Vesna (RoF Spoilers)

Vesna, what to say about Vesna? This is a difficult strategy post to write because she is different every time you play. If you previously were grieved by the lack of luck or randomness in Scythe, then Vesna may be the faction for you! I do have some things to say about Vesna that will hopefully help you guys nail down a decent overall strategy for her. You’ll have to be adaptable if you want to win though!

The Vesna Problem

The best and worst thing about Vesna is that she is different every time you play. Playing Vesna can be either a refreshing change of pace or incredibly frustrating. A lot of this depends on what three factory cards and mech abilities you start the game with. Oh, and of course what starting zone you land in!

Sometimes you will totally luck out and get three factory cards that are great for an early game boost. Other times, they will be totally worthless and you may not ever use them. I have had games where I blew people out of the water because I had great factory cards that gave me a huge boost. And I have had games where I didn’t use them at all because they didn’t make sense for my overall goal.

You can probably see how a definitive strategy guide for Vesna is confounding. So, what I’m going to do is layout what tips I have and then rank starting zones, mech abilities, and factory cards in tiers. Mech abilities are the only one you have any control over, but at least you will have some reference regarding the others.

Vesna Tips

• Set your economy up first before using your factory cards. Get those workers out and rolling! If you use your factory cards to get some free stuff before your economy is set up you will likely fall behind in the mid-game.
• That being said, I do usually factory card turn one for an encounter card. A factory card that gives a mech is superb here. Then you will be very well set up for worker placement.
• Don’t feel like you have to use your factory cards to be successful. I have won games without using a factory card! Sometimes they just don’t make sense for what you are trying to accomplish. Don’t get distracted from your overall goal!
• It can be very tempting to blast out and pick up encounters before anyone else if you land in Albion or Togawa’s starting zone. Don’t do this! This almost always results in a mid-game falter. Economy, economy, economy!
• Do replace Vesna’s riverwalk ability if possible. I hate this riverwalk ability, and I replace it with almost any other peninsula escaping ability. Submerge is my personal recommendation! If you get stuck with it, I just hope you aren’t also in a starting position lacking wood.

Rankings

Alright, some of what follows are debatable and dependent on playstyle. Also, you will unfortunately only have any choice about mech abilities. But I feel it will at the very least lay a foundation for you to work from in your own thought process.

Starting Zones

Tier One – Albion and Togawa. Albion is the best you can get, but Togawa isn’t bad either. Having the ability to get out and go after you set your workers up without having to worry about rivers is nice. Albion’s zone wins out because it has two encounters and slightly better territory orientation.

Tier Two – Rusviet and Crimea. This one is pretty self-explanatory, they have the best starting zones in the game under normal circumstances. They arguably could be better than Togawa, but the river keeps them in tier two for Vesna.

Tier Three – Everyone Else – Except Nordic. Polania and Saxony are pretty even, but Nordic is terrible. If you get stuck playing Vesna at Nordics starting zone I feel really bad for you. Good luck getting your economy rolling with 2 workers and a long road to more.

Mech Abilities

I always replace Vesna’s riverwalk ability when possible, and never replace speed when choosing mech abilities. I’ll put definitions for the mech abilities unique to Rise of Fenris below their respective tier.

Tier One – Scout, Feint, Submerge, Township (village to village, not village to factory), People’s Army.

Feint – ” After combat dials are revealed, you are may turn yours left/right 1 space”

Tier Two- Seaworthy, Underpass, Shield, Sword, Regroup, Ronin, Tactics.

Regroup – “You may retreat to adjacent territories you control”

Tactics – “Before combat you may pay 2 power to play +1 combat card”

Tier Three – Artillery, Camaraderie, Disarm, Suiton, Wayfare, Stealth.

Stealth – “movement does not need to stop for combat, workers, or tokens”

Factory Cards

Again, you have no control over the 3 you start with, but hopefully, this gives you an idea of what you may be working with.

Tier One – #s 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. I believe these provide the best early game boost to your economy.

Tier Two – #s 1, 7, and 17. These fall just a bit short of tier one either because the price is steeper, or the payout is slightly lower.

Tier Three – #s 2, 3, 5, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 18. A lot of these cost resources, which is a tough pill to swallow early on.

Vesna Conclusion

You have to shoot from the hip a bit if you want to win with Vesna. More than any other faction you have to be adaptable. You will have games where you blow your opponents away, and games where you lose badly. The most important thing is to not forsake setting your economy up.

That’s all the Vesna wisdom I have for you, best of luck, and happy gaming! If you don’t have Rise of Fenris already then I suggest you head on over to Stonemaier Games and get yourself a copy!