Oh goodness, Scythe’s second expansion will introduce airships – including 8cm miniatures

If you somehow missed it, Jamey Stegmaier’s mech-filled strategy epic Scythe more than lives up to the hype, delivering a smooth game engine and completely engrossing alternate-history world we can’t get enough of.

So it was with trembling hands and mouths beginning to foam in excitement that we read the details of the game’s newly-announced second expansion, The Wind Gambit. AIRSHIPS!

That’s right, airships are coming to Scythe. Based on a fan-made module originally designed by Kai Starck, the new rules include both tiles and 80mm-long miniatures (hold us) for zeppelins that will have the ability to float freely across the map, making it easier to immediately expand beyond your starting island. Two random airship tiles are drawn at the start of the game, defining passive and aggressive traits for each faction’s balloon.

That’s not all, though! The Wind Gambit also introduce resolutions, which are designed to shake up the conclusion of each game. At the beginning of a match, one of the eight is picked to override the current end-game trigger, meaning that it’s no longer the case that earning a sixth star brings everything to a conclusion. For example, the ‘factory explosion’ resolution means that placing a fifth star triggers a two-round end to the game, which subsequently leads to the central factory exploding and sending any adjacent units flying back to their home bases – don’t worry though, you will gain popularity for watching your workers and mechs go up in flames. People love explosions, it turns out.

Stegmaier said that Scythe: The Wind Gambit is currently planned for a release at Essen in October, with a price unconfirmed – but probably coming in around the $30 (£24) mark, much like first expansion Invaders from Afar.

In good or bad news, depending on how you feel about such things, there won’t be a Kickstarter or chance to pre-order – it’s out when it’s out.

If you’re thinking “Where the heck are I going to put seven 8cm airship models?”, Stegmaier said that “depending on how you organise your Scythe box, The Wind Gambit may or may not fit”. If you’re a messy organiser, the designer hinted that a ‘big empty box’ accessory for the game may find its way onto shelves.