# Welcome To...: Solo Mode ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2019 - **BGG Rating**: 7.5 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1 (Best with: 1) - **Duration**: 25 min - **Weight**: 2.00 / 5 - **Designers**: Alexis Allard - **Artists**: Anne Heidsieck - **Publishers**: Deep Water Games - **Categories**: City Building, Expansion for Base-game - **Mechanics**: Bingo, Contracts, Paper-and-Pencil, Pattern Building, Simultaneous Action Selection, Solo / Solitaire Game ## Verdict If you love zoning suburbs and need a solo challenge, this AI mode fits perfectly.Well‑integrated solo modeClear, colorful rulesSimple, useful componentsLacks deep tacticsRequires base gameRECOMMENDED ## Description Welcome To...: Solo Mode introduces a solo AI variant designed by Alexis Allard for fans of the original board game who want to play alone. The box contains a full‑color rulebook and eight extra cards – five AAA architect cards and three completed plan cards – that give the AI its personality. Gameplay mirrors the core "Welcome To..." experience: you zone suburban neighborhoods, fill bingo grids, and fulfill contracts, but now you must contend with an artificial opponent that selects actions simultaneously and tries to block your best combos. Everything is paper‑and‑pencil, so there are no plastic pieces to lose, just plenty of strategic depth and pattern‑building focus. A typical playtime is about 25 minutes, making it perfect for a quick solo session or a nightcap challenge. With a BGG weight of 2/5, the game is light on complexity, suitable for newcomers and seasoned players alike looking for a low‑stress experience. Components are straightforward: printed rules, the AI cards, and the base game’s material. If you enjoy city‑building, bingo‑style scoring, and testing your planning skills against a virtual rival, this expansion hits the spot. Players who prefer heavier tactical games or heavy player interaction might find the solo mode less compelling, but it still delivers a polished, complete solo experience for those who like to play solo. ## How to Play Objective of the Game In the solo mode of Welcome To..., you are competing against the AAA (Alexis Allard Architects). Your goal is to outscore the AAA by building your neighborhoods and completing city plans. The rules of the base game apply normally, with specific changes for the solo mode. You are racing the AAA to score the city plans; if you complete them before their Completed Plan cards come up, you'll score higher points. Preparation (Setup) Pick one AAA architect card. Lower numbers on the card indicate an easier challenge. Take a score sheet. For all scoring boxes, draw a horizontal line through each one to split them in two. You will write your own score above the line, and the AAA's score below it. Shuffle all the construction cards with their effect side up. Deal out the shuffled construction cards into 2 equal stacks. Shuffle the 3 AAA Completed Plan cards into one of these stacks. Place the stack containing the AAA Completed Plan cards under the other stack. Do not shuffle again. This combined stack forms your main construction deck. Take 3 city plan cards and place them next to the construction deck. Fluxo do Jogo The game progresses in turns, with you taking actions and the AAA passively building their own neighborhoods and potentially scoring city plans. Game Turn Each turn, draw 3 construction cards from the deck. Pick and use 2 of these 3 cards: one for its number, and the other for its effect. Discard these 2 used cards. Place the third, unused card, effect side up, into its own separate pile for the AAA. This pile forms the AAA's stack of construction cards, which you cannot shuffle but can look at at any time. If you cannot play, you must cross off a permit refusal, but you still give one card to the AAA. If a Completed Plan card is drawn: Discard it immediately and draw a new construction card to replace it. The city plan number on the Completed Plan card matches one of the available city plan cards for scoring. At the end of the turn, the city plan indicated by the number on the Completed Plan card may be scored by the AAA. To determine if the AAA scores the plan, compare the AAA architect card with whether the city plan is the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Completed Plan card drawn. Check the top right corner of the AAA architect card. If it indicates the AAA scores the plan, write down their score on the score sheet. For example, if the AAA architect card indicates scoring only the 3rd Completed Plan card drawn, and the Completed Plan cards come up in the order N° 3, N° 2, N° 1, then only the N° 1 city plan is scored by the AAA as it was the 3rd one drawn. If the order was N° 1, N° 3, N° 2, then the AAA would score the N° 2 city plan. IMPORTANT: When the first city plan is validated (either by you or the AAA), you MUST re-shuffle your discard pile, combining it with the remaining construction deck. Ações e Como Jogar Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Fim de Jogo e Pontuação End Game Trigger The game ends when: The construction deck runs out. One of the 3 regular endgame rules is fulfilled (Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre estas regras). Calculating the AAA's Score To calculate the AAA's score, take their stack of construction cards without shuffling them. The AAA earns a variable number of points according to the chosen architect and the cards in their stack: Parks: The AAA earns 0 to 4 points for each Park card. (Example: 1 point for each park, so 6x1 = 6 points). Pools: The AAA earns 1 to 5 points for each Pool card. (Example: 1 point for each pool, so 2x1 = 2 points). Temp Agency: The AAA earns 1 to 3 points per Temp Agency card. Additionally, compare the number of Temp Agency cards the AAA has with the number of Temp Agency boxes you checked to determine who gets 7 and 4 points, or 0 points for the one who did not use any Temp Agency. (Example: With 2 Temp Workers, the AAA is tied for majority with the player and earns 7 points + 1 point for each Temp Agency card, for a total of 7+2 = 9 points). Fences: The AAA earns 1 to 3 points for each Fence card. (Example: 1 point per Fence, so 6x1 = 6 points). Housing Estates: Points are awarded for the 5 largest housing estates. Each set of cards between 2 Fences cards represents a housing estate. A Fence is considered present at the beginning and at the end of the stack. The AAA's housing estates have no size limit. For each housing estate, points are calculated as: Houses x Value. Number of Houses in a housing estate: Each card between 2 Fences is worth 1 House. Each Bis card is worth 1 to 4 Houses. (Example: A Bis card counts as 2 Houses). Value of each House: 1 point if there are no Real Estate Agent cards in the housing estate. 1 to 4 points if there are 1 or more Real Estate Agent cards in the housing estate. (Example: 2 points if there is at least 1 Real Estate card). The AAA does not get any penalty for Bis Cards and does not get any permit refusal. (Example: Estate 1: 2 Houses, so 2x1 = 2 points. Estate 3: 3 Houses, with at least 1 Real Estate card, so 3x2 = 6 points. Estate 4: 2 Houses and 1 Bis card which counts as 2 Houses, so 4 Houses in total with at least 1 Real Estate card, so 4x2 = 8 points. Estate 5: 1 House, so 1x1 = 1 point, which is not taken into account since only the top 5 Housing Estates are accounted for.) Plans: The AAA gets no point for the plans if they don’t validate the first 2 Completed Plan cards revealed, and the player ended the game before the 3rd Completed Plan card was revealed by validating all 3 plans. Dicas para Vencer You are racing the AAA to score the city plans. If you can complete them before their Completed Plan cards come up, you’ll score the higher points. When the first city plan is validated, by you or the AAA, you MUST re-shuffle your discard pile, combining it with the remaining construction deck. Keep this in mind for deck management. ## FAQ ### How many players can join? It’s a strictly solo mode, played by a single participant. ### What’s the typical playtime? Around 25 minutes per game, depending on your planning speed. ### Do I need the base game? Yes, this expansion requires the original Welcome To... board game. ### How complex is the solo mode? Light (weight 2/5), suitable for beginners and veterans looking for a quick play. ### What components are included? Full‑color rulebook, 5 AAA architect cards, and 3 completed AAA plan cards. ### Is any specific language required? No, the rules are provided in both Portuguese and English. ### Can I combine it with other expansions? Yes, it works with the base game and can be mixed with other expansions that don’t change core mechanics. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 7.94 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1533193&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/30068/welcome-to-solo-mode?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com