A short lesson on economics – review of the game “Invaders of Scythia” by Shema Phillips

In the cinema, especially in the American cinema, all kinds of remakes have been in fashion for a long time. They come out for better or worse, but are usually not as good as the originals. Today I will look at an example of this phenomenon on the board scene.

Grandpa from the sea

At this point, there is a reference to the  invaders from the north by  the same author. I would like to tell you how this title is compared to its prototype – unfortunately I did not play it. I know. I’m sad too. However, I got the opinion here and there, and it seems like money well invested. The mechanics are said to be more elegant now (thanks to the solutions from the additions to the base). The graphic design has also changed – and here the opinions are already divided. For me, it’s also a change for the better, because I don’t like Mico’s style (including the North  and  West Kingdoms trilogies  ).

Kiwi

Shem Phillips is a New Zealand game developer who is slowly becoming a guarantor of quality and one of the hottest names in the industry. Thanks to cooperation with the now defunct Games Factory, it appeared on Polish tables. Some time later, Portal seized the opportunity and filled the niche after them by undertaking cooperation with Garphill Games. I have the impression that they definitely do not regret it. The trilogy of Western Kingdom games has spread like locusts and attacks from all sides in board board forums. And rightly so! Mr. Phillips is successfully experimenting with worker placement mechanics, and his latest kickstarter title focuses on arranging games on his rack. There is even a shelf of shame! Great idea. In turn, it is a bit like a combination of Sagrada and the Pirates of the 7 Seas . A very successful filler.

It was an eagle, an eagle.

The box contains a large, nice board, player boards, several decks of cards (commanders, invaders, eagles / horses) and a whole lot of wood. The markers make a very good impression – everything is aesthetic and looks like a premium product (stocks in the form of pots rule!). When I remember the times of the Grand Austria Hotel , I feel that the world is going in the right direction. The box itself, as usual with this author, is quite small, but heavy and stuffed to the brim. Certainly a big plus for the performance. The manual also provides for a single player mode, but as this is not my favorite type of gameplay, I will not mention it.

Meplem go, meplem!

We are dealing here with a game for 1 to 4 people. Scalability is good there, depending on the number of players, some fields are or are not available. The gameplay itself is quite a classic worker placement, in which we collect resources to be able to later invade one of the settlements, gaining loot and victory points. The classic mechanics, however, has been expanded with several issues that give depth to the fun. First of all, it is creating your own crew – consisting of up to 5 cards plus a commander. Each of them has an active and passive ability that can (if properly taken care of) use to build your strategy for the game. During the raids, companions will receive wounds, and the skills of some will even encourage us to go away to greener pastures.

The second cool mechanic is the ability to equip individual slots for the crew with an eagle and a horse. Each of them is associated with a bonus – and this is an additional force, and that is victory points, other times it allows you to use the active skill of a crew member in a given column. A lot of room for combining. I also really like the twist that is the core of the game, i.e. in your move, you not only put a worker on a field, but also take one of those left on the board, using the second action as well. In a two-player game, where everything can be counted relatively easily, this adds an extra layer of strategy, minimizing the role of chance. The last thing I want to praise is the small random element of dice rolled during raids – a hint of uncertainty adds flavor to the game.

Is it worth it?

I was wondering for a long time which of Phillips’ games I like the most, and I would probably bet on  Architects . The invaders from Scythia,  however, occupy the second position on the list. They are less tiring than the  Paladins,  and personally more suited to me than the  Viscounts . The filler I mentioned above does not compare, although it is a great game in its category. The only thing that really bothers me is the size of the box. It could and should be bigger. It would fit Kallax, and I wouldn’t despise a decent insert.