Scythe is a board game set in an alternate-history 1920s period.

It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and rusted gears, innovation and valor. In Scythe, each player represents a fallen leader attempting to restore their honor and lead their faction to power in Eastern Europa.

Players conquer territory, enlist new recruits, reap resources, gain villagers, build structures, and activate monstrous mechs.

Asmodee Digital and The Knights of Unity have been hard at work improving and adding features to Scythe: Digital Edition since it launched on Steam Early Access in June.

Today’s update adds new animations, an overhauled tutorial, free soundtrack DLC, extra tooltips and bug fixes, the return of Combat Cards, and much more.

Anyone who has purchased the game can now download the soundtrack for FREE. This includes all tracks currently in the game and any tracks that are added in the future -- including the new faction themes! Simply visit the soundtrack DLC page to download. The tracks will be added to your hard drive and can be accessed in the Scythe Digital Edition folder (by default in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Scythe Digital Edition\Scythe soundtrack) as well as the Steam client music player.

Patch details:

• Tutorial missions overhaul: All tutorial missions have been debugged and revamped to provide a smoother, smarter introduction to the game. In addition, completed missions are now marked as such so you can follow your progression.
• Current score preview: The scoring tab now includes a new button which displays the current score of each player.
• End game scoring animation: A completely new animation is now played at the end of the game to show the details of the scores, step by step: Popularity tiers, Stars, Territories under control, Resources under control, Structure bonus and Coins.
• Return of the Combat Cards: Exit Ammo! The game now uses the traditional name and icon for the Combat Cards.
• Power, Popularity and Triumph tracks: Here's a new option available any time from the Options window. It'll add the traditional panels around the map so you can quickly check the position of all players in the race for Stars, Power and Popularity.
• Industrial Rusviet combo ban: This new option is available when starting a new game. If turned on, it'll prevent the random pairing of the Industrial player mat with the Rusviet Union faction, as recommended by the FAQ of the board game.
• Round counter fix: Global rounds are now counted instead of individual turns.
• Camaraderie ability fix: Cheer up Polania, your Mech ability will now work as intended. You do not lose popularity when forcing an opponent's workers to retreat after winning combat as the aggressor. This applies any time on your turn when your character or mechs force an opponent's workers to retreat after combat.

Features:

• Asymmetry: Each player begins the game with different resources (strength, victory points, movement capabilities, and popularity), their choice of several faction-specific abilities, and a hidden goal. Starting positions are specially calibrated to contribute to each faction’s uniqueness and the asymmetrical nature of the game.
• Strategy: Scythe gives players almost complete control over their fate. Other than each player’s individual hidden objective cards, the only elements of luck are encounter cards that players will draw as they interact with the citizens of newly explored lands and combat cards that give you a temporary boost in combat. Combat is also driven by choices, not luck or randomness.
• Engaged Play: Scythe uses a streamlined action-selection mechanism (no rounds or phases) to keep gameplay moving at a brisk pace and reduce downtime between turns. While there is plenty of direct conflict, there is no player elimination, nor can units be killed or destroyed.
  Engine Building: Players can upgrade actions to become more efficient, build structures that improve their position on the map, enlist new recruits to enhance character abilities, activate mechs to deter opponents from invading, and expand their borders to reap greater types and quantities of resources. These engine-building aspects create a sense of momentum and progress throughout the game. The order in which players improve their engine adds to the unique feel of each game, even when playing one faction multiple times.

Scythe is currently available on Steam Early Access (PC/Mac) for $19.99.