Pax Pamir: Second Edition rules – how to play and how to score

Pax Pamir: Second Edition quick rules

The goal

You purchase cards from the market and play them to your court, the row of cards in front of you. You are always loyal to a coalition: Afghan, British or Russian. Victory points are scored during Dominance Checks.

Your turn

Up to two actions, then cleanup. Purchase and play are always available; the other actions are on the cards in your court, one action per card per turn. Cards of the favored suit give bonus actions, outside the limit.

Purchasing from the market

Two rows of six cards. The leftmost column is free, then each column costs one more rupee: one rupee on each card you skip. You take any rupees on your card. Military favored: double cost. A purchased event resolves at once.

Playing a card

If another player rules the card’s region, pay them one rupee per tribe they have there. Add the card to either end of your court and resolve its icons: tribe or spy for your cylinders, army or road for your coalition’s blocks.

Ruling a region

You need at least one tribe, and more tribes and loyal armies than each other player; on a tie, nobody rules. Ruling lets you build, tax and collect bribes.

Card-based actions

Tax, gift, build, move, betray, battle. A card’s rank, one to three stars, sets the strength of tax, move and battle. An enemy with the most spies on one of your cards holds it hostage.

Loyalty and influence

Influence: one, plus your patriots, prizes and gifts. Playing a patriot or taking a prize of another coalition changes your loyalty: you then lose your gifts, prizes and patriots.

The overthrow rule

Losing your last tribe in a region discards your political cards of that region. Losing your last political card of a region removes your tribes there.

Cleanup

Court limited to three cards plus your political stars, hand to two plus your intelligence stars. Events in the leftmost column are discarded and affect everyone, then the market slides left and refills.

Dominance Checks

Successful if one coalition has at least four more blocks than each of the others: its loyal players score 5, 3 and 1 by influence, then all blocks are removed. Otherwise, the most cylinders in play scores 3, the second most 1.

Game end

A lead of four points over everyone right after a Dominance Check wins. Otherwise, the game ends after the fourth check, which scores double. Tiebreaker: military stars, then rupees.

Playing with Wakhan

Wakhan, the automated opponent, faces one or two players. One AI card per turn dictates her two actions; she purchases and plays cards in one go, is loyal to all coalitions and scores like a player.

Beginner traps

Only one action per card per turn. No purchasing a card you placed a rupee on this turn. Think about the overthrow rule before a battle or a betrayal. Deals are never binding.

How to score Pax Pamir: Second Edition

Victory points

Your space on the victory point track at the end. Points are only scored during the four Dominance Checks.

Successful check

One coalition has at least four more blocks than each of the others: its loyal players score 5, 3 and 1 points by influence (one, plus patriots, prizes and gifts).

Unsuccessful check

The player with the most cylinders off their player board scores 3 points, the second most 1 point.

Ties and the final check

Tied players add up the points for their places and split them, rounding down. Points from the final check are doubled before that split.

End and tiebreaker

A four-point lead over everyone after a check, or the most points after the fourth. On a tie, the most military stars in your court, then the most rupees.

Worked example

With 3 players, after two checks, Emma has 6 points, Jake 5 and Alex 7. The third check succeeds for the Russians: Emma, the most influential, scores 5, Jake 3. Emma has 11, Jake 8, Alex 7: only a three-point lead, so play goes on. The fourth check fails: Alex has the most cylinders in play and scores 3 × 2 = 6; Emma and Jake, tied for second, score 1 × 2 ÷ 2 = 1 each. Alex wins with 13 points, ahead of Emma with 12 and Jake with 9.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting to double the final check, or doubling after splitting ties.
• Giving dominance points to a player who is not loyal to the dominant coalition.
• Ending the game on a three-point lead: you need four over everyone.
• Forgetting to remove all blocks from the map after a successful check.

How to set up Pax Pamir: Second Edition

Setup comes in four steps: the map, the draw deck in six piles, the market, then each player’s loyalty. With one or two players, add Wakhan.