PC (beta), iOS/Android (down the road) •
After collecting nearly $2 million on Kickstarter in 2015, Scythe made its grand debut at Gen Con 2016 and quickly scrambled up the Board Game Geek rankings to eventually land in the top ten games of all time. I’m not sure it deserves to be called the 7th best board game ever, but I do enjoy the game and its incredible overproduction quite a bit.
Due to its success, a digital version only seemed natural and, of course, our digital overlords, Asmodee Digital, would be the ones bringing it to life. We know it’s coming to Steam and mobile sometime later this year, but maybe you want to give it a try now? Follow me.
Yesterday (yes, this happened yesterday. It was my birthday and I was out cavorting after playing board games all day…sue me) Asmodee tweeted the following:
If you want to join the beta for @ScytheDigital >>> https://t.co/3ZG8ElodQJ (You need to be logged in) #scythe #3X #boardgame #tabletopgaming #beta pic.twitter.com/DK5e1rEO6q
— Twin Sails Interactive (@TwinSailsInt) April 18, 2018
Curious, I followed the link and, what do you know, I’m currently in the Scythe beta. I think you can be too, if only for a couple weeks. This little beta stunt runs until May 2, so you’ll want to sign up ASAP. You’ll also want to use your PC to do it, as the beta is only available on that platform, making my Mac a sad, sad little computer.
So, just head over to Asmodee Digital’s website, login with your Asmodee account, and you’ll see a menu in which the bottom option is Beta Tests. It’s on the left side of the screen. Yep, you found it! Look around for Scythe and, voilà, there’s your Steam key.
I can’t say much about the beta yet, as I’ll need to swap over to my Windows install via Bootcamp when I’m done writing this, but what I have seen so far indicates that asynchronous play is a thing. There’s a lobby, a button for friends, and, most importantly, a tab at the top for “Games in Progress” leading me to believe you can leave and come back to take your turn. Again, I havne’t tried it myself as it seems to be locked on “Joining the Room…” but it looks promising from a Statley Play tournament perspective, and what else really matters?
Funny how they keep on leaving little tidbits to give hope to the async people.
I hope they don’t pull the football away.
I can confirm that the online section has a “Play and Stay” tab, and a “Play and Go” tab (or something like that).*
*Unless this is in violation of any NDA I didn’t read, in which case I can’t confirm anything.
Oh great… another game in which @Hardco can kick my ass…
There is a “Play and Go” option when you create a game that allows you to set a timer up to 30 days.
However, if you create a game and then logout before everyone has joined the game and you’ve launched, it looks like it gets deleted.
Good news and bad news, I guess. I mean, if I have to jump through a hoop or two to get an asynchronous game of Scythe running with my friends, I can manage, but why, oh why, can’t they just do it right?
I’m convinced that part of the problem is that they only play test against their buddies in the next cubicle as opposed to people spread around the world and assume that because it worked great for them it will work great for everyone.
That is extremely dumb, if it’s intended and not just an oversight.
I could be wrong, but don’t some of Asmodee’s other games work like that, too? That would imply that it is intentional.
If it’s like Ticket to Ride, then that happens with just a random game that you set up that anybody can join.
If you send an invite to your buddies, then you do not have to stay logged in.
That being said, it has been buggy where players don’t get the invite or whatever.
But overall, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same with Scythe (assuming that multiplayer is asynchronous)
This is much less dumb.