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Description
Many centuries ago, the Greek, Persian and Assyrian empires controlled vast amounts of land and riches. Yet, despite their fortifications and imposing armies, rumours began spreading of a formidable foe in the lands above the Black Sea. They came on horseback. Fierce warriors, both male and female. Skilled with the sword, axe and bow. But they weren’t mindless savages. Their artisans were renowned for their ability to craft detailed trinkets of gold. They fashioned leather armour and improvised the recurve bow. They trained eagles for hunting and war. Some even believe they inspired the Greek tales of the Amazons. But they were more than legend or fable. They were the Raiders of Scythia.
The aim of Raiders of Scythia is to be the player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the game’s end. VP are gained by raiding Settlements, taking Plunder and completing Quests. Players will need to assemble a Crew, train Animals and gather Provisions. The game ends when there is only 2 unraided Settlements or 2 Quests remaining on the Main Board.
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2020
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video rT0xtDhwL0M
Cardboard Herald game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9813 · mention_pk 28935
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong sense of development, both personal (leaders and followers) and civilizational (distance and reach)
- tight, two-action turn structure (one-in, one-out) that creates forward momentum
- synergistic combination of leaders, followers, and special tokens that enable varied strategies
- compact, attractive production with a strong table presence
- solid solo mode with approachable puzzle feel
Cons
- board readability can be challenging due to dense symbols and small text
- busy components can overwhelm beginners and obscure key conditions for raids
- limited variability in core strategy for many plays, which may feel repetitive for some
- the tightness that fans love may deter players who prefer higher variability
Thematic elements
- tribal leadership, raiding, and civilization-building through crew development
- Ancient Scythia; raiding distant civilizations to grow a tribal civilization
- progressive civilization-building arc tied to raids and quests
Comparison games
- Raiders of the North Sea
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck/crew management and upgrades — You assemble a crew of followers and leaders, equip eagles and other modifiers to trigger extra abilities, and upgrade workers as you explore further from home.
- One-in, one-out tempo — Each turn you remove a worker after performing the action, creating a sense of immediacy and forward momentum that pushes you toward the endgame.
- Raids and quest-driven progression — Raids require meeting minimum crew and supplies; successful raids grant glory or wounds—wolves and rewards drive progression to farther lands via wagons and quest tokens.
- Resource and table presence management — Abstract economy of goods, horses, eagles, and quest tokens; board setup is visually rich but can be visually busy, demanding attention to symbol interpretation.
- worker placement — On your turn you place one worker on an action space, perform that action, then pick up a worker—one in, one out; turn sequence is two actions chosen from the available and from spaces already occupied by others.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- one in one out
- the tempo that one in one out that i keep on talking about
- tight old-school euro game
- the board looks kind of awesome and has a great table presence but as far as functionality it is busy and is sometimes hard to overlook
- it's a consolidation of that game and the best aspects of the subsequent expansions
- i'm a big fan of raiders of scythia
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video q2lu2HPYuXQ
Raiders of Scythia game_review at 0:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9355 · mention_pk 27561
Click to watch at 0:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- well-tuned pacing between building the war band and executing raids
- the classic 'place one worker, take one' mechanic drives a satisfying engine
- multi-use cards and evolving leader powers create depth and replayability
- leaner design compared to Raiders of the North Sea while maintaining sharp tension
- clear thematic through-line of raiding for points and progression
- quick to teach and engaging in 1-4 player games
Cons
- does not include all expansion content available for Raiders of the North Sea
- art style may not appeal to everyone
- some players may miss the depth of Valkyries/armor mechanics from North Sea
- slightly fewer options for theme variety due to streamlined system
Thematic elements
- raiding for wealth and fame through organized war bands, leadership, and crew upgrades.
- Scythia, a vast steppe where nomadic horse tribes raid nearby civilizations (Assyria, Persia, Greece).
- episodic, card-driven progression with modular leader powers and raid missions
Comparison games
- Raiders of the North Sea
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card_management — Cards have multiple uses across different zones (village benefits, raid actions, and leader powers), enabling engine-building and strategic flexibility
- engine_building — Players assemble a crew with distinct powers and synergies, enabling stronger raids and more varied options over time
- raid_resolution — Raids require a war band and provisions; dice are rolled (region dice plus a yellow die per region with gold); wounds are assigned to casualties and VP is gained via quests and rewards
- worker placement — Players place a worker to claim rewards at village locations; the action economy emphasizes tempo, allowing a subsequent take-action to grab a second benefit
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Raiding is a whole different thing! You'll need a war band and provisions to go raiding.
- the best thing about this game is the place one worker take one worker mechanic.
- it's leaner and meaner than Raiders of the North Sea, taking out some of the system's I never cared much for like Valkyries and armor, replacing them with wounds, variable leader powers and animal upgrades.
- if you love multi-use cards and engine building there's plenty of options to explore here as well.
- Raiders of Scythia, like North Sea, only pithier.
- Raiders of Scythia is a well-tuned game where you build up your war band with measured moves and then take explosive and dramatic raid actions.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video qtj7qEdNvI8
Peaky Boardgamer rules teach at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9221 · mention_pk 27171
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Deep, multi-layered worker-placement with integrated raid system
- Thematic coherence between village actions and raid outcomes
- Varied resources and card powers create replay potential
- Clear endgame tension with distinct scoring avenues
Cons
- Steep learning curve and lengthy setup
- Complex raid calculations requiring many prerequisites
- Relies on accurate tracking of wounds and strength; potential for analysis paralysis
Thematic elements
- Raid and resource management with mythic/sci-fi flavor
- Ancient Eurasian steppes and surrounding villages with raiders and settlements
- historical fantasy
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting/hand management — Hero and crew cards provide powers, with top/bottom powers and eagle tokens to trigger extra effects.
- Dice combat — During raids, dice are rolled to determine strength and wounds.
- dual-action buildings — A single turn often involves two actions by placing two workers into two buildings and triggering both actions.
- end-of-game scoring — Scoring comes from quest points, animal cards, crew powers, and remaining resources.
- endgame triggers — End conditions include remaining raid settlements or quest tiles reaching a threshold; game then ends after final turns.
- raid mechanics — Raid spaces require workers and resources to attack, involve strength totals, dice, wounds, and a payoff tile.
- Resource management — Gaining coins, kumis, provisions, cattle, etc., and managing limits of hand and coins.
- worker placement — Players place workers to perform actions, often in pairs to execute a double action across two buildings.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the stables action players gain one new animal
- raid spaces are organized in groups of two in one settlement
- the numbers on the dice we rolled is strength
- two game end triggers
- you gain one two or three victory points for having three four or five eagles respectively
- finally players gain victory points for their remaining colored resources they gain two victory points for each gold one victory point for each equipment one victory point for its wagon and one victory point per two livestock
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _1O777G4RhY
The Broken Meeple top_100_list at 1:50 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7411 · mention_pk 21917
Click to watch at 1:50 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- familiar core system with fresh twists
- appeals to fans of the original
Cons
- less favored than the original by the speaker
Thematic elements
- mythic Viking exploration with its own nuances
- expansion/spin-off universe around Raiders of the North Sea
Comparison games
- Raiders of the North Sea
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Core worker-placement with its own spin — uses familiar mechanics from Raiders but adds distinct twists
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a cool theme with good components and artwork, and a little twist on the normal worker placement
- Game of Life as a Euro game that's the best way to describe it
- deck-building very fast, almost Dominion speed deck building
- I love it; it's quick and easy once you get used to it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6dcrZhHND4c
The Broken Meeple general_discussion at 12:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5503 · mention_pk 16378
Click to watch at 12:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Solid base mechanics familiar to Raiders of the North Sea
- Beautiful board and play mat
- Engaging bidding and coin-upgrade system
- Strong thematic cohesion with North Sea lineage
Cons
- Art style not to the reviewer’s taste
- Rule explanations can be unclear and some components fiddly (e.g., stand for coins)
- Wound/dice combat randomness can feel harsh
- Setup can be fiddly and time-consuming
Thematic elements
- Viking-era raiding, crew management, and resource gathering
- Nordic/early medieval raiding with mythic elements; inspired by North Sea style explorations
- semi-historical with mythic embellishments
Comparison games
- Raiders of the North Sea
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area conquest/combat — Attack regions with crew strength, rolling dice to determine wounds and points as you gain resources.
- Card-like tiles and drafting — Acquire and place cards/tiles (eagles, horses) to enhance future actions and bonuses.
- Coin upgrade/dynamic economy — Upgrade coins to higher values to improve bidding power in auctions and card/tile acquisition.
- End-game scoring — Victory points are earned through regions, resources, and chief/tile bonuses, driving end-game scoring.
- Leader/flag actions — Leaders provide special actions and can unlock flag actions if included in your crew.
- Resource/board management — Acquire resources via tiles and actions, then use them to buy components (horses, eagles) and trigger actions.
- worker placement — Place a meeple on an action space to perform that action, then reclaim the meeple to resolve the action and move on.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a great game beautifuls all get out i love the look of the board
- the crux of the game is pretty straightforward
- i'm not the biggest fan of this art style it's just not for me
- this is basically a bidding game for those who love bidding—it's quite cool
- the rulebook is not great with this one
- iconography is not intuitive in this game
- the stand with the coins is fiddly and annoying
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5