Pax Pamir: Second Edition

Turn and capacity: Take up to two ordinary actions. Purchase and play are always available; other actions require court cards. Actions on favored-suit cards do not use the allowance, but each card can supply only one action per turn. During cleanup, court capacity is three plus political stars; hand capacity is two plus intelligence stars.

Purchase and play: The market has two rows and six columns, priced zero through five rupees from left to right. Pay onto cards to the left in the same row; military being favored doubles this cost. You cannot buy a card you placed money on this turn. A purchased court card enters your hand; playing it is another action, at either court end, resolving impact icons in order. Purchased events resolve immediately. Playing into someone else’s ruled region requires a bribe equal to their tribes there, which the ruler may reduce or waive.

Loyalty and rule: Each player is loyal to the British, Russian or Afghan coalition and uses its armies and roads. Influence is one plus current patriots, prizes and gifts. Playing another coalition’s patriot or accepting its prize can switch loyalty, clearing previous patriots, prizes and gifts. Ruling a region requires a tribe and more tribes plus loyal armies than each competing party individually; ties leave it unruled.

Court and spies: Another player with strictly more spies than everyone else on a card holds its actions hostage. Using those actions requires a bribe equal to their spies unless reduced or waived; text-box special abilities are unaffected. Losing your last tribe in a region discards all your political cards of that region; losing its last political card removes all your tribes there.

Card actions: Tax takes up to rank in rupees from the market or eligible players under your rule; economic stars shelter held rupees. Gift pays two, four or six rupees to place a cylinder for one influence. Build requires rule and places up to three armies or roads at two rupees each. Move uses rank to move loyal armies or spies; armies normally need a matching coalition road across the border.

Betray and battle: Betray costs two rupees to discard a card containing your spy and optionally accept its prize. Battle occurs in one region or on one court card, removing no more units than both action rank and your armies or spies present allow. You cannot remove loyal armies or roads, or tribes belonging to players sharing your loyalty; their spies remain valid targets.

Dominance and ties: Buying or discarding a Check during cleanup resolves it; two Checks appearing together in the market trigger an immediate check and both are discarded. A coalition succeeds with at least four more blocks than each rival separately. Its loyal players score five/three/one by influence, then all coalition blocks are removed. Otherwise everyone scores three/one by cylinders in play, including gifts. Ties pool occupied places and divide, rounding down. Double final-check points before splitting ties.

Victory and Wakhan: After any check, a lead of at least four points over everyone wins early; otherwise highest score after the final check wins. Final ties compare court military stars, then rupees; the book adds a humorous cooking-contest fallback. Wakhan supports one or two humans against an automated competitor, with separate loyalty and action priorities. There is still only one winner; two humans are not a cooperative team.