How to Play Pax Porfiriana: Ultimate Edition

1. Game Objective

You assume the role of a wealthy landowner, called a Hacendado, in the border regions between the United States and Mexico during the period of Pax Porfiriana, the reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz, before the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Your goal is to accumulate supporters and justifications, called Prestige Points, to Topple Díaz and seize power during one of the periodic succession threats.

2. Setup

Consult the manual for details on this section.

3. Game Flow

The game progresses through player turns. During your turn, you may perform up to 3 Actions (or 2 Actions if you are Jailed). Some activities, such as buying a second card in the Market, require 2 Actions. Certain partners grant an Extra Action of a specific type.

The Market consists of 12 cards arranged in two rows of 6. Cards are acquired or played through a Market Purchase. The cost depends on the column: the rightmost column costs 16 gold, while the leftmost column is free. In the restore market phase, empty spaces are filled and new cards are drawn from the Play Deck.

4. Actions and How to Play

The available Actions include:

• Market Purchase: Acquire or play cards from the Market.
• Redeploy: Move a troop from one enterprise to another within your Jurisdiction, or to your face-up Hacendado (if it is of the same Faction Color).
• Upgrade Connection Action: Pay the indicated cost to place a Connection Cube on an enterprise, improving its connection (from foot to mule or train, or from mule to train).
• Police Action: Used to remove Unrest or get out of jail (Jailed).
• Sell Card Action: Sell a card to gain gold based on the Economy value of the current Regime.
• Speculation Action: Move or remove a Speculation Cube in any column of the Market, or move an income, connection, or prestige cube from one valid location to another if you are at the cube limit.

There are several types of cards, such as Headlines (cards played immediately with two orientations), Public Cards (partners purchased directly from the edge of the board), and Troop cards that possess Firepower to remove Unrest or defeat enemy troops.

5. End of Game and Scoring

The game ends via a Topple. When a Topple card is played, an attempt to overthrow Díaz occurs. There are four types of Topple, depending on the current Regime:

1. Díaz Retirement: During Pax Porfiriana, the winner is the one with more Loyalty Points than the Tripartite.
2. U.S. Annexation: During U.S. Intervention, the winner is the one with more Outrage Points than the Tripartite.
3. Coup D’état: During Martial Law, the winner is the one with more Command Points than the Tripartite.
4. Free Election: During Anarchy, the winner is the one with more Revolution Points than the Tripartite.

The Tripartite consists of Díaz and the two opponents with the lowest number of the specified Prestige Point. If no one manages to topple Díaz by the fourth Topple attempt, a Gold Victory occurs: the player with the most gold wins. In the event of a tie in gold, the player with the highest income per turn wins.

6. Tips for Winning

• Unrest Management: Remember that enterprises with Unrest have their income, connection, and prestige cubes deactivated. Use the Police Action or the Redeploy troop action to remove Unrest and keep your economy running.
• Strategic Use of Grudges: Cards in your Grudge Pile (obtained as Victim-Awarded) keep your Prestige Points active. Accumulating these cards can be an effective way to increase your prestige for a future Topple.