The White Castle · Board game rules
How does the Solitaire variant work in the game?
Quick answer
In Solitaire mode, a solo player faces an AI rival; the rival’s actions are determined by a Solitaire deck, and the player competes to achieve higher Clan Points.
Details
The Solitaire variant (Page 16) simulates a rival clan using a deck of cards to dictate their actions. Here’s how it works:
Setup (Page 16)
- Set up as a 2-player game, but do not choose Starting Resource/Action cards—shuffle decks and draw randomly.
- The rival’s difficulty (Easy/Medium/Hard) determines their starting Clan Points, Heron position, and Passage of Time progress (e.g., Hard starts with 8 CP and 3 on the track).
- The Solitaire deck is shuffled and placed face-up.
Gameplay (Page 17)
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Rival’s Turn:
- Draw cards from the Solitaire deck until a valid die (matching color/position on the Bridge) is found.
- Move the die to the specified space. If occupied, place it in the Well.
- Resolve coin gains/losses based on die value differences (rival never pays for actions or placements).
- Perform actions listed on the revealed cards (top 1-2 cards). If an action cannot be done, the rival gains Clan Points equal to the current round number.
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Rival Behavior:
- The rival never spends Resources or activates actions to place dice/clan members.
- They only gain coins (not Resources) and ignore color restrictions for room placements.
End of Round (Page 17)
- After updating turn order:
- If the rival is first in turn order, they convert coins to Clan Points (3 coins = round number points).
- If second, 5 coins = round number points.
- For each activated Gardener (in rounds 1-2), they gain points equal to the round number.
- Shuffle the Solitaire deck.
Final Scoring (Page 18)
- The rival scores Clan Points like a normal player (Castle members, Training Yards, Gardens) but does not score remaining Resources or coins (already converted during rounds).
Watch out: The rival’s actions are entirely card-driven, so their moves may seem unpredictable. Always resolve their actions before the player’s turn in each round.