# Scythe

Scythe is a board game for 1–5 players. It plays in 115 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 7.9 out of 10 by 272 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $84.00 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–5 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 115 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 3.5 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2016
- **Categories:** Fighting, Science Fiction, Economic, Territory Building
- **Mechanics:** Grid Movement, Solo / Solitaire Game, Tech Trees / Tech Tracks, Victory Points as a Resource, Narrative Choice / Paragraph, End Game Bonuses, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Movement Points, Variable Player Powers, Take That, Contracts, Area Majority / Influence, Hexagon Grid, Variable Set-up, King of the Hill, Zone of Control, Force Commitment
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.9 out of 10, from 272 reviews
- **Owned by:** 535 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 2,379
- **Unique players:** 1,883

**Designers:** Jamey Stegmaier

**Artists:** Jakub Rozalski

**Publishers:** Stonemaier Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 84 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/scythe/ |
| Atomic Empire | 84 $ | https://www.atomicempire.com/Item/205187 |
| Gamers Guild AZ | 84 $ | https://gamersguildaz.com/products/scythe-board-games |
| Miniature Market | 84 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/stm600.html |
| Board Game Bliss | 104.95 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/scythe |
| Rampi Games | 75.95 € | https://www.rampigames.com/juego-de-mesa/scythe/ |
| eFantasy | 91.99 € | https://www.efantasy.gr/en/products/board-games/93597-board-game-scythe |
| Zatu Games | 53.1 £ | https://zatu.com/products/scythe |
| Good Games | 109.18 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/scythe |
| Spelexperten | 795 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/scythe.html |
| Milan Spiele | 76.3 € | https://www.milan-spiele.de/scythe-deutsch-p-20400.html |
| Travelling Man | 66.99 £ | https://travellingman.com/products/scythe |
| Ludifolie | 78.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/4267-scythe.html |
| World of Board Games | 895 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/scythe |
| Alphaspel | 899 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/65241-scythe-en |
| Magia de Tinta | 79.95 € | https://www.magiadetinta.com/es/juegos/7055-scythe-3700807402829.html |
| Poromagia | 79.95 € | https://lautapelit.poromagia.com/fi/catalogue/scythe_122404/ |
| Gameology | 129.95 $ | https://www.gameology.com.au/products/scythe-core-set |
| Midgard Games | 879 kr | https://midgardgames.no/products/scythe |
| Games Empire | 134.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/scythe |
| Hyggeonkel | 629.95 kr | https://www.hyggeonkel.dk/produkt/scythe |
| Curiosity Shop | 85 € | https://www.thecuriosityshop.es/products/scythe |
| Uplay | 89.99 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-scythe--edizione-inglese-.html |
| Jugar x Jugar | 90 € | https://www.jugarxjugar.com/shop/estrategia/2815-scythe-3700807402829.html |
| Game Ninja | 1099 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/scythe-invaders-from-afar-exp-2/ |
| Nexus | 14995 kr | https://nexus.is/vara/scythe/ |
| Fantasiapelit | 111.3 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_170996 |

## Expansions

- [Scythe: Invaders from Afar](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-invaders-from-afar)
- [Scythe: The Wind Gambit](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-the-wind-gambit)
- [Scythe: The Rise of Fenris](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-the-rise-of-fenris)
- [Scythe: Encounters](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-encounters)
- [Scythe: Modular Board](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-modular-board)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #2 – Encounter Cards 33-36](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-2-encounter-cards-33-36)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #1 – Encounter Cards 29-32](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-1-encounter-cards-29-32)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #4 – Factory Cards 13-18](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-4-factory-cards-13-18)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #3 – Objective Cards 24-27](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-3-objective-cards-24-27)
- [Scythe: Bonus Promo Pack – 6 Promo Encounter Cards numbers 37-42](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-bonus-promo-pack-6-promo-encounter-cards-numbers-37-42)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #6 – Encounter Card 37](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-6-encounter-card-37)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #7 – Encounter Card 38](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-7-encounter-card-38)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #13 – Encounter Card 41](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-13-encounter-card-41)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #11 – Encounter Card 39](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-11-encounter-card-39)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #14 – Encounter Card 42](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-14-encounter-card-42)
- [Scythe: Promo Pack #12 – Encounter Card 40](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe-promo-pack-12-encounter-card-40)

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- [Anunnaki: Dawn of the Gods](https://www.ludoya.com/games/anunnaki-dawn-of-the-gods)
- [My Little Scythe](https://www.ludoya.com/games/my-little-scythe)
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## Rules questions

### Can mechs carry workers and resources? Can they carry my character?

Yes — mechs can pick up and drop off any number of your workers and any number of resource tokens during a Move action, but mechs cannot transport your character (characters are a separate unit type). (pages 5, 11)

### Can I move across rivers or onto lakes by default? How do Riverwalk mech abilities change that?

By default units may not cross rivers or enter lakes; some faction mech abilities (Riverwalk and other lake-movement abilities) let your character and mechs cross rivers or move onto lakes as specified on your mech ability slots. (pages 5, 11, 15)

### What happens if I move into a territory controlled only by opponent workers?

Your movement ends, each of the opponent’s workers on that territory immediately retreats to their home base (leaving resources behind), and you lose 1 popularity for each worker you forced to retreat. (page 11)

### When does an encounter trigger and who resolves it?

Only your character triggers an encounter when it moves onto a territory with an encounter token; the character’s movement ends, and after resolving all combats you draw and resolve the encounter card (choose one option and pay its cost if required). (page 24)

### How does combat work with power dials, combat cards, and ties?

Both players secretly select a power amount on their Power Dial (up to what they have), may tuck combat cards (one per unit involved), then reveal — the highest total wins and ties go to the attacker; both players pay the power they selected, the loser retreats to their home base, and the winner may gain a combat star (subject to limits). (pages 22–23)

### When does the game end and what happens to units that moved into enemy-occupied territories when the final star is placed?

The game immediately ends when a player places their 6th star; if units remain on a territory with an opponent’s units because of that Move action, undo that portion of the Move and return the unit(s) to the territory they moved from. (pages 27–28)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scythe)
- [Scythe in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/scythe)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169786)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._