H||G Automa: Solo Playtest 2

End of the game, broke the score track with 52 points

 

What's this?

See my previous post for background information on Solo Hunt or Gather with a Ghost Player Automa.

 

What I tried

Ghost Player turn

1. Score points and end turn, or…
2. Claim a space, one as close to a player claimed space and as close to the village as possible.
3. Switch active character
4. If there is a face up tile of the correct type, take it, otherwise…
1. Draw a tile
2. If it is the correct type, collect it
3. Wrong type, place it face up on the board
4. Event, discard it

• The ghost characters stay in the village, with the inactive character on its side.
• Collected tiles are placed face up in the village.
• The ghost player has no carrying limits.
• The ghost player starts with 2 points on each track.
• The ghost player goes first.

Ghost Player Scoring

If any of the ghost player's tiles in the village are valued higher than the bottom two, the ghost scores. After scoring one tile, if another tile also meets the minimum scoring value, it is also scored.

Notes

The new ghost player rules for claiming spaces make it feel more like a 3 or more player game than even a two player game, which is great.

The ghost is still too dumb about scoring. A human player with some events the alter the market is able to keep the ghosts scores low while making those big paydays that are critical for winning the game.

I forgot to take my free goal in the Fall. That is as much a problem with that new feature of the Fall as it is Solo Play. Also haven't done the typography update for that season yet.

• It feels more natural for the ghost to switch characters before claiming their space.
• Player may keep their or collected tiles face up.
• When the ghost player scores a tile place it in a face down stack next to their claim markers.

Clarification: since the ghost player claims a space automatically, they should not also claim a space when they collect a tile.

Fun Rabid Beast play!

Rabid Beast: got to pull off a fun move, intentionally not going home for help so that the next turn I could hand off my pouch to the hunter, manipulate the market to score, and then die carrying only a torch to pick up another goal in the summer.
Master Scout: with only the human player leaving tiles face down this might be too easy.

To try next

To make it harder: Ghost player only scores when the resources are in the top 2 slots. Easier: ghost player scores anything that is not in the very bottom slot.

I need to streamline the ghost player's turn. Make it flow the same every time, even if it's less logical, like claiming a space when it doesn't explore.
I'll try:

1. switch characters, 
2. claim a space,
3. score or draw a tile as that character.

Ghost drawing an event should do something, even if it's just draw the next tile.

Goals to Remove for Solo Play

• Explorers
• Copycats
• Pathfinders
• Homebodies
• Territorial

Events to Remove for Solo Play

• Village Gossip
• Wise Woman
• Celestial Phenomenon
• Potlatch Ceremony
• Fog