Dan Zielinski
United States
Tulsa
Oklahoma
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Here is a Solo Variant that has the feel of the real game and plays very quick. Enjoy!
Market and Player Board Set-up
Prepare your playing board and the market board for a regular 2-player game with the following exceptions to the market board:
-- Remove all duplicate tiles from game, including those that duplicate the X-Tiles. (4 tiles total: Working Robot-9, Storage-6, Storage-22 and Optimization-17)
-- Remove the highest tile in each column from the board and shuffle all 6 into a single pile that will placed face-down to the side of the board. This will now be called the "AI Type Pile"
-- Shuffle the X-Tiles and place 3 on the board as in typical set-up. Other 3 will not be used.
-- Take 6 Shut-down Discs and place one on the bottom square of each column on the market board. (3 will be on top of X-tiles, 3 will be directly on the board)
As with regular set-up, shuffle the power increase tiles and form a pile of 5 face-down. Other 3 will not be used.
Player Order Tile Set-Up
You’ll be creating a "Mini-Board" of tiles near your player board. This will be used to shape the market during play.
Remove tiles 3, 7, 10, and 11 from the Player Order tiles. Shuffle these 4 into a pile and place it next to the "AI Type Pile." This pile of 4 will be called the "AI Buy Pile"
From the remaining Player Order tiles, place (from left to right) 6, 8, 4 and 2 on the table near your player board.
Your remaining 4 tiles will be placed half-way on top of these tiles so to cover-up the yellow cost reduction icon. 12 will be placed over the -2 of 6.. 1 over the -3 of 8... 5 over the -1 of 4... and finally 9 over the bottom half of 2.
Lastly, take a Shut-Down Disc and place it on this Mini-Board covering up the 9. (Far right position... "first position")
Game Play
Phase 1: Auction the New Player Order
During this phase, you must decide how many workers to commit to the mini-board.
-- Committing zero(0) workers to the mini-board keeps the disc where it stands. (On the 9)
-- Committing one(1) worker to the mini-board moves the disc one space left. (Onto the 5)
-- Committing two(2) workers to the mini-board moves the disc two spaces left. (Onto the 1)
-- Committing the max of three(3) workers to the mini-board moves the disc three spaces to the left. (Onto the 12)
Phase 2: Preparing the Market
During this phase you will move grey discs on the market board up their respective columns. The total space the discs can move collectively is determined from your play on the Mini-Board in the prior phase.
In the first position, (the 9) you may move a total of 2 spaces (the number shown above the 9.) This means you can move one disc 2 spaces up its respective column or two discs up 1 space each.
In the second position, (the 5) you may move a total of 4 spaces. This can be one disc 4 spaces, four discs 1 space each or any combination in between as long as the total spaces moved doesn’t exceed 4.
In third position, you may move discs (in any combination) up to 8 spaces.
In fourth position, you may move discs up to 6 spaces.
After all spaces granted by the Mini-Board have been moved, the player may commit additional workers to the Market Board to move the discs further. For each worker he commits, he gains 1 more space to move a disc.
[Example: The player committed one worker to the Mini-Board in Phase 1 . This allows him to move 4 spaces with his discs. He moves the Working Robot Disc up 3 spaces and the Storage Disc up 1 space. He then commits one more worker to the market board and moves the Storage Disc 1 space more.]
Phase 3: Buying, Placing, Tearing and Hiring
The factory tiles available for purchase are only those located below the grey disc of their column. The tile the disc is on and all tiles above it cannot be purchased.
The cost of buying each tile is the number printed on each tiles minus the discount shown under the disc of the Mini-Board:
In first position (9), the player reduces the cost of each tile by 3.
Second position (5) reduces the cost by 1.
The third position (1) requires the player to buy at face value.
The last position (12) offers all tiles at 4 below their cost.
The number of tiles a player is allowed to buy is equal to the amount of workers that have not been committed to either the Mini-Board or the Market Board.
As in the regular rules, if a player wishes to destroy a tile in his factory to make room for a new one, he must commit a worker to the destruction. This lowers the amount of workers available to buy.
Hiring Seasonal Workers costs the same as the regular game (7 minus cost reduction on Mini-Board) and work the same as any other workers except for one exception:
Seasonal Workers cannot be bought the same round they were used.
Helpful Tip:: Place Seasonal Workers on the Market Board when they are available to hire. Place them on your player board when they are hired. Place them off the side of the Market Board when done working. They will return to the Market Board the following round for hire.
Phase 4: Bureaucracy and New Energy
Follow this phases as in the regular game with four additions (done in the listed order):
-- The Mini-Board disc is returned to the first position... 9.
-- Seasonal Workers that were used this round are now placed on the Market Board and is available next round to hire.
-- All grey discs on the Market Board will fall to the lowest available tile in their respective rows. If the disc is on an empty space under the lowest available tile, the disc is not moved up.
-- Draw the top tiles of the "AI Type Pile" and "AI Buy Pile."
The type of tile drawn from the "Type Pile" refers to a column of the Market Board.
The discount amount from the "Buy Pile" refers to which tile, in that column, is removed from the game... "Bought by the AI."
Whatever discount appears, simply count that many spaces up from the current location of the grey disc of the chosen column.
Zero(0) removes the tile the grey disc is on.
A (-2) discount removes the tiles two spaces above the grey disc.
A (-4) discount removes the tile four spaces above the grey disc.
If counting the spaces lands you on an empty space or above the last space in that column, then first available tile below this point is removed. If there are no tiles below the chosen space, then no tile is removed.
Phase 5: Income
No change from original game.
Game End
No change from original game. You still get double your 5th round income.
Ending with $250 of higher is considered a victory!!!
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Richard Kramer
Netherlands
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Great job!!
I'll try this asap! Great game btw!
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Posted Sat Jan 28, 2012 9:40 pm
