
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,607
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Living Planet
- 2–4 players
- 30–120 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2019

Rules assistance for Archipelago: Solo Expansion
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Archipelago: Solo Expansion is an expansion for Archipelago released in 2012 for 1 player, 60 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Christophe Boelinger and its main mechanics are Trading, Auction / Bidding, and Area Majority / Influence.
As the name suggests, Archipelago: Solo Expansion allows a single player to play the Archipelago base game by competing against the game system. Archipelago: Solo Expansion includes 27 scenarios with different conditions and objectives and with you, the solo player, taking the part of characters such as Christopher Columbus, Robinson Crusoe, and the pirate Bluebeard. The playing time varies from 20 to 90 minutes depending on the scenario, and your score in the scenario – gold, silver, bronze, revolt – will often depend on the number of rounds it took you to achieve the objective, if you managed it at all.
Archipelago: Solo Expansion supports 1 player according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Archipelago: Solo Expansion is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Archipelago: Solo Expansion for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Archipelago: Solo Expansion has a complexity rating of 3.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Archipelago: Solo Expansion belongs to these categories: Economic, Exploration, and Negotiation. Its main mechanics are Trading, Auction / Bidding, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Archipelago: Solo Expansion are: Christophe Boelinger. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Archipelago: Solo Expansion as an expansion for Archipelago. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Archipelago to use it. Check that your edition of Archipelago is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.