Terraforming Mars (EN)

Terraforming Mars (EN)

Stronghold Games SKU: SG6005

Terraforming Mars (EN)

Stronghold Games SKU: SG6005
Regular price CHF 79.00
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In the 2400s, mankind begins to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars, you play one of those corporations and work together in the terraforming process, but compete for getting victory points that are awarded not only for your contribution to the terraforming, but also for advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system, and doing other commendable things.

The players acquire unique project cards (from over two hundred different ones) by buying them to their hand. The projects (cards) can represent anything from introducing plant life or animals, hurling asteroids at the surface, building cities, to mining the moons of Jupiter and establishing greenhouse gas industries to heat up the atmosphere. The cards can give you immediate bonuses, as well as increasing your production of different resources. Many cards also have requirements and they become playable when the temperature, oxygen, or ocean coverage increases enough. Buying cards is costly, so there is a balance between buying cards (3 megacredits per card) and actually playing them (which can cost anything between 0 to 41 megacredits, depending on the project). Standard Projects are always available to complement your cards.

Your basic income, as well as your basic score, is based on your Terraform Rating (starting at 20), which increases every time you raise one of the three global parameters. However, your income is complemented with your production, and you also get VPs from many other sources.

Each player keeps track of their production and resources on their player boards, and the game uses six types of resources: MegaCredits, Steel, Titanium, Plants, Energy, and Heat. On the game board, you compete for the best places for your city tiles, ocean tiles, and greenery tiles. You also compete for different Milestones and Awards worth many VPs. Each round is called a generation (guess why) and consists of the following phases:

1) Player order shifts clockwise.
2) Research phase: All players buy cards from four privately drawn.
3) Action phase: Players take turns doing 1-2 actions from these options: Playing a card, claiming a Milestone, funding an Award, using a Standard project, converting plant into greenery tiles (and raising oxygen), converting heat into a temperature raise, and using the action of a card in play. The turn continues around the table until all players pass.
4) Production phase: Players get resources according to their terraform rating and production parameters.

When the three global parameters (temperature, oxygen, ocean) have all reached their goal, the terraforming is complete, and the game ends after that generation. Count your Terraform Rating and other VPs to determine the winning corporation!


Product specifications

Language: English
Publisher: Stronghold Games

Customer Reviews

Based on 3 reviews
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R
Ruben C.
You cannot go wrong buying this game

Terraforming Mars had several reasons for me not to like it: very simple components, a lot of iconography, relatively expensive for just a card game, you need to know the cards to win, and I even played it and I didn't love it.
It turns out I didn't understand the game.
If it is your first time, you need to leave your preconceived expectations away and let TM unfold in front of your eyes. You'll understand.
Since then it has become my number 1 game. I played more than 200 times, and the components are absolutely perfect for their purpose, the iconography just makes sense, newbies have won games against me several times so no need to be an expert to win, and the game is worth every cent.
At its core is a hand management, engine-building game. Highly interactive, with fierce competition for terrain control, very thematic, and engaging. Playing with all expansions it takes 2h for two players that know the game. A bit more if you are new.
I strongly recommend playing with the drafting variant. It is what gives the game a good chunk of its strategic appeal.
This game has been among the top 10 of all board games for six years in a row. Definitely a must-have!

P
Philipp G.
Terraforming Mars - An engine building card & board game

Terraforming Mars offers players to play as large corporations that aim to terraform Mars for future human colonisation. In it, you will compete with your fellow players to do the most terraforming by acquiring various cards and resources to help you terraform even faster. It's always an addictive feeling as you build up your "engine" to do more and more things.

Definitely try out this game if you found games such as Settlers of Catan interesting.

K
K. G.
A classic

First board game I bought, I love it. Put it a lot of time on the table with different persons. It's main problem is it's length (first game tooks me 6h, now a normal two player game takes around 4h(using all extensions)). I advise to buy the prelude extension to accelerate the start of the game. All extensions are great, Venus is my least favorite.

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