For his Crowdfunding Preview to An Age Contrived in early 2023 Sven can't play solo mode yet. However, the basic concept was already known and raised high expectations for the solo mode, which Sven has tentatively described as "promising." After enjoying the prototype tests so much, I finally got the game and was curious to see if the solo mode would be as appealing as the magnetic monuments in the multiplayer game.
With David Digby, Chris from Bellows Intent has brought on board a well-known artist to develop the solo mode. In addition to various collaborations with David Turczi (including Puerto Rico, Undaunted), he has also developed many of his own solo versions (e.g., Chocolate Factory, Concordia, Distilled). An Age Contrived Another expert Eurogame has been added to this list.
The bot receives a special solo board, the energy and miniature of its color, and one of the two solo character cards of the corresponding color. The character card grants the bot a special ability and, above all, defines "top" and "bottom" elements (monuments, energy types, and movement types) that are important for various decisions made by the bot. In addition to a basic deck of action cards, there are additional, more powerful action cards beneath all enhanced action tiles and each stack of conduit markers. There is also a supply from which the bot receives new action cards when it purchases conversion tiles.
Classic concept
The game largely plays out as usual for two players. The bot takes on the role of the second player and reveals an action card each turn.
Like the human player, the bot must first decide which action to perform. The action card at the top specifies a condition for this. Depending on whether this condition is met or not, the bot then performs an advance or action move.
When advancing, the arrows in the corresponding row indicate how much energy goes into the deployment or action pool. If the bot's channel marker is charged, it uses it. If the action pool is empty, the bot always performs an advance move. The preferences for which type of energy goes into which pool are exactly opposite. Joker energy and the higher energy types should be used primarily; for actions, the lower energy types should be used primarily.
During an action turn, the bot performs as many actions as possible. The action card specifies which actions are performed. For each action, it spends one energy from its action pool. The bot performs the same actions as the human players, but follows its own rules.
When placing (or repositioning), the action card specifies the preferences for the different locations (energy pool, achievements, monuments).
Movements with the miniature or on the two tracks are performed normally. Purchasing conversion tiles also differs little from the normal rules. The bot attempts to purchase as many tiles as possible. It can qualify for achievements based on the movement symbols on the purchased tiles. Since the bot does not use a conversion board, the purchased tiles are simply discarded. The bot receives another action card instead.
The bot places its bridges in reverse order, so it always has the opportunity to score its III bridge at the end of the game. However, it does not activate bridges. Instead, when crossing bridges and completing monuments, it receives the bonus shown by the bonus wheel on the active action card. This grants it new energy, line or action tiles with new action cards, movement points, or qualifies for achievements.
The game ends as usual after the completion of the last monument section. The scoring remains unchanged. Only the bot's III bridge is scored as if it were located on the best bridge space for the bot.
It's worth the effort
Of course, a solo mode can only be as good as the game itself. Would I An Age Contrived If we were to rate it according to our classic criteria, it would receive an 8.8 out of 10. So, the solo mode certainly has a good foundation. But it still has to be convincing in its own right – and that's exactly what it does here.
An Age Contrived has a significant barrier to entry. The bot is no exception, and with its many facets, it's truly challenging to manage, especially in the first game. While all the small building blocks, such as the different preferences for various actions, are a lot to learn at first, if you go a step further and apply the logic you often apply as a player to the bot, all the different rules make sense. This way, the second game runs much more smoothly, and you're really playing together.
As with the main rulebook, the extremely clear ruleset deserves special mention. Here, you'll find an answer to every question. It's very clearly laid out, clearly structured, and, above all, no information is missing. The icons used by the bot are all familiar from the main rulebook. They've also been logically transferred and can be quickly read through in their modified form for the bot.
At its base difficulty, the bot is a pleasant opponent. While it's present, it's still easily beatable if you're familiar with the different point sources. The choice of the III bridge seemed a bit odd to me, as the bot always chooses the side that either gives between 10 and 12 points or no points. In previous games, it has never been able to score points on it, as the conditions for the bridge didn't mesh well with its other preferences.
Those familiar with the game can easily start with the bot on medium difficulty. If that's still not enough for you, there's another level available.
As an opponent, the bot captures the two-player game very well. It acts neither randomly nor without influence, and easily carries the racing element to complete the monuments. You never get the feeling that the bot is playing "unfairly," but rather you see it performing similar combo moves to those performed by human players. The separate energy pool also allows you to see and influence where the bot can use its energy, regardless of your preferences for the next turn.
In conclusion, the bot fits the game perfectly and retains the important core elements of the multiplayer mechanics. Those familiar with other bots from expert games (e.g., Bitoku, Anachrony, SETI) won't have much trouble here either and can venture into the magnificent world of Eldranir solo. In my opinion, this is one of the best bots for one of the best expert games.
About An Age Contrived
| Number of players: 1 – 5 Age: from 12 years Playing time: 90 - 120 minutes Difficulty: Expert game Classification: Eurogame Author: Chris Matthew Solo Mode: David Digby Illustrations: Serena Malyon Publisher: Bellows Intent, German edition Skellig Games Official Website: Link |
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
KOSMOS 684945 Nocturne The Magic of the Night, board game with...* |
34,66 EUR |
* = Affiliate link/advertisementAs an Amazon Associate, we earn money from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through one of the links, we receive a portion of the purchase price as commission. This doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps support our website. Last updated on September 17.05.2025, XNUMX / Affiliate links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. Images from Amazon PA API.
