12 others, including Stronghold Games. In Terraforming Mars, players take the role of corporations working together to terraform the planet Mars by raising the temperature, adding oxygen to the atmosphere, covering the planet's surface with water and creating plant and animal life. The game incorporates elements of resource management, engine building, and strategic planning. Players compete to earn the most victory points, which are measured by their contribution to terraforming and to human infrastructure. These goals are achieved by collecting income and resources which allow them to play various projects, represented by cards that increase their income or resources, build infrastructure, or directly contribute to terraforming the planet. The game was received positively by fans and critics, and received numerous awards.

<i>Star Wars: Rebellion</i> (board game) 2016 strategy board game

Star Wars: Rebellion is an asymmetrical strategy board game designed by Corey Konieczka and published by Fantasy Flight Games in 2016. The game's setting is inspired by the original Star Wars trilogy. Players control either the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance. Each player pursues a different path to victory, with the Galactic Empire playing seeking to find the Rebel Alliance player's base and destroy it, while the Rebel Alliance player attempts to avoid detection by the Galactic Empire and sabotage their efforts. The game received highly positive reviews and won numerous awards.

<i>Gloomhaven</i> 2017 cooperative strategy role-playing board game

Gloomhaven is a cooperative board game for one to four players designed by Isaac Childres and published by Cephalofair Games in 2017. It is a campaign-based dungeon crawl game including a narrative campaign, 95 unique playable scenarios, and 17 playable classes. Since its introduction the game has been acclaimed by reviewers, and has been described as one of the best board games ever made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charterstone</span> 2017 board game

Charterstone is a board game for 1-6 players designed by Jamey Stegmaier and released by Stonemaier Games in 2017.Players work together over a twelve game campaign to build a village, while simultaneously competing to win each game, and ultimately win the campaign. Chartersone was designed as a "legacy board game" meaning that each game played influences, or leaves a legacy, for subsequent games within a larger campaign.

Jakub Różalski, also known as Mr. Werewolf, is a Polish artist. He is best known as the illustrator of the board game Scythe and related paintings, commonly featuring mythical, fantastical beasts, robots and similar concepts. His style combines the classic art style of late 18th and early 19th century paintings with modern fantasy and science fiction concepts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wingspan (board game)</span> 2019 board game about birds

Wingspan is a board game designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier Games in 2019. It is a card-driven, engine-building board game in which players compete to attract birds to their wildlife reserves. During the game's development process, Hargrave constructed personal charts of birds observed in Maryland, with statistics sourced from various biological databases; the special powers of birds were also selected to resemble real-life characteristics. Upon its release, Wingspan received critical and commercial acclaim for its gameplay, accurate thematic elements, and artwork. The game also won numerous awards, including the 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres. Several expansions and a digital edition have been subsequently published.

<i>Iron Harvest</i> Real time strategy game

Iron Harvest is a real-time strategy video game developed by King Art Games and published by Deep Silver. Players control mecha in a dieselpunk setting. The game was released for Windows on September 1, 2020. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on October 26, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirit Island (board game)</span> Co-operative strategy board game

Spirit Island is a euro-style co-operative strategy board game designed by R. Eric Reuss and published by Greater Than Games in 2017. Digital versions have been released for PC, iOS, and Android.

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is a board game for 3–5 players designed by Thomas Sing and released in 2019. In The Crew, a trick-taking cooperative card game with 50 missions, players aim to win tricks based on their task cards, but can only communicate limited information on their cards. Upon its release, The Crew received critical success and won numerous awards. A sequel, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, was released in 2021.

<i>Root</i> (board game) 2018 asymmetric board game

Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right is a 2018 asymmetric strategy wargame board game designed by Cole Wehrle, illustrated by Kyle Ferrin, and published by Leder Games. In Root, players compete for the most victory points through moving and battling using various factions with unique abilities. Upon its release, Root received positive reviews, and was followed by four expansions. A digital version, developed by Dire Wolf Digital, was released in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leder Games</span> American board game company

Leder Games is a board game developer owned by Patrick Leder and based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is best known for publishing asymmetric games such as Root and Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile, which were both designed by Cole Wehrle. As of 2023, board games released by the company have usually been illustrated by Kyle Ferrin.

Tellstones: King's Gambit is a 2020 tabletop game created by Riot Games under their Riot Tabletop division. Two or four players take turns placing, swapping, and guessing tokens; the goal of the game is to either guess three tokens correctly or "boast" successfully by correctly guessing all hidden tokens. Developed as part of Riot's expansion into games outside League of Legends, the game is the company's second tabletop product following their 2016 release Mechs vs. Minions. Tellstones was released in September 2020; reviewers praised the game for its presentation and build quality, but criticized its gameplay as short and uninteresting.

<i>Sagrada</i> (board game) Dice-drafting board game

Sagrada is a dice-drafting board game designed by Adrian Adamescu and Daryl Andrews and published in 2017 by Floodgate Games. Each player constructs a stained-glass window using dice on a personal 4×5 game board board with restrictions on the types of dice that can be played on each space. Players gain points by completing public and secret objectives for dice placements, and the one with the most after ten rounds is the winner.

Viticulture is a worker placement board game published by Stonemaier Games in 2013. The game's design was crowdfunded via a campaign on Kickstarter, with the concept of players building an Italian vineyard. Upon its release, Viticulture received praise for its engagement, but its luck was critiqued. Several expansions and reprints were later released.

<i>Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile</i> 2021 asymmetric board game

Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile is a 2021 board game with asymmetric gameplay and legacy elements designed by Cole Wehrle, illustrated by Kyle Ferrin, and published by Leder Games. In Oath, players compete to become the Chancellor, and the events of each game influence the events of the games that follow. Upon its release, Oath received positive reviews, and an expansion for the game is in development. The game is part of an increase in the release of games that are based on a scenario or have a campaign structure, and is focused on fantasy politics and crisis.

<i>Tapestry</i> (board game) 2019 strategy board game

Tapestry is a 2019 strategy board game designed by Jamey Stegmaier and published by Stonemaier Games.

<i>Wyrmspan</i> (board game)

Wyrmspan is a board game for one to five players designed by Connie Vogelmann and published by Stonemaier Games in 2024. It is a card-driven, engine-building board game in which players compete to excavate labyrinths and entice dragons to the sanctuary of their caves. Based on the acclaimed board game Wingspan, Wyrmspan is themed around dragons instead of birds and hosts slightly more complex game mechanics. Upon its release Wyrmspan received widespread positive reviews and achieved the largest single-day product sale quantity in Stonemaier Games history.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zimmerman, Aaron (July 30, 2016). "Scythe review: The most-hyped board game of 2016 delivers". Ars Technica . Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hall, Charlie (August 12, 2016). "In Scythe, my buffalo fights for the people". Polygon . Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  3. Olde, Thomas (March 8, 2017). "Fueled by love of games, MU professor creates successful board game of his own". Columbia Missourian . Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  4. Guarino, Ben (September 16, 2016). "The Most Hyped Board Game of 2016 Earned It". Inverse . Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  5. Paez, Danny (December 18, 2015). "Crowdfunded board games surge despite video market". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Williams, Travis (August 2, 2016). "Scythe Review - Beauty, Grace and Style". TechRaptor. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  7. Hall, Charlie (November 3, 2016). "Iron Harvest is a new diesel punk RTS based on alternate history WWI (updated)". Polygon. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  8. Hall, Charlie (2018-03-16). "'Dieselpunk mech' game Iron Harvest fully funded in just 36 hours". Polygon. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  9. "Iron Harvest interview: Crisis on an alternate Earth". VentureBeat. 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  10. Campbell, Colin (2020-03-13). "Iron Harvest finds drama and beauty in alternative World War I". Polygon. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  11. "Scythe, Pandemic Legacy and Yogi creators on the unending, essential process of playtesting board games to perfection". Dicebreaker. 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  12. "Scythe's Automa designer on making cardboard AI feel human in solo board games". Dicebreaker. 2020-02-19. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  13. "Scythe -lautapelin lisäosat > Lautapeliopas". Lautapeliopas (in Finnish). 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  14. 1 2 Calvin Wong Tze Loon (2018-07-17). "Slick and sharp, Scythe Digital Edition delivers dreams of turn-based glory". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  15. Hall, Charlie (April 17, 2017). "This expansion will completely change the best board game of 2016". Polygon. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  16. Plunkett, Luke (January 9, 2018). "Scythe: The Wind Gambit: The Kotaku Review". Kotaku. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  17. Hall, Charlie (March 14, 2018). "The best board games of 2017, as chosen by the Board Game Geek community". Polygon. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  18. Stegmaier, Jamey (2021). Scythe Complete Rulebook. Stonemaier Games.
  19. Hall, Charlie (January 3, 2018). "Scythe will get a campaign expansion this year (update)". Polygon. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  20. Hall, Charlie (April 4, 2019). "The best board games of 2018, as chosen by the Board Game Geek community". Polygon. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  21. Hall, Charlie (July 11, 2018). "Scythe's final expansion pushes tabletop gaming forward yet again". Polygon. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  22. Williams, Travis (December 11, 2018). "Scythe: The Rise of Fenris Review – Superb". TechRaptor. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  23. 1 2 "Scythe's Complete Rulebook collects everything players need to know in one place". Dicebreaker. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  24. Design, Dave Hewer (May 1, 2019). "Scythe Modular Board". Stonemaier Games. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  25. Hall, Charlie (March 14, 2018). "The best board games of 2017, as chosen by the Board Game Geek community". Polygon. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 Hall, Charlie (2020-04-09). "The best kid-friendly board games to play with the whole family". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  27. 1 2 Szewczyk, Michał „Windziarz” (February 2019). "My Little Scythe: Kucyki walczą na ciasta". Rebel Times (in Polish) (137): 4–6.
  28. "Fly an airship as lovely animals with first My Little Scythe Expansion, Pie in the Sky". Dicebreaker. 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  29. "My Little Scythe Review – The Best Welcome". TechRaptor. 14 August 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  30. 1 2 Staff, Ars (2018-09-15). "Review: Mega-hit boardgame Scythe goes digital on Steam". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  31. "Scythe: Digital Edition on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  32. "Scythe: Digital Edition is out on mobile now". Dicebreaker. 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  33. "Painter's Art Turns into Video Game with Dieselpunk Robots". Culture.pl. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  34. Bolding, Jonathan (September 1, 2020). "Iron Harvest Single-Player Review". IGN. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  35. "Iron Harvest Review: Tactical Bliss Within A Reimagined History". TheGamer. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  36. "Iron Harvest". Metacritic. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  37. Herkewitz, William (September 29, 2017). "The 50 Best New Board Games". Popular Mechanics . Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  38. Jenkinson, Peter (2016-12-11). "The best new board games of 2016". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  39. Staff, Ars (2016-12-27). "Game on! The best board games of 2016". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  40. 1 2 Sokoluk, Tomasz (January 2017). "Scythe: Workerzy na mechy!". Rebel Times (in Polish) (112): 3–6.
  41. 1 2 Jarvis, Matt (February 3, 2017). "Scythe review". Tabletop Gaming. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  42. "The Best Board Games" . The New York Times . November 19, 2021. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  43. 1 2 Plunkett, Luke (July 12, 2016). "Scythe: The Kotaku Review". Kotaku. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  44. Bolding, Jonathan (November 9, 2020). "The best board games to play right now". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  45. "The best board game box art you could hang on your wall". Dicebreaker. 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  46. Hall, Charlie (March 9, 2017). "The best board games of 2016". Polygon. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  47. Design, Dave Hewer (April 8, 2021). "2020 Behind-the-Scenes Stakeholder Report for Stonemaier Games". Stonemaier Games. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  48. 1 2 "Scythe: Digital Edition". Metacritic. Retrieved 2022-03-16.