FORUM TRAJANUM

SoloPlay Rules
Original game design Stefan Feld (2019, Stronghold Games)
Additional rules 2020 SoloPlayTM (BGG User: GameRulesforOne)

Introduction: The competition has walked out frustrated by the perceived abuse of the emperor.
Never before have the artisan populous revolted in this fashion. It is now up to you to meet the needs
of the electorate while threatening the walkers with your highly skilled work. If you can gain the favor
of the emperor, your standing will rise and become the envy of all architects. With this solo challenge
you can play with 3 different game modes based on your skill level with the game.
Goal: Reach a scoring goal after 3 rounds (12 turns) have been completed.
Setup: (the level of play can be adjusted as noted in the setup)
1) Place the game board in the center of your play area
2) Retrieve one player board. You can play on either side.
3) Retrieve all your components of a single color
a) Setup your player board using the normal rules (randomly choose a female tile as a
starting citizen and populate your board)
b) Place your scoring marker on the zero space
c) Place the forum markers next to each forum track
d) Place the slider in the leftmost position
4) Retrieve all male tiles for another color, mix and place next to the game board (other color
tile supply)
5) Shuffle the Trajan cards and draw one card for each cycle (I, II and III). Place these in the
noted spaces on/next to the board.
a) Setup Note: If the cycle III Trajan card with the forum marker next to Trajan column
goal, you may make the following adjustment based on the level of the game that you
chose to play:
i) Easy: Advance one forum marker 2 spaces forward (do not collect the rewards)
ii) Normal: Advance one forum marker 1 space forward (do not collect reward)
iii) Expert: No advancement
6) Shuffle the street cards and separate into 3 stacks of 8 cards.
7) Setup the building tiles:
a) Double tiles:
i) Retrieve 4 of each color; place the remaining tiles back into the box
ii) Shuffle the tiles (double color up) and place one tile on each space from left to right
(1) Balancing Tile Display: If a tile of a color is already placed, flip the tile to the
opposite side (gray/color). If a tile placed before is gray/color then place on the
two color side. This means you always alternate the tiles sides for like colors.
iii) Place the remaining 8 tiles next to the board
b) Single tiles:
i) Retrieve 6 of each color; place the remaining tiles back into the box
ii) Shuffle the tiles (color side up) and split into 2 equal stacks next to each single
space row. The tiles next to each row will fill only its row.
(1) Going left to right, top to bottom, place one tile on each space
(a) Balancing Tile Display: If a tile of a color has already been placed flip the
tile to the forum side. If there are an equal number of each side of a color
tile placed, you can choose which side to be placed up with the next

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 duplicate. If another is placed it must make the presentation even for the
color.
(i) Example: You flip blue, green, red, green (left 4 spaces) and red, yellow,
green and blue. You should have blue, green, red and column (green
already shown) in the left 4 tile grouping. For the right, flip red to
Basilica, yellow, choose green or column (since there is already one of
each present) and flip blue to the library as a blue is already present.
8) You can choose whether to play with the column fragments or not. The rules for each
cycle scoring still apply. After a while you may find the components are unnecessary
9) Retrieve the workers based on your chosen level of play: create a common pool for these
next to the game board (active group)
a) Easy: Retrieve 5 of each color (includes assistants, builders and tribunes)
b) Normal: Retrieve 4 of each color
c) Expert: Retrieve 3 of each color
i) Take one assistant (brown), builder (gray) and tribune (white) into your supply from
the active group
ii) Starting Worker?
(1) Easy: Choose one random color worker
(2) Normal/Expert: You do not start with a color worker
10) Retrieve the coins and take one to your supply
11) Randomly draw 2 mosaic boards and randomly choose the orientation and side and place
them into the 2 leftmost positions of the forum square.
12) Setup is complete.
SoloPlay Mechanisms:
1) Worker Pools (active/used): (includes assistants, builder and tribunes)
a) As you use a worker for any reason, move the worker to the used group
b) If there is not a worker(s) of the color needed in the active supply, you do not gain a
worker of this color
c) Once you have used all workers of one color (all in the used supply), immediately move
all workers of the color to the active supply.
i) Note: It is possible, to use a white (tribune) worker to then immediately move all
white (tribune) workers back to the active supply to then gain a white (tribune)
worker.
2) Mosaic Area:
a) After your first envoy, you must place orthogonally adjacent to one already in the
mosaic unless the citizen is active that changes this rule. (top row, still must place
orthogonally adjacent to an existing envoy)
i) If unable to place adjacent due to a tile build, you will not place an envoy
3) Building Areas: (8 of each tile size on the game board are available each turn)
a) The left 4 tiles in the one and two size sections do not require an additional cost to
build. When building move the worker(s) required to the used group
b) To build one of the 4 right tiles in each section you must pay, an additional worker of
any type (move to the used group) or 1 coin or 1 VP (you must have scored points to
choose this option) in addition to the normal cost. Move workers used to built the tile
to the used group.
c) After building tiles have been taken, slide the tiles in the row to the left and refill from
the right side placing/flipping the tile as needed. See setup for tile considerations.
d) At the end of each cycle, the 2 tiles in the 2 leftmost positions are removed from the
game

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4) Additional end/in-game scoring:
a) In-Game:
i) Score 1 point when you have placed 4 envoys in a single mosaic horizontal row
ii) Score 4 points when you have placed 6 envoys in a single mosaic vertical column
iii) Score completed mosaic grouping: (in addition to the normal reward)
(1) 2 space grouping: No points
(2) 3 space grouping: Score 1 point
(3) 4 space grouping: Score 2 points
(4) 5 space grouping: Score 4 points
(5) 6 space grouping: Score 7 points
(6) 7+ grouping: Score 7 points + 5 points for every one after the 6th
b) Lose 1 point for each tile that you cannot pull during the tile selection phase. You can
use white (tribune) workers to permit a selection and not lose a point.
c) End Game:
i) Score 1 point for each coin left in your supply that was not used for scoring a cycle
III Trajan card
ii) Score 1 point for each 2 worker/ship storage envoys not used for scoring a cycle III
Trajan card
Game Play Brief: (normal game rules)
1) Flip 2 street cards
2) Decide which 2 tiles to remove from your board
3) Choose one tile to keep and set the other out of play
4) Choose a random male tile from the other color tiles supply
5) Choose one tile to use (or both if using 2 white (tribune) workers)
6) Move the tile not chosen (if your color) to the ship storage space, otherwise out of play
7) You may perform a build action moving the worker(s) spent to the used group possibly
placing an envoy
8) After 4 selection/building turns perform scoring using normal rules
9) At the end of the 3rd scoring, end the game and rate your play
How to Play:
1) Selection Phase: Flip 2 street cards (normal rules) and remove tiles from your board
matching the streets shown flipping them faceup when taken
a) You may use a white (tribune) worker to redirect the street option. Move the worker to
the used pile.
b) If you are unable to select 2 tiles, lose 1 VP for each one not picked up
c) Decide which of the 2 tiles to keep, placing the other tile out of play
d) Draw a random tile from the other color tiles group
e) Choose which tile to use. You may move 2 white (tribune) workers to the used group
to use both tiles.
i) If you chose only the other color tile to keep, move your color tile to the shipping
storage area to be placed as an envoy during a future building phase (normal rules).
f) Resolve the results of the tile(s)
i) Restriction: If there are no workers of the needed colors in the active supply, you
do not get the indicated worker(s). This includes the forum bonuses.
(1) Note: At any time if all workers of a color are in the used group (you have none
and there are none in the active supply), immediately move all workers of that
color to the active supply

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2) Building Phase: Optionally, perform a building action, if able
a) Building from a left grouping (1 or 2 size) requires the discard of the matching workers
moving them to the used group (normal rules)
b) Building from the right grouping (1 or 2 size) costs one more worker of any type or 1
coin or 1 VP in addition to the matching workers moving them to the used pile
i) After putting the building on your board, you may place 1 (1 color tile) or 2 (2 color
tile) envoys on the mosaic board that match the tile built.
(1) Restriction: You may only place an envoy orthogonally next to an existing
envoy (after the first) unless you have an active citizen that permits open
placement (top row citizen). If you have no envoys to place or are unable to
meet placement rules, no envoys are placed
3) Repeat the selection and building phases 3 more times (4 in total)
4) Perform the end of cycle scoring using the normal rules
a) Transition into the new cycle using normal rules
i) Additionally, remove the 2 leftmost building tiles in the 1 and 2 tile building
sections. Refill each section with tiles from their respective stacks, if able.
5) After 2 more cycles are completed and scored, end the game and determine your victory
rating, if applicable.
a) Reminder: Include end game bonus scoring for coins, workers are shipping storage as
mentioned above.
Determine Your Victory Rating: (compare your score to your opponent)
1) <70: Game Loss
2) 70-75: Novice Victory
3) 76-81: Student Victory
4) 82-87: Apprentice Victory
5) 88-93: Journeyman Victory
6) 94-99: Master Victory
7) 100+: Artisan Victory (Perfect Game)
Strategy Session:
1) The worker supply, available buildings and the mosaic placement restrictions drive this
variant. For the most part everything else is played just like the normal multi-player
rules. The planning and feel is very much like the normal game.
a) Managing your worker supply to ensure that you can always get all the workers that
you earned can be very important but is not always necessary.
2) Take note of the additional scoring opportunities. These can be the difference in gaining a
higher victory level.
3) There are times that you might need to get a tile from the right side of the building display
to meet a goal. This is why having extra workers as fodder can be more efficient than
losing a coin or a point.
Game Board Schematic

Right Side Tiles:

Left Side Tiles: Must discard one
No additional additional worker
cost to build or pay 1 coin or
lose 1 point

Single and double tile rows must be balanced between sides of each color tile

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