The Ultimate Guide to Playing Pax Pamir: Second Edition

Welcome, fellow strategists, to the rugged, politically charged landscape of 19th-century Afghanistan! In Pax Pamir: Second Edition, you're not just playing a game; you're stepping into the shoes of an Afghan leader, navigating the treacherous waters of the "Great Game" – a period where European empires vied for influence, but through the eyes of those who sought to manipulate these "ferengi" (foreigners) for their own gain. Get ready for a dynamic, player-driven experience where alliances shift, loyalties are tested, and every decision can turn the tide of history. Let's dive in!

Objective of the Game

Your ultimate goal in Pax Pamir is to emerge as the most influential leader in Afghanistan. This isn't just about personal power; it's about shrewdly aligning yourself with one of three powerful coalitions: the British, Russian, or Afghan. The game's narrative unfolds through special Dominance Check event cards. When one of these checks resolves, if a single coalition holds a commanding lead, players loyal to that dominant coalition will score victory points based on their influence within it. However, if Afghanistan remains fragmented and no single coalition is dominant, players instead score points based on their personal power base (represented by cylinders in play).

The game can end in two exciting ways:

• If, after any Dominance Check, one player has at least four more victory points than all other players, that player immediately wins!
• Otherwise, the game always ends after the final Dominance Check is resolved. The player with the most victory points wins. Ties are broken first by the most red stars in their court, then by the most rupees, and finally, by who can cook the best chopan kebab! (Yes, really!)

Preparation (Setup)

Setting up Pax Pamir is a journey in itself, so let's get your table ready for some epic strategizing:

1. Favored Suit: Place the favored suit marker next to the political suit space. This suit will be important for bonus actions and card costs!
2. Build the Draw Deck: This is a crucial step for the game's pacing!
   1. Separate all court cards and event cards.
   2. Shuffle the court cards. Create six face-down piles, each with five court cards, plus one additional court card per player. Any remaining court cards are not used this game.
   3. Take the four Dominance Check event cards from the other event cards. Place one Dominance Check into each of the four rightmost piles.
   4. Shuffle the remaining event cards. Place two into the second pile from the left, and one into each of the remaining four piles to its right. The six remaining event cards are not used this game.
   5. Finally, shuffle each of the six piles individually. Then, stack them one on top of the other, ensuring the four piles containing the Dominance Check event cards are at the bottom of the deck. Do not shuffle this combined deck!
3. Create the Market: Draw cards from your newly built draw deck and fill the 12 spaces of the market grid (two rows, six columns), starting with the leftmost column and filling the top row first. Place the draw deck to the right of the market.
4. Take Player Pieces: Each player receives eleven cylinders, one loyalty dial, a player board, and four rupees. Place one of your cylinders on the zero space of the victory point track, and the rest on your player board.
5. Bank and Coalition Blocks: Place the remaining coins and the tray of coalition blocks (Afghan, British, Russian) near the play area.
6. Starting Loyalty: Starting with a random player and proceeding clockwise, each player chooses and adjusts their loyalty dial to indicate their chosen starting loyalty. The player who chose their loyalty last takes the first turn.

The game is now ready to play! (If you're playing with the automated opponent, Wakhan, consult page 16 of the manual for specific adjustments.)

The Turn of Play

A game of Pax Pamir unfolds over a series of turns, with players taking actions to build their influence. On your turn, you can perform up to two actions. Bonus actions (from cards matching the favored suit) don't count towards this limit, but each card can only be used for one action per turn. You can even choose to take fewer than two actions, or none at all!

After your actions, you'll perform a quick cleanup phase, and then play passes clockwise to the next player.

Core Actions (Your Bread and Butter)

These are the fundamental actions you'll be taking:

1. Purchase:
   • Take a card from the market and add it to your hand. If the card has rupees on it, you get those too!
   • The cost of a card depends on its column in the market: the leftmost column is free, the next costs one rupee, then two, and so on.
   • To pay, place one rupee on each card in the same row to the left of the card you're purchasing. If a spot is vacant, pay the cost to the card in the same column in the *other* market row.
   • Important: If you place a rupee on a market card, you cannot purchase that card this turn.
   • Event Cards: These are special! When purchased, they are resolved immediately and never go into your hand. Some have persistent effects until the next Dominance Check.
   • Military Favored: If the military suit is currently favored, the cost to purchase a card is doubled – you'll place two rupees on each card to the left instead of one!
2. Play:
   • Play any card from your hand into your court (your personal row of cards). Reveal the card, announce its name and region.
   • If you are the ruler of that card's region, or if no one rules it, you can play it for free!
   • If another player rules the region, you must pay them a bribe in rupees equal to the number of their tribes in that region. The ruler can waive any part of this bribe. If the bribe isn't paid, the action is cancelled.
   • The played card can be added to either the left or right end of your court.
   • Patriots: If you play a patriot card that doesn't match your current loyalty, you immediately change loyalty to match the patriot! This means discarding all your previous patriots and prizes, returning any gifts, and adjusting your loyalty dial.
   • After playing, resolve any impact icons on the right side of the card, from top to bottom.

Card-Based Actions (Your Specialized Tools)

Beyond purchasing and playing, many actions are found on the court cards you play. Remember, each card in your court can only be used for one action per turn!

• Rank and Privilege: Many card actions are enhanced by the card's rank (stars). Higher rank means a more powerful effect!
• Bonus Actions: Actions on cards that match the current favored suit don't count towards your two-action limit!
• Action Costs: Some card actions require you to pay rupees to the market. Place these rupees on the rightmost market cards of both rows, one rupee per card. If a slot is vacant, skip it. Again, you can't purchase a card you've placed a rupee on this turn.
• Hostage Actions: If an enemy player has more spies on one of your court cards than any other player, that card is held hostage! You can only use its actions by paying a bribe to the player holding it hostage, equal to the number of their spies on the card.

Here are some examples of card-based actions:

• Tax: Take rupees up to the acting card's rank from players with court cards in regions you rule, or from the market. Your gold stars provide a Tax Shelter, protecting some of your rupees.
• Gift: Place one of your cylinders on an empty gift space on your loyalty dial. Each gift counts as one influence point for your current coalition. This action costs 2, 4, or 6 rupees depending on the gift space. Remember, gifts are lost if you change loyalty!
• Build: Place up to three armies and/or roads in regions you rule. Roads can go on adjacent borders. This costs two rupees per unit placed.
• Move: For each rank of the acting card, move one of your loyal armies or spies. Armies need a matching road to cross borders. Spies move along players' court cards.
• Betray: Discard a card where you have a spy (even in your own court!). Any spies on the betrayed card are lost. This costs two rupees. After discarding, you can take it as a prize, tucking it behind your loyalty dial. If this prize doesn't match your current loyalty, you'll change loyalty to match it!
• Battle: Start a battle in a region or on a court card. Remove a combination of tribes, spies, roads, or armies equal to the acting card's rank. You can't remove more units than you have armies or spies in that battle, nor can you remove armies or roads of your own loyalty, or tribes belonging to players who share your loyalty (but their spies are fair game!).

Cleanup Phase

After your actions, it's time for a quick tidy-up:

1. Court Card Limit: If you have more court cards than three plus the sum of purple stars in your court, discard down to your limit.
2. Hand Card Limit: If you have more cards in your hand than two plus the sum of blue stars in your court, discard down to your limit.
3. Discard Leftmost Event Cards: Any event cards in the leftmost column of the market are discarded (top row first, then bottom). Any rupees on them stay put. When an event card is discarded this way, all players are affected by its top effect or impact icon.
4. Refill Market: Slide all cards in each market row to the left to fill empty spaces (along with their rupees). Then draw new cards from the draw deck to fill any rightmost empty spaces, returning the market to its normal size. If a card moves into a space with previously discarded rupees, those rupees are placed on the new card.
5. Instability Check: If a Dominance Check card is revealed and there's *already* a Dominance Check card in the market, immediately perform a Dominance Check! Then discard both Dominance Check cards and refill the market. If this was the final Dominance Check, it counts as the game's last check.

End of Game and Scoring

The game concludes either when a player achieves a dominant lead or after the final Dominance Check is resolved. Here's how points are awarded during a Dominance Check:

Dominance Checks

These special event cards are the heartbeat of Pax Pamir. They're resolved when purchased or when automatically discarded during cleanup.

To determine if a Dominance Check is successful:

• A single coalition must have the most blocks in play AND at least four more blocks than any other single coalition (not combined).
• If this condition is met, the check is successful. Otherwise, it's unsuccessful.

Unsuccessful Check

If the check is unsuccessful (Afghanistan remains fragmented):

• Players score points based on the number of their cylinders in play (not on their player board).
  • Most cylinders in play: 3 victory points.
  • Second most cylinders in play: 1 victory point.
• Ties: Add up the victory points for the tied places and divide by the number of tied players (rounding down).

Successful Check

If the check is successful (a coalition is dominant):

• Players loyal to the dominant coalition score victory points based on their influence points. Your influence points are one plus the sum of your gifts, prizes, and patriots in your court.
  • Most influence: 5 victory points.
  • Second most influence: 3 victory points.
  • Third most influence: 1 victory point.
• Ties: Add up the victory points for the tied places and divide by the number of tied players (rounding down).
• After scoring, all coalition blocks are removed from the board, representing an uneasy peace.

Final Dominance Check

Any points earned during the final Dominance Check are doubled! This doubling happens before any points are split due to ties.

Tips for Winning

Pax Pamir is a game of shifting sands and clever maneuvers. Here are a couple of pointers to get you started:

1. Master the Market and Your Court: Your court is your engine! Focus on purchasing and playing cards that not only give you powerful actions but also contribute to your desired loyalty and provide important privileges (like expanding your hand or court size). Don't forget that rank matters for action strength!
2. Flexibility in Loyalty is Key: While it might feel good to commit to a coalition, remember that loyalties can change. Sometimes, betraying your current coalition to align with a new, dominant one (especially through patriots or prizes) can be the fastest path to victory points. Watch the board state and be ready to pivot if a coalition is clearly gaining dominance.
3. Control Regions and Leverage Rulers: Ruling a region grants you significant advantages: access to the build action, special taxing privileges, and the ability to extract bribes from other players who want to play cards in that region. Don't underestimate the power of being "king" in a key area!

Now you're equipped with the knowledge to dive into the intricate world of Pax Pamir: Second Edition. May your strategies be cunning and your alliances fruitful!