I like to give everyone a photocopied version of the rule book, and have everyone read in silence for 15 minutes. After that, I'll have them take a short quiz (where they only need to score 80% on to continue) and once that's all passed, then we can begin with the "scenario-based questions" where we can test their deeper understanding of the concepts.
Had a truly wonderful experience with Scythe yesterday... used your suggestions to teach my wife who never played anything above a 2.8 difficulty on BGG... She was able to grasp the concept very quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the game. Thanks for all your wonderful content, it's an asset to the community.
Jamey, I don't know how you do it. You consistently blow me away. You design great games, some of my favorites(Euphoria got me in to modern/designer board gaming). All that time doing that and making videos all the time, and even showing people how to teach one of your games. I have probably watched this and Rodney's Watch it played rules explanation 2 or 3 times each getting ready for my copy to get shipped to me at the end if the month. Can't wait. Thank you for what all you do. Every one of your games that you have designed or published so far has had me smiling all the way through playing them. Between two Cities was my favorite game if last year. And I have a feeling Scythe will take that spot this year. Now to watch the videos again.
Thanks Jacob! I think some backers had the idea, and it didn't take long to make. :) Thanks for all the preparation you're doing to get ready for Scythe's arrival. :)
Being an effective teacher is a skill all on its own. You can be really good at something and have a difficult time conveying information about it. One big factor is who your audience is, as well. You might teach a game to somebody one day, and have them understand it right away, and another day the same way of teaching it might go horribly for someone else. It's not necessarily your fault if your friends don't pick it up right away. Think about how long it takes for you to read and learn all the rules, double check them, look up clarifications online. Then look at how you try to cram all the important bits into a 10 minute teaching window, and expect them to play without a perfect grasp on the game. The ideas in this video are good, but I think that if you don't give them specific goals to keep in mind from turn one, they're going to hesitate quite a bit. My first game we went over the rules pretty in depth, but it was also my first game, so it was a good refresher. Next time I'll probably try a much lighter explanation, though. I personally plan to explain, before my friends take their first move, what each of the top row actions do, and how the resources are collected to take the bottom row actions, and the fact that they won't be able to do the bottom row actions until they collect resources. I'll be taking a risk that they'll want to have the rest of the actions explained, but maybe that'll be something else they need right away. I also feel the achievement tracker and achievements are really important to explain early on, but as simple as the goals are, you can't really give them that information without explaining the bulk of the game, so I'm not too sure when to introduce that. It may actually be best mid game, after all the mechanics related to it are explained. Perhaps the objective cards could be explained right away, to avoid problems of incompleteable cards down the road.
I like the oil field print hanging in the background. It’s one of the more subtle 1920+ pieces and it’s not obvious at first glance there’s a mech lurking in the background.
A friend of mine received his deluxe copy of Scythe earlier this week, and we finally got together today to learn and play it. I have to say it is an AWESOME game in every way (art, components, design, gameplay, mechanics, theme, etc)! I can't wait for Gen Con, so I can pick up my own copy (deluxe, I hope)! I really want to try the Automata in Scythe (I fell in love with your Viticulture world earlier this year).
Great video, thanks! Finally bought Scythe yesterday and made a fascinating discovery: my family are Ana, Max, Karen, and we live in Kanata. There's a close match to Scythe names: Anna, Mox, Kar, and Khanathe! I guess we were MEANT to own Scythe 🤓
I would also recommend skipping the secret missions, and skipping the "extra bonus faction box" on the top right of each faction board. This gets players used to the "vanilla" version of movement and procedures.
Hi, Jamey, first of all thanks for the WHOLE Scythe - I love new factions, airships and most of all Fenris and all its expansions. I love it to the extend I just bought a painting set and I am going to paint the characters and mechs of all 9 faction to add the depth of the experience. Great module design, too, btw. How I teach Scythe? From finish to start. 1) The goal of the game - collet the most money and get the most money out of your final scoring combined. 2) Final scoring is based on you popularity level, which is hard to get by and useless throughout the game, but essential in the end for scoring due to 3 levels of it. Final scoring has 3 categories - stars, tiles and resources. 2a) Resources are easy - for every two controled in the end you get points. Controled means they do not go to your hand, everything produced stays on board till it is spend and could be spent only from those controling them, bringing me to 2b) Areas/Tiles. Board is divided in hexes and the amount you control at the end of the game by your units (and buildings, provided there are no enemy units standing there) gives you scoring. There are five basic types of terrain that can produce (farms, tundras, mountains, woods for resources and villages to get another workers from), lakes (nonpassable for most) and a Factory - counting as tripple in the end. Homebases are not areas to control. 2c) Stars are "goals, achievments" you get for developing your nation in a certain area. There is 10 of them and you can only place six stars and first player to place a sixth star immediately ends the game in his action. How to play and get stars is rest of explanation along with basic rules. I love saying this to new players while they are slowly setting up their board based on what I am talking about ;) 3) How to play? You have your player mat in front divided into four sections. Each of these sections contain a top row action which all costs the same but we all may have it in different columns, and bottom row actions, which we all have in the same column as everyone else, but they may cost different amount of resources and bring different amount of money. I recommend to focus more on things bringing more money then those with little to none rewards. Top row actions (in this order) 4a) Trade - two resources for 1 coin. In red costs, in green what you get. Behind slash is alternative benefit, in this case 1 popularity (upgradable to two pop, more with upgrades). Popularity is good for scoring and can also bring a star (1st star explained) 4b) Bolster - 1 coint for 2 (3) power / combat card(s). Both useful for combat. For power is also a star (2nd explained). 4c) Produce - pick two tiles to produce and every worker you have there can produce 1 resource of that type (wood, oil, food, iron) and leave it there and workers on villages can recruit more workers the same way. Recruting workers = bigger production, but growing costs of prouction. Also -> 8 workers = star (3rd star explained). 4d) Movement - you can move two units per 1 tile or get coins. Any unit can carry any amount of resources to remain in control of them. Mechs can also carry workers. Noone can cross rivers till unlocking the possibility on mechs. Character can trigger encounters giving bonuses and can get you a factory card from a first visit of the Factory. Entering a tile with enemies results in combat where your power level and amount of combat cards matter (more when it will come possible to attack = around 8th turn). For combat you can earn two stars, each one for a single victory (4th and 5th star explained) 5) Bottom actions are easier - you pay required amount of resources and do the action 5a) Upgrades for oil - take any cube from a top action (thus making it better) and cover any suitable place on the bottom action (thus lowering its cost). For all 6 you earn a star (6th star explained) 5b) Deploying for iron - produce one mech. Every mech produced unlocks wider abilities for all your mechs and a character (not workers). Building all 4 = star (7th star) 5c) Building for wood - for wood you can build a building and place it on an area with your worker and with no other building built yet (yours or enemy belonging). Armory and Monument gives bonuses for top action, Mill gives 1 more tile to production limit (the tiles with Mill) and also produced ass a worker and Mine gives you your personal tunnel. Only at this point I am explaining what a tunnel is and that all tunnels act like they are adjacent to each other and that everyone can freely move between any of those 6 (+1 personal) and even initate combat. And all 4 building = star, so 8th star explained. You also get bonus coins at the end of the game if you meet requirements from below the popularity ladder. 5d) Recruits for food - you pay and unlock one of for bonuses for bottom action and since then every time you or your neighbors do such action, you get that bonus. You also immediatel get one of unused one-time bonuses from your faction desk. 4 recruits = star (9th one) 10th star is for one of two personal tasks you have been randomly given. Once you fulfill its conditions, you say it, reveal your task and place a star. After sixth star is placed, game ends. As I said, it is good to focus on some goals than on all possible to place stars and score well. Average game consists of around 20 rounds with scoring 60-80 points in average per winner (our group needs this to get a perspective of how it works - money and points are really different between games of Scythe, Tapestry, Terra Mystica and others, so the basic range is good to know). ------------------------ This is basically all I say. Sometimes people ask to go through each faction ability etc., but this is my 10 minutes of Scythe rules. It doesn´t take a lot of time to do and is in order that is making it easiest as possible to understand what are you doing. I am using my player mat to underline all I say and making it easier to understand for everyone what I am talking about. Seems long, but is short enough for group not to get lost completely and also making the setup faster ;)
I understand that. But playing a game where you make mistakes and miss opportunities because you don't understand the rules is the quickest, most effective, and funnest way to learn the rules. We need to have a name for such a game where you learn the game and formulate a strategy for the real game.
@@J-Wheeler-G I always teach and play a learning game (1-3 rounds) with new players as I walk through the nuances during that time. Then we decide to continue or start a new game.
There's a stark difference between understanding the game and trying to convey that understanding. I did a 5 player game and it got off to a slow and ugly start. I suck at explaining as it is but I understood how to play so easily that I thought this would transfer to teaching it. I need to go back and review how we played and then figure out how the bonus cards are scored.
Structure tiles. I thought I could decipher them on sight but I found them in the directions and it all made sense. I finally played Automa tonight and found all the mistakes we made. Regardless of the mistakes, they all were plotting strategies for the next bout!
That Automa book was brutal. The explanations had me all kinds of confused. I just set it up and started playing regardless but used the reference cards and got the hang of it. I think I pulled a 63 vs 44.
I recently played my first 2 games of Scythe, and I taught it in 2 different ways. Here's some (long-winded) feedback: My first game I didn't understand the gameplay very well (having never played before), and so I used your recommended teaching technique. We went into the game without knowing everything, and it turned out pretty well! There were 5 players total, so we had a full board. They were confused at times, but by teaching them the bare-bones basics first, they knew which kinds of questions to ask later. I didn't teach much about Combat at all until it was more relevant, and that worked out fine. It meant that we danced around each other and it felt much more like a cold-war than a full-blown battle, but that was a good thing for a first game (less intimidating, I think). We ended up completely skipping the Structure Bonus Tiles- we realized we had forgotten them after scoring was calculated. It might be important to keep them in the game for balance reasons (and maybe you'll be able to explain those reasons, Jamey), but for new and casual players I think it would be fine to skip them entirely. [Edit: Don't remove the Structure Bonus Tiles, just tell the players about them ~20 minutes into the game!] I think your method would be the best to teach causal gamers: Let them know that it's okay to not know everything right away, explain what they can do on their first turns, let them try things, and then reveal more mechanics as they become relevant. My second game was with 2 players who were used to games with more rules or deeper mechanics (Lords of Waterdeep, Race for the Galaxy, Diplomacy, etc.), so I decided to go a bit more in-depth when teaching them. Mainly, I went through all of the options on the Player Mats and what each Action or Option might mean in-game. I also went through the significance of Popularity, the Triumph Track, and Combat. I think this is a good idea for the players that feel familiar with games and want to understand most of the rules before they start. I can't wait to play more! I think the main hurdle for new players is the number of pieces and symbols. But if you can get players to realize the mechanics all effect each other, and that the pieces all have a specific place/purpose, it's not overwhelming at all.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights about teaching 2 different ways! It is important to keep the structure bonus tiles in the game because structures are underpowered without them, but I agree that it's not necessary to mention them for the first 20-30 minutes of the game.
I call this the "peeling an onion" approach to teaching ... layer by layer. So much more effective and accessible! I've taught Scythe countless times, and it works every time. Thank you, Jamey!
I swear I just watched a new video you made and you looked younger in that video than you do here. What’s going on? You been in the science lab making something special for us all I hope! 🙏
Great Video! I love the alternate history theme of the game, and the artwork really helps drive this home! The card art, player mat art, and board itself look beautiful! I love the steampunk-style mechs, and like the idea of uncovering more options and benefits as the game progresses! I am starting to understand most of the rules by watching videos like this one. Thank you for creating this awesome game, and for this informative video!
We just taught my daughter. I didn’t know about this video, but this is exactly what I did. I gave her the quick start card, explained the way the player matts work, how the end game score will go, and we started playing. She beat my wife and I her first play through!! She quickly made the connection to try to do top and bottom row actions as much as possible! My wife and I play three or four games a week. She still beat us!
@@jameystegmaier we play D&D with her and her boyfriend. I want to get him playing Scythe and then get a Fenris campaign going. Scythe and Wingspan are my wife and my favorite games. (My wife loves birding, so I preordered the game of Wingspan; it came in time for her birthday. She was thrilled!).
As a person who teaches games at some conventions I teach the whole game and provide players with visual ilustrations of how each action works. Because I can't be at the table for the whole time that they are playing. When I am done explaining I acompany them through first (or two) rounds and then I go away teach someone something else. I always urge the players that if they have any questions during the playthrough they should call me and I will additionaly re-explain something. For explaining I usually use some structure that is provided in rules or on help cards, which in the case of Scythe is really good :)
It's better than for the players to go through rulebook they haven't seen before. Also I take it upon myself as a kind of challenge that the players have fun and enjoy the time spent playing, so they look forward to visiting the next boardgame's event :) Anyways, thanks for the reply :) Looking forward to Wind Gambit (and of course Charterstone
6 years down the line but still a very useful video. I have taught the game to a few players, however the order you explain things makes a lot more sense. I have tried asking new players to pick a random action but they just sit there confused. Since the player boards are asymetric perhaps it would be better to encourage new and experienced players just to pick the left-most action for the first round (If an action is duplicated leave experienced players to pick an action that does not appear left-most on any player board).
This is an important video for any Scythe evangelist. On my first exposure to this game, three minutes into having it explained to me, I thought, "Holy cow, this is a nightmare tangle of arbitrary rules!" And then, as the second player was halfway through her first turn, something clicked and suddenly everything seemed so much simpler and most elements fell into place, mentally. How it is explained is a really vital factor in getting a new player to understand the game and buy into it. This video was a really good idea. Thanks!
Great video, just what I was needing! Have been excited to play this game for a long long time, finally had a chance to play/learn it solo once, and am getting ready to introduce it to my play group for our first multiplayer session today.
@@jameystegmaier It was a great experience! The other players loved it, and were discussing so many aspects of the game after we finished. Thank you for all of your work, and can't wait to see more to come!
@@jameystegmaier Ive bought EVERYTHING for scthye, including fenris and legendary box! Still havent had a chance to play it once yet! But your great communication gives me confidence to buy "blindly". You even explained design choices in the rulebook, which I really appreciated. Looking forward to finally playing it in September God-willing!
I appreciate your confidence in the game without even trying it! Though hopefully you get to play it soon. :) We have lots of great fans in the Scythe Facebook group who will answer any rules questions you have (I'm there too).
I've owned this game since October and have my first formal session with three friends tomorrow! I emailed them the Watch It Played link, so as a gaming group we have the basic expectation that people will show up to play any new game with basic rules knowledge. That said, I plan to do a quick recap using your guide here :) ... p.s. love your Oil mind blank with the "refinery" art on the wall behind you! :)
Good luck, Mike! If you all have any questions while playing, there's always someone available to answer quickly in the Scythe Facebook group (I'm there quite often).
Thanks Jamey! We had an absolute blast, and the rules are so clean that we were able to do our first game with very few rule book consultations! Definitely in my top 5 and will probably go up with more plays. Thank you for such a great game design, and also props to Jakub as the game art and production is off the charts.
This video is a great idea. In the games of Scythe that I have taught, I went through a very similar process. Two things I did differently was to have the players set up their player and faction mats with me and I did discuss the specifics of the stars as a part of that process. Having players place the bits in the appropriate spots allowed me to give them a few more details about the actions, while keeping their attention. For instance, as they had the cubes in their hands, I would explain to them the upgrade process and they could act it out (moving from top to bottom) while placing them on the correct squares. As far as the specifics of the stars, I found that, more often than not, players eagerly wanted to understand achievement track and would get distracted trying to figure it out on their own. As you did, I would say that six stars ends the game and would add that I was going to explain each of them along the way. I found that explaining the stars as you explain its related action worked wonderfully. For example, as I showed them upgrading and while they were placing their 6 cubes in the correct spots, I would simply say, 'and when you move all 6 cubes from top to bottom' you get a star and point to the spot. One thing I left out, except for a very basic explanation was combat. I simply said that, in general, it would be power + combat cards, but we'd deal with it later.
David: Thanks for sharing the idea about setup! I typically set up the mats for the other players, or I just tell them where to put the tokens. I don't get into the details of the mats until I get to that point in the teaching process. I think that's a good way to deal with combat.
I'll be teaching my first game tonight, and plan to implement your suggestions along with Jamey's method. Thanks very much for these tips. I agree that explaining things while people are setting up will help them to understand the actions better. My usual approach tends towards trying to explain everything upfront but I'm going to be brave and leave certain details until they crop up during game play. It makes me nervous, but I think it's the right approach.
We followed your advice yesterday and it went very smoothly. One of our players had played once before with players who had tried to cover all the rules at the top. He said that was incredibly overwhelming, so this very much worked best!
I've done two kinds of explanations (more serious than casual gamers, but not exactly hardcore): Method 1: Full on 25-30 minutes of going through the board and also explaining strategy. Nobody really minded that it took that long, but it did make for a longer evening. Method 2: Short explanation like Jamey is talking about here, played 5-6 rounds, then reset and started the game again. Took about the same amount of time, but the group liked that they had those "oh, if I had only done X last round instead of Y..." moments that they could redo. I also think it's important to explain the factions' advantages very clearly as well so that new players have a strategy to envision, like "You're Polania, so you're going to have to trade for metal and oil until you get off your home territory, but you can get wood to build a mine. Encounter cards are most valuable in the early-mid game, so make sure you get +1 speed so you can move around and scoop them up." The first time I played I was Saxony, and nobody explained the benefit of area control. I had a great time, but I got trounced.
Having a great time with Scythe, Jamey. Eight years in the hobby and this is the first game makes me wonder "do I really need other games?" I just hope Charterstone doesn't have an expiration date, because even though I bought it at the same time it's still in the shrink wrap. Every month or so the group talks about playing something new, but in the end everyone agrees "OK... but just this week."
I'm honored to hear that, though I certainly hope it isn't the last game you all play--there are so many other great games out there! :) You can get to them after you play through the Fenris campaign. :)
I mentioned that it would be the last expansion, but one of the other guys said "...maybe after that we could start back at the beginning without the expansions," lol. We'll be LARPing it if we're not careful. You might consider making a "how to wean your group off Scythe" video. Edit: the truth is, every time we play we see some new strategy, tactic, or counter that shows us there's more to learn and next week will be just as exciting as this week. Truly an achievement.
Teaching Scythe is a pain because there are so many interactions and there's always something more to explain it seems. The first time I played Scythe I was pretty lost. Still, I am happy to teach the game so I have more people to play with because Scythe is a really great game. I haven't watched this video yet but I will and hopefully it helps me teach the game more efficiently.
People I played with were always confused about this Starter Guide. They didn't understand why everyone should try to use a different action (and I don't as well except from explanation purposes) and they find it really hard to achieve the bottom action on their second turn.
I think it's impossible on second turn. I guess "turn" is the wrong word. "Objective" is probably better but is already used for other purposes in the game. So maybe it should be something like "step"?
Hi friend. I believe the reason for players to each take a different action on turn 1, is just the explanation. There are no "in-game" benefits, and essentially no negative impact either. It's just a way to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible. Also, it's a bit subtle, but turn two is NOT to COMPLETE top and bottom, but "start thinking about it as a goal". A chance for players to start forming their own strategy.
I like the idea of explaining a game while playing it, but I do have one issue. I've recently taught this game to someone quite competitive, and she did not like not knowing everything up front because she wanted to form a decent strategy from the get go. I guess the way you teach a game does depend on the type of player you're teaching it to.
Hello Jamey. I know you've said before but I can't find where you mentioned who will be selling Scythe at Gen Con and where Stonemaier Games will be. Any help would be great! I'm definitely going to try and pick up a copy!
Thanks Heather! Our friends at Cephalofair will be selling Scythe for us at booth 2963A (we have a conference room in the Marriott, where w're not allowed to sell games).
I have to admit that I have struggled with trying to learn Scythe and how to play. Then to teach the game to my family that I myself am trying to learn adds to the challenge. I know this game will be great to play if I can understand some of the basics. I have set it up and tried to play this game twice and then i would have questions and then refer to the directions for guidance while my family grew tired from waiting. I am really excited to learn it and play it then be able to teach it to my family and friends. I have watched some videos on how to play as well for guidance. Can you suggest anything extra for me to do?
That's a tough question, as it sounds like you've done a lot to learn the game already. Have you thought about trying to find someone local who already knows how to play and would be willing to teach you and your family?
me and my mother were defending against automa and we were just talking stratégy and she watched what I do as I was explaining, or just colonize and explore.... for basics will do and its also fun
1. "Urge them to take a different top row action than the previous pleayer" - This can be read in the quick-start card but don't believe in that. This can lead into watching other players build their second mech or enlisting their recruits while you still struggle to get the resources because you didn't take the trade action at the beginning because some other player did that already. Every experienced player will tell you that this is BS and I honestly don't know how this advice got there in he first place. 2. "Assure them that the first turn in game of Scythe is not going to make or brake their strategy at all. It's a very slight decision in the greater scheme of the game" - Definitely don't believe in that. The first move is very, very important since it determines the next move, and the move there after, or at least it should. You need to optimize the play so that you can take as many bottom row actions as possible, and a start that was not thought through can be very unpleasant since nothing will go as you imagined. Besides, through the game you get about 20-25 turns in total. You tell me if the first one doesn't matter. I know this is not a "how to be good at Scythe" tutorial but a tutorial for beginners and I really think the author made good job, but just these two aspects I really find inappropriate to tell to beginner players. Cheers!
For how broad the intricacies that arise from the way the rules interact, the implementation is so euro-clean and how that translates to changing power dynamics on the board is very elegant. It’s a great game man.
Thanks for this. Played my first game of this tonight with my partner and we made a couple of wee mistakes but a good time was had. We confused ourselves immensely with the enlist actions, but think we’ve sussed it now. Looking forward to our next game. Sadly my partner sees the game as a puzzle to be solved, and I see it as a grand story arc; what this means, practically, is he is analysing how to maximise scores, and I’m analysing trying to construct a fictional story to explain what’s going on... guess who won! Lol. Hint; the one who puzzled out the logic.
I think it's great that you have a design in progress! There are many ways to get feedback, but no, I am not available for private/secret feedback. stonemaiergames.com/about/advice-and-consultation/ stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/how-to-design-a-tabletop-game/ stonemaiergames.com/what-if-someone-steals-my-idea/ stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-204-your-idea-is-brilliant-your-idea-is-worthless/
You would know best obviously, having designed the game, but I really don't like this method of teaching. You seem to be setting people up for failure. The basis of your method, basically, just aims to get players randomly taking actions without explaining what they might want to work towards ahead of time.
@@jameystegmaier I have not. I just imagine that more hardcore players will want to have known everything upfront. I can see your method gets people playing almost right away and there is something to be said for that, but I know for my group personally all hell would break lose if after someone built a mill I said oh yeah, I never told you but you should have tried to build that on a tunnel because you would have gotten 2 gold at the end of the game.
I always start by saying that, for every action, there are two reactions. It's close enough to the famous law to put people at ease; even if you don't really understand Newton's law, you've heard it at some point.
We taught this game to my daughter last week. She is new to Euro games. Regarding the player board, a few rounds in, she sat back and said, "oh, I see how this works. Wow." She was amazed and further commented how brilliant it is.
Very cool game, just picked it up and looking forward to playing it. One thing I thought from the start while reviewing rules and videos is that thematically and to reinforce the fact that they must be taken in chronological order, the actions could have been "day" and "night" or "morning" and "evening" actions instead of just "top row" and "bottom row", which just seems clunky. The artwork could have reflected this on the cards as well, and day/night could have been incorporated in other thematic ways e.g. night vision tech would allow you to take the actions in opposite order for some factions/boards, combat during night vs. day could resolve differently e.g. ties go to defender at night (if movement at night is ever possible), etc.. Similar to the summer vs. winter actions in Viticulture. Just a thought. :)
Are these rules a product of the design or is the design a result of the rules? The way you're talking through the rules you sound as if you are talking through the concepts of design. I think there is a lot of incite to be gleaned from this video
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I like to give everyone a photocopied version of the rule book, and have everyone read in silence for 15 minutes. After that, I'll have them take a short quiz (where they only need to score 80% on to continue) and once that's all passed, then we can begin with the "scenario-based questions" where we can test their deeper understanding of the concepts.
246trinitrotoluene lmao
What's the irony punctuation?
🤪😂
At the end of the day Scythe is a popularity contest.
Had a truly wonderful experience with Scythe yesterday... used your suggestions to teach my wife who never played anything above a 2.8 difficulty on BGG... She was able to grasp the concept very quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the game. Thanks for all your wonderful content, it's an asset to the community.
That's awesome, Jesse! I'm glad you were able to connect with your wife over Scythe yesterday. :)
Everytime I am about to teach Scythe to a new group, I come to this video. Today was the 4th time! :) Thank you for creating this video Jamie.
Just want to say I love your game, and I'm grateful for you helping me teach it to my friends!
My pleasure! I'm glad you're enjoying it. :)
You sure go the extra mile Jamey . Awesome!
Jamey, I don't know how you do it. You consistently blow me away. You design great games, some of my favorites(Euphoria got me in to modern/designer board gaming). All that time doing that and making videos all the time, and even showing people how to teach one of your games.
I have probably watched this and Rodney's Watch it played rules explanation 2 or 3 times each getting ready for my copy to get shipped to me at the end if the month. Can't wait.
Thank you for what all you do. Every one of your games that you have designed or published so far has had me smiling all the way through playing them. Between two Cities was my favorite game if last year. And I have a feeling Scythe will take that spot this year. Now to watch the videos again.
Thanks Jacob! I think some backers had the idea, and it didn't take long to make. :) Thanks for all the preparation you're doing to get ready for Scythe's arrival. :)
Being an effective teacher is a skill all on its own. You can be really good at something and have a difficult time conveying information about it. One big factor is who your audience is, as well. You might teach a game to somebody one day, and have them understand it right away, and another day the same way of teaching it might go horribly for someone else. It's not necessarily your fault if your friends don't pick it up right away.
Think about how long it takes for you to read and learn all the rules, double check them, look up clarifications online. Then look at how you try to cram all the important bits into a 10 minute teaching window, and expect them to play without a perfect grasp on the game. The ideas in this video are good, but I think that if you don't give them specific goals to keep in mind from turn one, they're going to hesitate quite a bit. My first game we went over the rules pretty in depth, but it was also my first game, so it was a good refresher. Next time I'll probably try a much lighter explanation, though.
I personally plan to explain, before my friends take their first move, what each of the top row actions do, and how the resources are collected to take the bottom row actions, and the fact that they won't be able to do the bottom row actions until they collect resources. I'll be taking a risk that they'll want to have the rest of the actions explained, but maybe that'll be something else they need right away.
I also feel the achievement tracker and achievements are really important to explain early on, but as simple as the goals are, you can't really give them that information without explaining the bulk of the game, so I'm not too sure when to introduce that. It may actually be best mid game, after all the mechanics related to it are explained. Perhaps the objective cards could be explained right away, to avoid problems of incompleteable cards down the road.
I like the oil field print hanging in the background. It’s one of the more subtle 1920+ pieces and it’s not obvious at first glance there’s a mech lurking in the background.
A friend of mine received his deluxe copy of Scythe earlier this week, and we finally got together today to learn and play it. I have to say it is an AWESOME game in every way (art, components, design, gameplay, mechanics, theme, etc)! I can't wait for Gen Con, so I can pick up my own copy (deluxe, I hope)! I really want to try the Automata in Scythe (I fell in love with your Viticulture world earlier this year).
Great video, thanks! Finally bought Scythe yesterday and made a fascinating discovery: my family are Ana, Max, Karen, and we live in Kanata. There's a close match to Scythe names: Anna, Mox, Kar, and Khanathe! I guess we were MEANT to own Scythe 🤓
That's awesome! I hope you all enjoy it as a family. :)
Such a nice video. I rewatch this every time I introduce new friends to Scythe, which is a lot of times. Best boardgame ever designed, hands down.
I would also recommend skipping the secret missions, and skipping the "extra bonus faction box" on the top right of each faction board. This gets players used to the "vanilla" version of movement and procedures.
Hi, Jamey, first of all thanks for the WHOLE Scythe - I love new factions, airships and most of all Fenris and all its expansions. I love it to the extend I just bought a painting set and I am going to paint the characters and mechs of all 9 faction to add the depth of the experience. Great module design, too, btw.
How I teach Scythe? From finish to start.
1) The goal of the game - collet the most money and get the most money out of your final scoring combined.
2) Final scoring is based on you popularity level, which is hard to get by and useless throughout the game, but essential in the end for scoring due to 3 levels of it. Final scoring has 3 categories - stars, tiles and resources.
2a) Resources are easy - for every two controled in the end you get points. Controled means they do not go to your hand, everything produced stays on board till it is spend and could be spent only from those controling them, bringing me to
2b) Areas/Tiles. Board is divided in hexes and the amount you control at the end of the game by your units (and buildings, provided there are no enemy units standing there) gives you scoring. There are five basic types of terrain that can produce (farms, tundras, mountains, woods for resources and villages to get another workers from), lakes (nonpassable for most) and a Factory - counting as tripple in the end. Homebases are not areas to control.
2c) Stars are "goals, achievments" you get for developing your nation in a certain area. There is 10 of them and you can only place six stars and first player to place a sixth star immediately ends the game in his action.
How to play and get stars is rest of explanation along with basic rules. I love saying this to new players while they are slowly setting up their board based on what I am talking about ;)
3) How to play? You have your player mat in front divided into four sections. Each of these sections contain a top row action which all costs the same but we all may have it in different columns, and bottom row actions, which we all have in the same column as everyone else, but they may cost different amount of resources and bring different amount of money. I recommend to focus more on things bringing more money then those with little to none rewards.
Top row actions (in this order)
4a) Trade - two resources for 1 coin. In red costs, in green what you get. Behind slash is alternative benefit, in this case 1 popularity (upgradable to two pop, more with upgrades). Popularity is good for scoring and can also bring a star (1st star explained)
4b) Bolster - 1 coint for 2 (3) power / combat card(s). Both useful for combat. For power is also a star (2nd explained).
4c) Produce - pick two tiles to produce and every worker you have there can produce 1 resource of that type (wood, oil, food, iron) and leave it there and workers on villages can recruit more workers the same way. Recruting workers = bigger production, but growing costs of prouction. Also -> 8 workers = star (3rd star explained).
4d) Movement - you can move two units per 1 tile or get coins. Any unit can carry any amount of resources to remain in control of them. Mechs can also carry workers. Noone can cross rivers till unlocking the possibility on mechs. Character can trigger encounters giving bonuses and can get you a factory card from a first visit of the Factory.
Entering a tile with enemies results in combat where your power level and amount of combat cards matter (more when it will come possible to attack = around 8th turn). For combat you can earn two stars, each one for a single victory (4th and 5th star explained)
5) Bottom actions are easier - you pay required amount of resources and do the action
5a) Upgrades for oil - take any cube from a top action (thus making it better) and cover any suitable place on the bottom action (thus lowering its cost). For all 6 you earn a star (6th star explained)
5b) Deploying for iron - produce one mech. Every mech produced unlocks wider abilities for all your mechs and a character (not workers). Building all 4 = star (7th star)
5c) Building for wood - for wood you can build a building and place it on an area with your worker and with no other building built yet (yours or enemy belonging). Armory and Monument gives bonuses for top action, Mill gives 1 more tile to production limit (the tiles with Mill) and also produced ass a worker and Mine gives you your personal tunnel. Only at this point I am explaining what a tunnel is and that all tunnels act like they are adjacent to each other and that everyone can freely move between any of those 6 (+1 personal) and even initate combat. And all 4 building = star, so 8th star explained. You also get bonus coins at the end of the game if you meet requirements from below the popularity ladder.
5d) Recruits for food - you pay and unlock one of for bonuses for bottom action and since then every time you or your neighbors do such action, you get that bonus. You also immediatel get one of unused one-time bonuses from your faction desk. 4 recruits = star (9th one)
10th star is for one of two personal tasks you have been randomly given. Once you fulfill its conditions, you say it, reveal your task and place a star.
After sixth star is placed, game ends. As I said, it is good to focus on some goals than on all possible to place stars and score well. Average game consists of around 20 rounds with scoring 60-80 points in average per winner (our group needs this to get a perspective of how it works - money and points are really different between games of Scythe, Tapestry, Terra Mystica and others, so the basic range is good to know).
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This is basically all I say. Sometimes people ask to go through each faction ability etc., but this is my 10 minutes of Scythe rules. It doesn´t take a lot of time to do and is in order that is making it easiest as possible to understand what are you doing. I am using my player mat to underline all I say and making it easier to understand for everyone what I am talking about.
Seems long, but is short enough for group not to get lost completely and also making the setup faster ;)
Thanks for sharing your method in detail, Jan! It's neat to see a different approach than mine.
how did you get the painting set??
My gaming group wouldn't start a game without knowing all the rules. They might even get angry when I leave out some details :D
I hate that
You play 5 practice rounds and then restart the game. Let them know before hand
I understand that. But playing a game where you make mistakes and miss opportunities because you don't understand the rules is the quickest, most effective, and funnest way to learn the rules. We need to have a name for such a game where you learn the game and formulate a strategy for the real game.
They need to do their own research first then. It's not reasonable to ask someone to cover the entire ruleset.
@@J-Wheeler-G I always teach and play a learning game (1-3 rounds) with new players as I walk through the nuances during that time. Then we decide to continue or start a new game.
There's a stark difference between understanding the game and trying to convey that understanding. I did a 5 player game and it got off to a slow and ugly start. I suck at explaining as it is but I understood how to play so easily that I thought this would transfer to teaching it. I need to go back and review how we played and then figure out how the bonus cards are scored.
Indeed, there's a method to the madness of teaching Scythe. :) What are the bonus cards? Do you mean objective cards?
Structure tiles. I thought I could decipher them on sight but I found them in the directions and it all made sense. I finally played Automa tonight and found all the mistakes we made. Regardless of the mistakes, they all were plotting strategies for the next bout!
Ah yes, the structure bonus tiles! I should have guessed that. :) I'm glad Automa was helpful for identifying some missed rules.
That Automa book was brutal. The explanations had me all kinds of confused. I just set it up and started playing regardless but used the reference cards and got the hang of it. I think I pulled a 63 vs 44.
I love how in the thumbnail it looks like you’re about to bonk someone on the head to really drive home the popularity chart into their brain 😆
I recently played my first 2 games of Scythe, and I taught it in 2 different ways. Here's some (long-winded) feedback:
My first game I didn't understand the gameplay very well (having never played before), and so I used your recommended teaching technique. We went into the game without knowing everything, and it turned out pretty well! There were 5 players total, so we had a full board. They were confused at times, but by teaching them the bare-bones basics first, they knew which kinds of questions to ask later.
I didn't teach much about Combat at all until it was more relevant, and that worked out fine. It meant that we danced around each other and it felt much more like a cold-war than a full-blown battle, but that was a good thing for a first game (less intimidating, I think).
We ended up completely skipping the Structure Bonus Tiles- we realized we had forgotten them after scoring was calculated. It might be important to keep them in the game for balance reasons (and maybe you'll be able to explain those reasons, Jamey), but for new and casual players I think it would be fine to skip them entirely. [Edit: Don't remove the Structure Bonus Tiles, just tell the players about them ~20 minutes into the game!]
I think your method would be the best to teach causal gamers: Let them know that it's okay to not know everything right away, explain what they can do on their first turns, let them try things, and then reveal more mechanics as they become relevant.
My second game was with 2 players who were used to games with more rules or deeper mechanics (Lords of Waterdeep, Race for the Galaxy, Diplomacy, etc.), so I decided to go a bit more in-depth when teaching them. Mainly, I went through all of the options on the Player Mats and what each Action or Option might mean in-game. I also went through the significance of Popularity, the Triumph Track, and Combat. I think this is a good idea for the players that feel familiar with games and want to understand most of the rules before they start.
I can't wait to play more! I think the main hurdle for new players is the number of pieces and symbols. But if you can get players to realize the mechanics all effect each other, and that the pieces all have a specific place/purpose, it's not overwhelming at all.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights about teaching 2 different ways! It is important to keep the structure bonus tiles in the game because structures are underpowered without them, but I agree that it's not necessary to mention them for the first 20-30 minutes of the game.
I figured that would be the case. I'll keep that in mind for teaching new players next time!
I call this the "peeling an onion" approach to teaching ... layer by layer. So much more effective and accessible! I've taught Scythe countless times, and it works every time. Thank you, Jamey!
That's a good way to put it, Roberta! Thanks for teaching Scythe. :)
Playing it for the first time this week, hopefully! Thanks for the really helpful video!
I swear I just watched a new video you made and you looked younger in that video than you do here. What’s going on? You been in the science lab making something special for us all I hope! 🙏
Me and my pals all get together to play this every recess! We love your game! Thanks for making it!
Thanks for playing it!
Great Video! I love the alternate history theme of the game, and the artwork really helps drive this home! The card art, player mat art, and board itself look beautiful! I love the steampunk-style mechs, and like the idea of uncovering more options and benefits as the game progresses! I am starting to understand most of the rules by watching videos like this one. Thank you for creating this awesome game, and for this informative video!
Thanks for playing it! :)
We just taught my daughter. I didn’t know about this video, but this is exactly what I did. I gave her the quick start card, explained the way the player matts work, how the end game score will go, and we started playing. She beat my wife and I her first play through!! She quickly made the connection to try to do top and bottom row actions as much as possible! My wife and I play three or four games a week. She still beat us!
That's great, Frank! I'm glad it worked out that way (and congrats to your daughter on the victory).
@@jameystegmaier we play D&D with her and her boyfriend. I want to get him playing Scythe and then get a Fenris campaign going. Scythe and Wingspan are my wife and my favorite games. (My wife loves birding, so I preordered the game of Wingspan; it came in time for her birthday. She was thrilled!).
@@FrankMinogue That's wonderful! I'm glad Wingspan arrived in time. :)
Just purchased the game today! Can't wait to dive into it!
Just got my copy. Amazing game! Thanks for these instructions, makes it so easy to get a game up and running in
As a person who teaches games at some conventions I teach the whole game and provide players with visual ilustrations of how each action works. Because I can't be at the table for the whole time that they are playing. When I am done explaining I acompany them through first (or two) rounds and then I go away teach someone something else. I always urge the players that if they have any questions during the playthrough they should call me and I will additionaly re-explain something. For explaining I usually use some structure that is provided in rules or on help cards, which in the case of Scythe is really good :)
That's awesome, Martin! It sounds similar to the technique I use. I appreciate that you make yourself available even after you move on.
It's better than for the players to go through rulebook they haven't seen before. Also I take it upon myself as a kind of challenge that the players have fun and enjoy the time spent playing, so they look forward to visiting the next boardgame's event :)
Anyways, thanks for the reply :) Looking forward to Wind Gambit (and of course Charterstone
6 years down the line but still a very useful video. I have taught the game to a few players, however the order you explain things makes a lot more sense. I have tried asking new players to pick a random action but they just sit there confused. Since the player boards are asymetric perhaps it would be better to encourage new and experienced players just to pick the left-most action for the first round (If an action is duplicated leave experienced players to pick an action that does not appear left-most on any player board).
This is an important video for any Scythe evangelist. On my first exposure to this game, three minutes into having it explained to me, I thought, "Holy cow, this is a nightmare tangle of arbitrary rules!" And then, as the second player was halfway through her first turn, something clicked and suddenly everything seemed so much simpler and most elements fell into place, mentally. How it is explained is a really vital factor in getting a new player to understand the game and buy into it. This video was a really good idea. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback, Ken! Happy Scything. :)
About to start playing with a new group and this has been fantastic! Thanks heaps! Love all your work!
Awesome! I hope it goes well. :)
Didn't even start watching the video, but that's awesome of you. I love teaching games, and I'm too excited about Scythe. Thanks Jamey.
Thanks Idan! I imagine everyone will have a different way of teaching Scythe, but hopefully this is a helpful starting point. :)
+Jamey Stegmaier Next up - "Teaching a Board Game: The Board Game"
I've taught Scythe 10+ times and my explanation usually go for about 20 minutes.
Very helpful video! The last time it took me forever to go through all the rules before starting playing.
Great video, just what I was needing! Have been excited to play this game for a long long time, finally had a chance to play/learn it solo once, and am getting ready to introduce it to my play group for our first multiplayer session today.
Thanks Frank! I hope it goes well.
@@jameystegmaier It was a great experience! The other players loved it, and were discussing so many aspects of the game after we finished. Thank you for all of your work, and can't wait to see more to come!
Thanks Jamey, nice to see a designer give tips on making that first learning game a smoother experiance :-)
My pleasure! :)
@@jameystegmaier Ive bought EVERYTHING for scthye, including fenris and legendary box! Still havent had a chance to play it once yet!
But your great communication gives me confidence to buy "blindly". You even explained design choices in the rulebook, which I really appreciated. Looking forward to finally playing it in September God-willing!
I appreciate your confidence in the game without even trying it! Though hopefully you get to play it soon. :) We have lots of great fans in the Scythe Facebook group who will answer any rules questions you have (I'm there too).
Awesome explanation! I hope my friends are watching this as well! :D
I've owned this game since October and have my first formal session with three friends tomorrow! I emailed them the Watch It Played link, so as a gaming group we have the basic expectation that people will show up to play any new game with basic rules knowledge. That said, I plan to do a quick recap using your guide here :) ... p.s. love your Oil mind blank with the "refinery" art on the wall behind you! :)
Good luck, Mike! If you all have any questions while playing, there's always someone available to answer quickly in the Scythe Facebook group (I'm there quite often).
Thanks Jamey! We had an absolute blast, and the rules are so clean that we were able to do our first game with very few rule book consultations! Definitely in my top 5 and will probably go up with more plays. Thank you for such a great game design, and also props to Jakub as the game art and production is off the charts.
I'm glad you all had fun! :)
This video is a great idea. In the games of Scythe that I have taught, I went through a very similar process. Two things I did differently was to have the players set up their player and faction mats with me and I did discuss the specifics of the stars as a part of that process.
Having players place the bits in the appropriate spots allowed me to give them a few more details about the actions, while keeping their attention. For instance, as they had the cubes in their hands, I would explain to them the upgrade process and they could act it out (moving from top to bottom) while placing them on the correct squares.
As far as the specifics of the stars, I found that, more often than not, players eagerly wanted to understand achievement track and would get distracted trying to figure it out on their own. As you did, I would say that six stars ends the game and would add that I was going to explain each of them along the way. I found that explaining the stars as you explain its related action worked wonderfully. For example, as I showed them upgrading and while they were placing their 6 cubes in the correct spots, I would simply say, 'and when you move all 6 cubes from top to bottom' you get a star and point to the spot.
One thing I left out, except for a very basic explanation was combat. I simply said that, in general, it would be power + combat cards, but we'd deal with it later.
David: Thanks for sharing the idea about setup! I typically set up the mats for the other players, or I just tell them where to put the tokens. I don't get into the details of the mats until I get to that point in the teaching process.
I think that's a good way to deal with combat.
I'll be teaching my first game tonight, and plan to implement your suggestions along with Jamey's method. Thanks very much for these tips. I agree that explaining things while people are setting up will help them to understand the actions better. My usual approach tends towards trying to explain everything upfront but I'm going to be brave and leave certain details until they crop up during game play. It makes me nervous, but I think it's the right approach.
A little late to the Scythe community but just recently got my copy and cannot wait to start playing!
It's never too late to become a Scythian! Welcome, John. :)
Thanks for this vid. A good approach to games that are as involved like Scythe is the KISS principle. ;)
I agree! :)
We followed your advice yesterday and it went very smoothly. One of our players had played once before with players who had tried to cover all the rules at the top. He said that was incredibly overwhelming, so this very much worked best!
Awesome, I'm glad that worked!
👍🏽 agreed.
For less experienced gamers, I also cut out objectives and encounters all together
I've done two kinds of explanations (more serious than casual gamers, but not exactly hardcore):
Method 1: Full on 25-30 minutes of going through the board and also explaining strategy. Nobody really minded that it took that long, but it did make for a longer evening.
Method 2: Short explanation like Jamey is talking about here, played 5-6 rounds, then reset and started the game again. Took about the same amount of time, but the group liked that they had those "oh, if I had only done X last round instead of Y..." moments that they could redo.
I also think it's important to explain the factions' advantages very clearly as well so that new players have a strategy to envision, like "You're Polania, so you're going to have to trade for metal and oil until you get off your home territory, but you can get wood to build a mine. Encounter cards are most valuable in the early-mid game, so make sure you get +1 speed so you can move around and scoop them up." The first time I played I was Saxony, and nobody explained the benefit of area control. I had a great time, but I got trounced.
Thanks for sharing your methods, Josh! I like that.
Having a great time with Scythe, Jamey. Eight years in the hobby and this is the first game makes me wonder "do I really need other games?" I just hope Charterstone doesn't have an expiration date, because even though I bought it at the same time it's still in the shrink wrap. Every month or so the group talks about playing something new, but in the end everyone agrees "OK... but just this week."
I'm honored to hear that, though I certainly hope it isn't the last game you all play--there are so many other great games out there! :) You can get to them after you play through the Fenris campaign. :)
I mentioned that it would be the last expansion, but one of the other guys said "...maybe after that we could start back at the beginning without the expansions," lol. We'll be LARPing it if we're not careful. You might consider making a "how to wean your group off Scythe" video.
Edit: the truth is, every time we play we see some new strategy, tactic, or counter that shows us there's more to learn and next week will be just as exciting as this week. Truly an achievement.
My significant other bought Scythe for me today! I'm looking forward to getting into the box and finding some folks to play with with. :)
That's awesome! Welcome to Scythe. :) Let me know if you have any questions!
Teaching Scythe is a pain because there are so many interactions and there's always something more to explain it seems. The first time I played Scythe I was pretty lost. Still, I am happy to teach the game so I have more people to play with because Scythe is a really great game. I haven't watched this video yet but I will and hopefully it helps me teach the game more efficiently.
That´s why I explain it in certain order, see above ;)
I love scythe jamey, This Will help to get It on The table easier. Thanks!
People I played with were always confused about this Starter Guide. They didn't understand why everyone should try to use a different action (and I don't as well except from explanation purposes) and they find it really hard to achieve the bottom action on their second turn.
I think it's impossible on second turn. I guess "turn" is the wrong word. "Objective" is probably better but is already used for other purposes in the game. So maybe it should be something like "step"?
Hi friend. I believe the reason for players to each take a different action on turn 1, is just the explanation. There are no "in-game" benefits, and essentially no negative impact either. It's just a way to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible.
Also, it's a bit subtle, but turn two is NOT to COMPLETE top and bottom, but "start thinking about it as a goal". A chance for players to start forming their own strategy.
I like the idea of explaining a game while playing it, but I do have one issue. I've recently taught this game to someone quite competitive, and she did not like not knowing everything up front because she wanted to form a decent strategy from the get go. I guess the way you teach a game does depend on the type of player you're teaching it to.
You don't have to do the top-row action to do the bottom-row action, you only need to do the top first if you're doing BOTH.
Yes, that's correct. You either take the top-row action, the bottom-row action, the top row action and then the bottom row action, or neither action.
Just received Scythe through the post. So cool!
subscribed thanx jamey. love scythe. fell in love with scythe at gen con
Thanks Zachariah!
Thank you,I needed this.
Thank you! This was absolutely perfect!
Hello Jamey. I know you've said before but I can't find where you mentioned who will be selling Scythe at Gen Con and where Stonemaier Games will be. Any help would be great! I'm definitely going to try and pick up a copy!
Thanks Heather! Our friends at Cephalofair will be selling Scythe for us at booth 2963A (we have a conference room in the Marriott, where w're not allowed to sell games).
Just bought the game. Excited to get it to the table
Awesome! Let me know if you have any questions. :)
Jamey Stegmaier best production quality I've seen in a game
Jamey is that a map of Wales i can see in the background or am I truly mistaken?
Good eye! Yes, I had a lovely trip through Wales (Hay-on-Wye, Tenby, Abersywythe (spelling?) about 10 years ago, and I picked up that map.
Aberystwyth.. Very nice, Tenby isn't far from where I am.
I have to admit that I have struggled with trying to learn Scythe and how to play. Then to teach the game to my family that I myself am trying to learn adds to the challenge. I know this game will be great to play if I can understand some of the basics. I have set it up and tried to play this game twice and then i would have questions and then refer to the directions for guidance while my family grew tired from waiting. I am really excited to learn it and play it then be able to teach it to my family and friends. I have watched some videos on how to play as well for guidance. Can you suggest anything extra for me to do?
That's a tough question, as it sounds like you've done a lot to learn the game already. Have you thought about trying to find someone local who already knows how to play and would be willing to teach you and your family?
Jamey Stegmaier I could try to get into a board game club locally. For now I will just keep trying. Hoping for the best. Thanks for your thoughts.
Yeah I used to make most of these mistakes
Video quality looks great now! Now we just need to work on your audio :)
The audio is fine--I have a great mic--but I can't get the background hum to go away. I've tried.
Maybe lower mic sensitivity?
Yeah, I've tried that. I'll keep trying. :)
The best board game ive played. Well designed and really close games. Too bad i dont have anyone to play with anymore
I'm glad you enjoy it! Have you tried the online version (Scythe Digital)?
If you gain a worker through a encounter card does it go on a hex with other workers or on the hex with your character?
Anything you gain from an encounter goes on the territory where the encounter took place.
Jamey Stegmaier thank you Jamey. I'm sure you've heard this a lot but the game is really awesome.
Thanks Josh. :)
just play co-op against game ai, and explain as you play, watch and learn mode
me and my mother were defending against automa and we were just talking stratégy and she watched what I do as I was explaining, or just colonize and explore.... for basics will do and its also fun
you want idea ? what about Scythe - Legacy ?
Thanks! I've thought about doing that, but I think my only legacy game will be Charterstone. :)
I love boardgames but i need my own space to play i cant stand this house anymore its too crowded
You see with normal how to play vids they explain everything at the start then your brain dies, you dont
1. "Urge them to take a different top row action than the previous pleayer" - This can be read in the quick-start card but don't believe in that. This can lead into watching other players build their second mech or enlisting their recruits while you still struggle to get the resources because you didn't take the trade action at the beginning because some other player did that already. Every experienced player will tell you that this is BS and I honestly don't know how this advice got there in he first place.
2. "Assure them that the first turn in game of Scythe is not going to make or brake their strategy at all. It's a very slight decision in the greater scheme of the game" - Definitely don't believe in that. The first move is very, very important since it determines the next move, and the move there after, or at least it should. You need to optimize the play so that you can take as many bottom row actions as possible, and a start that was not thought through can be very unpleasant since nothing will go as you imagined. Besides, through the game you get about 20-25 turns in total. You tell me if the first one doesn't matter.
I know this is not a "how to be good at Scythe" tutorial but a tutorial for beginners and I really think the author made good job, but just these two aspects I really find inappropriate to tell to beginner players.
Cheers!
For how broad the intricacies that arise from the way the rules interact, the implementation is so euro-clean and how that translates to changing power dynamics on the board is very elegant. It’s a great game man.
Thanks for this. Played my first game of this tonight with my partner and we made a couple of wee mistakes but a good time was had. We confused ourselves immensely with the enlist actions, but think we’ve sussed it now. Looking forward to our next game. Sadly my partner sees the game as a puzzle to be solved, and I see it as a grand story arc; what this means, practically, is he is analysing how to maximise scores, and I’m analysing trying to construct a fictional story to explain what’s going on... guess who won! Lol. Hint; the one who puzzled out the logic.
Thank you,I needed this.
Is there any way I can confidently share with you secretly my rough draft and get alittle feed back?
I think it's great that you have a design in progress! There are many ways to get feedback, but no, I am not available for private/secret feedback.
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You would know best obviously, having designed the game, but I really don't like this method of teaching. You seem to be setting people up for failure. The basis of your method, basically, just aims to get players randomly taking actions without explaining what they might want to work towards ahead of time.
Have you actually tried it?
@@jameystegmaier I have not. I just imagine that more hardcore players will want to have known everything upfront. I can see your method gets people playing almost right away and there is something to be said for that, but I know for my group personally all hell would break lose if after someone built a mill I said oh yeah, I never told you but you should have tried to build that on a tunnel because you would have gotten 2 gold at the end of the game.
I always start by saying that, for every action, there are two reactions. It's close enough to the famous law to put people at ease; even if you don't really understand Newton's law, you've heard it at some point.
Every time I see this thumbnail, I see Jamey playing some kind of instrument
I haven't played this game yet, trying to get friends and family to play it with me. This video will help me to do that.
Jamey, it’s oil. The last resource in your game is oil.
Very helpful video. Thank you.
We taught this game to my daughter last week. She is new to Euro games. Regarding the player board, a few rounds in, she sat back and said, "oh, I see how this works. Wow." She was amazed and further commented how brilliant it is.
That's great! I'm glad the board helped her catch on quickly.
Very cool game, just picked it up and looking forward to playing it. One thing I thought from the start while reviewing rules and videos is that thematically and to reinforce the fact that they must be taken in chronological order, the actions could have been "day" and "night" or "morning" and "evening" actions instead of just "top row" and "bottom row", which just seems clunky. The artwork could have reflected this on the cards as well, and day/night could have been incorporated in other thematic ways e.g. night vision tech would allow you to take the actions in opposite order for some factions/boards, combat during night vs. day could resolve differently e.g. ties go to defender at night (if movement at night is ever possible), etc.. Similar to the summer vs. winter actions in Viticulture. Just a thought. :)
I like that day and night idea! You're the first person to ever suggest that. :)
:) It's too late for that, but you're welcome to call it day and night in your group!
There you go. I'll take a free copy of the expansion that incorporates this idea as my reward. :)
Best game ever .....
Are these rules a product of the design or is the design a result of the rules? The way you're talking through the rules you sound as if you are talking through the concepts of design. I think there is a lot of incite to be gleaned from this video
I think I would say that the rules are a product of the design, though I was constantly keeping the rules in mind while designing the game.
I saved this video to my favorites anyway.