This post is the result of watching a video by “Board of it” on YouTube where they did a buyers guide for Scythe.

I liked the video. It was interesting to hear their opinions/review of each of the expansions at the end after they explained all the expansions.

Now I think everyone knows how I feel about Scythe by now. But just incase you don’t I’ll state it again here. For the record and umpteenth time, I love it. It’s my favourite game of all time.

So what I’m going to do in this post is assume you have the base Scythe game and then provide suggestions based on possible reasons why you might want to add an expansion.

I’ll give a SPOILER WARNING now for Rise of Fenris. I’m not going to spoil the game but for one of the answers I have to talk about a specific part of the game. I’m sorry. I can’t answer the question without revealing the little bit of info I have to spoil.

I want to play more than 5 players

To play more than five players you need more factions. There are two expansions that offer more factions.

If you only want more factions and nothing else then your only option is the Invaders from Afar expansion. This adds two new factions Clan Albion and Togawa Shogunate. Fortunately their faction symbols are already on the games board!

If you want more factions and have other game play options then you should get Rise of Fenris. Like Invaders from Afar, Fenris adds two new factions to Scythe. Plus you get the campaign and modular options.

I want more factions

This question is slightly different to the previous one because it doesn’t assume you want to play more than five players. But more that you are playing with up to five players and want more variety in the factions you play.

The answer is basically the same with the addition of get both for the ultimate in maximising your faction options.

I want to play a Scythe campaign

There is only one option here, as there is only one campaign expansion for Scythe, and that is Rise of Fenris. This is an eight game campaign that can be reset and replayed. Plus it can be used as just modules to change things up with the core game.

I want more of the same

This screams out the small box Scythe Encounters expansion that adds thirty two new promo encounter cards to the game. Which reminds me you can also add in the original promo packs that Stonemaier sell. These original promos were part of the Kickstarter I believe. They add more encounters, factory cards, and objectives.

I want to change things up

Obviously all of the above replies do this to some degree. However other expansions might be up your street too.

For starters The Wind Gambit introduces airships to the game, which are given an aggressive and non-aggressive ability randomly at the start of each game. But a bigger game changer are the resolution tiles that change how the game ends.

Or you could get the modular board that means the map and faction locations are different every game! Plus it introduces a new drafting element to setup, and tighter maps at lower player counts.

Finally as pointed out in another response above the Rise of Fenris can be used as modules allowing you to change elements of the game, like have a more aggressive game. So even if you don’t want to play the campaign it’s worth getting to use as modules. Plus it also includes a way to play Scythe as a co-operative with the Desolution module.

The Complete Rulebook has a couple of unofficial variants (team play, and a tweak to the end of a game). But these barely make up half a page.

I want to pimp out my copy of Scythe

There are a lot of third party accessories that can be bought to pimp out Scythe. However for this post I’m only going to cover the official ones.

Currently Stonemaier sell the following to pimp out your copy of Scythe:

• Metal coins
• Metal mech miniatures
• Realistic resource tokens
• Board extension – so the larger hex side of the board can be used
• Neoprene playmat
• Complete rulebook
• Legendary Box to hold the core game and expansions in one single box.

I hope this “guide” helps.