The Game Rules for “Invaders From Afar”

Welcome to the game rules for “Invaders From Afar”! In this guide, I will walk you through everything you need to know to play this exciting game. So let’s jump right in!

Objective

The objective of “Invaders From Afar” is to defend your land from an army of invaders. You must strategically deploy your troops and use your resources wisely to defeat the enemy and emerge victorious.

Setting Up the Game

To set up the game, place the game board in the center of the playing area. Each player should choose a color and take the corresponding army units and cards. Shuffle the event cards and place them face down near the board.

Gameplay

On your turn, you can perform a number of actions, including deploying troops, attacking enemies, and using special abilities. You can also draw event cards at the end of your turn to gain additional advantages.

When deploying troops, you can place them in any territory you control. Use the strength of your units and the terrain to your advantage when attacking enemies. Be mindful of the resources you have and plan your moves accordingly.

Event cards can be used to gain certain benefits or hinder your opponents. Use them strategically to tip the scales in your favor and gain the upper hand.

Winning the Game

The game ends when one player has achieved their victory condition, which can vary depending on the scenario you are playing. It could be capturing a certain number of territories, eliminating all enemy troops, or accomplishing a specific objective.

Keep in mind that “Invaders From Afar” is a game of strategy and tactics. It requires careful planning, resource management, and decisive actions. So gather your troops, brace yourself for battle, and may victory be yours!

As empires rise and fall in Eastern Europa, the whole world watches. Two factions, Albion and Togawa, send their representatives to explore the land and use unique methods of conquering.

This Scythe expansion brings two new factions to the original game, allowing up to 7 players to join in.

Playing with 6 or 7 Players

You can now play Scythe with up to 7 players using this expansion.

The game board remains the same; although, it becomes more crowded with additional factions vying for control. There are two minor rule changes for games with 6-7 players:

Crimea: As for Crimea, their original mech ability called Wayfare doesn’t really have an impact in games with 6-7 players. When playing with that many people, the Crimean faction should replace their Wayfare ability with a new one. This new ability allows them to move to any unoccupied farm by placing the corresponding punchboard token on their faction mat.

Polania: Now, let’s talk about Polania. The original ability they have called Meander doesn’t give them much of an advantage in 6-7 player games.

When you’re playing with that many players, the Polania faction should switch their Meander ability with a new one. This new ability lets them choose up to 2 options per encounter card, and they can place the appropriate punchboard token on their faction mat to represent it.

Also, at the end of the game, Polania can earn $3 for each encounter territory they control. It’s a nice bonus for them!

While there aren’t any other rule changes when adding a 6th or 7th player, there are a few things to keep in mind for games of that size:

Attention New Players: If you’re new to Scythe, I suggest you choose one of the original factions randomly, instead of Albion or Togawa.

Overlapping Turns: No matter how many players are in the game, you can start your turn once the player to your right starts taking a bottom-row action.

First Player: In all games of Scythe, including setups with any number of players, the new Player Mats are mixed in with the other Player Mats. They are labeled 2a and 3a. These numbers only matter when determining the first player based on the lowest-numbered player mat. The order is 1, 2, 2a, 3, 3a, 4, 5.

Clan Albion

Faction Ability (Exalt): When I finish moving my character (after fighting and encountering), I can take a Flag token from my supply and put it on my character’s territory.

I can only have one faction token on a territory – either a Flag or a Trap. Once I put a Flag token in a territory, I can’t take it out or move it.

I have to tell you something interesting. Clan Albion, which has been stuck in their homeland for a very long time, is really eager to expand their territory control. They’re so determined that they even have 4 Flag tokens to help them out. These tokens are pretty special because they count as extra territories for the Albion player when it’s time to score at the end of the game. But that’s not all. There are a couple of conditions for the Albion player to meet in order to score those extra territories with the Flag tokens.

First, the Albion player has to actually control the territory where the Flag token is placed. And by control, I mean they have to have one of their own character, mech, worker, or an empty structure on that territory. It’s not enough for them to just have adjacent territories.

So you see, Clan Albion is really serious about expanding their control over new territories. These Flag tokens give them an opportunity to boost their end-game score, and they’re willing to fight for it. It’s fascinating how different factions in a game can have unique abilities and strategies. It’s all part of what makes a game like this so exciting.

Mech And Character Abilities

Burrow: Me and my mechs can travel across rivers into, or out of, any nearby tunnel area. A territory with my Mine is considered a tunnel area, but one with an opponent’s Mine is not.

Sword: When I attack, the defender loses 2 power before the battle starts. You’ll see this loss on the Power Track (but players can’t have less than 0 power).

This only happens once per battle, not once for each unit.

Shield: When I defend, I gain 2 power before the battle begins. This extra power is shown on the Power Track. Again, this only happens once per battle, not once per unit.

Rally: When I choose to move, myself and my mechs can go to any territory that has at least one of my workers or a Flag token, no matter how far away it is.

My Journey

Hey there! My name is Connor, and I have quite a story to share with you. You see, I come from a long line of military heroes, hailing from the southern part of the island that Clan Albion claims as its own. I’ve always felt a deep connection to my ancestors, so it was no surprise that I followed in their footsteps.

As you may know, there’s this place called the Factory. It’s like a battlefield, but instead of soldiers, it’s controlled by different factions. Clan Albion, my clan, is worried that one of the more powerful factions could take over the Factory and threaten our homeland.

That’s where I come in. With the help of my loyal companion, Max the wild boar, I’ve been given a special mission. I’m leading a taskforce to create a strong defense line against those other factions and, if we can, destroy the Factory altogether. It’s a big responsibility, but I’m up for the challenge.

Togawa Shogunate

Hey there! Let me tell you about the Togawa Shogunate’s cool ability called Maifuku. When I finish moving my character, I can put a Trap token on any territory they’re in. Pretty neat, huh? It doesn’t matter if there’s an opponent’s structure there already – I can still drop my token. But here’s the kicker: once I place a Trap token, it stays put. Nobody can move it or get rid of it. It’s like the ultimate surprise waiting to catch someone off guard!

Hey there! Let me tell you about the Togawa Shogunate. They’re a group of folks who came together with one goal in mind: taking control of as much of Eastern Europa as they can, and making sure nobody else gets in their way. They’ve got these nifty little things called Trap tokens, and they’ve got four of them. Each token has two sides: “armed” and “disarmed.”

Now, when it comes to scoring at the end of the game, having an armed Trap token in a territory means the Togawa Shogunate has control over it. No need for any other units or anything like that. And here’s the kicker: if there’s an armed Trap token in a territory, it’s impossible for any enemy units to be there.

So, what happens if someone triggers a trap? Well, if an opponent moves one of their units onto a territory with an armed Trap token, that’s it. Their movement ends right there. The Trap token gets flipped over, revealing a penalty that the opponent has to deal with, if they can. It could be something like losing 2 popularity points. This happens before anything else, like combat or encounters. The Trap token stays on the territory, but now it’s disarmed.

An interesting thing can happen in a game called Structure Interaction. You see, I can build a structure on a territory that has a Trap. And when the game is over, if the only things on that territory are my structure and the Trap, I get to control that territory. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, let me tell you about another aspect of the game: the Penalty List. If I happen to fall into one of these penalties, it’s not going to be a good time for me. I’ll lose 2 popularity points, 3 power points, and $4. And to make matters worse, I’ll have to discard 2 combat cards at random. Ouch! So, it’s important for all the players to know about these penalties before we even start the game.

Mech And Character Abilities

Toka: When I move, I can choose to move either myself or my mech across a river. This special ability also lets me carry workers with me while I’m moving. However, I cannot cross multiple rivers in one go if I’m using a Move action on a Factory card.

Suiton: With this cool ability, both my character and my mechs can freely move to and from lakes. If a battle happens on a lake (which happens with some other factions), I have the advantage of playing an extra combat card. And I can do this once per battle, not once for each unit. But there’s a catch – if I transport workers onto a lake using a mech or if I move resources onto a lake using a character or mech, I can’t leave those workers or resources on the lake after I move away. The workers also can’t move off the lake without the help of my mech. Lastly, I can’t construct a structure or deploy a mech on a lake, but I can set a trap there!

Ronin: When you have only 1 unit in combat, with no workers but either a character or a mech, you have the ability to gain 2 power on the Power Track.

Shinobi: Your character and mechs have the power to move to any territory that has a Trap token, no matter how far away it is.

When you use the Shinobi ability, if your character or mech ends up on the same space as a disarmed Trap token (not in the middle of a Factory card’s Move action), you can choose to arm the Trap. If you win the combat when using Shinobi, you are allowed to arm the Trap.

Backstory

Ever since I was young, I, Akiko, the shogun’s niece, have been engrossed in stories about warriors and adventurers in distant lands.

I was always fascinated by the beauty and art of sword fighting. At the age of 16, I pleaded with my uncle to allow me to train at the most prestigious samurai war academy. To my surprise, he agreed.

Determined to succeed, I became a dedicated student. I practiced tirelessly, honing my skills in fighting, shooting, strategy, and tactics. My hard work paid off, and I excelled in every aspect of samurai training. In recognition of my accomplishments, the shogun bestowed upon me a special gift—a trained monkey named Jiro.

Just as I was entering my second year of training, my brother, who was a prominent engineer, disappeared during a mission to the mysterious Factory in Eastern Europa.

The shogun’s advisors suspected that he had been captured by agents of the Rusviet Union.

Faithful in my abilities as a samurai, the shogun entrusted me with a great responsibility. I was given the command to lead a large military expedition, with the goal of subverting the Rusviets, rescuing the Togawa engineers, and uncovering the secrets of the Factory.