Ora et Labora Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Idea
• Game Components
• Gameplay
  • Course of a Round
  • The Action Options
  • Action: Place a clergyman in order to use a building
  • Work contracts
  • The production wheel
  • Using the joker
  • Action: Fell trees
  • Action: Cut peat
  • Action: Build a building
  • The effect of the prior when building
• Additional Actions
  • Extra Action: Turn grain into straw
  • Extra Action: Trade coins
  • Extra Action: Buy a landscape
  • Starting Player Change
  • Next Round
• The Settlement Phase
• Bonus Round In Three And Four Player Games
• The Stone Good
• Checking Numbers
• Goods Tile 5x
• Scoring
• The Short Multiplayer Game
• The Two Player Game
• The Long Two Player Game
• The Solo Game
  • Game Setup
  • Gameplay
  • The Neutral Player

Game Idea

To start, players have only their heartland, a small 2x5 space landscape with moors and forests that can be expanded with later purchases.

In total, the game is interrupted five times for a settlement phase. Players use them to add settlements to their landscape such that they gain as many points as possible for them by being next to buildings with high dwelling values.

Buildings and settlements can, for the most part, be built on any empty landscape spaces. The most important exception are the cloister buildings (distinguishable by their yellow colored title and symbol boxes). Cloister buildings must be adjacent to other cloister buildings, such that a cloister of ever-increasing size is created.

Ora et Labora can be played in either a France or an Ireland variant. Depending on which variant the players choose, turn all building cards in the game to their appropriate sides.

Expanding above and below the heartland with districts provides you with additional forest and moor spaces. Buying a coastal plot expands your landscape to the left. Mountain plots are added to the right. In this manner, each player develops a picturesque landscape that spans from the coast across the plains to the mountains.

Game Components

In cardboard frames:

• 2 game boards, only one of which is used each game
• 2 identical production wheels to indicate production amounts, also only one of which is used each game
• 4 heartland landscapes (one for each player)
• 9 district landscapes (sorted according to cost: 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8 coins)
• 9 plot landscapes (sorted according to cost: 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7 coins)

450 goods tiles:

• 40 "peat" tiles with "peat coal" on their reverse sides
• 40 "livestock" tiles with "meat" on their reverse sides
• 45 "grain" tiles with "straw" on their reverse sides
• 45 "wood" tiles (with "whiskey" on their reverse sides, only used in the Ireland variant)
• 55 "clay" tiles with "ceramic" on their reverse sides
• 45 "1 coin" tiles with "book" on their reverse sides
• 30 "5 coins" tiles with "reliquary" on their reverse sides
• 40 "stone" tiles with "ornament" on their reverse sides
• 30 "grapes" tiles with "wine" on their reverse sides (only in the France variant)
• 30 "flour" tiles with "bread" on their reverse sides (only in the France variant)
• 40 "malt" tiles with "beer" on their reverse sides (only in the Ireland variant)
• 8 "Wonder" tiles with "5x" markers on their reverse sides
• 2 starting player markers (for the three and four player game, one each for France and Ireland)

110 cards:

• 41 double-sided building cards (with France on one side and Ireland on the other)
• 32 settlement cards (a set of 8 different settlements for each player)
• 37 forest cards with moor on their reverse sides

Wooden components:

• 3 clergymen in each of four colors (each 2x lay brother and 1x prior)
• 9 goods indicators in different shapes and colors
• 1 house-shaped, turquoise building marker to indicate the next settlement phase

Additionally:

• 2 pins to attach the production wheels to the game boards
• 1 game setup sheet
• 1 4-page general rules
• This 8-page detailed rulebook
• 1 12-page glossary of all buildings and settlements along with game hints and summaries
• 4 play summaries (action options, goods and building types on front side, buildings on back side)
• 1 scoring pad
• 15 plastic bags

Gameplay

Determine who will receive the starting player marker in the first round. Give that player either the French or Irish starting player marker (the starting player marker for the other variant is not used). Turn the starting player marker over so that the side with 1 coin is showing. The starting player marker rotates clockwise each round.

Course of a Round

In a three or four player game, the game is played in rounds with changing starting players. A round consists of five phases, each of which is played through in order.

1. At the start of each round, all players check to see if they have all three of their clergymen on buildings. Those that do get them back.
   • If you have only used 1 or 2 clergymen then you do not get them back.
   • You must take your clergymen back.
2. Thereafter, rotate the production wheel one position in the direction of the arrow illustrated on it (i.e. counterclockwise). The goods indicators indicate production levels. Production levels increase through the rotation of the production wheel.
   • Before rotating the production wheel, use the checking number to ensure that the correct player is the starting player (explained in more detail under Checking Numbers).
   • Should a goods indicator be located on the last space (space 10) before the wheel is rotated, then it is pushed forward by the wheel beam. (In other words, the goods indicator stays on space 10.)
   • In round 8, the grapes goods indicator enters the game (only in the France variant) and in round 13 the stone goods indicator enters the game. The new goods indicators get pushed onto space 0 of the production wheel.
3. Should the beam push the building marker forward and hence past the next pile of buildings and settlements (the A cards come into the game first, followed by the B, C and D cards), then the game is temporarily interrupted by a settlement phase.
4. Each player, in clockwise order, then gets to carry out one action. At the end of the round, the starting player gets to carry out a second action.
   • So a round in the three player game consists of 4 actions while a four player game round consists of 5 actions.
5. At the end of the round, pass the starting player marker to the next player in clockwise direction.

The fact that a round's start player gets two turns in the round effectively means that Ora et Labora is played in clockwise order. Players take turns carrying out actions, interrupted only by rotating the production wheel and the related settlement phases.

The Action Options

Phase 4 of a round is the action phase. You have three options for this action.

• You can place one of your own clergymen (prior or lay brother) or issue a work contract to another player: in that case, the other player must place one of his own clergymen.
• You can fell trees or cut peat and take the corresponding production amount.
• You can build a building.

It is possible to combine the "build a building" action with the "place a clergyman" action. You will need your prior for this (see "The effect of the prior when building").

These rules do not refer to the individual functions of each building. Should the function of a building not be clear, please refer to its entry in the glossary outlining all of the buildings.

Action: Place a clergyman in order to use a building

You can either place one of your own clergymen (a lay brother or the prior) or request that one of your opponents place one of their clergymen.

If you place one of your own clergymen, then you place it into one of your own, unoccupied buildings and use the building's function.

Details on placing a clergyman:

• Should a player have placed all three of his clergymen over the course of a round, then his buildings cannot be used again until the end of the round. (Clergymen are only removed at the start of a round. See phase 1 of a round.) Exception: The Priory and Palace/Grand Manor provide alternative ways of using buildings (see glossary).
• Building functions are only triggered by placement, not by just being in a building.
• You can place a clergyman on a building without using its function.
• You can only use buildings that have been placed onto landscape spaces. Buildings next to the game board may not be directly used.

Work contracts

If you want to use one of an opponent's buildings, then you must pay him 1 coin and, by doing so, issue a work contract: the other player must choose one of his own available clergymen and place it on the chosen building. Doing this means that one of your opponent's clergymen and not one of your own will be placed.

Details on work contracts:

• When you want to use one of an opponent's buildings, then your opponent gets to choose if he wants to use his prior or one of his lay brothers for the action.
• You cannot issue a work contract to a player who has already placed all of his clergymen.
• A work contract cannot be refused.
• You must pay the price for the work contract immediately. (You cannot wait to receive the building's benefit first.)
• You are allowed to issue a work contract without actually using the building's function.

As soon as one player builds the Winery (in the France variant) or the Whiskey Distillery (in the Ireland variant), then the price for work contracts increases from 1 coin to 2 coins for all players. (This price increase is in effect until the end of the game and is indicated by flipping the starting player marker over to its reverse side.)

Presents for the host — The value of wine and whiskey for work contracts. From the start of the game on, you may choose not to pay coins to use another player's buildings. Instead, you can return 1 wine (in the France variant) or 1 whiskey (in the Ireland variant) back to the general supply; the owner of the building being used gets nothing (as the present is opened and drunk). (Wine is produced in the Winery and Whiskey is produced in the Whiskey Distillery.)

The production wheel

The production wheel is the central game element in Ora et Labora. The players produce goods. How many goods of a particular type they produce is indicated by the production wheel. At the start of each round, rotate it one space counterclockwise (Phase 2 of a round). In this manner, nearly all goods production is increased at once.

Each time a goods is produced, move its corresponding goods indicator back to the 0 space. (Because of the relatively slow rotation of the production wheel, it will take a few rounds before this good will be interesting again.)

Goods tiles have a total of four types of icons on them: food, energy, money and points. Every goods and their symbols can be found on the summary.

Using the joker

Whenever you carry out an action that uses the production wheel, you can choose to use the joker instead of the regular goods indicator. (Buildings that use the production wheel all have a game board outline in their function boxes.)

You are allowed to use the joker indicator for a goods type whose normal goods indicator is not in the game yet. This rule affects stone as well as grapes in the France variant.

• Example 1: The player places a lay brother on the Clay Mound. The clay goods indicator is on space 3 while the joker is on space 5. The player moves the joker to space 0 and takes 5 clay. (The clay goods indicator stays on space 3.)
• Example 2: The player places a lay brother on the Quarry. The stone goods indicator isn't in the game yet while the joker is on space 5. The player moves the joker to space 0 and takes 5 stone.

Action: Fell trees

Remove (maximum) 1 forest card from your landscapes. The production wheel indicates how many wood goods tiles you take from the general supply. Move the wood goods indicator to the 0 space of the production wheel.

Action: Cut peat

Remove (maximum) 1 moor card from your landscapes. The production wheel indicates how many peat goods tiles you take from the general supply. Move the peat goods indicator to the 0 space of the production wheel.

Details on using forest and moor cards:

• Important! Felling trees or cutting peat does not use a clergyman.
• You cannot use other players' forest or moor cards.
• You are allowed to remove a forest or moor card even when the wood or peat goods indicator is at 0, although you will not receive any goods. (This still costs an action.)
• Once you run out of forest or moor cards, you can still carry out the "Felling trees" or "Cutting peat" actions, although you won't receive any goods. You also do not adjust the goods indicators.
• You can use the joker indicator to get wood or peat.
• Removing forest or moor cards results in empty landscape spaces that can be built on later.

Action: Build a building

You may build an available building from the open display by paying the building costs, located in the upper left hand corner of the building card. (There are four different building materials: wood, clay, straw and stone.) Place the building card onto an empty landscape space.

Wood and clay are available from the production wheel. Straw is obtained by flipping grain goods tiles over (see Additional actions below). Stone is a building material that changes over the course of a game: it is difficult to obtain at first but later becomes easier and easier to produce (see The Stone Good).

The building rules:

• Important! Cloister buildings, recognizable by their yellow colored title and symbol boxes, must always be adjacent (horizontally or vertically) to other cloister buildings.
• The landscape type a building card can be built on is indicated in the upper left hand corner of the card as well as in the illustration's background color. There are five landscape types: Water, Coast, Plains (which include spaces from which peat or wood has been removed), Hillside and Mountain. All landscape types are recognizable by their icons. (Coast spaces are also recognizable by their sandy beaches and proximity to water. Hillside spaces are recognizable by their pine trees and grey-green background. Mountain spaces are recognizable by their rock cliffs.)
• Only the Quarries or the Castle may be built on mountain spaces.
• Only the Houseboat may be built on water spaces. (The Houseboat only appears in the Ireland variant.)

The effect of the prior when building

After having built a building, you can use your prior to immediately use the function of the building. Place your prior onto the newly-built building. (You can only do this with your prior, and only if your prior is available.)

Details on the building action:

• You may only build a single building with the "Build a building" action.
• The function of a building is indicated in its function box.
• Cards such as the Cloister Courtyard also count as "buildings".
• You cannot build any buildings if you do not have any empty landscape spaces.
• You cannot buy a building card and set it aside until you can free up a landscape space.
• Buildings, once placed, may not be moved until the end of the game.

Financing instead of building. Some buildings do not require building materials to build; instead, you need to finance them with money. Building these buildings also counts as a building action (not as an additional action).

Additional Actions

In addition to carrying out one of the actions outlined above, you may carry out as many additional actions on your turn as you wish (before or after your main action).

Extra Action: Turn grain into straw

You may flip grain goods tiles over to become straw at any time in the game. Straw is used when building or as a source of energy. (Grain is the only goods tile that may be flipped at any time.)

• Straw cannot be turned back into grain.
• Some buildings require different types of goods tiles for their functions. Since both sides of a goods tile count as different types of goods, you will sometimes want to flip grain over to become straw as part of a building function; this lets you pay both 1 grain and 1 straw (provided that you have two tiles).

Extra Action: Trade coins

You may trade coins at any time: you may trade a 5 coin tile in for five 1 coin tiles or vice versa. Additionally, you can trade in at any time wine for 1 coin or whiskey for 2 coins.

Extra Action: Buy a landscape

You may buy a landscape once per turn and once per settlement phase. There are rectangular districts as well as square plots. The topmost tile on both piles is available for purchase. Their prices are shown at bottom right. (You must place the landscape as soon as you buy it; you may not set it aside temporarily.)

Districts. The heartland that each player receives at the start of the game defines the orientation that the districts must follow. The five district spaces must all be placed above or below the heartland; they may not be offset to the right or to the left. You can place districts above or below other districts; in this case they must also not be offset. When placing a district, you can choose if you want to use the "Moor/Forest/Forest/Hillside/Hillside" side or the "Forest/Plains/Plains/Plains/Hillside" side. When you place the tile, it must be oriented such that the price remains at bottom right. Place forest cards onto the forest spaces and moor cards onto the moor spaces. (The remaining spaces remain empty.)

Plots. The plots have a coastal and a mountain side. You must decide, after buying the plot, which side to use when placing the tile. Coastal plots are added to the left of your land while mountain plots are added to the right. Coastal plots have 2 Water spaces and 2 Coast spaces. Mountain plots have 2 Hillside spaces and 1 Mountain space.

When placing plots:

• At least one Coast space of the new coastal plot must be placed adjacent to an existing heartland space, district space or other Coast space.
• At least one Hillside space of the new mountain plot must be placed adjacent to an existing heartland space, district space or other Hillside space.
• When you place the tile, it must be oriented such that the price remains at bottom right.

Fundamental rule: Each player should always be able to see how many tiles the other players have in their supplies (without having to ask).

Starting Player Change

Each round ends by passing the starting player marker to the next player on the left.

Next Round

The next round begins with all players who have used all three of their clergymen getting them back. (Players who have used only 1 or 2 of their clergymen do not get them back.) Rotate the production wheel tile one space (see "Course of a Round").

The Settlement Phase

A settlement phase occurs whenever the production wheel beam moves past the next pile of building and settlement cards (first the A cards, then the B, C and finally the D cards). The turquoise building marker indicates when this will happen next. A fifth and final settlement phase takes place at the end of the game.

The settlement phase consists of three parts.

1. Move the turquoise building marker. Until the first settlement phase, the building marker is located in front of the A cards. At the start of the first settlement phase, move it onto the production wheel space in front of the B cards. In the third settlement phase, move the building marker from the C cards to the D cards. After the fourth settlement phase, move the building marker onto the E space, where it indicates how many rounds are left before the bonus round is played (indicated by the symbol on the game board).
2. Each player may build a maximum of 1 settlement from their supply. To build a settlement, pay the required energy and food costs (located in the top left corner of the card) and place it (following any restrictions) onto an empty landscape space on your heartland or other landscape tile. You are allowed to buy a maximum of 1 landscape before building your settlement. (Should multiple players wish to buy a landscape, then they do so in player order, starting with the starting player.)
3. Distribute the current letter's pile of settlement and building cards. Each player receives a new settlement card that may be built in later settlement phases or via the Castle's function (see glossary).

Details on building settlements:

• Settlement costs are paid for with goods tiles that have energy and food symbols on them. No change is given for excess food or energy, so any excess is lost.
• You cannot build a settlement if you have no empty landscape spaces. You cannot build a settlement "for later" and set it aside temporarily until you can free up a (possibly better) landscape space.
• The "Build a building" action may not be used to build a settlement.
• You cannot build your opponents' settlements.
• The Fishing Village may only be built on a Coast space, while the Hillside Village may only be built on a Hillside space. (This is easily missed.)
• You cannot build settlements on mountain or water spaces.
• You may choose not to build a settlement.
• A settlement, once placed, cannot be moved until the end of the game.

Details on distributing cards:

• Your supply of settlement cards is not limited to 4: If you choose not to build a settlement, then you may have more than 4 settlement cards in your supply.
• Each player receives the same type of settlement card.
• Add the new building cards to the "old" ones in the display. The "old" buildings are not removed from the game. Review the functions of the new buildings. (Their functions are shown in the card's function box as well as in detail in the glossary.)

Bonus Round In Three And Four Player Games

As soon as the production wheel beam moves past the E space (indicated by the corresponding building symbol) for the second time, the 25th and final round of the game begins.

Before the bonus round, each player takes his prior back. Each player, in player order, then gets exactly one more action (including the starting player) to either build a building or place his prior onto any built building of his choice. It does not matter if the building is occupied or not. You do not have to pay for a work contract if you place your prior on another player's building. Placing your prior on another player's building is only possible in the bonus round. You may also build a building and then immediately place your prior onto it.

A fifth and final settlement phase follows the bonus round. The game is then over. Scoring is carried out as described under Scoring.

The Stone Good

At first, stone is only available from the Stone Merchant, then via the joker goods indicator once the Quarry enters the game. Stone only gets its own goods indicator in round 13.

The Stone Merchant is a start building; the Quarry is a B building. (There is a second Quarry included with the C buildings in the France variant.)

Checking Numbers

When rotating the production wheel, use the checking numbers to verify that the right player is the starting player. The production wheel beam points (after rotation) at a pair of numbers. The pair of numbers refer to the first and second full rotation that the production wheel undergoes.

• A number 1 means that the player who was starting player in round 1 is the current round's starting player.
• A number 2 means that the player who was second in round 1 is the current round's starting player.
• Etc.

(Should the checking number show that a mistake has been made, then you can try and correct it.)

Bold print checking numbers indicate which player will be the first to choose from new buildings.

Goods Tile 5x

All tiles apart from the Wonders are in unlimited supply. Should the supply run out for some reason, then you can take a Wonder tile from the general supply, flip it upside down and place one other goods tile onto it. This counts as 5 goods of that type. Should you run out of 5 goods tiles or should the tiles be needed as Wonders, then you will need to improvise.

Scoring

Scoring consists of three parts.

1. Add up the points on the goods tiles: 5 coins = 2 points, book = 2 points, ceramic = 3 points, ornament = 4 points, reliquary = 8 points, Wonder = 30 points and either wine = 1 point or whiskey = 1 point. (Remember that wine/whiskey is not only worth 1 point, but also 1 coin, which means that 1 wine/whiskey plus 4 coins are worth a total of 2 points.)
2. Then, score the economic value of all buildings and settlements. (Their dwelling values are irrelevant here.)
3. Finally, score the settlements. Each settlement is worth points depending on the cards directly adjacent to it: Settlement points are calculated by adding the dwelling values of the settlement (recognizable by the house symbol) and all adjacent buildings together.

Details regarding settlement scoring:

• Only horizontally and vertically adjacent buildings are counted. (Diagonal does not count as adjacent.)
• Should a building be adjacent to more than one settlement, then its dwelling value is counted for each of these settlements.
• Settlements also have a dwelling value. Settlements are therefore counted as well when calculating the value of their neighboring settlements.
• Water spaces have a dwelling value of 3.
• Some buildings have negative dwelling values. Important! These negative values only matter when the buildings are adjacent to settlements. (When they are far away from settlements, you can completely ignore negative dwelling values.)
• Each mountain space borders two hillside spaces. (And the hillside spaces on the mountain plots each border one mountain space.)

The winner is the player with the highest total points. In the case of a tie there are multiple winners.

The Short Multiplayer Game

You can also play a game of Ora et Labora in just one hour. Use the short game gameboard for both three and four player games. Use the front side of the production wheel (the one whose numbers go 0, 2, 3, 4, …).

Unlike the longer version, each player leaves the two landscape spaces in the upper left hand corner of their heartlands empty. In other words, each player will start with one fewer forest and moor card.

The short version of the game is played over 12 rounds plus a bonus round (indicated on the game board by the symbol) — the same number of spaces that the game board has. It is played with fewer buildings but with higher goods production. For a three player game, use the two player game buildings; for a four player game, use the two and three player game buildings. If you are playing the France variant with four players, you may choose to remove the C-Quarry from the game.

Each player has only 1 prior and 1 lay brother. Therefore: at the start of each round, all players who have both of their clergymen on buildings get them back.

The increased goods production comes from two special rules that are in effect only in the short version.

1. Whenever you use the production wheel to produce goods (this also applies to the Shipping Company and the Cooperage), then there is an immediate bonus production of this good: each player (including yourself) takes one of the corresponding goods from the general supply.
2. The production wheel spaces for the short game each show two printed goods. At the start of each round, each player receives goods from the general supply corresponding to those printed on the production wheel space that the beam just passed.

Settlement phases A through D occur at the start of rounds 3, 5, 7 and 9. The grapes goods indicator enters the France version of the game in round 4. The stone goods indicator enters both variants of the game in round 6. This information is all shown on the game board.

The bonus round (round 13) and final scoring are carried out in the same manner as the longer game. You can use the checking numbers to verify who is the starting player for each round. The first number is the starting player in a three player game, the second number is the starting player in a four player game.

The Two Player Game

Use the one to two player game board. Remove all building cards from the game that have a 3+ or 4 symbol in their bottom right corners. Use the back side of the production wheel (the one whose numbers go 0, 1, 2, 2, …). Place the A through D building cards onto the indicated spaces around the edges of the two player game board.

In the three or four player game, the game is round-based with a rotating starting player. In the two player game the players simply take turns: at the start of each player's turn, rotate the production wheel one space. Then, that player gets to take two actions instead of one, carried out one after the other.

In general, follow the rules of the three or four player game. In the following sections, replace the word "round" with "turn".

Details on the two player game:

• You may buy a landscape once per turn and once per settlement phase.
• Whenever the production wheel beam passes by the next pile of building and settlement cards, the game is temporarily interrupted by a settlement phase. This happens at the start of a turn, not the start of a round in the two player game.
• Players get their three clergymen back at the start of a turn (provided they were all used).
• Should a player have placed all three of his clergymen over the course of a turn, then his buildings cannot be used again until the end of his turn. (Exceptions: Priory, Palace, Grand Manor.)

The grapes (only in the France variant) and stone goods indicators enter the game in rounds 11 and 18 respectively, which means that stone does not enter the game until the second full rotation of the production wheel (indicated by a 2 in a spiral symbol).

Once you have finished your turn it is the other player's turn. (The players can decide if they want to use the starting player marker to keep track of this.)

Each time the turn passes the following counts for both players: any player who has used all three of his clergymen (1x prior and 2x lay brother) takes all of his clergymen back. There is no bonus round unlike in the three or four player game.

Important! The two player game has no fixed game end. The game enters its final phase when the D buildings are in the game and there is at most 1 building left in the open display. Play the current turn through to the end. Rotate the production wheel. The other player then gets one final action. The game is then over without a final settlement phase taking place (as would be the case in three and four player game). Scoring is carried out in the same manner as in the multiplayer game.

The Long Two Player Game

You can also play Ora et Labora as a two player game with nearly all of the buildings. (The game will then last up to 3 hours.) The following rules are changed.

The only buildings that are not used are the Carpentry, the C-Grapevine and the C-Quarry in the France variant (represented by the crossed-out 2 on the cards). (All buildings are used in the Ireland variant.)

Play according to the normal two player game rules with the following exceptions.

Use the front side of the production wheel (the one whose numbers go 0, 2, 3, 4, …), unlike the normal two player game. (Keep the one to two player game board, however.)

The long two player game is round-based, like the multiplayer game. Each round, the starting player first carries out two actions (one after the other), after which the other player carries out one action. The round is then over and the starting player role changes. Rotate the production wheel. The other player then carries out two actions, after which the original starting player carries out one action.

Details on the long two player game:

• During your effectively three actions in a row, you can buy up to two landscapes (districts and plots); one during your first action and another in either your second or third action.
• There is no bonus round like in the three or four player game.
• As with the regular two player game, the long version has no fixed game end. The game enters its final phase when the D buildings are in the game and there are no more than 3 buildings left in the open display. Play the current round through to the end. The game is then over and scoring is carried out.

The Solo Game

Game Setup

Use the one to two player game board. Use the front side of the production wheel (the one whose numbers go 0, 2, 3, 4, …).

Use all 41 buildings in the Ireland variant. In the France variant, remove the Carpentry, both Grapevines and the C-Quarry from the game (represented by the crossed-out 1 on the cards). These buildings are not used in the solo game.

Place the Start buildings into the display. Place the A through D building cards onto the spaces intended for them around the edges of the solo game board. Add the joker to the rest of the goods indicators on the space with the "A" symbol.

Remove the grapes and stone indicators from the game entirely.

Turn the district and plot piles upside down. (So the most expensive landscapes are on top and are the first ones that can be bought.)

Gameplay

When you play the solo game, you start with nothing. You do not receive any starting goods.

Otherwise, the game is played following the rules of the two player game. (Take two actions after each rotation of the production wheel.)

When the production wheel is rotated while a goods indicator is on space 10, it is not pushed along. Instead, it is removed from the game entirely.

The Neutral Player

The neutral player is a special feature of the solo game.

• The neutral player also gets a heartland with a Farmyard, a Cloister Office and a Clay Mound. He does not receive any moors or forests.
• Place the Builders' Market onto the upper left hand space of the neutral player's heartland (represented by the N on the card).
• Give the neutral player 2 lay brothers and 1 prior of the same color.
• Whenever you want to use the building function of one of the neutral player's buildings, you must pay 1 coin to the general supply. Place one of the neutral player's clergymen onto the chosen building. You decide if it will be the prior or a lay brother. The cost increases to 2 coins as soon as the Winery or the Whiskey Distillery is built. The cost is indicated by the starting player marker. (As with the two to four player game, you can choose to give a present instead of paying the 2 coins.)
• At the start of each settlement phase, you must place all remaining buildings in the display onto the neutral player's heartland.
• Building rules for the neutral player: since there won't be enough room on the heartland for all of the buildings that the neutral player will build, you may overbuild any unoccupied buildings (including basic buildings). You may overbuild more than once. You may only overbuild cloister buildings with other cloister buildings, and you may only overbuild non cloister buildings with other non cloister buildings. Additionally, you must ensure that all cloister buildings are adjacent to at least one other cloister building. You do not need to worry about Coast, Plains, Hillside or Mountain space restrictions (upper left corner of the cards); these do not restrict building. (Only the neutral player gets to ignore these building restrictions.)
• As soon as the neutral player has finished building, you may use one of the newly-built buildings. Outside of your regular game turn, place the neutral player's prior onto the chosen building. The neutral player's prior must be available or you cannot perform this action. (You may not choose newly-built but immediately overbuilt buildings.) You must pay the work contract price for the neutral player's prior. This work contract price is often forgotten.
• At the start of each turn (regardless of whether there was a settlement phase or not), check to see if the neutral player gets all three of his clergymen back (remember to check for yourself as well).

A round with a settlement phase looks like this:

1. Return your or the neutral player's clergymen should all three have been used.
2. Rotate the production wheel.
3. The neutral player builds all remaining buildings.
4. Optional: Place the neutral player's prior onto one of the newly-built buildings. Pay the work contract price for this.
5. This may result in the neutral player now getting all three clergymen back.
6. Carry out the settlement phase.
7. Carry out your normal game turn.

Unlike settlement phases A through D, in the last round (settlement phase E), step 7 takes place between steps 2 and 3 instead. (The neutral player's building and the settlement phase only take place after your turn. This is similar to what happens in the multiplayer game.)

The game ends after this last settlement phase.

The goal of the solo game is to reach 500 points. This is slightly easier to achieve in the Ireland variant.