World Order · Board game rules
Do all cube actions grant victory points?
Quick answer
No — adding Influence usually grants VPs, but converting, resetting, or pushing cubes off a Region does not.
Details
Whenever you add an Influence cube to a Region (from actions like Engage, Invest, Build a Base, Improve Relations, etc.), you choose a permanent or temporary slot and immediately gain the VPs shown on that slot [p.16 — Important Notes]. Permanent slots keep your cube there for the rest of the game, while temporary slots go into the leftmost open spot, usually granting more VPs, but they are limited and cubes can be pushed off [p.16 — Important Notes].
However, if all temporary slots are already filled and you must add a new cube, the leftmost cube is removed, all others shift left, and your new cube goes into the rightmost slot — this grants no VPs [p.16 — Important Notes].
Some effects let you convert a temporary Influence cube to a permanent one. This move grants no VPs, even if a permanent slot is available [p.16 — Important Notes]. Similarly, Resetting your temporary Influence (moving your cube back to the first available temporary slot to protect it) also grants no VPs [p.16 — Important Notes].
Watch out: Just because you "add Influence" doesn't guarantee VPs — always check whether the action is a new placement (which scores) versus a conversion, reset, or overflow displacement (which do not score).