Flying Solo

“I don’t have people. I’m alone.”
   –Han Solo, Solo: A Star Wars Story

Chasing the stars can be a lonely existence for scoundrels across the galaxy. But even if you see no obstacles in your way, there are always competitors chasing your tail and trying to make a name for themselves. In the Outer Rim, safety is not guaranteed and danger lurks around every corner, and you never know who will betray you when you least expect it.

While Star Wars™: Outer Rim can see you battling up to three of your friends for fame and infamy, it can also be played in solo mode, letting you experience the wonders of the galaxy as you take on an opponent controlled by AI cards and goals. Can you overcome all obstacles and claim superiority at the edge of the galaxy?

Join us today as we take a look at solo play in Star Wars: Outer Rim, a board game of bounty hunters, mercenaries, and smugglers for 1-4 players!

One Last Job

While you can choose to explore the Outer Rim alone, that doesn’t mean you won’t have competition. During solo play, you control a character as normal and compete against one other character whose turns are dictated by a deck of AI cards.

These AI cards are the heart of solo play. During a solo game, you resolve your turn as normal, after which the AI Player will take a turn. To resolve the AI player’s turn, simply draw the top card of the AI deck and resolve it, starting at the top and proceeding downward. These cards give an exact rundown of what the AI player does every turn during the planning, action, and encounter step. Sometimes this will include multiple actions a phase, sometimes it will mean they only perform one action; every AI card is different. While many of the actions included on these cards fall within normal rules of the game, some AI cards will pack nasty surprises designed to always keep you on your toes. 

After you resolve the AI card, you move it to the bottom of the AI deck and take your turn as normal. Keep track of the AI player’s fame, credits, and cards as if it were a real player. For example, you must keep careful track of the AI player’s bounties and cargo cards.

The AI deck next to a non-player character's board will determine their actions throughout the game. At the start of every turn, simply draw a new card to discover the AI player's plans for the turn!

The AI player does not use abilities on cards except for abilities that increase the values of their ship or character—such as a grenade launcher that gives them additional combat value—and they do not complete personal or ship goals. This helps minimize complicated interactions as the AI player blazes their own path throughout the galaxy.

The AI player does use goal tokens to mark which planets it can deliver cargo to or complete jobs on. These tokens are used to determine where the AI will move on its turn, with the first goal token placed on the destination planet of their character's starting cargo or job during setup. Additional tokens will be placed on the board through AI cards, and will be removed as cargo is delivered or jobs are completed. When an AI player moves, they move in the direction of the nearest goal marker using their hyperdrive value. If the AI would end their movement at a navpoint but either of the two spaces they moved through before that navpoint is a planet, they stop on the planet instead. This ensures they will nearly always have an opportunity to buy from the market decks during their action phase if their AI card dictates it.

During the planning step, Lando's drawn AI card tells him to do the first action that applies. The first listed action would allow him to recover all damage if he is defeated, but since Lando is still standing, he ignores it. The next action tells him to move towards the closest goal, which definitely applies. Lando has some cargo to deliver on Ryloth, so he moves three spaces to end his planning step on the planet. He follows similar directions for the action and encounter step. Once his cargo is sucesfully delivered, the goal token is removed from the planet. 

Some AI cards allow the AI player to complete a job that it has. To do so, the AI player simply resolves the reward section of the job card. The AI player does not draw a databank card and does not perform any tests, and can deliver Illegal cargo without having to make a die roll. This is designed to keep the action flowing and allow the focus of the game to be on your own risks and decisions.

With these rules in mind, the AI player behaves similar to an actual player, allowing a solo adventurer to have some competition as they grow their legend in the Outer Rim. 

Watch Your Back

Whether you’re competing against your friends or going at it alone, you always have to watch your back in the Outer Rim. Who can you trust in your quest for fame and fortune? Do you have what it takes to survive at the edge of known space and become a living legend along the way? For more information on Star Wars: Outer Rim, check out a full playthrough with designer Corey Konieczka on our YouTube channel, and additional previews here! 

Conquer the edge of the galaxy in Star Wars: Outer Rim (SW06), available now for pre-order from your local retailer!