Solo Zoo is a single-player mode for The Zoo Game designed to hone your zoo-building skills. Either you will beat the game or the game will beat you. Here’s how to play.
SET-UP
Remove the BIG ZOO PENALTY, BIG SET PENALTY and NATURAL CAUSES from the Event deck.
Lay out the Market as usual.
Deal a starting hand of seven Zoo cards and one P card.
HOW TO PLAY
On each turn, Act in phase 1, then Draw three Zoo cards in phase 2, plus one more for each full set in your zoo, up to the hand limit of seven.
Use the P deck to count off turns. At the beginning of each turn, transfer one P card face-down from P-deck 1 to P-deck 2. (Initially, only P-deck 1 exists. Transfer the first P-card at the at the end of your first turn.)
You automatically win every Event that is incurred. When awarded a P card, take one from the top of P-deck 1. When spending a Power card, place it at the bottom of P-deck 1. Never take from or add to P-deck 2 except to tick off each turn.
By the end of the final turn you must have all seven sets. The total Cost in your zoo gives your rank:
Slug: 35
Ant: 40
Squirrel: 45
Antelope: 50
Binturong: 55
Shark: 60
Whale: 65
Zookeeper: 70
Zoo Master: 75
Transcendental: 80
Levitation Expert: 85
God: 90
Fictional Entity of Omnipotence: 95
In Solo Zoo some powers and events behave differently due to the lack of other players:
POWERS
Reptile Power: Take your ugly animal from the Market.
Primate Power: Take the one card from the the Zoo deck.
Cat Power: Draw five cards, choose one, discard the rest.
EVENTS
Ferocious Zoo Bonus: Take any one animal from the Market.
To make Solo Zoo harder, try these options:
- Leave the penalty Events in the deck
- Default Draw of two cards
- Starting hand of five