World Order reference sheet

Overview

• Area-majority game for 2–4 players; play as USA, China, Russia, or EU [p.3 — Introduction]
• Goal: most VPs at end of Round 6 [p.11 — How to Play]
• Core loop: play Ability cards to place Influence, form alliances, trade, and project military power [p.11 — How to Play]
• VPs come from placing Influence, scoring Regions (Rounds 3 & 6), Prosperity, Growth cards, and Majority tokens [p.20 — Scoring]
• 2-player restriction: one player must pick USA or EU, the other Russia or China [p.8 — Game Setup]

Setup

1. Place Main board; add Influence cubes to Regions as indicated [p.8]
2. Sort Country cards by Region, shuffle each separately; place 2 visible per Region [p.8]
3. Place Round marker on space 1; place 3 Majority tokens (correct side for player count) [p.8]
4. Shuffle Market Ability cards; reveal 6 face-up as the Market [p.8]
5. Sort Growth cards by name above board; remove Level 1 cards in 3p, Level 1–4 in 2p [p.8]
6. Each player takes: Player board, Starting Ability cards, Starting Country cards, Trade Deals card, Strategic Asset cards, Commerce cards, tokens, markers, and starting money [p.8]
7. Place Production cubes on starting spaces; Prosperity marker on space 1; Focus marker on Domestic [p.9]
8. Place 4 Starting Country cards face-up above your board [p.9]
9. Split 12 Starting Ability cards into two piles of 6; choose one as hand, other becomes deck [p.9]
10. Shuffle 5 Strategic Asset cards; draw 3, keep 2 face-up; place Scoring marker on sum of their starting VPs [p.9]
11. Place Turn Order markers in reverse VP order; lowest VP chooses position first [p.9]
12. In <4 players: draw 2 Auto-Influence cards; place non-player Influence/Armies as indicated [p.9]

Turn structure

Each round has 3 phases:

PREPARATION PHASE (skipped Round 1)

1. Draw 6 cards from deck
2. Reveal top Country card in each Region (left deck → right deck)
3. Determine Turn Order (reverse VP order, lowest chooses first)
4. Produce primary resources (Energy, Raw Materials, Food)
5. Choose Focus: Domestic, Diplomatic, or Military; follow its instructions

ACTION PHASE

6. Each player takes 4 turns in Turn Order; each turn: play 1 Ability card and resolve its effect (or use a Strategic Asset / Pass for 10 Ordis)
7. Research step: reveal remaining hand cards, collect bonuses, spend Research points to buy Market cards
8. Add Auto-Influence (2–3 player games only)

AFTERMATH

9. Return on Investments: gain income from FDI tokens and optionally discard Engage tokens for money
10. Increase Prosperity (optional; spend Consumer Goods to advance track)
11. Resolve THREAT: lose 2 VPs per opponent with more THREAT than your Defense in your zone of interest
12. Scoring (Rounds 3 & 6 only)

Actions

Scoring

During play (immediate VP gains)

• Place Influence in a slot: gain VPs shown on that slot [p.16 — Adding Influence]
• Get a Growth card: gain VPs listed on the card [p.15 — Get a Growth Card]
• Increase Prosperity: gain VPs listed on the new space [p.19 — Increase Prosperity]

Scoring steps (Rounds 3 & 6 only — Region must have all permanent slots filled)

• 1 VP per Influence cube in a scoring Region [p.20 — Scoring]
• Majority bonuses: 1st/2nd/3rd place per Region (ties broken by most Armies there) [p.20]
• 3 Majority tokens: most money / most Armies on board / most allied Countries [p.21]

Final scoring (Round 6 only)

• 2 VPs per unused Strategic Asset card [p.21]
• Executive Order (optional module): 3 VPs if unused [p.21]

Power-specific scoring abilities (Rounds 3 & 6)

• USA 'Superpower Overstretch': penalty if leading in fewer than 4 Regions [p.20]
• Russia 'Secured Sphere of Influence': +2 VP per zone-of-interest Region where Russia leads [p.20]
• China 'Global FDI Network': VPs based on number of Regions with at least 1 FDI token [p.20]

End of game

• Game ends after Round 6 Aftermath (including final Scoring step) [p.21 — Game End]
• Most VPs wins [p.21]
• Tiebreaker 1: most 1st-majority bonuses earned in final scoring [p.21]
• Tiebreaker 2: most total Influence cubes on the board [p.21]
• Still tied: shared victory [p.21]

Glossary

• Allied Country: a Country card in front of you; can be ready (face-up) or exhausted (face-down) [p.7 — Country Cards]
• Ready: an allied Country card that is face-up and available to use [p.7 — Country Cards]
• Exhausted: an allied Country card turned face-down; cannot be exhausted again until readied [p.7 — Country Cards]
• Permanent Influence: Influence placed above the line in a Region; stays until game end; limited slots [p.16 — Adding Influence]
• Temporary Influence: Influence placed below the line; fills left-to-right; leftmost is pushed out when all slots full [p.16 — Adding Influence]
• THREAT: number of opponent Armies in a Region within your zone of interest; you lose 2 VPs per opponent whose THREAT exceeds your Defense [p.19 — Resolve THREAT]
• Defense: your own Armies in a Region within your zone of interest [p.19 — Resolve THREAT]
• Zone of Interest: Regions showing your flag in a small circle on the Main board [p.19 — Resolve THREAT]
• FDI token: Foreign Direct Investment; placed via Invest action; earns 2 × Country value each Aftermath [p.19 — Return on Investments]
• Research: currency gained from revealed hand cards at end of Action Phase; spent to buy Market cards [p.17 — Research]
• Market: 6 face-up Ability cards available for purchase during Research step [p.8 — Game Setup]
• Prosperity: track on Player board; advance by spending Consumer Goods to gain VPs and money [p.19 — Increase Prosperity]

FAQ

• Q: Can I have multiple Engage tokens in the same Region? — A: Yes, no limit per Region [p.22 — FAQ]
• Q: Do I gain/lose VPs when playing a Strategic Asset card? — A: No; VPs on the card are only starting VPs. Unused cards give 2 VPs at final scoring [p.22 — FAQ]
• Q: If an effect says 'add permanent Influence,' can I choose temporary instead? — A: No, you must place it above the line as permanent [p.22 — FAQ]
• Q: When an ability lets me play an additional card, can it be a Strategic Asset or Executive Order? — A: Yes, but you still must place an Ability card face-down as normal (unless your hand is empty) [p.22 — FAQ]
• Q: Does EU gain 4 VPs for its starting Influence cube in Africa? — A: No; that number only applies if the cube is removed and a new Influence is later placed in that slot [p.22 — FAQ]
• Q: Can I increase the same Production more than once with a card that lets me increase 2 or 3? — A: No, each increase must be a different Production [p.22–23 — FAQ]
• Q: If I increase a primary resource Production via a Growth card, do I immediately gain 1 of it? — A: No; the immediate gain only happens when increasing Production during the Choose Focus step [p.23 — FAQ]