PAX PORFIRIANA player aid v1.

2 by Joe Berger
*Caveat* Pax Porfiriana is a game steeped in theme and history; however, for the purposes of demystifying certain aspects for new players, I have all but eradicated theme from this player aid - for that I apologise, and recommend a thorough reading the Philosophy of Pax Perforiana section of the rulebook to reignite the magic of revolutionary Mexico!

GAME CONCEPTS
Prestige Regime Income District Connection Unrest Strife Topple
TOPPLE

Pax Porfiriana is principally a game of buying cards from a market and playing them in several ways: into your row, against other players or otherwise activating them. The market is a display of 12 cards which cost from 0 to 16 gold to buy, and get cheaper the longer they remain unsold. There are six types of card available for purchase from the market: Enterprises, Partners, Troops, Black, Orange and Headline. Below you will find a brief description of what each does; and to the right, a list of the main concepts in the game. CARD TYPES
ENTERPRISE Enterprises are the backbone of your row. Ranches, plantations, mines and other businesses, these cards generate income cubes and provide special abilities.

LOYALTY OUTRAGE COMMAND REVOLUTION Prestige is how you win the game, by having a certain amount in your row when a topple attempt is made. The type of prestige used in each topple attempt is determined by the regime at the time the attempt is made. Prestige in your row can also earn income and influence the play of other types of card.

PAX PORFIRIANA U.S. INTERVENTION MARTIAL LAW ANARCHY The current regime affects the income earned by economy and mines, and each regime also has a special effect. The regime changes often during the game, usually when a headline card is played, or troops are first deployed. The current regime card is flipped during a topple attempt, to show the requirements for a toppling to succeed.

Each cube of your colour on your or another players row generates a gold for you each turn. Placed on the income spots on your own enterprise cards these are called income cubes; on prestige icons, prestige cubes; and on upgraded connections, connection cubes. A cube extorting income from another player is an extortion cube; but they all serve the same purpose. 1 Cube = 1 gold. Income is severely affected during a depression.

There are three districts in the game; the Gadsden Purchase in the US, Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico. Enterprises are in a specific district, and troops and orange cards will usually only target enterprises in the same district as them.

Enterprise cards can be accessed by foot, mule or rail, based on the connection icon at the bottom of the card. This icon represents the cost to deploy troops against the card. A card with a connection oval can be upgraded (by you or another player), which adds a connection cube to the card and alters the cost of deplying troops there. A chain railroad allows all connections to be built for 1 gold, and green troops can deploy freely between Sonora and Chihuahua districts.

Unrest, represented by red discs, may be added to an enterprise by headline, troop and orange cards. If unrest is present on an enterprise, none of its income cubes produce gold, and its prestige, abilities and connection upgrade are disabled. Unrest is removed by taking the police action, or by deploying troops.

Strife relates specifically to the four faction colours of troop and partner cards. When a headline or partner card with the strife icon is played, all players with both colours of troop/ partner cards in play must discard cards of one of the two factions shown from their row (their choice). Starting to the left of the player who played the card, each player chooses which colour to discard (if he/she has both).

There are four topple cards distributed in the play deck, and each is a chance for players to attempt to win the game by toppling the current regime. If a topple card is bought by a player, he/she must initiate a toppling. Topple cards are a special type of headline card, and are discarded in the same way. Each of the four topple attempts may be easier under a specific regime; eg the democracy topple can give a -1 modifier to the government if the regime is ANARCHY.

info
If your enterprise earns income from the current economy or mines value, place a number of cubes equal to that on the card. If that value changes as a result of regime change or depression, alter the number of cubes accordingly. Some enterprises offer LOYALTY or REVOLUTION prestige.

Enterprises with LOYALTY prestige produce an extra income under the PAX regime.

Enterprises with a start income symbol can produce more income using the buy land action. Those with a gold bar or coin symbol provide income based on the mines and economy value of the current regime.

Enterprises are all district-specific.

See connections above.

See unrest above. Adding unrest to a plantation enterprise may cause a slave revolt.

PARTNER

Partners [in four faction colours] are cards that add special abilities and prestige to your row.

Many partner cards add one of the four prestige types to your row.

During strife, all players with troops/partners of both factions shown must discard one or other colour.

During a topple, attempt, some partners may be discarded to aid the regime, ie to prevent the toppling occuring.

TROOPS

Troops [in four faction colours] are cards played to your and your opponents enterprises. They can be used to divert some of your opponents income to you, and prevent your opponents doing the same to you.

Firepower All troops have 1, 2 or 3 firepower, according to the symbol in the top left corner of the card. Your troops must have higher firepower than troops present at an enterprise in order to replace them. Note: see also troops: unrest Note: if the black card specifies a process, you CANNOT play it unless you can perform the process. (eg the card says to remove an opponents cube and he has none to remove). Black cards can be played against enterprises defended by troops. Note: the same caveat as for playing black cards (above) applies. Additionally, you cannot play an orange card against yourself if the targeted enterprise has unrest discs. Orange cards can be played against enterprises defended by troops. The purchaser can choose whether the event occurs or doesnt (status quo). When headline cards reach the 0 spot on the market without being purchased, they are discarded without the event happening. Whether purchased or not, headline cards may trigger a depression (see right).

Troops may add one of four prestige types to your total, whether in your own row, or played by you against another players enterprise.

Troops may change the regime as indicated on the card.

Note: this and other effects on the troop card only occur when a troop is first played, not re-deployed.

When played against to another players enterprise, your troop extorts an income cube (swap one cube on the card to your colour (place it on the troop to indicate owner of troop). If there is no income cube to extort, the enterprise is sacked.

Troops may usually only be deployed to an enterprise in the same district (jurisdiction).

The current connection of the enterprise determines the cost of deploying troops there, according to the values on the troop card.

When deployed, troops remove a number of unrest equal to the troops firepower. Troops present makes unrest removal with the police action free. Troops may be redeployed in place to remove unrest discs.

During strife, all players with troops/partners of both factions shown must discard one or other colour.

Many troops have a prestige, and this counts to the total of the owner of the troop. So an extorting troop in another players row still confers its prestige on the player doing the extorting, not the extortee.

BLACK ATTACK

Black cards are played against other players (or yourself). They may steal gold, and have other nasty effects on a players card row.

Black cards with an upside-down prestige icon award this prestige to the victim of the card. It is stored in the victims prestige stack, though it may result in the victim being jailed.

Black cards cost 2 actions to play, unless the regime specified on the card is the current regime.

Victim-awarded prestige from black cards is stored (visible to other players) in a stack half-under your hacendado, and counts towards your total prestige during topple attempts.

ORANGE ATTACK

Orange cards are played against other players enterprises (or your own). They typically steal gold and add unrest discs to the target card.

Like Black cards, orange cards often award prestige to the victim (see above).

A few orange cards cause regime change when played.

An orange card with a specified district may only be played against an enterprise located in the same district.

Orange cards usually place unrest discs on the target.

Victim-awarded prestige from orange cards is stored (visible to other players) in a stack halfunder your hacendado, and counts towards your total prestige during topple attempts.

HEADLINE

Headline cards have an effect (good or bad) on all players, but must be bought from the market to trigger the effect and switch the current regime. Additionally, whether bought or not, they can cause the economy to become a depression.

Headline cards usually cause a regime change.

Depression
All headline cards show a bull or bear icon, and are discarded into a special pile. If two bear icons are discarded in a row, a depression is triggered. This causes several income effects according to the current regime card. The depression lasts until two bull icons in a row are discarded.

Headline cards usually cause a strife event.

Prestige HACENDADO *NOT A MARKET CARD* Each player starts the game with a Hacendado card in their row representing their character. Place two cubes on the card - it generates 2 gold each turn, and has a special ability. During a topple attempt or a retreat, your Hacendado may be flipped to its partner side. From then on it no longer generates income or has the special ability. When flipped, the player chooses one of its two orientations, which generate different types of prestige.

Regime

Income Each Hacendado generates 2 gold each turn, until flipped.

District

Connection The faction colour of the partner side of the Hacendado determines which troops can be deployed there as a private army.

Unrest

Strife You may never discard your flipped Hacendado as a result of strife. Thus if blue/white strife occurs, and your Hacendado is flipped to the blue orientation, you must discard all white troops.

Topple When a topple attempt is made, you may flip your Hacendado to provide prestige, either to win the topple or oppose it.

PUBLIC

*NOT A MARKET CARD* The two public cards are a special type of (expensive) partner card. Their purpose is mainly to bolster a topple attempt, as they confer prestige, and may also cause strife and a regime change.

The two public cards are freely available to purchase as a specific action throughout the game, and played immediately by the purchaser. Public cards do not count towards the 5 card hand limit, and buying a public card after buying a market card will not cost 2 actions.

Though there are only two public cards, with a REVOLUTION and an OUTRAGE prestige respectively, both have a COMMAND prestige on the reverse, and may be played either side up when purchased.

Playing the blue/white public card will trigger a regime change to U.S. INTERVENTION or MARTIAL LAW depending which side is played.

x
STEAL

Cost to play, deploy or upgrade connection Amount stolen from targets gold Unrest (red discs) added to targets enterprise

TROOP FIREPOWER 1, 2 OR 3

REGIME CHANGE

x x

ANARCHY

eg

DEPRESSION INDICATORS

CHAIN RAILROAD CONNECTION

PRESTIGE STACK: All victim-awarded prestige is stored upside down (so the prestige is showing) in a stack half under your Hacendado. RETREAT: If an enterprise your troop is stationed at is removed from play, you must either discard it or retreat it into your private army. To retreat, flip your Hacendado to the same faction colour as the retreating troop (if not already flipped, and if this colour is available on your card), and immediately pay the redeployment cost. This may happen outside your turn, and does not expend an action. PRIVATE ARMY: Troops retreated or played to your flipped Hacendado (must be same faction as that of the flipped card). These protect your Hacendado from asassination. During a depression, each card must be paid for. SACKING: This occurs whenever an enterprise with no income cubes is extorted, or if an extorted enterprise loses its income and extortion cubes (eg during a depression). The sacked enterprise is returned to the owners hand. NATIONALISATION: Some black and headline cards cause enterprises to be natonalised. This means the enterprise card is discarded, and any troop card present retreated or discarded. SLAVE REVOLT: Some enterprises will go into revolt if the number of unrest discs is greater than the cubes on the card. The player causing this revolt is the liberator, and adds the card to their prestige stack. JAILED: Place a blue disc on your Hacendado. Whilst in jail, you only get 2 actions per turn instead of 3 (if jailed on your turn, you still get 3 actions that turn). You may spend a police action to get out of jail; you also get out of jail if you acquire a jail-immunity card whilst in jail. Unjailing during your turn restores your third action immediately.

SEQUENCE OF PLAY Do these 4 phases, then play passes to the player on your left. Your hand is kept secret, but your gold, cards in your row and cards in your prestige stack are open information.
1. ACTION PHASE
Perform three actions (two if jailed). If topple card purchased, see toppling below.

2. DISCARD HEADLINES

Headlines in zero-cost space are discarded without effect into bull/bear pile. Check for a depression.

3. RESTORE MARKET

Slide cards to fill cheaper slots, add new ones from play deck.

4. COLLECT INCOME

Collect 1 gold for each in-play cube of your colour, including extortion or connections in other players rows. No income from cards with unrest discs on. During depression: there are no income cubes on mines and economy; after income, pay 1 gold per card in play or discard card.

If TOPPLE purchased and played: 1. Choose topple orientation 2. Starting with player to left of purchaser: a) Choose to flip Hacendado b) Choose to discard modifiers

TOPPLE succeeds if you have more prestige of the specified type than Diaz plus your two opponents with the least of that prestige type. If multiple players can topple, toppler with most gold wins game. If all four topples fail, win is decided on gold after fourth topple.

ACTIONS
BUY CARD (Expends 2 actions for second card) Buy a card from the market. Pay cost according to market row. Hand limit is five. Market cost PLAY CARD Play a card from your hand. pay the cost in symbol. SELL CARD Discard a card from your hand or in-play, and take gold equal to the economy value of the current regime. SPECULATE Place one of your cubes on a market card that doesnt already have a speculation cube on it. If an opponent buys the card, he pays you rather than the pool.
You may use a speculation action to move an existing cube to a different card, but not return it to your supply.

RE-DEPLOY TROOP Move an in-play troop card from one destination to another, paying the connectiondependent cost according to the troop card.

BUY LAND (costs 2 actions) Add an income cube to a ranch or plantation enterprise. The cost in gold is the total number of cubes already on the card.

UPGRADE CONNECTION Place a cube on ANY connection oval that does not already have its connection upgraded. Pay the cost in symbol on connection oval.

POLICE Pay 3 gold to remove an unrest disc from one of your enterprises, or zero if either; troops (anyones) are present, or Martial Law is the current regime.
You may instead use the police action to pay 3 gold to get out of jail (may take 3rd action immediately).

BUY and PLAY PUBLIC CARD Purchase and put into play one of the two public cards. Pay the cost in symbol.

0 0

1 1

2 2

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PLAY DECK