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SoloPlay Rules
Original game design by Helge Ostertag and Jens Drogemuller 2012 (Feuerland Spiele)
Additional rules 2013
2013/14 SoloPlay (BGG User: GameRulesforOne)
TM
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Introduction:
Introduction The goal of this SoloPlay design was to provide a variable challenge in a game that has very little
luck in its design. However, it is important that this variant provides a consistent gaming experience. This was
accomplished by the inclusion of a reaction matrix to handle the in round game response to your actions. The
cult track competition has been incorporated into a simple end of round game action that provides a fairly well
balanced game result. The game is still played over 6 rounds and ways to make the variant easier or more
difficult have been incorporated into the appropriate sections. You can expect the game to play within 60
minutes with a setup time of about 6-8 minutes.
Goal: To reach a scoring goal after 6 rounds have been completed.
Setup:
1) Select a faction to play and retrieve the appropriate player board and tokens:
a) Setup your faction board as noted
b) Place your scoring marker on 20/20/10/5 for an easy/normal/advanced/expert game
2) Retrieve your 2 ‘opponents’:
a) Refer to your faction board, to know which 2 “neighboring” colors to your faction that will act as
“competition” for board position as well as impede end game scoring.
3) Retrieve and setup the cult board:
a) Place your cult markers as noted by your faction board.
b) Retrieve 4 ‘100’ VP tokens and place them on the zero space of each cult track. These will represent the
cult position for your competition.
4) Randomly retrieve 3 town tiles (duplicates are OK)
a) Place these next to the game board. All others are left in the box.
5) Setup up the oval favor stack:
a) Retrieve 1 of each oval favor tile
b) You may choose to swap up to 1, 1 and/or 2 advancement tile for another of the same value to create 1
or 2 duplicate tiles in the stack.
i) Variant Restriction: You may never collect 2 of the exact same tile.
c) Shuffle and place in a stack next to the game board
d) Turn the top tile faceup
6) Setup the scoring tiles:
a) Select 4 scoring tiles that you feel might best take advantage of your faction
b) Shuffle and randomly choose one for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions
c) Select any one of the five remaining scoring tiles not drawn and set out of play
d) Shuffle the remaining 4 tiles and randomly choose one for the 4th, 5th and 6th positions
e) Set the remaining scoring tile not drawn out of play
i) For an easy game you may randomly draw 6 tiles and choose the order of the tiles.
7) Retrieve 3 action tokens
tokens to be used for the game board power actions:
a) Place these 3 action tokens near the game board
b) Keep a couple additional action tokens nearby to mark other actions that you might be able to take
(faction board, bonus or favor tile).
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8) Setup the bonus cards:
a) You may set one bonus card out of play
b) From the 8-9 bonus cards randomly choose 6 to be used during your game
c) Shuffle and draw the bonus cards one at a time placing them into 2 groups of 3 for the purposes of
setup only.
i) For an easy game you may choose the order of the 6 tiles drawn
9) Setup the terrain stack:
stack:
a) Retrieve the 16 terrain tiles that share your terrain type
b) Shuffle them with your terrain on the top side
c) Place in a stack near the game board
10) Setup the game board:
board:
a) You may choose an adjacent or non-adjacent placement to do first. During this setup action you must
choose one of each placement option, if possible.
i) If you chose adjacent, you must be able to place the 2 neutral colors next to your position or at least
where each shares a side.
(1) If not, none of the first placements can share a side, if possible.
ii) The neutrals should be as close together as possible if non-adjacent.
b) Note the 1st bonus card in the 1st grouping that has a number in the upper section (1-4) (# above the
horizontal line, the 6 gold, priest and shovel cards do not have a line and so would not be considered)
i) For a 1, place the 1st dwellings on the center left “island”
ii) For a 2, place the 1st dwellings on the topmost “island”
iii) For a 3, place the 1st dwellings on the rightmost “island”
iv) For a 4, place the 1st dwellings on the bottom left “island”
c) Note the 1st bonus tile in the 2nd grouping that has a number in the upper section (1-4)
i) For a 1, place the 2nd dwellings on the next clockwise island to the 1st
ii) For a 2, place the 2nd dwellings on the opposing island of the 1st
iii) For a 3, place the 2nd dwellings on the next counter clockwise island to the 1st
iv) For a 4, place the 2nd dwellings on the same island as the 1st
(1) Consider the adjacency/non-adjacency noted above for the 2nd placement
d) Faction Differences:
i) Chaos Magician: Place your single dwelling on the 2nd island
ii) Nomads: Place your 3rd dwelling on either of the occupied islands, non-adjacent, if possible.
11) Place the large start marker on a game board power action to block it
a) Total the upper values of the first 3 bonus cards
b) Starting on the bridge power action, advance the start player marker to the right wrapping around to
the left again, as needed, the total value.
i) Example: If the total was 2, the start token will cover the 2 worker action.
c) The start player will block this power action from being chosen until it moves at the end of the round or
by a particular terraform action.
12) Take your starting money and workers as indicated by your faction board
13) Choose 1 of the bonus cards in the 1st grouping as the one that you will start with.
with Move the bonus cards
into a single group of 5.
14) Place 1 coin on the last 3 bonus cards
15) Game setup is complete

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How to Play:
Action Sequence:
1) Collect your income
2) You will always take your action first each round.
3) The AI may respond depending on the action that you chose.
4) Perform all end of round actions.
Action Options:
1) Use a power action printed and uncovered on the game board. Once selected and power paid take one of
the three available power action tokens and cover the action space.
a) Restriction:
Restriction The start player marker prevents the covered action from being chosen.
b) If all 3 power action markers have been used, one of the 3 placed must be moved to the next action you
select.
i) After moving the power action token, move the start player marker to the action newly uncovered.
2) Terraform and/or build a settlement. (Gain a town tile if you qualify)
a) You may use shovels and/or special actions to convert the targeted land. The land tile may be taken
from any that have been used or the top type from the terrain stack. Note that if the terrain stack is
emptied your score may be reduced anytime additional tiles are needed.
b) It is not necessary to convert the land to your usable type but it must at least be converted to one of the
available used terrain tiles.
i) Cultists:
Cultists If you terraform and build next to a neutral building (same action), you may advance on
any one cultist track. You do not get the bonus for upgrades.
3) Upgrade a building paying the necessary cost, gaining 1(or 2) oval favor tile(s), if necessary.
a) If gaining an oval tile, take the faceup tile and the next facedown tile. Choose one and return the other
face up to the draw stack. (Gain a town tile if you qualify)
i) Exception:
Exception Chaos Magician, keep both tiles drawn. Turn the top tile faceup.
4) Improve your digging or shipping position. Score the noted points and advance the marker.
5) Use a bonus action. If this is a shovel action, you may combine this with shovels generated by your faction
board only to terraform land for settlement placement.
a) Note:
Note You may move power tokens from bowl 1>2 and/or 2>3 for no action cost.
6) Use an oval favor token.
7) Place a priest on a cult track. You may place the priest on a 3 or 2 space knowing that by placing the priest
on a track may reduce any cult bonus you receive at game end.
8) Pass
Game Reaction:
Reaction
1) If you terraformed land to your type whether you placed a settlement or not or passed, the game will not
take a responding action.
a) If you passed, resolve your existing bonus card and choose a different faceup bonus card from those
available. You may not choose a facedown bonus card.
i) Important Exception
Exception:
xception The oval ‘when pass’ temple scoring tile may only be scored once. Turn it
facedown upon scoring it. Subtract 1 VP each round it has not been scored.
ii) If you took the next one available, place the bonus card that you had faceup in the last position.
Place one coin (additional) on each of the last 3 bonus cards.
iii) If you took any other bonus card, return the bonus card to the last position facedown. You will not
place any coins in this case. Note: It may also cost you some end game points.
b) Advance the start player marker one available power action to the right (wrapping back to the left when
needed).

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2) For any other action chosen, flip the top token of the terrain stack. This indicates which neutral opponent
will take an action from the following sequence: (select the 1st that applies)
a) If no landscape tile remains to flip, advance a cult track with a neutral priest that would cause a tie or
change in leadership (3 space first). If none would cause a change, lose 2 VP instead.
b) Terraform a hex next to one of your buildings to its land type and build a settlement in the following
sequence: (you may gain power using the normal rules losing point(s) accordingly)
1. On your land type
2. On another land type within one shovel of its own type
c) Upgrade to a trading house next to one of your buildings (gain power using the normal rules, as
desired)
d) Terraform a hex to its land type to connect to or expand from another neutral color and build a
settlement in the following sequence:
1. On your land type
2. On another land type within one shovel of its type
e) Upgrade to a trading house in a neutral connected area that does not have a trading house
f) If the faction does not currently have a temple, upgrade a trading house to a temple
1. Expert Game, the game gains the top oval favor tile, advancing the game’s corresponding cult
marker. Turn the top oval favor tile faceup.
g) Terraform a hex that is 2 types distant next to one of your buildings and build a settlement (gain power
using the normal rules, as desired)
h) Terraform a hex that is 2 types distant next to the neutral colors largest connected area and build a
settlement
i) Upgrade a temple to a sanctuary (gain power using the normal rules, as desired)
1. Expert Game, the game gains the top oval favor tile, advancing the games corresponding cult
marker. Turn the top oval favor tile faceup.
j) Place a priest on a 2 position of the lowest cult track that would cause a tie or lead on a track, if 2 are
tied, you choose which to advance.
k) Lose 2 VPs
End of Round:
Round
1) Resolve the current round scoring tile:
a) The game does not gain a reward but does advance on the designated cult track ½ of the value rounded
up including the 6th round
b) You will resolve the scoring tile bonus normally for yourself except at the end of round 6
2) Game Only:
Only Advance a cult track marker up the full value of the top oval favor tile. Discard the tile and
flip up the next tile.
a) In the rare case that all oval tiles have been used, reshuffle those the game gained/used and create a
new draw stack.
3) Flip the scoring tile for the last round facedown and start the new round
a) Important:
Important Do not remove the power action tokens on the game board
End Game Scoring:

1) Cult Tracks:
Tracks (compare your position to the game’s for each track)
a) 1-2 (leading/tied): 2 points subtracting 1 if you used a priest
b) 1-2 (trailing): 1 point / zero if a priest was used
c) 3-4 (leading/tied): 4 points subtracting 1 if you used a ‘3’ priest and 1 point if tied
d) 3-4 (trailing): 4 points subtracting 1 point for each priest used
e) 5-6 (leading/tied): 6 points subtracting 1 point if a ‘3’ priest was used and 1 point if tied
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 f) 5-6 (trailing): 4 points
g) 7-9 (leading/tied): 8 points subtracting 1 point if a ‘3’ priest was used and 1 point if tied
h) 7-9 (trailing): 6 points
i) 10 (must have a town): 10 points subtracting 1 point for each priest used
2) Connected Area Scoring:
Scoring (compare your connected area(s) against the largest combined (both colors) game
connected area and score the noted points. Note: A bridge used to increase the size of an area counts as 2
PV towards the settlement PV. (PV = power value) You may only qualify for one connected scoring area
goal + any number of bonuses qualified. If you have ...
a) ... both large buildings in the same connected area (min 10 PV): score 6 points
b) ... the largest connected area with only one large building: score 8 points
c) ... 2 separate connected areas both with a large building and each is a town: score 6 points
d) ... a connected area with a town and 2+ bridges: score 6 points
e) ... a connected area of 6+ hexes requiring
requiring 1/2/3 ships to extend it: score 4/6/9 points
i) Mermaids only:only score 2/4/7/12 points for 2/3/4/5 required ships
f) Bonus End Game Settlement Scoring: (whether a connected area was scored or not)
i) A connected area is 14+ PV in size: score 2 bonus points
ii) A connected area which covers 8+ hexes in size: score 2 bonus points
iii) All 4 trading houses are built in the same connected area: score 2 bonus points
iv) Have all 3 temples built: score 3 bonus points
(1) Example:
Example You have the largest connected area and it is 13 PV, covers 8 hexes, has 1 large
building and uses 1 ship to enlarge its size; it will score 8 points (largest connected area with
only 1 large building) +2 points for occupying 8 hexes for a total of 10 points.
3) Score 1 point for every 3 coins you have.
4) Subtract 0/1/3/5/8 for 1/2/3/4/5 facedown bonus cards at game end
a) The last bonus card is returned faceup and another is not taken.
Determining Your Victory Rating: (if your score is ...)
1) Less than 80:
80 Game Loss
2) 80-
80-84:
84: Easy Game Victory
3) 85-89:
89 Game Victory
4) 90-
90-94:
94 Major Victory
5) 95-
95-99:
99 Complete Victory
6) 100-
100-104:
104 Master Level Victory
7) 105+
105+ >:
>: Perfect Game
Strategy Session:
1) It is important to know your faction and to make good setup decisions to get you started on the right foot.
This may take some experimentation with this variant design.
2) Timing can be crucial as the start player marker blocks power actions and the scoring tiles may direct you
to perform actions in a different sequence. Success will follow good planning.
3) The most actions your opponents will perform are 8 each. This may assist you in planning as you place
your terraforming tiles. Take note that you will start losing 2 VPs each time a terrain draw is required and
the terrain tile stack is empty. There is a bit of time pressure.

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