Overview

Terraforming Mars is a game by Jacob Fryxelius (FryxGames, 2016; Stronghold Games), for 1 to 5 players.

Each player runs a corporation that buys and plays project cards to take part in terraforming Mars: raising the temperature and oxygen and placing oceans. Each step raises your terraform rating (TR), which is both your income and your basic score.

Time is measured in generations: player order, research for new cards, actions, then production. The game ends when all three global parameters have reached their goal; the most victory points wins.

1 to 5
Goal

Have the most victory points: TR, tiles on Mars, milestones, awards and VPs on cards. Solo: terraform Mars before the end of generation 14.

Victory

  • ✓ The player with the most VPs at game end wins; ties go to the most M€.
  • ✓ Solo: complete terraforming (14% oxygen, +8 °C, 9 oceans) before the end of generation 14, then score as high as possible.

Defeat

  • ✕ Solo: Mars is not terraformed by the end of generation 14.

Turn sequence

  1. 1
    1. Player order
    The first player marker moves 1 step clockwise; the generation marker moves up. Skipped in the 1st generation.
  2. 2
    2. Research
    Each draws 4 cards and buys 0 to 4 (3 M€ each); the rest are discarded facedown. Skipped in the 1st generation.
  3. 3
    3. Action
    In turn, 1 or 2 actions, or pass (for the rest of the generation), until everyone has passed.
  4. 4
    4. Production
    Simultaneous: energy becomes heat, M€ income = TR + M€ production, then other productions; remove markers from action cards.