Review of Terraforming Mars
Review of Terraforming Mars
The earth became overpopulated and starved without resources, but Elon Musk’s vision of conquering Mars finally came true in the 24th century! You will take over the corporation and compete through the generations to have the greatest impact on terraforming the planet. Read our full review of Terraforming Mars board games.
- Compete for various milestones and prizes worth many VPS
- Complete more than 200 different projects
- 1 to 5 players aged 12 or over
A brief overview of Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars is an engine building strategy game for up to 5 players and includes a standalone mode . The game starts slowly as each player has a limited choice of actions, but as they develop their economy, the possibilities expand and the game becomes much more interesting.
It is a fairly long game with an average playing time of 2 to 3 hours and above average difficulty. As with any game in the genre, there is a lot to be learned here, but Terraforming Mars is doing its best to make the learning process gradual.
Well-thought-out mechanics, an interesting setting, and a perfect balance of sophistication and fun are just a few reasons why Terraforming Mars is currently one of the top-rated board games !
Variations and extensions
Hellas & Elysium
The first extension for Terraforming Mars adds a new double-sided game board with new milestones and prizes. One side represents the Elysium with huge bodies of water to the north and mountains to the south. Hellas has a huge crater and a resource-rich South Pole.
- Two new areas and many new ways to win
- Hellas, the southern wilderness, includes Mars' south pole and ...
- Elysium leads the players almost to the opposite side of Mars ...
Prelude
If you need to get one extension, it’s Prelude. It adds new corporations and project cards designed to accelerate the slow launch of the game and create new variables.
- 1 to 5 players
- Average playback time from 90 to 120 minutes
- For those over 12 years old
Colonies
The colonies add new cards, corporations, and tiles for colonization. The thematic focus is on the external solar system and the expansion of the therapy design process.
- material type: paper
- number of players: 4
riots
The focus is again on Mars, where corporations have delved into political intrigue at the Terraforming Committee. Turmoil is adding new corporations and projects, as well as Global Events - a new type of card.
- The fifth extension of the fourth game of all time on board ...
- Terraforming Mars is an extremely hit game and the hottest game ...
- Terraforming Mars: Concussion is an "expert" expansion that will ...
Unpacking the terraforming of Mars
The field contains the following:
- 1 Rules
- 1 game board
- 5 game boards
- 17 Corporate Cards
- 208 Project Cards
- 8 Reference cards
- 200 player markers
- 200 resource markers
- 3 Game board markers
- 80 field tiles
- 1 first player token
When you first open the box and look at the game pieces, you won’t find anything out of the ordinary. The cardboard components are well made, the game board is durable and all the chips come out of the mold nicely. The plastic components seem to be useful for this job, and the cubes of the translucent players are beautiful.
However, when you start playing the game, you will notice some problems. As mentioned, all the components are at the standard level, but when you put them together, the design choices come together.
Card organization
The last thing you want in a game that requires precise card organization and precise dice placement is smooth textures. Even a small move of the table will move all your production cubes. If you happen to find a version with 3D player panels, be sure to get it.
The cards need to be folded similarly to solitaire, but they will slip and create an incomplete column. A playing cloth will help you a lot in keeping the cards in place.
Currency cubes
After just a few games played, the color on the currency cubes began to bounce off the corners. They’re not particularly well-painted either, so I wondered why the players ’nice dice design wasn’t used instead.
These are all minor inconveniences that won’t stop you from enjoying the game, but they’re still worth mentioning. You should have no problem with a solid table and a careful group of players.
How to play Terraforming Mars
The game Terraforming Mars revolves around spending credit for playing cards that will improve the production of resources and money or improve the assessment of terraforming by increasing the percentage of oxygen, raising the temperature, or creating oceans.
Game setup
Arrange the player boards and place the game board by following the instructions in the manual. Every game of Terraforming Mars starts the same way, with the choice of the corporation. If your group is still new to the game, the starter corporation is a balanced choice, otherwise each player chooses one of the two corporations he has dealt with.
Project maps are the most valuable resource in the game. Without them, you will find it difficult to progress through the game. During the installation, each player is awarded 10 cards, but in order to keep them, 3 credits must be spent on the card. Starter corporation gets 10 cards for free.
Reverse order
Once you pick the first player, it’s time to start the game. Everyone takes 1 mandatory and 1 optional action. Passing occurs when a player has no more available actions or if he chooses to do so.
Performing two actions in a turn is a great way to grab a milestone or reward. Playing 1 campaign per turn, however, can exhaust the options of other players and leave the entire board to you. The round (generation) ends when all the players are gone.
Stages of generation
Each generation consists of four phases:
- Player order phase - the first player tag moves 1 step clockwise and the tag generation progresses.
- Research phase - each player draws 4 cards and chooses how many to buy.
- Action phase - players perform actions until they pass.
- Production phase - at the same time, all players convert the energy supply into heat and then receive a number of resources that corresponds to their production level.
In the first generation, the player and the exploration phase are skipped. In the last phase of the game, only the production phase takes place, and more on that later.
The process
During their move, players can perform any of the following actions if they meet the requirements:
- Play on the project card.
- Use the action on the blue cardboard.
- Use a standard project.
- Request a milestone.
- Finance the prize.
- Turn plants into greenery.
- Convert heat to temperature.
Project cards have certain costs and possible gaming requirements. Some require that you have already played multiple cards of the same type, while others require a certain level of oxygen or temperature.
Cards with a red outline and a downward-pointing label have a strong and immediate effect, but once played, they roll over. Maps with green outlines have the usual designs and are facing up to make the mark visible. Blue cards have long-term effects and should be fully visible. Use Action on blue cardboard you can run once per generation until the game is over.
Standard projects are displayed on the game board and are generally considered to be less likely to spend credit on the card. They mostly sell useless maps, create places that are hard to get from project maps, and vegetation in the late stages of the game.
Claim Milestone allows the fastest players to claim 3 out of 5 achievements on the game board and gain lots of winning points. Fund the prize works similarly, but the player who funds the prize opens the competition for it instead of automatically claiming it.
Turn plants into greenery and convert heat into temperature with accumulated resources raise the terraforming rating by laying a green tile that then increases oxygen or raises the heat level.
End of the game
When the oxygen level reaches 14%, the temperature rises to + 8 ° C and 9 oceans are created, Mars finally terraforms and the game enters its final phase. The last generation is still playing normally. The production phase ends once again, and the players create more green tiles with their unused plants.
Make points of all based on their assessment of terraforming, prizes, milestones, map tiles and winning points on the project maps played. The winner is the player with the most points, while the draws are separated according to the number of credits each player has.
Your first game of terraforming Mars
The main challenge you will face when you first play Terraforming Mars is knowing exactly what to do in a given step. To facilitate the elimination process. Only a few of the 10 cards you will receive will be playable, so place late cards at the bottom.
Early play
In the early game, focus on developing your credit and energy production, and everything else comes naturally. Using heat to raise the temperature is an easy way to get more credit production, but don’t overdo it, as the heat later becomes useless.
In the middle of the game
Towards the second half of the game, start focusing on plant growing and creating greenery. Each green you own gives you one VP at the end of the game, but the green surrounding your city also brings you one VP per tile. Use this to your advantage and make sure you have at least two places to maximize profits.
It’s perfectly fine to perform just a few actions in a turn and prepare for big moves in the next one. The cards dealt during the exploration phase will always be tempting, but you don’t fall into the trap of constantly buying cards and not having enough credit to play.
milestones
Try to catch one of the milestones - they are not something you decide on, but if the game takes you in a direction where you are already close, take it for a significant increase in VP.
Field tiles
The placement of terrain tiles plays a huge role in Terraforming Mars. The network itself has many rewards that you can get by building on them, as well as tactical placement near other players ’buildings or away from them. If you build your credits along the oceans, the greenery in your city is actually worth twice as much, so use it to your advantage.
Advantages disadvantages
Advantages:
- Balanced problem
- Great repeatability
- Intuitive scoring
Terraforming Mars manages to condense many complexities into simple and intuitive mechanics. With some help, the new players will be able to compete with the veterans and score a lot of winning points. By playing, you will gain more knowledge about the cards and the pace of the game and make the right moves just before it ends.
The late game Terraforming Mars focuses heavily on plant growing and laying green tiles, but that doesn’t mean every session will be the same. Advanced corporations will naturally steer your game in a certain direction as they provide benefits for certain actions.
Some board games have great mechanics and great gameplay, but they fall through when scoring. In Terraforming Mars, every action is important and brings you one step closer to victory. When the scoring starts, there are no hidden surprises - but that doesn’t mean the results are obvious before the end, far from it.
Weaknesses:
- Slow start of the game
- Smooth components
- The art of photography in stock
Mechanically, the only problem Mars faces in shaping Mars is an unusual and slow start. Since everyone’s production is limited to credits, it will take several generations for players to be able to perform more than one action before a pass. This has been addressed in the Prelude extension, which I warmly recommend to more experienced players.
There are no other issues in terms of gaming, but the components leave a few things to be desired. Problems with smooth cards, player boards, and dice have already been addressed in the unpacking section. In short, the texture of the components makes it difficult to keep the pieces in place, partly solved with a player cloth and 3D player panels.
I haven’t touched on the artwork in the unpacking department, but it deserves a mention. You’d expect high-quality illustrated artwork, but you’ll find photos of photos with a separate sticker on the page instead. The quality of the resolution varies with a few blurred and pixelated examples. However, you will get used to them and they have no effect on playing.
Overview of Terraforming Mars (TL; DR)
Terraforming Mars is rightly one of the best strategy games on the market. An interesting theme, thoughtful mechanics and goals come together in an interesting and very repeatable game. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll miss it if you don’t try it at least once.
Conclusion: a verdict?
This review may have been more critical than some, but make no mistake, it was all out of love. Terraforming Mars is my favorite board game and the opportunity to visit when my group has a few hours.
New players could extend the length of our sessions, but we are opting for the first games. If we look at them and advise them, they accelerate quickly and are ready to play competently in the next session.
With the exception of the Prelude, extensions are unnecessary and are only a matter of personal preference. We’ve only used Prelude ever since, as the central game has enough to always be fresh every time.
- Compete for various milestones and prizes worth many VPS
- Complete more than 200 different projects
- 1 to 5 players aged 12 or over
If you enjoyed our Terraforming Mars review, leave us a comment below! We look forward to hearing from you about the strategies you have used and we will let you know if you have managed to beat our best results!
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