Stonemaier Games STM615 Scythe Expansion: Invaders from Afar

I brought this game for a Christmas present for my wife and I. The game is great. The ending is NEVER the same.I would suggest this to any young adults as a go to games night game!

This is a really great board game. Ordered it the same night after I played it for the first time. It has quite a few rules that are hard to explain. But you learn about them quickly enough as you play the game. The game presents lots of different ways of achieving objectives which gives a chance to play many different strategies. Only downside I will mention is the digital version of the game is just as good and only costs £20. The board game tends to be about £65 and you get the same. Arguably digital is better as you always have that on computer and can play online. But you cannot use Wind Gambit and Fenris expansion with digital version. So all depends on what gamer wants.

This expansion adds two extra factions. This is perfect for when you want to shake up Scythe-night with your friends

First of all, I'm a 58 year old Modeller/Wargamer, in the past playing 20mm WW2, D&D and later Warhammer fantasy when the kids got older (I also had Steve Jackson's original edition of OGRE, long lost during house moves).In the last 10 or so years I have gotten back into gaming, Axis and Allies Naval and Air Miniatures, X-Wing Miniatures. Also Munchkin, which my wife loves!So what made me buy this game? Well, obviously the production is superb, Jakub Rozalski's artwork is stunning. I like the 'alternative' history style of setting for the game, and the fact it had a set of rules for solo play. It is worth looking at 'Lines42' Automa tutorial on YouTube, as well as his tutorial for the game itself.First thing you notice is the box is hefty, full to the brim of quality components. Unwrapping all the card and unpunching all the counters takes a while. The playing Board is good quality and warp free, always a good sign.This game at first seems very complicated, but it's not, just very involved, with a lot of aspects to the play. It takes a while to set up, even in 'Solo mode', but once you pick through the various rules it plays fairly quickly, but it does take time to remember EVERYTHING you have to resolve and be aware of, whilst playing.I won't go into the gameplay because there are a wealth of videos online. I'm just going to say that, once you pick up the movement rules for the 'Automa' player (that is, your game driven opponent) this is a satisfying game, even though I haven't beaten it yet, and that's on the easy setting! Tactics and strategy is the key here, something I have yet to master, but this game will entertain those who only play once in a while and appreciate quality. Buy it.

I already own Wingspan so was super eager to invest in more Stonemaier games, and this was on my wish list for a while. It was an excellent purchase.The artwork is stunning, the board and all the cards are exceptional quality/feel. You are paying for the brand and the quality.It’s not easy to learn- had to watch a couple of YouTube videos along the way as sometimes the instructions were heavy going/hard to visualise or understand what was meant to occur. But after the 2nd play through it suddenly clicked and became more enjoyable rather than a scramble of un-knowingness.The turn structure is similar to wingspan so if you have already played this- it will be easier to pick up and learn. I love the character variations and different abilities and the ways in which you can play the game. Looking forward to purchasing some expansions to add more depth to the game.Also: don’t be overwhelmed by the amount of items/cards/meeples you have to set up the game. It looks a lot but it is easy to pick up and learn what goes where.

As advertised, coins are weighty and feel good to handle! Wish more metal coins could be made like these!

What to say about it?I really love this game and the fine eye to detail in every single part of it. The illustration is just stunning and represents perfectly the thematic of the game. It is not that complicated once you understand the basics and it works perfectly with two players. Some people say that there is not much interaction...well...this depends in how do you want to play. I did not play Rise of Fenris yet but it is impressive the graphic design too and the packaging. Fine eye to detail. Although some people might consider this expensive...I do not think it is...making this profitable with the quality of the materials, printing, etc...is nearly impossible, and they are doing well. For me 8.5 over 10, not much to complain about. I would totally recommend this game if you like strategy games and think a bit. Games are not that long, so far something between 1,5 and 2.15 hours.

I bought this for my 7 year old for Christmas, but me and my partner have had just as much fun playing it ourselves! It can seem a little tricky to get to grips with out of the box - this put some of my family members who were less experienced with board games off - but the instructions are very clear, and once you grasp the basic rules it's actually very straightforward to play with lots of replay-ability. I think "Automountie" is a great feature, and I love that it gives you the option to make it a "co-op" game by playing against the game itself, playing against the game single player or use it to add an extra player to a two player game to make things more interesting/challenging. The game itself is beautifully designed. Everything about it feels very high quality and the cute, little playable characters are very well made. Perfect for both younger gamer or older ones who are newer to strategy - we are now looking to buy the adult version of Scythe for ourselves!