Zenith has no final point tally. The game ends as soon as a player or team meets one of three influence-disc conditions. A disc still moving along a planet track is not a won disc. Place won discs on the edge of the Diplomacy board so everyone can count the threats.
The three ways to win
| Victory | Required won discs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute | Three from the same planet | Three Mars discs, even with none elsewhere |
| Democratic | Four from strictly different planets | Mercury, Venus, Terra and Jupiter |
| Popular | Five total, in any mixture | Two Mars, two Venus and one Terra |
One collection can satisfy more than one condition. You need only one. Because a planet can supply multiple discs over a game, a same-color plan is possible even though only one active disc per planet begins on the board.
From track movement to a won disc
Each planet track has a center, spaces toward both players, and a control zone at each end. Gaining one influence moves the current disc one step toward your side. If an opponent pushes it back before you reach your zone, you have not banked anything. When it enters your control zone, take the disc and display it with your won discs. You cannot carry extra movement across a just-won disc: the replacement starts in the middle only at the end of the turn.
Example: the Mars disc is one step from your zone and a card gives two Mars influence. The first step wins the disc. The second influence is lost because the new disc has not yet been put on the board. The card’s other effects still resolve normally where applicable.
First planet bonus and resets
At setup, each planet has a face-up bonus token. The first player to win a disc from that planet resolves that token immediately and discards it. The token does not return when a fresh disc appears. Later Mars discs are still useful for Absolute or Popular victory, but do not earn Mars’s setup bonus again.
Agent cards stay in their planet columns after a disc is claimed. This matters because recruiting another card in your own matching column receives a one-Credit discount per already placed card there. An effect that exiles or transfers a card changes the column; simply winning the disc does not.
What if an effect helps the opponent?
Some Agent effects give the opponent influence. If that pushes a disc into their control zone during your turn, they gain the disc and the first-disc planet bonus if it is still there. Check victory immediately; the rules do not delay the win until that player’s own turn. Effects you cannot apply are ignored, and excess movement beyond a control zone is lost.
How to read the table in a close game
Consider a side with two Venus discs and one Jupiter disc. A third Venus disc wins by Absolute; two more discs of any color win by Popular, while Democratic still requires three additional distinct planet colors because the duplicate Venus counts only once toward four different. Counting both total discs and distinct planet colors prevents a common misread.
In four-player play the two teammates share the contest and their collected discs count for their side. The team’s resources and Leader badge are shared, but each person holds their own cards and is limited to specified recruit planets. The same three victory thresholds govern the game.
More Zenith guides: Zenith game guide · How to play Zenith · Zenith strategy · Victory conditions and influence discs · Secret Agents expansion
Rules reference: PlayPunk’s English rules and helpsheet downloads. This walkthrough covers the original two-player game, with the published team changes noted separately.