Pod-X
Pod-X Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
With 3 players remove the two 0 and two 8 cards from the game. You will play with 13 cards.
The player who most recently saw a sci-fi movie is the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck and deals four cards to each player, face-down. Players keep these cards in hand, hidden from other players. Dealing the cards should leave behind one extra card. The dealer places this secret card face down in the middle of the play area. This secret card determines this round's victory condition.
The dealer may look at the secret card at any time. (This gives her an advantage of information, but also allows other players to use the dealer's choices as clues for what the victory condition might be.)
How to Play
Take turns clockwise, starting with the dealer. On your turn do one of the following...
Play: Place a card from your hand face-up in front of you. (Cards played to the table are considered to be "public". Cards in your hand are considered to be "private". In the first turn, you MUST play.)
Pass: Skip your turn. You're still in the round.
Fold: Eliminate yourself from the round. You will no longer take any more turns this round.
The Round Ends If...
- All players consecutively pass, and/or fold.
- All but one player folds.
- The sum of numbers in play is 23 or higher (with 3 players), 30 or higher (with 4 players).
Then the dealer reveals the secret card. All players reveal their hands and determine who scores points this round based off of the win condition shown in the bottom portion of the secret card.
The player to the dealer's left becomes the new dealer for the next round.
Scoring Points
- If you have a winning card you will score points.
For example, if the secret card is showing the Final Escape Pod Location of "Highest Public Port Pod Number" and you have the Drilling Array (a Port Pod with the number 6) in front of you, and no other player has a higher Port Pod number in front of them, you will score points this round.
Score points equal to the star icons on top portion of the winning card. In the above example, the Drilling Array won the round for you, and is showing three star icons, so you will score three points.
NOTE: If the victory condition refers to a SUM of numbers, the winner gets lowest reward from the winning cards.
NOTE: The stars on the top portion of the secret card do not matter.
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If two players both own winning cards they each score their respective points. (For example, if the victory condition was "Highest Public Number," one player had a Port 6 on the table and another player had a Starboard 6 on the table, they'd each get two points.)
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If you folded and did not have a winning card, you score one point.
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If you lost (or if you folded and would have won) you score no points.
End of Game
When a player has 10 points, she wins! If two or more players reach 10 points, they all win!
Card Reference
Card diagram and quick reference panel, transcribed from the sheet's diagram.
Example card: Pod 3, "The Brig".
- Location: Port (orange) / Starboard (blue).
- Title: the card's name, shown on the card (example: The Brig).
- Pod #: the pod number on the card (example: 3).
- Star icons / Victory points: If this card is the winning card, star icons on the secret card do not matter.
- Top of card: The top portion of the card applies to your cards in hand. These are the various escape pod locations of the ship.
- Bottom of card: The bottom portion of the card applies to the secret card only. This tells you the location of the escape pod that will all you to score points. (Printed as shown.)
- Final Escape Pod Location / Win Condition: the win condition shown on the bottom of the secret card (example: "Highest Public Port Pod Number").
Quick reference
- Pod number: Arrow up = highest. Arrow down = lowest.
- Ship location: Left / orange = Port. Right / blue = Starboard. Bottom / grey = all locations.
- Card location: Lineart ship = public / table. Blacked out ship = private / hand.