Can the factory card 'move' action cause combat?

Question

I've just bought Scythe and I'm looking for the rules.

I'm wanting a clarification on the Factory cards.

The rules tell me that these are essentially a fifth action space,and that each of them have a 'move one unit two spaces' as a bottom row action.

I'm wondering about how we deal with this with the 'overlap the turns' suggestion.

ie. The rules also suggest that, in order to improve game flow, that as a player is taking their bottom row action, the next player can start taking their top row action.

Given that for the ordinary actions, the bottom row actions aren't going to change anything on the board (actually, not quite true, the build action will add structures to the board), this overlap doesn't matter.

However, with two move actions overlapping, it would create a great deal of confusion.

To clarify:

• Just how should the 'overlapping turns' dyanmic work?
• Does the factory move order result in combat and encounters?

Answer 1

Yes, in Scythe every move order can result in a combat and encounters: it's clearly stated in the manual, by the fact that there is no text at all saying that the move from the factory must be considered different from any other move.

The rules also suggest that, in order to improve game flow, that as a player is taking their bottom row action, the next player can start taking their top row action.

"Suggest", "in order to improve" is way different from "state that it's mandatory to". Feel like it's not working for you? Don't do it.

However, with two move actions overlapping, it would create a great deal of confusion.

Then avoid overlapping the two moves. If you get confused by a simple suggestion, then you need to know the game better. To be able to improve the flow of the game in respect no normal playing, you first need to know how to play the game normally -this applies to Scythe the same way it applies to Yatzhee the same it applies to Bunny Kingdom, where after a while you've played it you realise you can skip an entire turn. How many time have you played it already?

Just how should the 'overlapping turns' dynamic work?

The "overlapping turns" dynamic works exactly as stated in the rules:

in order to improve game flow, that as a player is taking their bottom row action, the next player can start taking their top row action.

So, while a player is taking their bottom line action, the next player can begin taking their top row action. If it creates any kind of confusion, don't do it. If the next player thinks he wants to wait before taking his top row action, he can wait. And if the current player and the next player fail to realize something so obvious as the consequence of doing two overlapping moves and end up in a mess, then they need to play the game a few times more. Or maybe trying to play something simpler.

Answer 2

Yes, any movement may cause combat, including from factory cards.

Regarding the simultaneous actions, Jamey Stegmaier (Scythe designer) answered a similar question on about how simultaneous actions should work with the double movement from Factory cards. As part of his answer, he clarified:

When another player is using a Factory card for their action, the next player should not proceed to take their turn.

It's just the bottom-row actions printed on the board that are meant to be simultaneous.

Answer 3

While the rules do suggest that the next person can take their turn once the current player has finished their top row action, there are instances where you'll want to (or need to) wait until they've finished their turn entirely before you can take yours. For example you're out of money and want to trade or bolster, and you've enlisted your Deploy Recruit, and the current player is taking the Deploy action. Now of course in this situation, unless you particularly care which of their mechs they're deploying you can go ahead and take the 1 coin for them deploying and start your turn.

This is a similar situation, if they are moving and attacking someone else you can probably get away with starting your turn (though you might want to wait and see how it shakes out). Conversely if they are moving and attacking you, you'll definitely need to wait for the bottom to finish resolving before you begin your turn.

Keep in mind this is a convention because 95% the time bottom actions won't affect the next player. If it will, even if it's just because you want to see what your opponent does before you make your final decision, it's fine to wait. With the factory, often you can still "start early" but it doesn't hurt to ask the factory action taker if they're going to attack you. On the flipside, someone who takes the factory action usually does so for fairly decisive reasons, and rarely will you need to wait to find out if they're going to try and kick your teeth in and take all your stuff.