A Solo Play of Scythe with Kar, the Crimean Eagle Architect
Build and expand throughout Europa in a world of steampunk mechs and factions caught between war and farming with Scythe.
As I’ve reacquainted myself with Scythe, my sights will soon be set on the campaign expansion. However, I wasn’t quite ready to dive in… Wanted to get a little more comfortable playing solo against multiple factions! This one may have been released many years ago, but the gameplay concepts have a been a lot of fun for me to explore. Back to this gigantic map!
Game Overview
Game Name: Scythe
Publication Year: 2016
Designer: Jamey Stegmaier
Artist: Jakub Rozalski
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Different actions provide numerous strategies to try out, ranging from building and producing to exploration and aggressive battles. Factions offer plenty of options, as do the unique encounters and objectives. Planning how to move ahead takes experience, and each play offers a challenge!
First Play
August 4, 2019
Complexity
3
Latest Play
August 3, 2025
Expansions
15
Setup Time
15 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
6
Play Time
1 Hour & 30 Minutes
High Score
83
Game Area
48" x 36"
Low Score
26
Play Area Adjustment
Since I’m still loving this enormous board extension, I spent a little time moving around the solo opponents and other card decks to keep almost everything within reach.
Only the Nordic faction required me to stand up every now and then, which wasn’t as bad as my first play!
I also moved the battle cards in range. Eagle-eyed viewers might wonder why I have so many factory cards. I just flipped up a card to mark the “end” of the available cards.
I kept everything I needed on the board to make playing again quicker, and this made the trio easier to manage!
Awesome Encounters
My fantastic shuffling meant I saw a familiar encounter, but no matter! I chose a different option and loved how the artwork could be interpreted in many different ways.
Yet it was the second encounter that defined a fun part of this play. For I was in a spot where power and popularity were pretty much unnecessary. So… Have at it, Kar!
Zehra set Kar loose, and the eagle leaped into action to “go berserk” and build a structure. What did that look like?
Well, there was sudden mayhem and I imagined a very messy sort of structure. But a structure it was. Thanks, Kar!
Kar’s Monument
Many may have assumed that the eagle monument under Crimean control was in the shape of an eagle. But it was only built by an eagle in a very abstract shape. Ha ha!
This was probably a pile of sticks and branches sitting in the middle of a field to mark that time Kar went berserk.
It made sense! Strategically, it was helpful, yet I was more excited about the story. Not an everyday occurrence!
I enjoyed how the solo opponents advanced in different ways from my first play, courtesy of the random decks and actions. Many new challenges arose around Europa.
The Popcorn Tricycle
As I looked closely at the Crimean mechs, I noticed the gigantic wheels. And you know I needed to bring in a specialty mech for Zehra to drive all over the place…
That’s right! It’s the popcorn tricycle! Ha ha! This has been sitting next to my play area for around a month, but it never felt like the right time to drive it around. Until now.
Sadly, even these hexes that boast 70% more space couldn’t hold this gigantic contraption in a single space. Oh, dear!
And so I had a little laugh as I imagined if the mechs looked more like this… Possibly even running on popcorn? Ha!
Longer Games That Still Call for One More Play
I don’t think I’ll ever classify this one as a short game! I did manage to cut my play time down by about half an hour, yet this still takes over an hour from start to finish. As I reached the end and placed the final star, it felt like I was ready to play again immediately after calculating scores. That was a neat feeling! Often, I feel exhausted after these experiences.
Not everything flowed smoothly, as I had to look up a few small rules questions around movement. That didn’t delay me that much, though, and I had a lot of fun seeing how my terrible first few moves slowly set up an engine. Definitely need to make better initial choices, but I can see my way forward. Losing by just a few victory points helped a lot, too!
There are times in this hobby when I like to move from game to game very quickly, barely spending time with each one. That’s still fun, yet I love it when I’m in the right state of mind to stick with something to dig into all it has to offer!
Busy but Not Crowded
By the time this play ended, there was a lot going on around the map! All of the factions converged towards the central area. The Factory saw many, many battles play out.
However, as busy as this might appear from afar, I found it easy to parse the information in regards to what was going on. Note how the Rusviet faction was really hemmed in.
I fanned out a little more, using the Crimean ability to move to inactive home bases. That seemed to be going well!
Naturally, until it wasn’t. Ha! I still put in a good showing, yet really should have joined in the central fight for control.
Plenty of Coins
My final score, represented by a selection of lovely coins, was still within striking distance of the winner… So I wasn’t upset. Just felt like a great challenge I need to work on!
Kar remained the star of this play. Can anyone else boast a monument created by an eagle on a rampage? Nope. Ha!
I also started to utilize the faction abilities some more, and I can see the benefits of having a lot of asymmetric powers to try out. Crimea still isn’t even close to being mastered.
Such a great game, and with a better understanding of the solo opponent actions, I cut this play time down by a lot!
Session Overview
Play Number: 4
Main Accessory: Scythe: Board Extension
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Normal Difficulty Level
Outcome: 63-67-69-50 (Loss)
Not bad! The Rusviet faction struggled, likely due to a dual attack by myself and the Nordic faction from he north. At least I got a better idea of how to improve and try out more exciting strategies! There is a lot to enjoy here and I feel like I’m ready to take on the campaign… Probably not in a place where I’ll win, but I’m looking forward to the stories!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Solving the puzzle presented by gameplay is very engaging and fun with a lot of moving parts and satisfying turns.
- Plenty of variety exists with the card decks, but even the ways the solo opponents advance differ from play to play.
- Each faction has its own strengths and abilities that are interesting to think through and understand how to use.
- Actions must be carefully planned with the limitations and unique way the top and bottom rows are linked together.
- There are a lot of ways to explore different actions and strategies, and no single path leads to a guaranteed victory.
- Every round features some sort of interesting change to the game state in an ever-evolving and interesting challenge.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Multiple solo opponents can be an excellent experience, but managing multiple decks and factions can be a lot.
- Remembering to take the bonuses associated with recruits can be easy to forget with everything else going on.
- The board extension is awesome in expanding the size of the hexes, yet makes some elements difficult to reach.
- Setup takes a noticeable amount of time with the different variables and many components to place at first.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the easy difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the normal difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite aspect of Scythe? Without sharing any spoilers, have you played through the campaign expansion? I’m excited to see what’s in store! This has been a blast to return to after not playing for so long. I can’t say I’ve worked out the best way to win yet, but I’m getting there! Figuring out that puzzle is going to keep me coming back for lots more.
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