The Downfall of Pompeii FAQ
32 questions players ask · Updated Nov 12, 2026 · Full rulebook
Preparation
- How many pieces does each player get in a 2-player game, and how many in 3- and 4-player games?
- What changed between the first and second editions of The Downfall of Pompeii?
- Can you use a single volcano card in the deck setup, with a token standing in for the first one?
- How many Pompeii and Omen cards go below the A.D. 79 card during setup?
- Is the draw pile reshuffled during play?
- How many cards are removed from the deck in a 2-player game setup?
- What are the double-sided lava tiles in the second edition?
How to Play
- Can you move the same piece twice in one turn?
- What happens when you run out of pieces before the volcano erupts, including in a 2-player game?
- What counts as the same part of a building when placing relatives?
- How many relatives can you place when you put a piece into a building that already has pieces?
- What happens if there is no free space left for a relative?
- Can a relative go into a different part of the same building as the piece that triggered it?
- When can you start placing relatives?
- Can you add a second piece to a neutral building that already holds your relative in a later turn?
- Can you place a piece on any building when every building matching your card is full, and does it trigger relatives?
- Can you call the volcano's eruption early by holding four wild cards?
- After the volcano erupts, who draws the first lava tile and who moves pieces first?
- What happens when a drawn lava tile has no legal square to be placed on?
- Can a second lava tile of a symbol be placed next to the first one?
- Does moving from one square of a multi-square building to another cost a movement point?
- When lava covers part of a multi-square building, which pieces are removed?
- Can you have more than one of your pieces in the same building, and does that trigger relatives?
- Are you required to place relatives, or is it optional?
- When an Omen is drawn as the replacement card, what is the order of the turn?
- What happens when a player has no pieces left to place during the card phase?
- How far can a piece move in the second phase when other pieces have already left its square?
- Are the small triangular spaces on the board used in play?
- How many relatives do you get when a building has two squares but only one part?