Pan Am, with callsign Clipper was one of the largest and most important airlines in the United States. The high-flyer, which went bankrupt in 1991, experienced many lows during its turbulent existence. In the game Pan Am go, players assume the role of smaller airlines whose exclusive flight routes are slowly being swallowed up by the airline conglomerate. This, of course, creates a lot of turbulence.
Background
So Pan Am, also known as Pan American World Airways, was a leading U.S. airline with a turbulent history. The airline was founded in 1927 to carry mail between Florida and Cuba. An airline conglomerate was born. Special and sought-after routes to Europe, the Boeing 314, the Boeing 747 and the acquisition of National Airlines and other air routes made Pan Am great. Bad publicity after the Lockerbie attacks, increased competition, privatization of aviation and failed growth culminated in the bankruptcy and end of Pan Am.
In the game, players fly – in 7 rounds – along with the success of Pan Am in the early days of the airline. In bird’s-eye view, players obtain landing rights in major cities, build flight paths and hope Pan Am flight paths. Players obtain revenue based on their routes and airports. With the money they earn, players purchase planes for their fleets, acquire destination cards and can acquire shares in Pan Am. Whoever has the most shares in Pan Am after 7 rounds is the winner of this board game. Just make sure to sell the shares again in time after winning the game… At least before 1991….
Gameplay
At the beginning of the game the game board is laid out. The game board shows the flight routes, the various airports and has space for the event cards, the directive cards and the destination cards. A nice detail is the design of the game board. The design really displays the era in which the game takes place and the map is not a standard world map, but a map where the North Pole is the center.
Each player receives one player board and a number of airplanes to start their fleet. In addition, each player already receives some money and destination cards and a directive. The directive cards, by the way, are cards that players can use at specific times during the game for special actions during the game.
During the game, each round an event is turned face-up from the event card deck. The event affects the value of shares in Pan Am and the rules for the round. There are multiple events so each game will play out slightly differently. After that, players will use their engineers to select actions that are then settled during the succeeding phase. Most actions have limited space, so players try to outbid each other to win actions. Actions cost money to eventually execute, and with overbidding, actions become more expensive. If you can’t pay for an action, you are forced to trade shares.
Actions allow players to place airports, take destination cards, buy planes, fly on routes and buy directive cards. At the end of each round, Pan Am also claims some routes. If a player has this route, it is sold to Pan Am. After 7 rounds, the final destination is reached and players land.
Verdict
Pan Am is a thematic board game with an economic edge. The game mechanics logically fit the theme and as a result feel particularly intuitive. The game play is lighthearted, but strategic enough making it manageable for newcomers, but interesting enough for returning players.
