In 51st State there are four different factions available for players. Every faction has its own Contact Cards which are used to bring cards into the game. These cards differ and this difference is very important at the beginning of the game – Mutants are weak at Deals, and Merchants are weak at Building. Players have to work very hard to get rid of this starting disadvantages, they need to develop theirs State so it can omit faction’s disadvantages. The faster you do it, the better.

What factions you find in 51st State and how they differ?

Mutants

They are very strong at attack. They produce one Gun token in every turn and paying this token on red contact card, they can Invade any card in the game. Their red contact card (Invasion) has a Range 3. This is the furthest Distance in the game. No other faction can do it. This is the strong side of Mutants. Furthest cards (Distance 3) are the most valuable. And they can not hide from Mutants. No one can. Mutants attack any card.

On the other hand, Mutants blue contact card is weak. Although it needs only 1 Fuel token to use it (that is good!), but it can sign a Deal only with closest cards (Distance 1). Only locations very close to Mutants are so scared of them that they agree to work with them and sign a Deal. There is no way Mutants can sign a Deal with a good card. They need to change it as soon as possible.

Merchants

They are strong with Deals. They produce one Fuel token in every turn. They are the only one faction in the game that can sign a Deal with any card – theirs Caravan has Range 3. They pay one Fuel and can go everywhere to sign a Deal. They are Merchants. They sign a Deals. With anybody.

Gangers working for Merchants are quite good, they are cheap (only one Gun token) and have avarage Range. No problem with this. The problem is with Building…

As you see, they need to pay two Screw tokens to build Route and connect with Location. They don’t have 2 Screw tokens! Mutants can Invade someone and quite easy get many Screw tokens. Merchants…? They need to work very hard to sign a few deals and find solution of this problem.

Appalachians

Their strongest side is Building. Mutants? Need to get two Screw tokens. Merchants? Need to get two Screw tokens. Appalachians don’t have this problem. They produce one Brick every turn and they rebuild buildings. They just discard a card from hand (which in story of the game represents that they found some old ruins) and pay one Brick to put into a game a Location (in story of the game they build Location from this – just – founded ruins).

At the beginning of the game they grow very fast. No other faction can build so easily. But finally they run out of cards. They build easily, but have to pay with cards and at some moment of the game, it hurts. No cards in hand. No options. No possibilities. No choices.

They are average with Invasion (cheap and quite good) and very poor with Deals – they don’t have Fuel tokens at the beginning so they need to find a way to get them.

New York

Tricky faction. They get one Screw token every turn. They can use it to put card as a Location. Piece of cake, but… New Yorkers build Rails. It goes slow. It takes time. It has low Range.

New Yorkers grey contact card has a Range 1. They can put Location into the game easily, but only the closest one. Only those with Distance 1. The others Locations? No way. NJ can not put any other card as Location. This is their biggest weakness and the biggest strength. They build very easily, but only the closest Locations.

New Yorkers Police (red card) is cheap and easy to use, Expedition (blue card) is expensive as a hell, and they have huge problem with signing Deals.

These are four factions of 51st State. They differ. They make you play different at the beginning. And you have to break free.

Use you advantages, omit disadvantages and develop your state. As soon as possible.