Solo

Set up and play against Li Si, the automated opponent in Zhanguo's solo mode.

Choose Li Si’s difficulty

The four Li Si cards set his action deck, turn order, ship position and starting soldiers. Li Si 1 is the introductory opponent; each later version is more challenging. Take the nine Action cards indicated on his card and shuffle them. Stack the two scoring cards as shown so the selected scoring lines remain visible.

Set up as a two-player game, with these changes: use only your own player board; give Li Si a second board and his Governors, Palaces, Walls, Terracotta Soldiers, score marker and ship; set aside his officials and Unrest markers. Place his turn-order marker in the position indicated by his Li Si card and yours in the other space.

Li Si’s rounds

At the start of each round, deal Li Si two cards from each Unification deck and shuffle them into his face-down Unification deck. You and Li Si alternate turns in the indicated order. On Li Si’s turn, reveal the next card of his Action deck and follow its action. When a card presents options, try them from top to bottom until one can be completed.

Li Si does not recruit officials or hire workers. His action cards place Unification cards, install Governors, build Palaces or Walls, or advance his ship. The numbered action cards are pictured on Cards & Components.

At the end of the round, Li Si attempts to take every Unification reward he can. He spends all tokens of a claimed colour, but receives no reward. He then unlocks soldiers if he can spend three tokens each, and his discard pile is shuffled back into his Action deck.

Score Li Si

Score Li Si alongside yourself, using the selected scoring card for his Governor majorities, ship progress and Walls. He scores Palace tiles normally. His Mausoleum soldiers and leftover soldiers use the usual scoring rules. You win only if your final score is higher than his.

The publisher’s English rulebook has the full Li Si action priorities and card diagrams.