Derek made me do it.
About a year ago, when asked, Scott Allen Czysz, told me I should try Scythe:
> if you like the art (because there is a ton of it on player mats, and multiple decks of cards),
> if you are looking for a solo game you can play in about an hour,
> if you want a great multiplayer game as well,
> if you plan on playing it a lot and want replayability,
> if you want to play one of the best Automas around,
> if you want simple, but deep gameplay (I tell people Scythe has simple rules, but there are about a hundred of them).
Hm, interesting, I thought. And put it on the backburner. Then last month Derek Arsenault posted in this Lounge about his solo plays. This was just around the time I had found a shop that had the Scythe boxes discounted. So I asked again. And Derek wrote a book. Some of the things he said:
> simple to learn how to play, but the strategy can go deep.
> I also love how each faction has their own unique ability.
> replayability is huge.
> [you need to find a balance between] gaining territories for your faction and engine building/economy building vs fighting.
> the Automa card deck come is so great. I also love that you have difficulty level options.
Sounds familiar, I thought. There must be truth in it. Then Mikolaj Laczynski added:
> I've played quite a lot (probably around 20 multiplayer and more solo) and I've noticed that no two games are similar.
So I caved in. Now I can probably play it for a few years without ever getting bored. Cause I've got so much Scythe.
It will take a while for me to learn to play. I started off two-handed simulating multiplayer. I will probably do that again once or twice before getting to the automa. But I really liked moving the pieces across the board, trying to get them in a good position for my next actions etc.
JW this is awesome! I love that my post helped to spark your interest. Amazing. :) You're actually ahead of me now too. I only have the Invaders from Afar expansion so far. LOL You'll have to let me know how you like Encounters.
I recently taught this to my sister on one of our recent game days. My brother-in-law played it with me once before and enjoyed it. My sister on the other hand is a perfectionist (she's so smart, but sometimes it can be a fault LOL). Of course, the game comes across as daunting, so early on she kept reminding us how games that make her think too much aren't her cup of tea.
As we rolled through the game, you could tell she was "getting it" and the simplicity in the mechanics was coming out. In the end... She won! I couldn't believe it. LOL
The point to that story is that following that, I had to ramp up my experience more and I played a couple solo games to "practice" for our next game day. LOL To my surprise, I actually won one of the two! Both games though, I was finally making some good choices again. It's amazed me how if you take a break from playing the Automa for a bit, you can really fall behind. I love that!
Sorry this is so far delayed in commenting/reading. But I'm so happy you took a chance on this one! :) Enjoy