by Pierrot lunaire
I developed a simple but rather challenging solo variant against an AI player representing the town. It's a 2-player short game at its core. Maybe some of you would like to try it. I'm also interested in your feedback.
[HR]
The Capitalist – solo variant for Le HavreYou play against the town.Setup for the townThe town gets the components of a color of your choice, the
start token and
30 Francs (no wooden ship or resources).
General setupThe general setup is the same as the
2-player short game.
Additionally,
2 special buildings are selected randomly and placed face up next to the board. They don’t belong to the town but you can use and/or buy them.
A
6-sided dice is needed.
Course of the gameYou play a regular game of Le Havre. The town being you opponent, all start buildings and buildings that are built by the town at the end of a round are owned by your opponent and treated as such (they also score at the end of the game).
Whenever it’s the town’s turn, roll a dice to determine its action:
![1]()
Move town’s worker up 1.
![2]()
Town takes
wood or fish.
![3]()
Move town’s worker down 1
![4]()
Town takes
clay or Francs.
![5]()
Town takes
iron,
cattle or grain.
![6]()
Move town’s worker up 3.
“Move” actions (1-3-6):
When the town’s worker is placed for the first time, it goes to B1 (Building Firm) regardless whether a 1, 3 or 6 was rolled. The order of the buildings is determined by their number in the upper right corner starting with the three starter buildings (B1, B2, B3) and followed by the regular buildings (Market Place, 01, being the first). “Move town’s worker up 1” means moving it to the building with the next higher number in that order. “Move town’s worker up 3” means moving it 3 buildings upwards in that order. If that building is occupied, the town moves one additional spot in the same direction (up or down). If there isn’t any building left so that the movement cannot be made or completed, the worker moves as far as it can. The town’s worker
cannot be placed on a special building.
“Take” actions (2-4-5):
The town always takes the biggest pile of the 2 or 3 resources to choose from. If it is a tie, it takes the highlighted resource (wood, clay or iron/cattle, iron being first priority, cattle second). If that resource spot is empty, the town doesn’t take anything.
Special interactions:
The town always pays in Francs but it can receive all kinds of resources. At any time, the town can change its resources into Francs (value printed on the corner of the resource chits).
If the town places its worker on one of your buildings, it will pay you in Francs.
If you place your worker on one of the town’s building, you must give the entry fee (either Francs or food) to the town – NOT to the supply!
If you
sell a building, it becomes neutral (like the special buildings) and you take the money from the supply. You can buy it back on a later turn. If that building is occupied by the town, the worker leaves the building as normal.
You cannot buy a building owned by the town.
If you
take a loan, the money is taken from the supply and interests are payed back to the supply.
The town does not feed its workers at the end of a round. Nor does the town buy or sell buildings, perform building actions or perform the final action.
End of the gameAt the end of the game, the town
changes all its resources into Francs (to their actual value). If you have more victory points than the town, you win the game.
Move town’s worker up 1. 
Town takes wood or fish.
Move town’s worker down 1
Town takes clay or Francs.
Town takes iron, cattle or grain.
Move town’s worker up 3.
