Small Islands Solo Rules

Hey there! Are you ready to dive into the exciting world of Small Islands? Well, I’ve got you covered! In this guide, I’ll walk you through the solo rules for this awesome game. So, let’s get started!

When you’re playing Small Islands all by yourself, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. The first thing you need to do is set up the game. Gather all the components, like the game board, tiles, and cards, and make sure everything is in place. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to begin!

In Small Islands, your goal is to create the most amazing archipelago possible. You want to strategically place tiles on the board to score points and create a beautiful landscape. But here’s the twist – you’ll also have to deal with the weather! The weather cards will determine where you can place your tiles and add an extra layer of challenge to the game.

To start your solo adventure, shuffle the weather cards and draw one to determine the weather for each round. The weather will dictate the rules for tile placement, so pay close attention! Don’t worry, though – it’s all part of the fun.

Now it’s time to dive into the gameplay. On your turn, you’ll have three actions to take. You can either place a tile, move a tile, or activate a special action. Think carefully about your moves and how they will affect your overall strategy. Every decision counts!

As you progress through the game, keep an eye on your score. You’ll earn points by creating sets of tiles, connecting them to the shore, and fulfilling specific objectives. The higher your score, the better your archipelago will become!

But be careful – the game will end when you run out of tiles or when the weather deck is empty. So, make every move count and strive for the highest score possible!

Now that you know the solo rules for Small Islands, it’s time to embark on your own island-building adventure. Enjoy the challenge, embrace the weather, and create the most breathtaking archipelago of all time. Have fun, and may the islands be ever in your favor!

No Change, except for me who does not take any Objective Card.

Exploring the Unknown

During Your Turn:

Just play like you normally would in a game with multiple people, whether you’re exploring or settling on land. You can place either your Ship Tile or the Grey Ship Tiles.

When it’s My Turn

When it’s my turn, here’s what I do:

• I draw 1 Expedition Card. If there are no more cards in the stack, I shuffle them again to make a new stack.
• I do the action shown on the Expedition Card. It could be exploring or settling on land.
• After that, I discard the Expedition Card.

Alexis’ Card

When I’m playing this game, there are a few things I need to keep in mind. First, I have to choose the difficulty level, which tells me how easy or challenging the game will be. This is important because I want to make sure I’m picking a level that’s right for me.

Next, I have to consider how many Explore Cards and Land Cards I want to include in the Expedition Stack. The Explore Cards help me discover new places and uncover hidden treasures, while the Land Cards allow me to claim territory for my expeditions. The number of cards I choose will have a big impact on the gameplay, so I need to think about it carefully.

Another thing I have to keep track of is the number of Prestige Points I earn throughout the game. Prestige Points are like a score that show how well I’m doing. I can earn points in different ways, such as by completing expeditions or placing houses on the board. At the end of the game, all of my points are added up to determine my final score.

Expedition Card

When playing the game, you have two options for the type of card you can choose: Explore or Land.

Now, let’s talk about the actions available to you. As Alexis, you can choose between two actions:

• Action A: Land
• Action B: Explore

Next, you need to know where you can place your Tile. There are several possible locations:

And here’s your mission, Alexis: you must place 1 House on each island that has at least 2 Flowers.

The rules for placing Tiles for Alexis

When it comes to placing Tiles, you have some additional rules to keep in mind as Alexis:

• You need to place your Tile as close as possible to the Landscape or Ship Tile you placed in the previous turn.
• Your Tile must be on the same horizontal or vertical line as your previous Tile.

When I’m playing a game called Expedition Card, my first priority is to follow the directions indicated on the card. The game gives me three possible directions to choose from, so I start with direction 1. If that’s not possible, I move on to direction 2. And if neither of those work, I finally try direction 3. It’s important to follow these directions carefully to make sure I’m playing the game correctly.

In Expedition Card, there is a player named Alexis who also plays the game. Alexis has a rule where they won’t place a Landscape Tile if it would make an island that already has one of their colored house on it. So I have to keep that in mind when I’m making my moves.

When I’m deciding how to orient the tiles I place on the board, I have some flexibility. If there are multiple ways I can rotate the tile, I get to choose the orientation that works best for me. It’s nice to have that freedom to make the game suit my own preferences.

Explore

• Grab the Landscape Tile that the Expedition Card shows from the 3 Landscape Tiles you can see.
• Put the Landscape Tile in the spot that the Expedition Card shows.
• If there’s nowhere to put the Landscape Tile that the Expedition Card shows, take it out of the game.

I don’t put a Tile, but I get 1 Prestige Point.

If the Landscape Tile the Expedition Card shows isn’t among the 3 Landscape Tiles you can see, then we skip to the last Reward Phase, starting with me.

Land

The Land action is something you can only do when you have a Land Card. But here’s the thing: you can only do it if you’ve run out of moves on the Navigation Stack. Otherwise, you’re going to have to settle for action B, which is Explore.

• If there’s a Grey Ship Tile available, you can grab it. But if it’s the last one, you have to flip it over to the Grey Ship side.
• Once you have the Ship Tile, you need to put it in the spot that’s shown on the Expedition Card.
• If there’s no way to put the Ship Tile where it’s supposed to go, then you have no choice but to go with action B: Explore.

Reward

When I have to perform my Reward phase:

• I draw a new Expedition Card.
• I place my House on all the islands that fulfill the Mission indicated by the card, following the House Placement Rules (see page 6).
• If there are multiple islands or locations that are possible, I get to choose.
• I shuffle all the Expedition Cards to create a new Expedition Stack.

End of the Game

The ending conditions remain the same. I add up all the Prestige Points for myself:

• The Prestige Points I earned during the game.
• I get +1 Prestige Point for each Port located on the 8 Landscape Tiles around the Gray Ship Tiles.
• I also get the Prestige Points indicated on my Alexis Card.

Example: When it’s my turn, I put down the Landscape Tile A.

During his turn, Alexis does action A: Explore. He takes the 2nd Landscape Tile that’s face up. He can’t put it in direction 1.

In direction 2, he can’t place it next to my Tile, but he can put it a bit farther away. You can decide how the Tile is positioned.