My Little Scythe Review

My Little Scythe

Release: January 1, 1970
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Genre: Articles, Board Games Categories, Board Games News, Board Games Reviews
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My Little Scythe is the kids friendly, less intense version of the popular board game Scythe, but Stonemaier Games. Will the original Scythe is a complicated, detail heavy board game experience meant for established and veteran board game players, the more basic My Little Scythe is a great way for young and old alike to enjoy the concepts established in Scythe, but in a more manageable, and much shorter, way. While I would argue this title is aimed at kids, can it possibly hold the attention of adults as well? Let’s dive in!

For How to Play, I refer you to the YouTube video below from fellow Canadian, Rodney Smith, who does an excellent job outlining the setup and play structure of this game! Be sure to subscribe to his channel!

In My Little Scythe, players will work to be the first to obtain 4 trophies, earned  by completing various tasks within the game including (but not limited to) defeating another play in a pie fight, collecting 8 pies and/or 8 friendship, or delivering items to the castle. However you choose to play, finding a way to obtain 4 trophies is your key to victory. And thankfully, understand what you need to do to obtain these trophies isn’t that difficult, and the small yet detailed rule book is helpful in identifying any misunderstandings that may result while playing. The key for myself was making sure my 8 year old understood what we was doing, and why. And for the most part, he understood.

Each player will received an exclusive-to-them bonus card that will allow earning one of the games 8 possible trophies much easier, so that generally leaves players with deciding which other 3 to pursue. Often, this is dictated by how the game board slowly fills up with gems and apples – the two resources that can be delivered to the castle. On a turn, players can either move their pawns a set number of spaces – generally two without items, or 1 if holding items – use their resources to make certain things – extra friendship, extra pies, etc. – or perform the seek option which allows them to populate the game board with more apples, gems, and quest tokens. The same action cannot be performed on subsequent turns.

Because of the unpredictability of the seek option, how you play game-to-game will vary, which means you’ll never be able to rely on one strategy to win each time. Players will need to adapt to what is happening, which makes each game unique, a bonus in my opinion. If numerous apples or gems happen to fall around your characters, collecting 4 of each and delivering them to the castle might be a good idea. If you find yourself surrounded by quest tokens, perhaps finishing two of those will get you your next trophy, while you decide what to do next. Over the course of my first 3 games, I was able to obtain each of the 8 trophies at least once, which shows how different each game can be.

Because earning trophies is the key to victory, and since fighting others reduces your friendship level – which if it falls too low you cannot earn trophies until you raise it – fighting in My Little Scythe happens a lot less than I would have thought, and after a few games, I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Yes, you can earn a trophy for winning a pie fight, and yes, you can steal a ton of resources from a character heading for the castle. But often you’d have to go out of your way to attack someone with a ton of resources, and while it’s fun, it’s not necessarily the best decision. In fact, in most cases I found it the worst decision I made, sometimes losing the game for me.

But overall, the entire game feels incredibly balanced and perfect for both adults and kids. While hardcore longtime gaming fans might find the ways of winning a bit trivial and easy, casual gaming fans and families will really adore this charming, yet competitive adventure. If you are looking to add a great game that will be fun for yourself and your kids, look no further than My Little Scythe. It truly is a fantastic experience!