Scythe

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• Setup
  • • Place the board on the table.
    • Place 1 encounter token on each territory with a matching symbol:
    • Place the resources and coins near the board.
    • Shuffle the combat cards and put them in their place on the board.
      • If this pile ever runs out, shuffle the discard for a new draw pile.
    • Shuffle the Factory cards and randomly a number of cards equal to the number of players + 1. Place them face down on their matching spot on the board.
    • Shuffle the objective cards and put them on the board.
    • Shuffle the encounter cards and put them on the board.
    • Randomly select 1 of the structure bonus tiles and place it face up at the bottom of the Popularity track.
    • Randomly shuffle the Faction and Player mats and deal 1 of each to each player. Each player should sit near their home territory.
    • Using the Faction and Player mats, each player should take/set their starting resources. This includes objective cards, starting location on the Popularity and Power tracks, combat cards, and coins.
    • Each player should take their mini and other figures of their color.
    • On each player mat:
      • Put 6 tech cubes on the green boxes with a blank square in the bottom right corner.
      • Put 6 of your workers on the rectangles above the produce action.
      • Put the 4 structure tokens in their corresponding boxes.
      • Place the 4 recruit tokens (cylinders) in their spots along the bottom row of the mat.
      • Set your action pawn next to the board.
    • The player with the lowest number in the starting resources label of their player mat begins and play will continue clockwise from there.
    • Place your 6 stars on your faction mat.
    • Place your mechs in their spots on the faction mat.
    • Give each player a quick-start card and a riverwalk card.
    • If playing with The Wind Gambit:
      • Each player takes the airship in their faction's color and places it on their home base.
      • Shuffle the 2 types of airship tiles separately and reveal 1 aggressive tile and 1 passive tile. Place these next to the encounter deck.
        • All players airships have both abilities at all times.
      • If playing with the Resolution Module:
        • Shuffle the resolution tiles and randomly select 1.
        • Read the tile out loud and place it face up near the triumph track. This applies to all players for this game.
• Gameplay

  • The game is played in a continuous fashion until a player places their 6th star on the board, which will immediately end the game. Proceed to final scoring.

    Each turn consist of placing your action pawn on 1 of the 4 sections of your player mat and taking either the top action, bottom action, or both.

    • If both actions are taken, the top action must be taken 1st.
    • The section of the mat you choose must be different than the selection from your previous turn (you can choose anything for your 1st turn).
    • The costs and benefits are shown as empty boxes on your player mat.
    • To take an action, 1st pay the cost and take as much of the benefit as you'd like.
    • After a turn is completed, the next player in clockwise order takes their turn.
  • Top-Row Actions
    • Move

      • Choose 1:

        • Move up to 2 different units you control 1 space OR
        • Gain 1 coin.

        Important notes:

        • Units may pick up/drop off any number of resources during a move action.
        • Mechs can also carry any number of workers in addition to resource tokens.
          • You can "chain" actions in this manner. e.g. A mech could pick up a worker, move 1 space and drop off the worker, and then that worker could move 1 more space.
        • Rivers and lakes cannot be crossed by default. Some mech abilities allow you to break this rule.
          • A river is a body of water on the border between 2 land hexes.
          • A lake takes up almost the entirety of the hex.
        • All territories with a tunnel are considered adjacent.
        • If your character and/or mech move into a territory:
          • Only controlled by opponent's workers: Their movement ends and they cannot be moved again.
            • All of the opponent workers are moved back to their home base immediately. This could allow another unit to be moved through this territory on the same turn.
            • You lose 1 popularity for each worker moved.
            • Your workers alone cannot move into a territory controlled by opponent workers.
          • Controlled by a structure: The player who controls the unit now controls the territory.
          • Controlled by characters/mechs: Their movement ends and they cannot move again this turn.
            • Start a combat in this territory.
            • Your workers alone cannot move into a territory controlled by opponent characters/mechs.
        • No units can ever voluntarily be moved onto a home base, including your own.
        • If you move your character onto an encounter space, their movement ends and they cannot be moved again this turn.
          • After resolving combats, discard the encounter token and resolve the encounter.
        • There is no limit to the number of units on a territory from the same faction.
    • Bolster

      • Pay the 1 coin cost and choose 1:

        • Increase your power by 2 on the power track.
        • Draw 1 combat card.
    • Trade

      • Pay the 1 coin cost and choose 1:

        • Gain any 2 resources (any combination of oil, metal, food, and/or wood). Place them on any territory you control with a worker on it.
          • You may not take this action if all your workers are in your home territory.
        • Increase your popularity by 1 on the popularity track.
    • Produce
      • 1. Pay the cost (if any) shown in the red boxes with exposed costs (where workers are/were placed on your player mat).
        2. Choose a number of different territories up to the number of exposed green boxes on the action and produce on those territories.
           • See the territories section for what each type produces.
        3. On the selected territories, produce 1 resource per worker on the territory.
           • If you are producing on a village, the new worker is placed from the left-most spot on your player mat.
           • There are no limits to the number of resources/workers on a territory.
           • Workers placed on the board can never be returned to your player mat.
  • Bottom-Row Actions
    • • These actions can be taken even if some of the actions can no longer be taken. e.g. the Upgrade action with nothing more to upgrade.
      • If recruits (cylinders) have been enlisted (removed), you will also gain those benefits for the bottom row action when you or your neighbors take it. See the enlist action for more info.
      • Players must announce their bottom row actions as it may trigger bonuses for other players due to their removed recruits (cylinders). See enlist for more info.
    • Upgrade
      • • Pay the cost.
        • Pick up a tech cube from any green box and place it on any empty red box with bracketed borders.
          • You cannot place cubes on red boxes with solid borders.
    • Deploy
      • • Pay the cost.
        • Deploy 1 mech from your faction mat and place it on a territory you control with a worker on it.
        • From now on, your mechs and your character gain the now exposed benefit.
    • Build
      • • Pay the cost.
        • Take 1 building from your player mat and place it on the board in a territory you control with a worker on it.

        Important notes:

        • Only 1 structure can be built on each territory.
        • Opponents cannot use your structure abilities.
        • A territory with a structure on it is under your control even if there are no units there. If an opponent has any units there, they control the territory instead.
        • Structures cannot be moved or destroyed.
        • You may build on the Factory territory.
        • You cannot build on your home base.
        • You cannot build on lakes.
        • The exposed area on your player mat is an additional benefit you will now gain for that top-row action.

        Benefits:

        Name	Benefit
        Monument	When taking the bolster action, gain 1 popularity.
        Mill	Whenever you take the produce action, you may also produce on the territory with the mill in addition to the other territories you selected.
        Mine	This acts as a tunnel only you can use. You may move units to/from your mine like a tunnel, even if an opponent controls the territory the mine is on.
        Armory	Whenever you take a trade action, gain 1 power.

    • Enlist
      • • Pay the cost.
        • Pick up a recruit token (cylinder) from your player mat and place it on a 1-time bonus spot on your faction mat.
        • Immediately gain the covered bonus on your faction mat.
        • The 4 bonuses are:
          • Gain 2 power
          • Gain 2 coins
          • Gain 2 popularity
          • Draw 2 combat cards
        • The uncovered space on your player mat reveals an ongoing bonus.
          • For the rest of the game, when you or the player to your immediate right/left take the bottom row action matching the action the recruit was taken from, you gain the specified bonus.
          • If more than 1 person would gain one of these bonuses, they are gained in clockwise order.
            • This is done because a 6th star could be placed due to this bonus, which means that subsequent players would not receive the bonus.
            • In a 2 player game, you only get the bonus once when your opponent takes the action.
  • Combat

    • Combat occurs at the end of a move action, but before the player takes their bottom row action. This occurs when the active player's mechs/character share a space with an opponents mechs/character.

      • It's possible for combat to occur on multiple territories. In this case, the active player chooses the order of resolution.
      • Whoever wins the combat will gain a star.
      • Other players may try to influence the combat by bribing them with coins.
      • If the attacking player has a mech ability that affects combat, they use that ability 1st.
      • If combat results in a tie, the attacking player wins.

      Combat Phases

      1. Players simultaneously select the power they want to spend.
         • You cannot choose more power than you currently have.
         • You cannot spend more than 7 power in a combat.
      2. (optional) Secretly add combat card(s).
         • You can add 1 card for each of your character/mechs in the battle.
         • You do not have to reveal the number of combat cards played (0+).
      3. Both players reveal their power dials and combat cards simultaneously.
      4. The player with highest total power wins, with ties going to the attacker.
         • Both players spend the power they bid.
         • Both players discard all used combat cards.
         • The winner gains or maintains control of the territory.
         • The winner places 1 star on 1 of the 2 combat spaces of the triumph track (if both haven't been filled already).
         • If the winner was the attacker, they lose 1 popularity for each worker they've forced back to their home base.
         • If there's an encounter token on the space, the winner can now perform the encounter.
         • The loser must retreat all their units to their home base.
         • All resources remain on the territory, regardless of the winner.
         • If the loser revealed at least 1 power via their dial or combat cards, they gain 1 combat card.

      Combat card distribution

      Power	Quantity
      2	16
      3	12
      4	8
      5	6

  • Encounters
    • • **Only characters (not mechs/workers) can trigger an encounter.
      • When moving your character onto a territory with an encounter token on it, their movement ends for this turn.
      • After movement and combat are complete, but before you take your bottom row action, discard the encounter token and draw an encounter card.
        • If the character moving into the territory loses combat, the encounter token stays on the board and the encounter is not resolved.
      • Show the art and read the encounter out loud, then select one of the options and resolve it.
        • If you cannot pay the cost for an option, you cannot take that option.
        • Any resources/structures/mechs/workers you gain from the encounter go on the same territory as your character.
  • The Factory
    • • The factory does not produce resources.
      • The factory counts as 3 territories if you control it at the end of the game for the purposes of end game scoring.
      • The 1st time your character moves onto the factory, you can look through the available factory cards and choose 1. Return the rest to the board face down.

      Factory cards

      • Each factory card acts as a 5th section of your player mat.
      • You may place your action pawn on the card to take the top and/or bottom actions on that card in the same fashion as other action spaces.
      • All factory cards have a move action on their bottom row that works differently.
        • Move 1 unit up to 2 spaces.
        • All other movement rules apply.
        • If you have a mine, you can move through the mine.
        • If you've unlocked the "speed" mech ability, 1 of your mechs or character may move up to 4 spaces.
      • You can only have 1 factory card. You get this only the 1st time you visit the factory.
      • You can never swap your factory card for another.
  • Objectives
    • • Each player starts the game with 2 objectives.
      • You may reveal a completed objective before or after you complete a top or bottom row action during your turn.
      • If you have completed an objective, place a star in the objective spot on the triumph track and discard both of your objective cards to the bottom of the deck.
      • The Saxons can complete 2 objectives.
  • Alliances and Bribes
    • • Players may make informal agreements.
      • The only tangible thing that can be exchanged is coins.
      • You can't negotiate your way out of combat that has already begun.
      • Agreements between players are non-binding.
  • Star Objectives
    • • Complete all 6 upgrades
      • Deploy all 4 mechs
      • Build all 4 structures
      • Enlist all 4 recruits
      • Have all 8 workers on the board
      • Reveal 1 completed objective card
      • Win combat (2x)
      • Have 18 popularity
      • Have 16 power

      When you achieve any of these, place a star in its spot. You cannot lose a star after it has been placed. By default, each spot can only be completed 1 time by each player.

• Final Scoring

  • The game ends immediately when anyone places a 6th star on the board (even mid-turn). If this happens as part of a bottom row action, gain the primary benefits before placing a star.

    The person with the most coins wins the game. You get coins for:

    • The coins in hand at the end of the game.
    • Using your place on the popularity track:
      • Gain coins for stars placed.
      • Gain coins for territories controlled.
        • The factory is worth 3 territories.
        • Home bases do not count as territories.
        • You must have a worker/mech/character in a territory to control it.
        • You control a territory with your structure and no enemy units on it.
      • Gain coins for every 2 resources you control. Workers are not resources.
      • Gain coins according to the structure bonus tile.

    If there is a tie, it is broken in this order:

    1. Number of workers, mechs, structures
    2. Power
    3. Popularity
    4. Number of resource tokens controlled
    5. Number of territories controlled
    6. Number of stars on the board
• Factions
  • Saxony
    • • Dominate (faction ability): There is no limit to the number of stars you can place from completing objectives or winning combat. Both objective cards may be completed and you are not limited to 2 combat stars.
      • Riverwalk: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto forests and mountains.
      • Underpass: For move actions for your character and mechs, all mountains you control, tunnels, and your mine are considered adjacent.
      • Disarm: Before combat on a tunnel, your opponent loses 2 power. Set this on the power track. This can only be done once per combat.
      • Speed: Your character and mechs may move 1 additional space per move action.
        • If they move onto a territory containing an opponent's character/mech, their movement ends.
        • Moving through tunnels (including "underpass") counts as 1 space.
        • Your mech can pick/drop off resources in the middle of a move action.
  • Rusviet
    • • Relentless (faction ability): You may choose the same section on your player mat multiple turns in a row. This cannot be used to choose a factory card multiple turns in a row.
      • Riverwalk: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto farms and villages.
      • Township: For move actions for your character/mechs, villages you control and the Factory are considered adjacent.
      • People's Army: In combat where you have at least 1 worker, you may play 1 additional combat card.
        • There must still be a character/mech to engage in combat.
      • Speed: Your character and meches may move 1 additional space per move action.
        • If they move onto a territory containing an opponent's charater/mech, their movement ends.
        • Moving through tunnels counts as 1 space.
        • Your mech can pick/drop off resources in the middle of a move action.
  • Nordic
    • • Swim (faction ability): Your workers (and only your workers) may move across rivers.
      • Riverwalk: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto forests and mountains.
      • Seaworthy: Your character and mechs can move to/from lakes and retreat onto adjacent lakes.
        • You cannot leave workers/resources on a lake.
        • Workers may not move off of the lake without a mech.
        • You cannot build a structure on a lake.
        • You cannot deploy a mech on a lake.
        • If 2 factions have the lake movement ability, it's possible to have a combat on a lake.
      • Artillery: Before you engage in combat, you may pay 1 power to force your opponent to lose 2 power.
        • This is done on the power track.
        • You may only do this once per combat.
      • Speed: Your character and mechs may move 1 additional space per move action.
        • If they move onto a territory containing an opponent's charater/mech, their movement ends.
        • Moving through tunnels counts as 1 space.
        • Your mech can pick/drop off resources in the middle of a move action.
  • Crimea
    • • Coercion (faction ability): Once per turn, you may spend 1 combat card as any resource token. Note that combat cards are still worth nothing during final scoring.
        • If playing with 6-7 players, the ability becomes: Move to any unoccupied farm.
      • Riverwalk: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto farms and tundra.
      • Wayfare: Your charcter and mechs may move from a territory or home base to any inactive (not in the game) faction's home base.
      • Scout: Before you engage in combat, steal 1 of your opponent's combat cards at random and add it to your hand.
        • You may only do this once per combat.
      • Speed: Your character and mechs may move 1 additional space per move action.
        • If they move onto a territory containing an opponent's character/mech, their movement ends.
        • Moving through tunnels counts as 1 space.
        • Your mech can pick/drop off resources in the middle of a move action.
  • Polania
    • • Meander (faction ability): Pick up to 2 options per encounter card. You can use the benefit from the 1st option to pay for the 2nd option. Note that only 1 encounter card is drawn.
        • If playing with 6-7 players, the ability becomes: Pick up to 2 options per encounter card. At the end, gain $3 for each encounter territory you control.
      • Riverwalk: Your character and mechs can move across rivers onto villages and mountains.
      • Submerge: Your character and mechs may move to/from lakes and move from any lake to another (like tunnels).
        • You cannot leave workers/resources on a lake.
        • Workers may not move off of the lake without a mech.
        • You cannot build a structure on a lake.
        • You cannot deploy a mech on a lake.
        • If 2 factions have the lake movement ability, it's possible to have a combat on a lake.
      • Camaraderie: You do not lose popularity when forcing opponent workers to retreat after winning combat as the attacker.
      • Speed: Your character and mechs may move 1 additional space per move action.
        • If they move onto a territory containing an opponent's character/mech, their movement ends.
        • Moving through tunnels counts as 1 space.
        • Your mech can pick/drop off resources in the middle of a move action.
  • Clan Albion
    • • Exalt (faction ability): After ending your character's movement , you can place a flag token from your supply on the territory.
        • If your character enters combat and/or has an encounter, those are resolved 1st.
        • A territory can only have 1 faction token (flag or trap) on it.
        • Flag tokens may not be moved or removed once placed.
        • Each flag counts as an additional territory during end game scoring if they control flag's territory and the flag token is not on a territory adjacent to the Albion home base.
      • Burrow: Your character and mechs may cross rivers into or out of any adjacent tunnel territory.
        • A territory containing your mine is included in this.
        • A territory containing an opponent's mine is not included in this.
      • Sword: Before you engage in combat as the attacker, the defender loses 2 power.
        • This is done on the power track.
        • This is done only once per combat.
      • Shield: Before you engage in combat as the defender, gain 2 power.
        • This is done on the power track.
        • This is done only once per combat.
      • Rally: When moving your character/mechs, they can move to any territory that contains at least 1 of your workers or a Flag token.
        • If playing with The Wind Gambit: If moving to a territory with a worker, the worker must be on the territory, not on your airship.
  • Togawa Shogunate
    • • Maifuku (faction ability): After ending your character's movement , you can place an armed trap token from your supply on the territory.
        • If your character enters combat and/or has an encounter, those are resolved 1st.
        • A territory can only have 1 faction token (flag or trap) on it.
        • Trap tokens may not be moved or removed once placed.
        • During end game scoring, an armed trap token grants control of the territory.
        • If an opponent moves onto a territory with trap token, it is triggered.
          • Flip the token to reveal the penalty and apply it to the opponent (if possible)
          • This happens before anything else, including combat and encounters.
          • The disarmed trap remains on the territory.
        • An opponent may build a structure on a territory with a trap.
          • During end game scoring, if there is only the trap token and structure on the territory, the player with the structure controls it, regardless of the trap's state.
        • Trap penalties:
          • Lose 2 popularity
          • Lose 3 power
          • Lose $4
          • Discard 2 combat cards at random
      • Toka: Once per turn when moving, either your character or 1 mech may move across a river.
        • A mech can transport workers.
        • The character/mech cannot move across multiple rivers when using a move action on a factory card.
      • Suiton: Your character/mechs can move to/from lakes.
        • If combat occurs on a lake, you may play 1 additional combat card.
        • You cannot leave workers/resources on a lake.
        • Workers may not move off of the lake without a mech.
        • You cannot build a structure on a lake.
        • You cannot deploy a mech on a lake.
        • If 2 factions have the lake movement ability, it's possible to have a combat on a lake.
      • Ronin: Before combat where you have exactly 1 unit (0 workers and either 1 character or 1 mech), you may gain 2 power on the power track.
        • Do not count airships or workers on airships.
      • Shinobi: Your character/mechs can move to any territory with a Trap token.
        • If your character/mech ends their movement on a space with a disarmed trap token, you can arm the trap.
          • If the movement initiates combat, the trap can only be armed if you win.
• Structure Bonus Tiles

  • 

    • The number of tunnels adjacent to your structures.
    • Only count each tunnel once.
    • Mines are not counted as tunnels.
    • Rivers do not break adjacency.

    ---

    

    • The number of lakes adjacent to your structures.
    • Only count each lake once.

    ---

    

    • The number of encounters adjacent to your structures.
    • Only count each encounter once.
    • These count whether or not the encounter token is on the space.
    • Rivers do not break adjacency.

    ---

    

    • The number of tunnels with your structures on them.
    • A mine does not count as a tunnel for this.

    ---

    

    • The number of your structures in a row.
    • Any continuous straight line is ok.
    • Only count the longest row of structures you have.
    • Rivers do not break adjacency.

    ---

    

    • The number of farms or tundras with your structures on them.
• Territories

  • Symbol	Type	Production
    	Factory
    	Farm
    	Forest
    	Lake
    	Mountain
    	Tundra
    	Village

• Playing with 6-7 Players

  • Below are the changes to apply when playing with more than 5 players, aka with the expansion(s).

    • Crimea: Cover the Wayfare ability with the token from the Invaders from Afar expansion. This becomes:
      • Move to any unoccupied farm.
    • Polania: Cover the Meander ability with the token from the Invaders from Afar expansion. This becomes:
      • Pick up to 2 options per encounter card. At the end, gain $3 for each encounter territory you control.
    • When determining a 1st player (based on the numbers on the player mats), the order is: 1, 2, 2a, 3, 3a, 4, 5.
• The Wind Gambit

  • Most of the following rules pertain to the airships.

    • Airships never control territories.
      • They can fly into any territory, even those controlled by opponents.
      • If there are resources and only an airship on a territory, you cannot spend those resources (you don't control the territory).
      • For end game scoring, if there is only an airship on a territory, you do not count it as a controlled territory.
    • Airships transporting resources:
      • Airships cannot pick up resources on territories controlled by opponents.
      • Resources on an airship remain under your control until they are spent or dropped off.
      • Resources on an airship count during end game scoring.
    • Airships transporting workers:
      • A worker on an airship does not give you control of a territory.
      • The workers on an airship cannot produce or trade on that territory.
      • Opponents cannot interact with workers on an airship.
      • Workers can only be dropped off on territories void of opponents.
      • An airship must drop off a worker during its move action.
        • A worker cannot move directly from an airship to another territory.
      • A worker picked up by an airship cannot transport resources onto the airship.
    • Airship movement:
      • The airship can only be moved as part of a standard move action, like any other unit.
      • The range is indicated in the hex on the upper right part of the passive airship tile.
      • Airships are not constrained by rivers or lakes.
      • Airships can freely move in and out of any territory, including those controlled by opponents.
      • Any number of airships can be on a territory.
      • If using the move ability from a factory card, the airship's movement is increased by +1.
      • Airships do not benefit from mech abilities.
      • Airships may not move onto home bases.
      • Airships may not move through tunnels/mines.
    • Airships are not considered to be "occupying" a territory by itself. There must be at least 1 unit on the territory to be "occupied".
    • Having an airship on a territory does not increase the number of combat cards that can be played.
    • Airships do not trigger traps.
    • Blitzkrieg: This aggressive ability allows combat to happen between airships.
      • The winner gains a star.
      • It is the only time an airship can retreat. Other units on the territory do not engage or retreat.
  • Advanced Variant
    • • Deal 1 aggressive airship tile and 1 passive airship tile to each player.
      • Each player will have it's own set of airship abilities.
      • This is not recommended for games with 4+ players.
  • Resolution Module

    • This changes the way a game of Scythe ends. If playing with this module, ignore the standard end-game trigger.

      • Some resolution tiles allow you to place stars on the tiles, objective cards, etc. These are counted for end game scoring.
        • You can never place more than 6 stars.
        • It will be possible now for multiple players to place 6 stars.
      • You may not take any action more than once per turn.
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