The solo mode is played over a series of five rounds played similarly to the multiplayer game, with a few key differences. Rather than competing against rival book collectors, you'll be attempting to have your librarian license approved.
To do so, you'll need to exceed the score of the public library, which is represented by the entire discard pile.
Setup
1 Place the town board in the center of the table with the Official Librarian License Application S-42a nearby.
2 Gather the 10 location tiles with the solo compatible icon underneath the number. Leave the 8 incompatible location tiles in the box; they are not used in solo games. Shuffle the solo compatible location tiles, then deal 6 onto the bottom section of the town board (they will overhang slightly). Place the remaining 4 tiles in a face-down stack nearby.
3 Gather the 7 library tiles with the solo compatible icon to the right of the assistant spaces. Leave the 5 incompatible library tiles in the box; they are not used in solo games. Shuffle the solo compatible library tiles, then draw 2. Choose I of these 2, then return all others to the box.
4 Take the special assistant that matches your library and three standard assistants in the color of your choice.
5 Shuffle the category cards and place I face up on the Prominent Works space on the town board and I face up on the Banned Books space. Additionally, deal I face down to the Public Library Focus space of the Official Librarian License Application S-42a without looking at it.
6 Deal I of the remaining category cards to yourself for your library's focus. Place the 2 remaining category cards face down on the top space of the Official Librarian License Application S-42a without looking at them.
7 Shuffle the book cards thoroughly, then draw 6 to form your starting hand. Place the remaining book cards in two roughly equal stacks near the board. These will be the deck.
Example Of Solo Mode Setup
Turn Overview
The solo mode consists of the same four phases as the multiplayer game, but with slight adjustments to each:
- The Preparation Phase
- The Placement Phase
- The Resolution Phase
- The Cleanup Phase
I. The Preparation Phase
Unlike the multiplayer game, new location tiles are not revealed during the Preparation Phase. Instead you will discard a number of book cards from the deck each round.
The number you must discard is determined by the difficulty level you choose to play. We recommend starting with the beginner level until you are familiar with the differences in game play.
| Difficulty level | Number of cards discarded each round |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 1 |
| Easy | 2 |
| Challenging | 3 |
| Difficult | 4 |
| Very Difficult | 5 |
| Nigh Impossible | 6 |
| Impossible | 7 |
You may examine book cards as they are discarded, but you may not look through the discard pile otherwise. Only the top card of the discard pile should be visible.
Next, follow the preparation instructions on each of the face- up location tiles in the same way as the multiplayer game.
Note: At the beginning of the 2nd and 4th rounds, prior to discarding book cards, reveal one of the category cards from the top space of the Official Librarian License Application S-42a, then return it to the box. This will help you narrow down what the public library's focus might be.
II. The Placement Phase
The Placement Phase works in the same way as the multiplayer game, except only one of your assistants may be present on a location tile at any given time.
III. The Resolution Phase
When you have placed all four of your assistants, cariy out the steps of the Resolution Phase in the same way as the multiplayer game.
IV. The Cleanup Phase
After all locations have been resolved, you must now choose two location tiles to eliminate from the game. Return the eliminated tiles to the box, then draw a new location tile from the face-down stack to add to the town board. Thus each round will be played with one less location:
At the end of the fifth round, when all the location tiles have been eliminated, the solo game ends. Cross your fingers and continue to Game End & Scoring.
End of the Game
First, you must discard all cards remaining in your hand. Next, spread the discard pile out into several columns so that you can see and easily count all the category icons on each card. You will now use the Official Librarian License Application S-42a to calculate your score.
Note: Remember, the public library is represented by the entire discard pile. Spread all the cards in the discard pile out in such a way that you can see all the category icons.
Alphabetical Order Check
Check your bookshelf for alphabetical order as normal. The public library does not check for alphabetical order. (The public expects it to be a mess).
Categorical Tally
Next, for each category, record the total number of matching individual books in both your bookshelf and the public library.
Survey Shelf Stability Bonus
Survey your shelf stability as normal. The public library does not survey shelf stability. (Years of neglect have resulted in piles of books everywhere in lieu of shelves).
Bestow Prominent Works Award
Circle the row in the categorical tally section that matches the category card dealt to the Prominent Works space on the town board. If you have the higher number in this row, you are awarded 15 points. If the public library has the higher number in this row, they are awarded the 15 points instead. There is no second place award in the solo game. The public library wins all ties.
Assign Banned Books Penalties
Draw a zig-zag line around the row in the categorical tally section that matches the category card dealt to the Banned Books space on the town board. Assign yourself a -1 point penalty for every banned book in your bookshelf, then do the same for the public library.
Assess Categorical Variety Bonuses
Find the category you have the fewest books of, ignoring Banned Books, and multiply that number of books by 3 points to determine your variety bonus. Do the same for the public library.
Reveal & Score Library Focuses
Score 2 points for every book in your bookshelf matching your library's focus, then reveal the public library's focus and do the same for the public library.
Total Individual "section B" Scores
Finally, add up all the figures in section B. If your score exceeds the public library's score, you win! If there is a tie, or if your score does not exceed the public library's score, you lose.
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