51st State: Master Set

To set up a two-player game, each player receives a unique faction board and starting resources as indicated on their board. Three cards are drawn from the main deck and placed face-up in the central area. Players then take turns drafting one card each, with the second player choosing first, followed by the first player. The remaining card is discarded. This process is repeated once more, resulting in each player having two drafted cards in hand. Resource tokens (grey arrows, blue arrows, red arrows, bricks, guns, gears, oil, and meeples) are placed in a general supply, and the victory point tracker is set up.

The primary objective of 51st State: Master Set is to become the dominant faction in a post-apocalyptic world by accumulating the most victory points. Players achieve this by strategically building locations, establishing deals, and raiding opponents' territories to gain resources and disrupt their plans. The game is a race to reach a certain victory point threshold while managing resources and developing an efficient tableau of cards.

Each round consists of four phases. The Lookout phase involves drafting cards from a central display, with the number of cards drawn being player count plus one. In the Production phase, players gain resources based on their faction board and constructed locations. The Actions phase is where players perform various actions: constructing locations by paying grey arrow resources, making deals by paying blue arrow resources to gain immediate benefits and future production, or raiding locations by paying red arrow resources to gain spoils and potentially destroy an opponent's location. Players can also activate abilities on their faction board or constructed locations. Finally, the Cleanup phase requires players to discard any excess resources or cards beyond their hand limit, unless they have storage features.

Victory points are tracked on a central board. Players gain victory points primarily by constructing locations, with each location having a specific point value. Additionally, certain card abilities, particularly those found on 'Feature' cards, can provide ongoing or end-game victory points. When a player raids an opponent's location, they gain the 'Spoils' listed on the card, which can include resources or victory points. At the end of the game, each card in a player's tableau also contributes one victory point to their final score.

The game concludes immediately when any player reaches or exceeds 25 victory points on the tracker. Once this threshold is met, the current round is completed to ensure all players have an equal number of turns. After the final Cleanup phase of that round, players tally their total victory points, including points from their constructed locations, features, and any remaining cards in their tableau. The player with the highest total victory points is declared the winner and establishes their new state in the wasteland.