Objective of the Game

Welcome, future civilization builders! In Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization, you're not just playing a game; you're forging history! Your ultimate goal is to lead your civilization to greatness and achieve the most Culture points by the end of the game. Outwit your opponents, develop powerful technologies, build magnificent wonders, and grow your military strength to ensure your legacy stands the test of time. The player with the most Culture points at the end of the game claims victory!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, let's get this epic journey started! Setting up Through the Ages for a solo game against the formidable Mautoma is a breeze. Follow these steps to prepare your table:

1. Set up the game as you would for a standard two-player game.
2. Choose a player color for the Automa and give it all its corresponding wooden components and a player board.
3. Place the Automa playmat directly below the Automa's player board. This handy mat summarizes the Automa's hand limits.
4. Place 1 yellow cube on the Warriors track and 1 yellow cube on the Philosophy track of the Automa's board.
5. Set the Automa's Science production, Science points, Culture production, Culture points, and Military Strength as you would for a normal player.
6. Place the standard token next to the Automa's board.
7. For difficulty, place 0 to 3 blue cubes on the Automa's board. For your first game, 0 is highly recommended!
8. Set the Automa's Happiness to 0.
9. Separate the Automa cards into three face-down decks, one for each Age (Age I, Age II, Age III). Shuffle each deck separately.

And just like that, you're almost ready to dive in! Remember, the Automa doesn't use white or red cubes, nor does it produce or store Food or Resources. It's a lean, mean, civilization-building machine!

The Game Turn

A game turn in Through the Ages is where all the magic happens! When it's the Automa's turn, you'll reveal an Automa card and follow its instructions from top to bottom. The Automa's turn mirrors a normal player's turn, but it's streamlined to keep things moving:

1. Refill the Card Row: Just like you, the Automa starts by refilling the Card Row as normal.
2. Reveal Automa Card: Flip over the top Automa card from its current Age deck.
3. Resolve Sections: Now, resolve the sections on the revealed Automa card in this specific order:
   1. Political Phase: The Automa will resolve the first applicable icon in this section. This might involve playing an Aggression if its Military Strength significantly exceeds yours, or declaring a War (ignored in the final round). It could also trigger an Event, placing one into Future Events and resolving a Current Event.
   2. Cards: This section dictates which cards the Automa takes from the Card Row. It will try to take the leftmost card matching the icons shown. If no desired card type is present, it takes the leftmost card available.
      • The Automa has specific hand limits for different card types (e.g., max 1 Leader per Age, max 1 Government Technology per Age).
      • Leaders remain in the Automa's hand, applying any Science/Culture production or Military Strength icons immediately.
      • Wonders are placed directly into play, rotated 90°, and the Automa cannot draw new wonders if it has an incomplete one.
      • The Automa can't draw duplicate technologies it already has in hand or in play.
   3. Development: Here, the Automa develops technologies from its hand by paying Science points. If it doesn't have enough Science, it can spend Action cards as Gold to make up the difference.
      • Gold Management: Yellow cards from Age A and I are worth 1 gold, Age II cards are 2 gold, and Age III cards are 3 gold. The Automa discards these cards to pay for development or construction.
      • The Automa never declares revolutions when developing a Government Technology.
      • It prioritizes developing technologies that provide the most Science, then Culture, then Happiness, or specific types like Military or Special Technologies.
   4. Construction: This is where the Automa builds stages of Wonders or new Urban/Military Buildings.
      • Wonders: Purple icons indicate how many stages of an incomplete wonder the Automa builds. It tracks this with blue cubes.
      • Buildings: Grey and red icons mean the Automa builds new buildings. It's limited to a maximum of 3 buildings for each technology type.
        • Building a new building costs Gold equal to its level (Age A is free, Age I is 1 gold, etc.).
        • If it can't build a new one, it upgrades an existing building. Upgrading costs Gold equal to the level increase minus 1 (e.g., Age II to Age III is free).
        • The Automa prioritizes building/upgrading buildings that provide the greatest increase to Science, Culture, or Military Strength.
        • Some icons with a blue cube mean the Automa builds/upgrades without paying gold, instead spending a blue cube from its board.
   5. Gain: The Automa draws military cards based on this section. It can also gain Happiness if a happy face icon is present.
      • Military cards are placed into specific slots (Events, War & Aggression, Tactic) based on their type.
      • Age III event cards are rotated 180° when placed face down in the Event slot.
      • The Automa immediately discards Military Bonus cards or Tactics it can't keep.
      • Tactics: The Automa's military units act as wildcards for activating tactics. When it has enough units, a tactic's effect activates immediately. It can also change tactics if a new one provides greater strength.
   6. Production: Finally, the Automa increases its Science and Culture points according to its current production levels.

If the Automa's deck is empty, reshuffle its discard pile. Remember, the side section of the Automa card is only used for Colonies, Wars, and Aggressions.

Age Change

When you enter a new age, a few things happen for the Automa:

• Remove all current Automa cards (draw deck and discard pile) and insert the Automa deck for the new age (Age IV still uses Age III cards).
• Remove all obsolete cards from the Automa's hand.
• If the Automa has an incomplete wonder from an obsolete age, it's removed from the game.

End of Game and Scoring

The game concludes according to the standard rules for Through the Ages. At the very end, additional Culture points may be scored from Age III Events. As mentioned, the player with the most Culture points at this point is the winner!

Tips for Winning

Facing off against Mautoma can be a challenge, but here are a couple of tips to help you lead your civilization to glory:

1. Watch the Automa's Military Strength: The Automa is quite aggressive! If its Military Strength significantly outpaces yours, it will play Aggressions and declare Wars. Keep an eye on its military development and consider investing in your own units or tactics to defend yourself and avoid losing valuable resources or points.
2. Prioritize Your Production: While the Automa doesn't manage Food or Resources, it does produce and spend Science and Culture like a normal player. Focus on building up your own Science production to develop key technologies faster, and don't neglect Culture production, as that's your ultimate victory condition!
3. Understand Automa's Card Preferences: Pay attention to the types of cards the Automa prioritizes in the Cards section of its turn. Knowing if it's gunning for Leaders, specific Urban Buildings, or Military Technologies can help you decide whether to grab a card it wants or let it take something less impactful. Sometimes, denying the Automa a crucial card can set it back significantly!