Suna Valo: Solomodus

Suna Valo: Solomodus Rulebook

Solo Mode Overview

In solo mode, you play against Botbot. Your goal is to earn more victory points than Botbot. Botbot is available in four different difficulty levels. Before your match, choose the difficulty level of Botbot you want to play against:

Normal
Medium
Difficult
Very Difficult

You win if you have more victory points than Botbot at the end of the game.

Game Materials

This expansion contains 10 cards:

7 Solo Cards
1 Player Aid Card

Additionally:

1 deck card, back side difficulty level
1 card with legal information, back with QR code for downloading the rules

Game Setup

Set up the game as in the base game. However, omit the personal "Farm" board for the second player.
Take the 6 barrels and 6 ships of the color you aren't playing and place them next to the game board in Botbot's area. These are now Botbot's barrels and ships. Return the remaining game components of the other color to the box.
Shuffle the 7 solo cards and place them face down as a "Botbot's Stack" within easy reach.
Place the game aid to the left of the stack.
When at the point 9a during game preparation in the base game, 3 cards would have to be placed in front of the other person's tableau, but you put these 3 cards back in the box instead.
Give the starting tree to Botbot. Botbot does not receive a character card.
In your preparation round, place exactly 1 farm good of your choice (which you have already placed in step 7 during game setup in the base game) to each of the 3 cards in your personal deck. Omit this step for Botbot.

Difficulty Level

Determine the difficulty level you want to play at. Botbot receives a number of base victory points based on the selected difficulty level. In the final scoring, Botbot will also receive victory points for the barrels and ships they have placed. For the "Very Hard" difficulty level, see the special rule at the end of the solo mode.

Base victory points according to difficulty level

Normal: 25 base victory points
Challenging: 30 base victory points
Hard: 35 base victory points

Source note: the source names the four levels inconsistently. The page 2 icons and list read Normal, Medium, Difficult and Very Difficult; the page 4 base values read Normal, Challenging and Hard; the page 4 text and the page 10 heading refer to "Very Hard" / "Very Difficult". Names are transcribed as printed. The "Very Difficult" level is played on the Hard base value with the extra rule under "Difficulty Level "Very Difficult"" below.

The Gameplay

You take turns. Botbot takes its turn first, then it's your turn. The end of an era is triggered and resolved as in the base game.

Your Move

On your turn, you play as described in the base game, with the following two changes:

Purchasing Cards: Since Botbot does not have its own personal card display, you can only choose from 6 cards to purchase on your turn: those in your own personal card display and those in the village's card offer.

Steps on Bot Bars (Gears): In solo mode do not reactivate gears through column activations and do not gain any further moves on the bot tracks. When you place a new card in a column, you activate the new card completely (including the gear) and all other effects of previously placed cards (and the column header) – except for all gears that are on previously placed cards. If you activate a column with a bonus, you also do not activate all gears on cards in that column.

Game Flow (continued)

Example: If you use Ship Order 5 to activate any column, you will not activate any gears that may be on cards in that column, and you will not gain any moves on the ship tracks from them.

Important: If you activate a row with a row bonus, you also activate all gears on cards in the row as usual and receive corresponding steps on the bot tracks. This also applies to effects that allow you to activate individual court cards. You also receive 1 step on the bot bars. Turn cards to the back if you have unlocked the corresponding improvement.

Example: You activate a farm card with a gear on it using character 7 and gain 1 step on the bot track as usual.

Botbot's Turn

When it's Botbot's turn, draw the top card from the "Botbot's Stack" and resolve it as described below. Then place the resolved card face up next to "Botbot's Stack."

Solo cards "Botbot buys card from your display" (Sun 01–03)

Botbot buys 1 farm card from your personal display, from the space shown on the solo card. Return the purchased card to the box; it is not placed on the discard pile. Before doing so, take the farm goods on the card and an additional, exactly the same combination of farm goods from the general supply.

After Botbot's turn, place 1 card from the village's card supply on the now empty space in your personal card display.

Scarcity Marker: If there are scarcity markers on the cards Botbot buys from you, you always receive 1 energy token from the general supply. Place the scarcity markers in your area with the negative victory point side up.

Example (without illustration): Botbot buys 1 farmyard card from your display, on which you previously placed 1 water lily and 1 energy token. You receive the water lily and the energy token, plus 1 additional water lily and 1 additional energy token from the general supply. You must store the received resources in warehouses, or else receive 1 energy token for each unstored resource. Place the card in the box (but note the special rules "Botbot buys cards") and then add another card according to the usual rules.

Solo card "Botbot buys card from the village's card offer" (Sun 04)

Botbot removes the card from the middle slot of the village's card supply. Return the card to the box; it is not placed on the discard pile. Replenish the village's card supply as usual. This also applies when Botbot removes cards from the village's card supply.

Special rules when Botbot buys cards

If Botbot buys one of the court cards in Era III that shows a victory point value (the icon is blank in the source rendering), place those cards in Botbot's area instead of the box. Botbot receives those victory points in the final scoring.
If Botbot buys a Village Festival card while playing one of the cards Sun 01 to Sun 04, proceed as described under card Sun 07, "Botbot buys Village Festival card." In this case, you obviously no longer need to check whether and which Village Festival card Botbot is buying.

Solo card "Botbot Places Barrel" (Sun 05)

Botbot places one of its barrels on a public delivery order. He chooses the delivery order with the highest free victory point value (if there are multiple options, it chooses the leftmost order). Like you, Botbot may only place one barrel per delivery order.

If there is no matching Public Delivery Order card, Botbot tries to place 1 ship instead (see Solo Card So 06).

Additionally, Botbot removes the rightmost card from the village's card supply. Return the card to the box; it is not placed on the discard pile.

Then check: Are the two cards "Botbot Places Barrel" and "Botbot Places Ship" face up next to Botbot's stack? If so: Take all solo cards, both those already revealed and those still on the stack, shuffle them, and put the stack back in place.

Solo card "Botbot Places Ship" (Sun 06)

Botbot places one of its ships on a ship order. It chooses the order with the highest free victory point value (if there are multiple options, it chooses the order furthest to the left). Like you, Botbot may only place one ship per ship order.

If there is no suitable ship order card, Botbot tries to place 1 barrel instead (see solo card So 05).

Additionally, Botbot removes the rightmost card from the village's card supply. Return the card to the box; it is not placed on the discard pile.

Then check: Are the two cards "Botbot Places Barrel" and "Botbot Places Ship" face up next to Botbot's stack? If so: Take all solo cards, both those already revealed and those still on the stack, shuffle them, and put the stack back in place.

Note for both "Botbot Placed" cards: If Botbot cannot place either a ship or a barrel because there is no matching order card, it will still remove the card from the village offer.

Solo card "Botbot buys Village Festival card" (Sun 07)

Botbot buys one of the Village Festival cards on display and triggers the Village Festival. Check which Village Festival card Botbot buys:

If there is 1 village festival card, Botbot buys it.
If there are 2 village festival cards available, Botbot prefers to buy from the village's card selection and prefers village festival cards that are further to the right.

If Botbot buys 1 village festival card from your personal card display, receive farm goods as described under "Botbot buys card from your display" and must add 1 card.

If there is no village festival card available, Botbot buys the card that is on the far right in the village's card selection instead. Return this card to the box (but note the special rules "Botbot buys cards").

Botbot does not use the village festival effects when executing the village festival he purchased.

Exception: Village Festivals with the "Fulfill Ship Order" effect (E04, E05, E09). Here, Botbot uses the effect and places 1 ship as described under Solo Card So 05 "Botbot Places Ship." (Source note: the printed reference reads "So 05", but the "Botbot Places Ship" card is So 06; transcribed as printed.)

Botbot does not use the village festival bonus.

Exception: The village festivals have the bonus "2 victory points." Place these cards in Botbot's area after resolving the village festival. Botbot receives these victory points in the final scoring.

After Botbot, you may perform a village festival purchased from it as follows: You may use the effect, but do not receive the bonus.

Income Phase

The game help card reminds you that at the beginning of this phase you must check:

Has Botbot placed at least 1 barrel on both Public Delivery Order cards of the just-ended era? If not: Place 1 of its barrels on the space with the highest free victory point value (if multiple possibilities exist, the card further to the left).
Has Botbot placed at least one ship on both ship mission cards of the just-ended era? If not: Place one of its ships on the space with the highest free victory point value (if multiple options exist, place the card further to the left).

Example: During the income phase after the just-ended Era II, you check: Botbot (black pieces) has not placed a barrel on either of the two public delivery order cards from Era II. Botbot places one barrel on the space with the highest free victory point value of the two order cards.

Preparing for a New Era

Proceed according to the rules of the basic game, with these exceptions:

The starting tree does not change! It stays with Botbot throughout the game!
Botbot receives no Court cards. Instead, discard 3 New Era Court cards from the draw pile. Ignore village festival goalshen [sic] cards (you do not replace it with a card from the Village Festival deck).

Notice: This is important if you are playing character 8 or the ship mission 10 is involved.

End of the Game & Final Scoring

Reminder: At the end of Era III, Botbot also takes another turn like you (without drawing a card).

In the final scoring, Botbot receives victory points from the following sources:

Base victory point value of difficulty level.
Victory points for ships it has placed.
Victory points for barrels it has placed.
Victory points on village festival and farm cards that are in its area.

You win the game if you have collected more victory points than Botbot!

Difficulty Level "Very Difficult"

Play on the difficulty level "Hard" and observe the following rule for the final scoring:

If Botbot has placed at least 1 ship on an Era III ship order card, Botbot receives an additional 1 victory point in the final scoring for each barrel placed.
If Botbot has placed ships on both ship orders of Era III, it receives 1 victory point for each ship and barrel placed in the final scoring.

Challenges

To keep yourself challenged, you can try to complete these challenges. A challenge is only considered completed if you win the game at the corresponding difficulty level.

Print this last page and check off the challenges you have completed:

Gameplay Tip: Unlock the upgrade that grants you steps on bot tracks as soon as you place farm cards face down in columns. Also, look out for public delivery orders with cogs as a bonus.