Today I finish presenting general mechanism of 51st State. There are many other rules that I haven’t presented here (like Leaders changing Leaders, and many more) but with no doubt you get general overview of the game. Today I want to show you how it all works – we will discuss order of a turn.

At the beginning of the turn players search the horizon for some interesting places (I think I may design a game just to be able to say during the game: “And now… bring me that horizon!” ). Your faction wants to know what’s there. You want to make contact with these people. You want to Invade them or to make a Deal with them or to make them part of your State. First phase of the turn is a Draw. You draw 3 cards. It represents that you get some info about places on the horizon. Now you will be able to contact them.

(draw is open. 4 cards are face up on the table, and players start to pick the ones they need. choices. every single time.)

After you draw, it is Production Phase. Your base produces 3 Workers and one Resource. Your Deals bring you some stuff. Some of your Locations bring you some stuff. Some of the previously Invaded cards can give you stuff, if you discard them now. You prepare to act. You gather resources. Action phase is getting close.

And then there comes Action Phase.

Before I tell you what can you do in Action Phase, few words about my point of view about design.

I hate downtime in games. And when I say I hate, I mean “I really hate!”.

So in all my games I try to create rules so they are fast and smooth. I design many small, fast actions. You play Stronghold, which is a long game, but players play small, quick actions. Invader builds Machine, Defender puts 3 hourglasses, Invader builds a Sap, Defender spends 2 hourglasses… Many small actions. To play the game fast and smooth.

In 51st State I created many “micro actions”. It makes the game play fast and smooth. In Action Phase players make these small “micro actions” one after another, no waiting for other player, no downtime, just quick and nice one micro action at the time.

What can you do in Action Phase?

- Invade a Location
- make a Deal
- Incorporate a Location
- Redevelop a Location
- Play a new Leader / exchange the current Leader
- Discard 2 cards and draw one card from the draw deck
- Send a Worker to work at a Location
- Send a Worker to an opponent’s Location
- Send 2 Workers to work at a Location a second time
- Send two Workers for Resources

It goes fast, I send 2 Workers to have Fuel, you make a Deal with a card, John is redeveloping his Location, I use Fuel to make a Deal, now you play a Leader, and now John sends a Worker to my Location, and now I send a Worker to my Location…

Action Phase ends when all players say pass and don’t want to do any more actions. Then is a Cleaning Phase when you lose all Resources and Workers you haven’t used.

New turn begins. You search for interesting places…

Fast and smooth. I hate downtime. I really mean it.