Scythe (board game)
A dieselpunk board game set in an alternate 1920s Europe.
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, it combines resource management, economic development, and dieselpunk combat mechs. The game was crowdfunded via Kickstarter, raising over $1.8 million, and received critical and commercial praise for its gameplay, theme, and artwork by Polish painter Jakub Różalski.
- Designer
- Jamey Stegmaier
- Publisher
- Stonemaier Games
- Release Year
- 2016
- Player Count
- 1 to 5 (up to 7 with expansions)
- Genre
- Eurogame with combat mechanics
- Setting
- Alternative history 1920s Europe
- Artist
- Jakub Różalski
Lore & Background
Development began with a Kickstarter campaign on October 13, 2015, which raised over $1.8 million. Physical copies were delivered to backers in July 2016 and released at Gen Con and retail the following month. Approximately 130 alternate history artworks were illustrated by Jakub Różalski, inspired by the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921. The game includes the Automa, a solo-player mode designed by Morten Monrad Pedersen. Three major expansions—Invaders from Afar (2016), The Wind Gambit (2017), and The Rise of Fenris (2018)—along with promotional packages and a spin-off titled My Little Scythe (2017) have been released. A digital edition was released in 2018, and a standalone sequel, Expeditions, was released in September 2023.
Reader's Guide
Scythe is significant for blending Eurogame mechanics with combat and area control, a combination that earned it widespread acclaim and placement on multiple 'best of 2016' lists. Its success demonstrated the viability of large-scale Kickstarter campaigns for board games, raising over $1.8 million. The game's artwork by Jakub Różalski became iconic, later inspiring the video game Iron Harvest. The expansions, particularly The Wind Gambit and The Rise of Fenris, won Golden Geek Awards for Best Game Expansion. The spin-off My Little Scythe adapted the mechanics for a family-friendly audience, while the digital edition and sequel Expeditions extended the franchise's reach. Scythe's legacy includes influencing board game design with its integrated solo mode and modular expansions, and it remains a benchmark for thematic Eurogames.
Did You Know?
- Scythe raised over $1.8 million through a Kickstarter campaign launched on October 13, 2015.
- The game's artwork was created by Polish painter Jakub Różalski under the name World of 1920+.
- The solo-player mode, Automa, was designed by Morten Monrad Pedersen, who also contributed to Wingspan and Viticulture.
- A standalone sequel, Expeditions, was released in September 2023 and does not feature warfare.
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