An automa is a virtual player that can replace a real player. You can add one or two automas even to a game with multiple players in any of the available modes.
The automa simulates player behavior but does not replicate it completely. It is for the sake of simplification of automa management, as all actions performed by the automa will have to be carried out by one of the players. So when it is mentioned that the automa performs a certain action, it means that the proxy player who controls the automa, performs this action on its behalf.
During its turn, the automa performs the actions described on one of its cards:
During actions, the priority scale helps resolve ambiguities and provides answers to questions about where the automa's units move, where it builds structures, where it deploys recruited units, etc. However, if any ambiguous situations arise, the proxy player has the right to independently decide how to act in such cases
At the beginning of each round, shuffle the automa deck and lay out 4 + a cards in a row in front of its board, where a is the current age number, i.e., 5, 6, and 7 cards for ages I, II, and III respectively. Place the first three cards face up, and the rest face down. If the automa deck runs out, reshuffle the discard pile to prepare a new deck.
During its turn, the automa activates the first open card in the row that has not yet been activated, by placing an activation on it. Play the card's effects in any order:
After activating a card, immediately reveal the next card in this row, so that there are always exactly 3 inactive automa cards visible.
When it is the automa's turn to take a move and all cards in the row have been activated, the automa passes. Thus, the automa performs the same number of moves each round, and if it passes first, it becomes the first player.
If during its turn the automa fulfills the condition of an instant achievement, place its affiliation
on the corresponding card. The automa, like real players, considers the number of lightning symbols and cannot gain achievements described on different cards of the same color.
The automa starts with an empty board and does not manage resources during the development phase in the usual sense. The proxy player does not need to pay for construction, recruiting, and other actions, as the automa does this automatically behind the scenes. Instead, when the automa gathers resources or manufactures products, simply add them to its respective warehouses. Thus, it will gradually accumulate the surplus goods in its economy. The automa can use them during the achievement phase, and players will also refer to these resources when playing effects of technologies that reference another player's goods.
+1 +2
. Place 1 (2) action
on the mill and sawmill, and add the indicated resources to them.
+1 +2
. Place 1 (2) action
on the forge and meadery area, and add the indicated products to them.
When the automa sells / buys goods, it does not discard them from its board and does not receive coins for them, but it changes the market price as usual.
. Place 1 (2) action
on the market area. Increase the price of food by one division and decrease the price of weapons by one division.
The automa constructs the structures by simply placing them on the game board onto the priority hex.
+1 city. Before building a city, if the automa has undepleted military units, perform exploration of a province in the priority direction if possible. After that, determine the nearest priority hex, which, if possible, should be located in a province that the automa does not control. If necessary, move one undepleted peasant there, place the city token, and place 1 action on it.
If there are no peasants on the priority hex and no other peasant can reach this hex, determine the next priority and repeat the search. Continue the search for each of the four priorities until you find a suitable hex for construction.
+1 castle / 1 city. Similar to city construction, find the priority hex and build a castle on it. If this action occurs in the I Age, build a city instead of a castle.
+a buildings. Find the priority hex, which is the automa's city if possible, and place on it a number of buildings corresponding to the current Age number. Place 1 (or 2) action on this hex. If constructing such a number of buildings on the priority hex exceeds the construction limit, find another priority hex. If no hex meeting the conditions is found, build a number of buildings that does not exceed the construction limit.
+2 Wonder stages. Find the priority hex, which is the automa's city if possible, and place the base of the Wonder on it. Place 3 action on this hex. If the automa has already completed the first stage before this, flip the Wonder to the completed side. Gain the corresponding number of cards from the technology grid as described in the free action, gaining technology.
If the specified structure tokens have run out or it is impossible to find a place for construction, perform the alternative action listed in the line below.
Before recruiting military units, determine the priority hex adjacent to the automa's city / castle. If you are recruiting more than one military unit, place one of them in the automa's city / castle that does not yet have troops, and the rest of the units - on the priority hex.
+a swordsmen. Place a number of swordsmen on the priority hex, corresponding to the current Age number. Place 1 (2) action on the barracks area.
+1 catapult / 1 archer. Place 1 catapult on the priority hex. Place 1 (2) action on the siege workshop area. If this action occurs in the I Age, place 1 archer unit instead.
+c . Place a number of peasants on the priority hex, equal to the number of the automa's cities. Place 1 (2) action
on the city area.
If after recruiting the automa's military units, enemy objects are located within attack range or within one maneuver from the newly placed units, perform a maneuver and attack the nearest target in the priority direction.
If the specified type of unit tokens have run out or there is no space around the automa's cities / castles for placing new units, perform the alternative action listed in the line below.
+a . Research the number of technologies corresponding to the current Age number. Each time, take the technology that is first in the priority direction from the current automa's action
cell. If there are no technologies in the priority direction, proceed to the next priority direction.
If there is no automa's action on the technology grid yet, gain a technology card by using the first two priority numbers to determine the row and column. If the corresponding card is no longer available, or if it corresponds to a non-existent row, use the next pair of priority numbers. You have up to three attempts to find the required technology, as there are three consecutive pairs of numbers in the priority row. After taking the card, place 1 action
in the vacated cell.
The automa spreads religion from its religious community that is farthest from the capital in the priority direction.
+a . Spread the automa's religion to a number of provinces corresponding to the current Age number. Place the automa's religion tokens, and discard foreign tokens. On each automa's religion token, place 1 action
.
If the automa has faith cubes, discard them all.
If the automa does not control any religious community, perform the alternative action listed in the line below.
The automa does not manage coins, resources, or products in the usual sense; it does so behind the scenes in order to to simplify the life of the proxy player. However, every time the automa gains coins through a free action or event effects, add the corresponding number of coins to its treasury. Thus, they will be gradually accumulated, representing surplus funds in its economy. The automa can use these coins during the achievement phase, and players can also refer to these coins when playing event, technology, or nation effects.
+10 . Add 10 coins to the automa's treasury.
+. Increase the automa's Glory by 3 points.
While repairing, the automa attempts to repair all adversities of a specified type. Like a regular player, the automa performs a maneuver, moving peasants to the hex with adversities (or to the city to address malfunctioned technologies) and discards black cubes. However, no resources or coins have to be discarded from its player zone. If it is impossible to place a peasant on the required hex (for example, if there is no peasant there, others cannot reach it, or the hex already contains the maximum number of units and no peasant), then the automa overcomes a smaller number of adversities.
While suppressing, the automa attempts to eliminate all adversities of a specified type. It engages its undepleted military units, the number of which exceeds its adversities of the specified type by 2. After this, a battle is conducted as usual. If the automa has experience
, it adds 1
to the bag. Deplete the engaged army - thus, it can no longer suppress or attack in the current round.
Like a regular player, the automa gains for each discarded
black cube.
2 . The automa conducts two battles, for this:
If the automa does not find an opportunity to attack an enemy, it simply moves its army in the priority direction closer to enemy objects. If the automa can explore a province or pick up a relic, it does so.
During exploration, flip the province tile from left to right and place it in position. Rotate the province clockwise if it is necessary to satisfy the water connection rules to the first suitable position.
During the achievement phase, the automa ignores some steps entirely, while others are performed like for a regular player:
The automa, like real players, can achieve an instant victory by earning 4 on
instant achievements. The automa also achieves an instant victory if it reaches 100 Glory during the development phase.