Solitaire Spellfire, Patience Variant

This past April, I considered what we might be able to create if we gave CCGs a traditional Patience makeover. In that post, I threatened to do just that with Spellfire.

Today, I follow through on that threat.

SOLITAIRE SPELLFIRE, PATIENCE VARIANT

Objective

Clear the paths to the six realms by recruiting friendly champions, defeating opposing champions, and surviving dire events along the way.

The Deck (55 cards)

12 Champions

10 Realms

10 Round 4 cards (Wizard Spells, Cleric Spells, Unarmed Combat Cards, Psionic Powers, Blood Abilities, or Thief Skills)

5 Events

5 Allies

5 Magic Items

3 Holdings

3 Artifacts

2 Rules

Set Up

Designate 6 champions to be friendly champions that will fight for you, the solo player, and designate the other 6 champions to be opposing champions that will be your enemies. Each group of 6 champions should total 40-45 levels.

Choose one friendly champion as the starting champion and set it aside. Shuffle the rest of the deck together. Deal out all of the cards in six columns of nine face-down cards each. This is your tableau. The starting friendly champion is placed face-up in the area beneath the columns now known as "the pool." Turn the first card of each column face up.

Maneuvering the Columns

Primary Rule: Face-up cards must be removed from a column before the next card of the column is turned face up, except in the case of combat (see below).

When the face-up card is a realm, move it to the top of the column. If there is already a realm in that spot, move it to the top of next closest available column to the right, rotating to the beginning of the tableau if all columns to the right already have a realm. If all six columns have a realm in place, discard the realm.

When the face-up card is a holding, attach it to the realm at the top of the column if legal. If there is no available legal realm at the top of the column, attach it to the next closest legal realm to the right, rotating to the beginning of the tableau if all columns to the right will not permit the holding's attachment. If there are no legal realms in play, discard the holding.

When the face-up card is a rule, put it in play to the left of the tableau. Its effect begins immediately. It is only removed when another rule is played or if another card's special power discards it.

When the face-up card is an event, resolve it immediately targeting all appropriate face-up cards. If the event's special power allows its effect to last for a duration of time, i.e. "until your next turn," replace that duration with "lasts until another event is revealed" and place the event in play to the left of the tableau until it is removed from play by another event or another card's special power.

When the face-up card is a friendly champion, move it to the pool.

When the face-up card is a magical item or artifact, attach it to a friendly champion in the pool that may legally use the item or artifact. If no legal champion is available, the item or artifact may be left on the column until it can be attached to a champion or it may be discarded.

When the face-up card is an ally, it may be left on the column until it can be used by a champion in combat or it may be discarded.

When the face-up card is a Round 4 card, it may be left on the column until it can be used by a friendly champion in combat or it may be discarded.

When the face-up card is an opposing champion, it may only be removed by being defeated in combat. Combat can only take place if there is a realm at the top of the opposing champion's column.

Combat

To combat an opposing champion, a friendly champion must attack the realm at the top of the opposing champion's column. An attacking friendly champion must meet any requirements indicated by the realm's special power.

1. Take the friendly champion and its attachments out of the pool and place it in front of the opposing champion who is now considered the realm's defender. Apply any special powers conferred by the column's realm and holding immediately to the opposing champion.
2. When the opposing champion is losing to the attacking friendly champion, reveal cards in the opposing champion's column one at a time from bottom to top. Allies, magic items, artifacts, and Round 4 cards usable by the opposing champion are immediately attached to it; unusable Round 4 cards are immediately discarded. Newly revealed events take effect immediately as per the rules above regardless of whether they are helpful or harmful to the champion. Newly revealed realms are placed at the top of the nearest available column as above; if all columns already have a realm, newly revealed realms are discarded. Newly revealed rules, holdings, or champions are discarded. When the opposing champion is winning the combat as per standard Spellfire rules, do not reveal any more cards.
3. When the friendly champion is losing, any allies, magic items, artifacts, or Round 4 cards that are face up in other columns and are legally usable by that champion may then be attached to it if and only if attaching those cards would result in the friendly champion beating the opposing champion's current total level. Turn face up the next cards of those columns as soon as a card is removed. Any newly revealed cards may also be attached. Newly revealed events take effect immediately as per the rules above regardless of whether they are helpful or harmful to the champion. As soon as the attacking friendly champion is winning, return to step 3 if there are cards remaining in the opposing champion's column.
4. If the opposing champion wins the combat, the attacking friendly champion is discarded. The opposing champion remains with its attachments and is still considered to be blocking the realm even if it has used all of the cards in its column. The opposing champion may be attacked again by another friendly champion at any time even if it has no more cards left in its column to play.
5. If the attacking friendly champion wins, the opposing champion and its attachments are discarded. If somehow cards remain unrevealed in the column, turn the next one face up. If all of the cards in the column had been revealed during combat, the player wins the realm. In either case, the attacking friendly champion returns to the pool with any new attachments that it may legally keep after combat unless a card played during combat, such as a vengeful ally, instructs otherwise.

If all of the cards of a column have been removed without the need for combat, the player automatically wins the realm unless the realm's special power allows it to defend itself as a champion. In that case, a friendly champion will have to be able to attack and defeat the realm champion as per standard Spellfire rules in order for the player to win the realm.

If the player is ever without a friendly champion in combat or in the pool, the game is immediately ended.

Measuring Success

The objective is to clear all of the columns and win 6 realms. Anything less than that is defeat, though earning 4 or 5 realms is a respectable loss.

Tips

• Some special powers will not work with this variant. Either adjust them to suit the patience format, ignore the powers, or avoid those cards altogether.
• Cards that cause hand- or deck-manipulating or card-drawing will not work with this solo variant.
• Include events that target all champions rather than those that target only the champions of an "event player" since no one is actually "playing" the event.
• Cards with the power to raze, unraze, or destroy realms are not usable.
• Avatars could work as friendly champions as per standard rules, but they should only be used as opposing champions if their play requirements are ignored.
• Powerful spells that can be used in both Rounds 3 and 4, such as Wish, should probably be left out, but, if included, should be restricted to use during combat only.

I'll post sample decks later in the month.

And, if anyone comes up with a patience variant of another CCG, please let me know!