a solo mode for Machi Koro, by John Kean

for 1 player, play time approximately 30 minutes

In this solo version of Machi Koro you play against card in the deck, then shuffle all of the Supply
an automated opponent, the Mechanical Mayor, cards together and place them face down in a
who uses a simplified rule set. draw pile to the left of the play area. Draw 11
cards from this pile and arrange them face up in
Other automated opponents are listed at the end of
a row of 5 cards to the right of the draw pile, and
these rules.
a row of 6 cards immediately below. This is the
market.
4. You will play first, before the Mayor.
Just as in the multi-player game, you win by The Mayor’s cards
constructing all four of your Landmarks first, before
the Mayor completes theirs. Area for Mayor’s Construction
red & purple cards pile

1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Set up the game for one player as usual. Take Draw
two face up Starting Establishments (Wheat pile
Field and Bakery), four face down Landmark The
cards (Train Station, Shopping Mall, Amusement market
Park, Radio Tower), and 3 coins. Place these
immediately in front of you.
12 11 10 9 8 7
2. Place one each of the Landmark cards face down
at the top of the play area for the Mayor. Your
starting
3. Ensure there are only 2 copies of each purple cards
 place it in a construction pile at the top of the
play area.
Your turn proceeds as normal, with three phases: If the card is red, however, set it to one side instead,
roll dice; earn income; and construction. and remember to check this when you roll the dice
During the construction phase you may choose to on your future turns.
buy any one of the eleven establishments currently If the card is purple, likewise set it to one side
displayed in the market. If you do buy one, slide the unless the Mayor already has an identical card, in
remaining cards clockwise to fill the gap, and turn which case place it in the construction pile as if it
over a new card to fill the gap next to the draw pile. were green or blue.
The Mayor modifies the normal rules slightly, but Once the Mayor has collected 5 cards in his
still follows the three phases of: roll dice; earn Construction pile, he immediately earns his Train
income; and construction. Station, placing that card face up on the
Roll dice. The Mayor starts off rolling only one die. construction pile and starting a new construction
However, once he constructs his Train Station he pile next turn. A further 5 cards earns him the
will always roll two dice. Shopping Mall, 5 more the Amusement Park, and a
further 5 ends the game as he constructs his Radio
Earn income. The Mayor cares not for cash and
Tower.
largely ignores it. However, you may still earn cash
from the bank if you have blue or red cards that Finally, fill the space in the market by shifting cards
match the Mayor’s dice roll. clockwise into the gap and then adding the top
card of the draw pile face up into the final space.
If the Mayor owns any purple cards, these may be
activated as normal. If you must pay him, place the
money into the bank. If he activates a Business
Complex then he will take your most valuable card, • If the Mayor rolls a 1, he takes a card from the
in terms of cost. If there is more than one most top of the draw pile.
valuable card then he will choose the one with the
highest activation value. In exchange, he will give • Whenever the Mayor owes you money (e.g. from
you the least valuable (and, if tied, the lowest a red card), take it directly from the bank.
activation value) card in his current construction • If you roll the value of a red card owned by the
pile. If his construction pile is empty then you get Mayor, pay the money to the bank instead.
no replacement.
• The special abilities on the Mayor’s constructed
Construction. Each turn, the Mayor earns one card Landmark cards should be applied as normal.
from the market, according to his dice roll. Number
the cards in the market from 1 (the top card of the
draw deck), clockwise to 12 (the card immediately
below the draw deck); these are labelled on the The game continues until either you or the Mayor
setup diagram overleaf. Take the card from the obtains all four of the Landmark cards, winning the
position corresponding to the Mayor’s dice roll and game.
 Comptroller Controller
Managing costs is the key to
Showing the number of cards needed in the
getting ahead against this
construction pile to earn each Landmark card, and
antagonistic accountant.
any other special rules.
6 – Shopping Mall
6 – Train Station
Mechanical Mayor
2 – Amusement Park
He may look like a man, but
6 – Radio Tower
deep inside he’s really just a
(Comptroller wins)
heartless machine.
On your construction phase
5 – Train Station
you pay the normal cost to
5 – Shopping Mall buy a card at a market position
5 – Amusement Park matching your dice (individual
or combined). The cost of other
5 – Radio Tower (Mayor wins) cards is increased by $1 for each
No special rules – play as step away from these positions.
described above.

Burger Master Burgomaster Copycat Bureaucrat

This clown is obsessed with growing his empire of If imitation is the sincerest form
fast-food outlets. of flattery, then this opponent
5 – Shopping Mall truly admires you.
5 – Train Station 4 – Train Station
5 – Amusement Park 4 – Amusement Park
5 – Radio Tower 6 – Shopping Mall
(Burgomaster wins) 6 – Radio Tower
At his construction phase, the (Bureaucrat wins)
Burgomaster will take all red The Copycat rolls the same number of dice as you
cards available in the market. did and takes the same card type (if available) as
If there are none, then he will you did on your last turn. If this is not possible, she
take the card determined by will follow the normal rules.
his roll, as normal.
Greedy Governor
This fat cat takes it all
without giving back.
4 – Train Station
4 – Amusement Park
6 – Shopping Mall
6 – Radio Tower
(Governor wins)
No cards are added to the
market until it is completely
empty. The Governor uses
his dice roll to count clockwise
around the available cards
(skipping the draw pile) to
determine which one to take.

Propaganda Panjandrum
This “influencer” broadcasts
misinformation to “cancel”
your plans.
4 – Radio Tower (see below)
4 – Train Station
6 – Amusement Park
6 – Shopping Mall
(Panjandrum wins) This unofficial solo mode was
Once his Radio Tower has been created by John Kean.
built: on his turn, the Panjandrum
Original game design by
fills the gap in the market with a
Masao Suganuma.
face down card from the draw pile,
which is not available for purchase Version 20211214.
by the player.