La Granja Automa

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AUTOMA

1. INTRODUCTION
This solitaire version of La Granja was inspired by the Automa concept developed by Morten
Monrad Pedersen for solo play. It was designed to give the overall feel of a two-player game while
abstracting the actions of the artificial opponent. Three difficulty levels are proposed: easy (E),
standard (S) and hard (H).

2. GAME SETUP
The game is set up for two players, except that the Automa player does not need a board. The
Automa player starts with 1 victory point and 1 coin, and its 4 donkey markers are placed face
down. Put a set of player markers aside for the Automa player.
Draw one of the turn order markers '1' and '2' to determine the starting player. Set up player markers
on the central market and the siesta track, as usual.
A set of 6 additional colored dice (not provided in the game) is needed to monitor craft buildings.
As per normal rules, roll three dice to determine where building order markers are placed. Then
randomly assign three colored dice to the remaining (unblocked) buildings, showing numbers 1 to 3
(you can place them on the die spaces printed on the board).
A deck of 18 Automa cards is needed to track actions of the Automa player. This deck is composed
of 6 cards for Turns 1-2, 6 cards for Turns 3-4, and 6 cards for Turns 5-6. Shuffle each deck
separately and stack them face down with cards for Turns 1-2 on top, followed by cards for Turns 3-
4 and finally cards for Turns 5-6.

3. GAME PLAY
The game is played over 6 turns using the same phases as described in the original La Granja
ruleset. Modifications for the Automa player are described below.

3.1 Automa player's space


Victory points are tracked throughout the game. Roof and craft building markers are kept in the
Automa player's space, with the following adjustments:
Markers providing victory points, coins, siesta steps or deliveries are used as usual.
Markers producing ressources generate money by immediately selling those ressources (4
coins for trade commodities, 3 coins for pigs, etc). When there is a choice, always convert to
the highest amount possible.
Immediate and permanent effects of craft buildings are maintained during the game.

3.1 Farm Phase


Play steps 1-3 in your farm using standard rules. Before step 4, draw the top Automa card and give
the income shown on the card ( ) to the Automa player. Craft building markers also produce
income at this stage, if applicable.
If the Automa player has enough money, a roof card is purchased for the normal cost. If the Automa
player is first in turn order or you declined a purchase as first player, use the number next to the
picture on the card; otherwise, the Automa player purchases the remaining roof marker. The
marker is converted immediately into money or victory point, when applicable. Markers showing
siesta steps or donkeys are used in the transportation phase, at the earliest opportunity (which can be
in a future turn).

3.2 Revenue Phase


Roll 5 dice and place them on the board. If the Automa player goes first, draw a new Automa card
now; otherwise, pick a die first and then draw the Automa card. The second portion of the card is
relevant to this phase and indicates the two dice discarded by the Automa player. To play this phase,
it is recommended to place the five dice directly on the revenue spaces and move any selected die
(by you or the Automa player) to the left of the corresponding space, so all five dice are always
visible on the board. Dice are numbered 1 to 5 from top to bottom, irrespective of where they were
located. If several dice occupy the same space, number them sequentially (the actual choice is
irrelevant). When it is the Automa player's turn, discard a die corresponding to the first or second
number on the card that was drawn. If the die was already used, i.e. sits to the left of the revenue
space, take the next available (if you reach #5, go back to #1).
Note: in this phase, dice are discarded to simulate player interaction but you should not keep track
of actual benefits for the Automa player, including money.

3.3 Transportation Phase


Steps 1-2
Select your donkey marker first and then draw one at random for the Automa player. On the fourth
turn, shuffle all 4 markers of the Automa player and put them face down before drawing one.
Reveal a new Automa card and use the third part in this phase. Move markers on the siesta track in
current turn order. The Automa player moves up a number of spaces using the Donkey marker, the
relevant roof/craft buiding markers that it owns, and the number of on the Automa card. When
done, determine the new turn order.

Steps 3-4
The total number of deliveries supplied by the Automa player is determined by the Donkey marker,
the relevant roof/craft buiding markers that it owns, and the number of on the card. The latter is
intended to represent extra purchased deliveries and thus should be paid accordingly by the Automa
player. This implies that it will supply as many extra deliveries as money in its bank allows.
The Automa card is used to determine where deliveries are sent, either to craft buildings ( ) or
market barrows ( ). If one was not completely supplied on the previous turn, the Automa player
will attempt to complete it first. Then if deliveries can still be carried out, the Automa player
attempts to fulfill the demand indicated on the card; if not, ignore the demand. Extra deliveries that
remain after completing the demand on the card are ignored.

Deliveries to craft buildings


To supply a new craft building, roll a die and send deliveries to the building with the colored die
matching the number. Re-roll as necessary until the number matches a building on the board. If the
number corresponds to a craft building that was previously supplied by the Automa player, select
the next available in clockwise order. For each delivery, take a player marker and put it on the first
available symbol in the row corresponding to the Automa player. If the Automa player fully supplies
the craft, victory points are gained as usual. If this unlocks a new building, place a new colored die
on the corresponding building space. Thus, the first unlocked building will be assigned die #4, the
next #5, and the last #6.

Deliveries to market barrows


To supply a new market barrow, draw the top card of the Farm deck. For each delivery, take one
marker and put it on the first available symbol on the card. If the Automa player fully supplies the
market barrow, score victory points as usual and sell the trade commodity for 4 coins. Place the
Automa player's marker on the market space where it can remove the most of your markers. If such
a space is not unique or if the Automa player cannot remove any of your markers, choose any
market space whose number matches the victory point number on the market barrow that was
supplied.

Note: As indicated above, victory points from craft building markers are scored normally in the
Revenue or Transportation phases. Score 1 point for the immediate effect of the Butcher.

3.4 Scoring Phase


This phase is conducted as described in the standard rules. After the last turn, also convert
remaining money from the Automa player into victory points (5:1 ratio).
E S H E S H E S H

Buy #1 Buy #2 Buy #1

Discard #1-4 Discard #5-3 Discard #2-4

E S H E S H E S H

E S H E S H E S H

Buy #2 Buy #1 Buy #2

Discard #3-2 Discard #4-5 Discard #2-1

E S H E S H E S H
AUTOMA AUTOMA AUTOMA
TURN 1-2 TURN 1-2 TURN 1-2

AUTOMA AUTOMA AUTOMA


TURN 1-2 TURN 1-2 TURN 1-2
E S H E S H E S H

Buy #1 Buy #2 Buy #1

Discard #1-3 Discard #1-5 Discard #5-2

E S H E S H E S H

E S H E S H E S H

Buy #2 Buy #1 Buy #2

Discard #1-2 Discard #2-3 Discard #4-3

E S H E S H E S H
AUTOMA AUTOMA
AUTOMA AUTOMA
TURN 3-4 TURN
TURN 3-4
1-2 TURN 3-4

AUTOMA AUTOMA
AUTOMA AUTOMA
TURN 3-4 TURN
TURN 3-4
1-2 TURN 3-4
E S H E S H E S H

Buy #1 Buy #2 Buy #1

Discard #2-5 Discard #4-1 Discard #3-5

E S H E S H E S H

E S H E S H E S H

Buy #2 Buy #1 Buy #2

Discard #3-1 Discard #3-4 Discard #5-4

E S H E S H E S H
AUTOMA AUTOMA
AUTOMA AUTOMA
TURN 5-6 TURN
TURN 5-6
1-2 TURN 5-6

AUTOMA AUTOMA
AUTOMA AUTOMA
TURN 5-6 TURN
TURN 5-6
1-2 TURN 5-6

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