Scythe is one of my favorite strategy games. It’s probably the most well-known title from Stonemaier Games and there are a lot of ways to enjoy it—you can play solo against the Automa system; you can play competitively in the regular game variant; you can enjoy a longer campaign with one of the expansions.
The mechanics themselves, though, also offer a lot of flexibility in the strategies that players can employ. Combat, territorial expansion, map encounters, resource gathering, and building. It’s all available for players to exploit.
I have never liked, though, the predetermined starting locations for the factions. It limits the exploration to familiar patterns of expansion and it doesn’t allow players to really decide how the game will be played from a spatial perspective. For a game that excels in creating possibilities for the players, this one hindrance was a small oversight that prevented Scythe from taking full advantage of its potential.
Now, however, you can really enhance your gameplay experience with the Scythe Modular Board. The double-sided board and the four double-sided tiles enable customized maps for every game. The faction tiles provide a way to select the starting location for each player rather than forcing factions into certain parts of the map. So the game changes every time you play. That’s a strong component added to Scythe and it is adaptable to any player count.
Increased variability. Improved potential. And more fun. These are the hallmarks of a good expansion, and the Scythe modular board delivers.
STORY
Usually, I’d share with you the narrative writing of the game designers and the publishers, giving a sense of the game’s world and debating if the theme was an appealing one or if the story was something that could anchor the mechanics in a believable and exciting setting.
But that’s not necessary here because this isn’t a game. It’s not even an expansion.
It’s just a board.
That’s a little unkind, though. It’s not just a board. It’s a lot of cardboard that makes other cardboard and a good bit of paper feel a lot better. Throw in some wood and plastic, too. The modular board makes Scythe better, which reinforces the narrative that was already there. That’s good enough for me. And it should be good enough for you.
GAMEPLAY
Before I dive into how well it works, let’s consider what you’re getting in the box—it’s not really a box, but you get the idea. And actually, let’s discuss that because it’s something that bothers me. This doesn’t come in a box. Or a bag. It’s just shrink-wrapped and stacked, ready for the player to open up. After you open it up, however, you start to ask questions.
Am I supposed to get rid of the old board? I don’t want to get rid of the old board.
Where do I keep the loose tiles? I might lose them. I’m definitely going to lose them.
Why isn’t there a box? Could they have at least gone for a bag? I’d have been okay with a bag.
There are likely gamers out there that don’t care, but it definitely bugs me. I’ve already purchased a Broken Token organizer for Scythe to help make the game storage make more sense. There’s no room for this modular board… or its tiles. And I don’t want to keep it on the shelf. I would have really like to seen this come in a box. For storage. For ease of use. For whatever reason you want. It’s currently sitting in my office and I’m unsure what to do with it. It’s making me itch.
But if we’re discussing gameplay, which we should be, then this is a new design for the board and it’s made to fit with the spatial tiles that come with it. The board is double-sided, which further increases the variability of your setup, and it even includes some more structure bonus tiles to mix things up at endgame scoring.
Here’s what you get:
• 1 double-sided board
• 4 double-sided tiles (7 hexes per tile)
• 8 home base tiles
• 8 structure bonus tiles
• 1 rulebook (11 languages)
• Automa rules for solo play
And the (currently) $19.00 price is well worth it. I am so happy that this thing exists. Jamey has catered to his community of gamers and fans with a much-needed boost to Scythe.
First, let me explain why this exists. Scythe includes five base factions in the game and two in the Invaders from Afar expansion, bringing the total up to seven. There are seven faction locations on the map, marked with the symbol of each unique people. That is the starting location for each faction. Every game. Now that may not be a bad thing at first glance. Players will use different factions. Factions can be controlled differently in every game. Different win conditions will occur from session to session.
If players are bringing out Scythe a lot, though, it can quickly turn into a contest of efficiency. Which player can use the set of resources closest to them to achieve the quickest and most stable growth? A different player mat associated with the faction doesn’t stop the reality of having the same two—and eventually four or five—resources in the area.
So a game that thrives on variability (with player mats, factions, win conditions, and variable player powers) has a weakness regarding its game setup.
Cue the Scythe Modular Board.
It solves that problem by giving so many options for how the board looks and where players can set up. Factions are not tied to specific locations. They can be anywhere around the map exterior. They can be close to factions they rarely encountered before. They can rely on resources that took rounds to reach previously.
It is a game-changer because it allows combinations that couldn’t be managed before. Create a custom map for every game and even adapt the size of the map to the player count. It’s a wonderful amount of flexibility that players can enjoy before the game even starts.
Factions with Riverwalk and Lakewalk abilities have more options now. Crimea’s ability to move to inactive home bases now has more relevance. Smaller player counts experience a more immediate, tense game. Games with the Automa or Rise of Fenris campaign also are influenced by this modular board.
There was a lot to like about Scythe. And now there’s more. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to using the original board after getting this one out.
VISUALS
All of the components are sturdy, double-sided cardboard tiles and it all matches the aesthetic of the original game.
I’m happy with how it all looks and I think that the pieces will hold up under continual use with the rest of the Scythe game.
If you want to see the artwork and style of Scythe, you can check that out here.
REPLAYABILITY
This is all that the modular board is about. It doesn’t matter if you’ve played Scythe ten times or a hundred times, this expansion will enable you to keep playing without encountering the monotonous conflict of factions challenging factions in the same fashion game after game.
There are other expansions for Scythe that you can get, but this one serves as a solid foundation for all of them.
I really don’t think gamers will play without it once they’ve tried it. It serves its purpose well and makes the original board obsolete.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE DONE BETTER
I just wanted a box. That’s all I was hoping for. A box so I could tuck the board and the tiles away neatly. Instead, I’m going to have to figure out an alternative storage solution and that’s annoying. With everything that Jamey considers when designing something, I’m surprised that this is what we’re left with, but there is shrink wrap and cardboard cutouts left in my trash to attest to the lack of a box.
I really might be on my own here, but I greatly dislike messy game organization. Keeping everything tidy helps me set up games easier and store them away without risking the loss of any components.
If this had a box or bag to stow everything, I think I would have given this a perfect rating, but it gets under my skin a little bit.
Sorry for the small rant…
VERDICT
If you want to restore your love for Scythe—or if you want to ensure that it never goes away—then the modular board is a must-have. It provides the finishing touches on a game that exudes variability in all other aspects. I’m a fan of Stonemaier Games, but it’s small releases like this that give me confidence in a designer and their ability to figure out how to improve on their work.
Scythe is a crunchy board game and now it’s got some essential cardboard to make it just a little more munchy.
