Scythe

Last week, we saved the forest with apple pies in My Little Scythe. Now we have to save the world – or at least 1920s Eastern Europe – in Scythe. Both “My Little Scythe” and “Scythe” have similar game play. In both, you choose from among a certain amount of actions, that are upgraded as the game progresses, in order to boost your faction and reach a set number of goals. Scythe takes that basic template and bolts on asymmetric gameplay, where each faction plays a little differently from the others, with different advantages. I played Crimea, which also grabs parts of both what would be Ukraine and Russia in today’s world, and utterly controls access to the Black Sea. Crimea’s special ability is built around farming combat cards and using them to make itself a more formidable opponent, as well as one that is deadly in a fight. ...

In yesterday’s Game Night, we eased my sister deeper into the world of board gaming with “My Little Scythe”, and tested out Game Toppers’ “Watson” gaming surface and mat. One of the first things my sister Vallerie showed me when I first visited her in her new home nearby was a battered copy of “Settlers of Catan” she’d picked up second hand. “I’ve been seeing your posts about your game nights on Instagram,” she said, “and I want in.” ...

Last year for my birthday, Kasul got me a huge, mysteriously heavy box and refused to say what was inside. Anticipation was killing me. When my birthday came, I opened it up and it was absolutely full of Fantasy Flight Games’ Game of Thrones, the Card Game stuff. The base game, custom card holders for each noble house, every expansion, box after box of stuff. It was more than a little overwhelming. We were, at the time, working our way through the Gloomhaven main campaign and didn’t have time for new games. Just after we finished with Gloomhaven, the pandemic happened, crushing our family game night for months. ...