The Pie in the Sky expansion completes the original release of My Little Scythe (Stomemaier Games). The game organiser insert that came with the original game was designed to house this expansion; so much so that it almost feels like this should have been included from the initial release. It’s certainly a welcome addition that adds new flavours and uniqueness to each faction.
Designed by Hoby Chou and Vienna Chou, with art by Katie Khau, the expansion adds two new factions: the Foxlands (Foxes) and the Academy of Magic (Owls). The models are the same high quality - unpainted and with friendly characteristics - as the original factions that the kids loved. For those that like to paint their minis, the expansion comes with a painting guide, as did the base game. The most exciting addition to the game, however, is the imposing zeppelin airship that soars above the faction animals...
The zeppelin allows each player to perform a unique action based on their airship ability and to collect resources to help complete trophies more quickly. The apples and gems that you collect with the zeppelin go into your cargo hold area and they are taken off the board; a welcome device to prevent your friends and family from stealing your pot of goodies during a pie fight.
There is an extra objective trophy to score on the new airship ability cards but the overall playing time is roughly the same as the base game because the zeppelin accelerates the game. The airship abilities can be distributed either based on their corresponding faction or randomly. We particularly enjoyed matching the airship cards with playing factions that we don’t normally use, adding needed flavour and cosmetic changes each time we played. However, that didn’t stop the youngest player from picking his favourite animal with an airship ability that he could fully understand and make use of.
The expansion includes four additional power-up cards and two new quest cards. These work with the zeppelin to add another level of integration into the game. There is also a Seek action overlay that makes use of a new purple die that controls the speed of the zeppelin, which gets slower the more successful you are at completing trophies.
During our plays of the expansion, we included a 7- and 5-year-old, so views of the expansion may be based on a lower-than-recommended age range. The children were drawn back to the game time and time again and loved using the zeppelin to collect goodies that they could hold onto without their sibling snatching them. Some of the airship abilities were too complicated or were too difficult for them to be able to use effectively, so the airship mainly became a gem collector more than it was originally designed to be. Game title notwithstanding, however, My Little Scythe isn't just a kids' game, and older players will make more strategic use of the zeppelin.
Overall, Pie in the Sky is a very welcome expansion that gives My Little Scythe a new lease of life and adds to its replayability. It’s faster paced and helps to keep the children engaged, while also engaging adults alike. It’s a must-have expansion for My Little Scythe that tweaks so many areas in small ways and all without overcomplicating the game.
(Review by Phil Dunlop)