Board Game Arena

mineral2 wrote: ↑03 April 2026, 21:36 wait a minute... hasn't Scythe been here for a while?

As addressed above:

LordChambers wrote: ↑01 April 2026, 04:35 This is confusing, since I have 12 games in Scythe on Boardgame Arena, months ago.

Nothing to be confused about. You were playing while it was still in beta.

Meeplelowda wrote: ↑03 April 2026, 01:37

Andrew Davidson wrote: ↑02 April 2026, 20:03 1. The theme is a weird mashup of 1920s history, mechs from another era and talking animals

This is funny because the alt history theme with seemingly anachronistic mechs is exactly what is appealing to many people about Scythe. Playing the physical game so you're actually manipulating the minis is even better. Some people really get into it by painting their minis.

The BGA version doesn't have miniatures, nor painting. The icon for a leader is concentric circles which is bland and quite lacking in theme. Other aspects of the theme such as the mechs and the Factory also seemed feeble both graphically and in gameplay.

Andrew Davidson wrote: ↑03 April 2026, 22:54 The BGA version doesn't have miniatures, nor painting.

1) I prefaced that with "playing the physical game," so I was obviously, i.e., explicitly, talking about what is appealing about the game as a whole, not only the BGA implementation. I did not say "the BGA implementation is appealing because of the minis and painting."
2) Do you like constructing strawmen?
3) Just because what makes the game appealing to other people doesn't appeal to you doesn't make your reasons for disliking it more valid than their reasons for liking it.
4) Are you one of those people who likes hating on something just because other people like it and you don't? I'm not saying your critiques about the UI and game mechanics are not valid observations to make. I'm just wondering what the motive for attacking the theme is?

Where is Ned?

evolarts wrote: ↑01 April 2026, 16:09 I read some really unhappy comments in the beta threads not too long ago. Can anyone confirm this is actually ready for prime time?

I was one of those people, but I can say the developers did listen and took action on problems, and after a somewhat buggy start, the new interface is now much improved. While I was okay with the previous configuration, I think the new one will be appreciated by many people. It certainly makes more game info available, while retaining a good view of the map. I still quite liked it when the boards were arranged with horizontal action sections rather than vertical, but it retains good playability, and you just need to get used to it.

I will now say, well done BGA, this is a great game to have on the site, and one of my current favourites to play! The Cold War aspect of it is quite different from many area control games, even though the war may become suddenly hot, and a decisive blow struck to end the game! Also there is quite a lot of artwork coming with the game, and as usual, BGA are great at making the game look close to what it is IRL.

Awesome!
But... why is there no Automata (solo) option? The Automata thinks for itself, so I assume it should be simple to program as there is no strategic thinking on the bot's part. Plus Scythe allows for multiple Automatas per game, so one can play against multiple bots.

Would love to see this in a future version... please!

McGroober wrote: ↑04 April 2026, 14:27 Awesome!
But... why is there no Automata (solo) option? The Automata thinks for itself, so I assume it should be simple to program as there is no strategic thinking on the bot's part. Plus Scythe allows for multiple Automatas per game, so one can play against multiple bots.

Would love to see this in a future version... please!

Answered previously in the thread that Stonemaier only released base game to BGA. No expansions or variants such as solo. They usually have very good solo variants so it would entice players to buy the physical version. I actually did not like the automa for this. It was way too fiddly for my tastes.

HawkFan wrote: ↑04 April 2026, 20:40
Answered previously in the thread that Stonemaier only released base game to BGA. No expansions or variants such as solo. They usually have very good solo variants so it would entice players to buy the physical version. I actually did not like the automa for this. It was way too fiddly for my tastes.

i've played viticulture and wingspan solo on BGA and tapestry also has solo here.

Is it only me, or is the tutorial broken?

I'm confused, this game has been on bga for at least two years, or us it a different version?