Emilie Meyer
Pan Am is a board game set during the golden age of air travel, when Pan American Airways was a pioneer in worldwide passenger aviation. The game involves players representing small airlines, using their engineers to purchase aircraft, acquire airports, and compete for landing rights. Players bid against one another for the ability to take certain actions, such as building an airport, gaining a destination card, acquiring a new plane, or claiming a route. The game is played over seven rounds, with each round beginning with an event card that affects all players and dictates the rise or fall of Pan Am's stock price. The goal of the game is not to be the best airline, but to own the most stock in Pan Am airlines at the end of the game.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of players | 2-4 |
| Game type | Worker placement, set collection, route building, converting money for VP |
| Game time | 5-10 minutes to set up |
| Number of rounds | 7 |
| Number of phases | 4 |
| Number of event cards | 28 |
| Number of destination cards | 50 |
| Number of rounds decks | 7 |
| Number of planes | Not mentioned |
| Goal | To own the most stock in Pan Am Airlines at the end of the game |
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What You'll Learn
Bidding and outbidding
Bidding continues until all engineers are spent, and players can be pushed out of the bidding for a valuable destination. However, being outbid doesn't mean you're losing, as you can focus on getting something else. Bidding first doesn't increase your chances of getting something, but it does increase the odds of making it more expensive for other players.
Players can also outbid each other to block a player from claiming a route first. However, this blocking or bidding is usually not done to target a specific player. Players can also deplete an opponent's cash by outbidding them, leaving them unable to afford as much stock.
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Building airports and claiming routes
To build airports and claim routes in Pan Am, you must understand the concept of "landing rights". Landing rights can be obtained in several ways:
- Building an airport in a city: You automatically gain landing rights in a city by constructing an airport there. Airports are typically acquired through a bidding process, with the highest bidder earning the right to place an airport on the board.
- Holding a destination card for the city: You can gain landing rights by possessing the corresponding destination card for the city. These cards can also be obtained through bidding.
- Discarding cards from the same region as the city: If you don't have an airport or a specific destination card, you can still gain landing rights by discarding cards from your hand that match the region of the city. This can be done by discarding a single card of the same colour or by discarding two cards of the same colour, but different from the city's colour.
Once you have secured landing rights at both ends of your desired route, you can claim it by placing a plane on the Pan Am space highway between the cities. Different planes have different range capabilities, so ensure you have a plane that can cover the distance.
It's important to note that you only need landing rights at the time you claim the route. After that, you won't lose the route unless you choose to sell it to Pan Am. Additionally, airports can be moved, and destination cards can be discarded later to gain landing rights for other routes without affecting your previously claimed routes.
During the game, players will also have the opportunity to buy stock in Pan Am. This can be done with the cash earned from selling routes to Pan Am. The player with the most Pan Am stock after a certain number of rounds is the winner. Therefore, strategically building airports, claiming routes, and then selling them to Pan Am can be a profitable endeavour in the game.
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Gaining stock
There are several ways to gain stock in Pan Am. Firstly, players can earn money by claiming routes and building their airline empire. This involves strategically placing engineers on the board to build airports, gain destination cards, acquire new planes, and claim routes. Players can then use their earnings to purchase Pan Am stock. The stock purchase price fluctuates with each turn, as indicated by the event card, so players must strategize when to buy.
Another way to gain stock is by being bought out by Pan Am itself. Players can choose to focus on route income, aim for a buyout, or mix the two strategies. The routes that Pan Am expands along are determined by a dice roll, so there is an element of luck involved.
Additionally, players can bid against each other for the ability to take certain actions, such as gaining new planes or claiming routes, which can give them an advantage in the game and ultimately help them gain more stock.
The game offers a balance of strategy and luck, with hidden stock cards and unpredictable dice rolls keeping players engaged until the end of the seven rounds.
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Worker placement
Each player starts with a set number of engineers—for example, in a four-player game, each player starts with three engineers, and you never earn more. Players take turns placing their engineers one at a time on the board, bidding on tasks such as purchasing aircraft, acquiring airports, and competing for landing rights in various cities. Once all the engineers have been placed, players carry out the actions on the board in an easily identified order.
The board is divided into five main areas, each designated with a letter: Airports (A), Destinations (B), Hangars (C), Routes (D), and Directives (E). To claim a route, players must have a plane of the right size and landing rights in the city at each end. This can be achieved by building an airport, owning or discarding Destination cards, or purchasing the necessary aircraft.
Players must pay attention to how much they are bidding, especially in the first few rounds, to ensure they can afford to carry out all the actions associated with their engineer placements. The game also involves player bidding and a set order of player actions based on the type of action and order of placement, creating natural tension and requiring players to be strategic about each engineer placement.
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Game phases
The gameplay of Pan Am is divided into seven rounds, which are further split into four phases.
In the first phase, or the Event phase, players select an event card from each of the seven-round decks, which represent the seven decades that Pan Am was in business. The top event card is revealed at the beginning of each round, and it affects all players. It also determines the rise or fall of Pan Am's stock price and how the company will expand at the end of the round.
In the second phase, players place their engineers on the board to build an airport, gain a destination card, acquire a new plane, claim a route, or gain directive cards. The board has five main areas, each designated with a letter: Airports (A), Destinations (B), Hangars (C), Routes (D), and Directives (E). Only one engineer can be placed at a time, and they can be outbid by other players. The outbid player gets their engineer back and can use it on a future turn.
In the third phase, or the Resolution phase, the actions on the board are carried out in the order that the engineers were placed. Players with engineers in those places perform the actions, such as gaining new planes, destinations, or claiming routes.
In the fourth and final phase, Pan Am expands and players gain revenue and have the option to purchase Pan Am stocks before the next event card is revealed.
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Frequently asked questions
The aim of the game is to own the most stock in Pan Am airlines by the end of the game.
It can be played with 2-4 players.
Pan Am is a worker placement game with five main areas on the board: Airports, Destinations, Hangars, Routes, and Directives. Players place their engineers/workers on the board to build an airport, gain a destination card, acquire a new plane, claim a route, or gain directive cards. Players bid against each other for these actions, and only one player can be the winner.
The game is played over seven rounds, each consisting of four phases. Gameplay is described as fast, and the learning curve is considered low.
