For this Table Talk we have with us Mr. Der! He’s a fantastic strategist and excellent Scythe player. If you’ve read any strategies on The Daily Scythe, chances are he helped develop and/or streamline them.
For this session, we talked a great deal about abstract strategies that can throw opponents off. And as you’ll discover, Mr. Der is actually a master of such. Check it out!
Norman:
As boring and basic of a first question as it is, I ask everyone this: What was your experience getting into Scythe?
Mr. Der:
Oh man. So, one of my friends from my D&D groups brought it up to me about two years ago. He was like; ‘It’s this really challenging and intense game,’ and I thought it sounded cool. So, I actually asked for it for Christmas without knowing much more about it, and almost instantly I was hooked. The engine building aspect of the game alone blew my mind, because there’s so many possibilities and variables to every game.
And I remember I got my brother addicted to it too. So, we used to play a ton of one-on-one games when I first got it. That was fun.
Norman:
I don’t think I ever played a one-on-one game until I got on Digital Edition. It just seemed like too much for my mind to wrap around, but that’s really cool, man.
You mentioned how much you loved the engine building aspect of Scythe. Is that the sort of game you like best? Engine building, deck building types?
Mr. Der:
Right. The games with deep strategy are always what appeal to me the most; and that’s what I love about Scythe, and that’s why I continue to play it. Because any game that feels unintuitive, or is challenging to find the best strategies after playing it several times, is a game I like. And because the potential in Scythe is so massive, it’s sort of tricked me into thinking I had it figured out many times. Until I played with somebody new and then they just wrecked me. And for me, in Scythe it’s such a pleasurable experience to be proven wrong and learn something new.
Norman:
Yeah. Dude, that’s great. I appreciate that about the game too.
Play Style.
Norman:
What style player do you see yourself as? I know, there’s obviously variants for almost every faction and mat combination. But do you see yourself as more of a risk taking rush player, or more risk averse, economy player?
Mr. Der:
I’m actually, probably high-risk. I feel like a lot of people would be uncomfortable playing the way that I do, because I tend to go for strategies that don’t defend myself very well. Like, sort of force people to mess up my stuff because it makes people go out of their way to interrupt what they’re doing.
I would say I also favor weird engine building. The thing is, I’ve screwed around with strategies that I thought were terrible at the beginning of games so much that I’ve actually found some amazing methods to win. And it’s interesting, because what ends up happening is even if you don’t pull off a win with a weird strategy in that given game, it might show you that there are actually other paths to victory that maybe you didn’t consider. That there’s strengths to certain strategies that maybe you didn’t see before.
So just trying weird stuff has led me to find some really interesting paths to winning. And as a player, it gives me a strength in learning to be flexible. Where I can take almost any combination of faction and player mat and do well with it. Because I’ve explored all these different ways to engine build essentially.
Norman:
LOL, I totally get what you mean. I think I watched a stream a couple weeks back where you completed (the Objective) “Create a Permanent Foothold” and won the game. And I was like, ‘No freaking way!’ And of course it was on one of FOMOF’s streams. So, he’s sitting there just shaking his head, as was I.
Mr. Der:
Oh my gosh. That was one of the most satisfying wins ever! Just hilarious, and that’s a prime example. That probably was the best I’ve ever done while getting “Create a Permanent Foothold.”
Norman:
Oh yeah. I don’t think I’ve really ever seen anybody do well with that Objective after completing it.
I wanted to drop back to what you said about allowing opponents to come after you. Would you share more about that?
Mr. Der:
Right. A lot of what the strategy of being interrupted is about is, having a plan for when you are interrupted. The way I play, I’m expecting to get attacked, I’m expecting my workers to get sent home. So, a part of the strategy is knowing when you’re going to get interrupted and where you’re going to get interrupted. And knowing when it’s appropriate to take risks, and expose yourself and when it’s not.
For instance, say I’m Nordic industrial, and I produce a bunch of Lumber on a Tunnel. If a Mechanical mat is in the game, they can move, attack me on the Tunnel, and spend the Lumber at the end of that action. As such, that would be a bad risk to take. But if the Mechanical mat isn’t in the game, they might attack me and take my wood, but then next turn I can counter attack and spend the Lumber as if they didn’t take it in the first place.
So, there’s a lot of specific things you have to pay attention to, when you’re playing that high-risk style of leaving yourself exposed.
Norman:
That’s actually really cool, because you don’t lose anything there. And actually, you gain a Combat Star while not even breaking out of what you were going to do anyway.
Mr. Der:
Yeah. And the best part about Nordic, as you have seen, is you don’t even lose a territory for making losing combat with the Seaworthy Mech.
Norman:
That’s really cool though.
Favorite Faction and Mat Combination.
Norman:
I’m going to switch tracks to something more personal to you. What do you think is your favorite faction / mat combo? Not just to win games, but when you play a really enjoyable game of Scythe, which combo do you usually prefer?
Mr. Der:
Oh, that’s tough. I’ve been a really big fan of Togawa Patriotic in this last tournament. I almost won with it, and I actually had it one more time previously, which was a really fun game. It’s an interesting combination. Patriotic is super flexible, which fits my play style.
Historically, Polania is my favorite faction. But I’m not sure what my favorite player mat is with them. It might be Mechanical. I’d maybe say Polania Mechanical. Because again, they align with that risk taking play style. Like what you get from an Encounter is hugely impactful in what you do in the game. So I enjoy that aspect of it.
Norman:
How does the Mechanical mat benefit that in your play style?
Mr. Der:
Well, I really liked doing no mech or late game mech strategies and Mechanical is really good for that, with Polania anyway. The strategy I love is Produce / Enlist and then Move / Build because it scores an insane amount of points. It’s probably the most powerful engine building combination in the game, actually. And I really enjoy doing that with Polania, because when you throw in Encounters, you can sometimes get these really crazy turbocharged starts. Where even if I wasn’t planning on getting a mech, maybe I’d get one from an Encounter. And then I’m flying around the board now getting Encounters while doing this insanely powerful engine. It’s just really fun.
Norman:
Yeah, that makes sense. I really need to try that combination again with your strategy in mind.
Advice for Competitive Play.
Norman:
But let me switch tracks again. If you were coaching someone that wanted to start playing competitively, what would be the single strongest piece of advice you’d want to start them off with?
Mr. Der:
The first is, only go for two bottom row action Stars. You can maybe get one Upgrade or one Building or one of the actions that you’re not going to get a Star from, but don’t do any more than needed. Scythe is about focus, it’s about your ability to plan and execute efficiently. So you don’t want to be wasting time or wasting turns.
My other piece of advice would be that most of the Stars in the middle of the Triumph Track are easier or better. So, Objective, Worker, and Combat Stars. Scythe is about balancing engine building and combat. So don’t overly focus on engine building, because I feel like that’s a mistake that most people make when they first start playing.
Norman:
That makes a lot of sense actually, because by the time players get an elaborate engine started, the game’s already ending.
Mr. Der:
There’s a lot more points to be gained by awareness of the board than on your player mat. For instance, in the time you spend to get say one more Popularity each time you Bolster, you’ve already missed out on far more potential points that could’ve been gotten through unit spreading and combat.
Norman:
Right. That makes a lot of sense.
What Would You Change About Scythe?
Norman:
Aside from the addition of a faction and mat bidding element into Scythe, what do you think is one thing you would change about the game?
Mr. Der:
Well, I like how the game is balanced at present. There are some tweaks that could be made, but really, the base game is solid. The IFA (Invaders from Afar) factions seem to mess things up the most, but it’s not terrible.
I feel like the only thing I don’t like about the game is the Worker Star. Because it’s too easy, and it has to be a mandatory Star gain in competitive play, which is weird. Most of the other categories on the track, aside from combats, are sort of optional. So having one section of the Triumph Track be mandatory doesn’t fit.
I think if I were to pick one change, that would probably be it. Because changing the Worker Star to something else would drastically change the game. It would change the meta, and it would make those rush strategies way more difficult to pull off.
Norman:
That’s the first time I think I’ve ever heard that. So that’s really interesting, because you’re a hundred percent right. If you want to play competitively, if you don’t get your Worker Star, then you’re –
Mr. Der:
You’re a dummy, LOL.
Norman:
Yeah, you aren’t going to place anywhere near where you want to be and your opponents will certainly have the advantage. That makes sense.
I think I also came across something you posted in the Discord channel where factions shuffle their base hexes? Is that right?
Mr. Der:
Oh yeah, it was fantastic. I’ve only played a couple of games with those shuffled home-base things, but it was super fun. Like, for instance, changing Crimea made them feel weak; and I can’t remember the last time playing Crimea felt weak. But, basically they moved to Nordic’s home base.
It was just really refreshing and it showed me how much the home bases matter in terms of game balance, which is pretty wild. They are hugely impactful for determining the faction strengths.
So, I’m always up for doing more games like that, because it made the game feel super fresh. Because none of the openings that you know work when you start with two different resources than you did before.
Norman:
Absolutely. That would be a big wrench in everybody’s preplanned opening actions if the bases were randomly determined.
In Closing.
Norman:
Well, is there anything you wanted to add? Any shout outs or words of wisdom to your fan base at large?
Mr. Der:
Do I have a fan base? I don’t think I have a fan base, LOL.
I guess one other thing would be I’m actually designing a game right now from scratch.
Norman:
Let’s hear about that!
Mr. Der:
It’s almost in the blind play testing phase. Well, once we finally get around to finishing the rule book, it’ll be ready for that. It’s on Tabletop Simulator actually right now. So if anyone’s interested in blind play testing that when it’s ready, just let me know. I’ll be happy to have more people test it.
Norman:
What’s the name of it?
Mr. Der:
It’s tentatively called Prosperity.
Norman:
Prosperity, very cool.
Mr. Der:
It’s kind of like a Civilization version of Twilight Imperium. So if you’ve played Civ, it will feel familiar to you. But it’s a beast. There’s over a thousand components in the game. It’s kind of ridiculous.
Norman:
I think ridiculous is good sometimes. Like, we’re in the era of ridiculous board games and people just love that. I know I do!
Well, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. I think we’ve gained a lot from your insights and strategies into Sythe, and I hope you’re not adverse to coming and chatting some strategy again.
Mr. Der:
No, this is cool, this is fun. Thanks for having me!
And remember: Keep it real. Keep it spicy. And don’t be afraid to build.
I hope you enjoyed this session of Table Talk with Mr. Der. For more player interviews, check out our Table Talk section! If you’re new to Scythe and want to get more into the game, check out Scythe Digital Edition on Steam and the physical table top game from Stonemaier Games!
Happy Gaming!
- Norman