Review: Terraforming Mars

Introduction & Overview

“Since its conception in 2174, the World Government has continually strived to achieve global unity and peace. Our mission is to be a shared tool of humanity to create a better future. Earth is overpopulated and resources are dwindling. Now we must choose between retreating or expanding into space to find new homes for humanity. For this reason, we need to make Mars a habitable planet. The terraforming of Mars is an endeavor of such magnitude that it will require the commitment of all humanity to be achieved. Therefore, the World Government will create a Terraforming Committee and establish a universal tax for this purpose. Any corporation or company that contributes to the terraforming process will be generously rewarded by the Committee. We believe that all these measures will ultimately result in a habitable planet for our descendants. Thank you for your attention!” Levi Uken, World Government spokesman, January 16, 2315 A.D.

This is how Terraforming Mars is presented to us, the second published game by Jacob Fryxelius after Space Station. The game was released in 2016 by FryxGames and Stronghold Games in an English edition. Due to the title’s massive success (it earned a nomination for the 2017 Kennerspiel des Jahres), it has been localized in numerous countries: Germany by Schwerkraft-Verlag, Russia by Lavka Games, Poland by REBEL.pl, Italy by Ghenos Games, France and the Netherlands by Intrafin Games, or Portugal by Meeple BR Jogos. The visual aspect is handled by one of the author’s brothers, Isaac Fryxelius, who only has one other game in his portfolio, Brawling Barons.

The game is published in our country by Maldito Games, translated into our language (it is quite language-dependent, featuring a huge number of cards with text). It allows games for 1 to 5 players, with an average recommended age of 12 years and an approximate duration of 120-150 minutes. The recommended retail price is €50. For this review, a review copy of the Spanish edition by Maldito Games was used, which the publisher itself kindly provided.

Important: if you already know the game and/or are only interested in my opinion about it, you can go directly to the Opinion section. The Content and Mechanics sections are especially intended for those who do not know the game and prefer to get a general idea of how it works.

Go to Personal Opinion

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom), measuring 29.7×29.7×7.2 cm. (standard square box like Ticket to Ride), we find the following components:

• Game Board (Cardboard)
• 200 Player Markers (40 of each color: green, red, yellow, blue, black) (Plastic)
• 200 Resource Cubes (Plastic):
  • 125 Bronze
  • 30 Silver
  • 45 Gold
• 3 White Game Board Markers (Plastic)
• 60 Greenery/City Tiles (Cardboard)
• 9 Ocean Tiles (Cardboard)
• 11 Special Tiles (Cardboard)
• 5 Player Boards (Cardstock)
• First Player Tile (Cardboard)
• 233 Cards (63.5×88 mm.):
  • 17 Corporation Cards
  • 208 Project Cards
  • 8 Reference Cards
• Rulebook

How to Play

Terraforming Mars is a game set in the future where each player controls a giant corporation with the goal of making the Red Planet habitable through the purchase and execution of various strategic projects. The game unfolds over a series of generations, divided into four main phases. After adjusting the player order and secretly researching to acquire new project cards, participants alternate turns in the action phase. In each of their turns, the active player can perform one or two actions, ranging from playing cards from their hand by paying their cost in MegaCredits to activating standard projects from the central board, claiming competitive milestones, funding awards for the end of the game, or using the abilities and actions of the blue cards they already have in play. These actions allow players to collect resources on their personal boards—such as steel, titanium, plants, energy, and heat—and place ocean, city, or greenery tiles on the map of Mars. At the end of each generation, all players simultaneously produce resources and earn income based on their current terraforming rating. The game concludes at the end of the generation in which the three global parameters (oxygen, temperature, and oceans) reach their maximum targets. At that moment, the final scoring takes place by adding the terraforming rating, claimed milestones, won awards, controlled tiles on the map, and direct victory points from played cards, with the player with the highest score being proclaimed the winner.

Key Concepts

As a proper Card Development game, these are the most important element of the game. There are three types of cards:

• Events (orange): provide a one-time effect and are placed face down in a pile, not affecting the rest of the game.
• Automated (green): provide a one-time effect, but unlike event cards, these remain in play and overlap, so they can affect or be affected by other cards.
• Active (blue): these are cards that provide effects throughout the game, either directly (a recurring permanent effect) or through actions (which can only be executed once per round).

Let’s look at the anatomy of these cards:

• In the top right corner, we find a series of circular tags that determine the card’s type. These tags allow playing cards with certain requirements or boosting the effects of other cards.
• In the top left corner, we find the cost in MegaCredits (the currency in use) to play the card.
• To the right of the cost, optionally, a requirement for playing the card may appear. This requirement can be in environmental conditions or types of cards in the player’s area.
• Just below the previous elements, in a banner matching the color of the card type (blue, orange, or green), we find the card’s title.
• For active cards (blue), below the title appears the effect or action that can be applied during the game, which must be kept visible at all times once the card is played.
• Next, we have a representative illustration of the card.
• Finally, on the bottom banner, we find the immediate effect of the card when played. These effects vary, such as modifying environmental parameters, resource generation values, resource gains or losses, etc. This effect is applied at the exact moment the card is played and is no longer taken into account for the rest of the game. In this area, additionally, we can find a victory point value on a Mars symbol, which will be counted at the end of the game, regardless of the type of card played. And, before moving on to another component, it is worth mentioning that certain cards allow resources to be stored on them, which provide victory points at the end of the game.

Also note that the deck of cards is separated into two: one of “standard” cards and another of “corporate” cards. The latter are distinguished by a small red symbol in the lower left area. These cards simply provide greater business development, not being as focused on terraforming. Adding them can increase the game’s duration.

Players take control of Corporations embarking on the venture of terraforming Mars. These corporations determine the players’ starting point through an initial amount of various types of resources, as well as an effect or action (just like an active card) that applies throughout the game. In turn, each corporation has an associated card type tag, so for all intents and purposes, they possess that tag. There are some beginner corporation cards that can be used to eliminate the asymmetry of the starting point, so that all players begin with the same resources.

Let’s move on to the Player Board. This shows six spaces corresponding to the six main resources managed during the game: MegaCredits, steel, titanium, plants, energy, and heat. For each resource, there is a space to accumulate units of it and a track that determines the production level at the end of each generation (round). No parameter can drop below 0 units (negative values are not accepted), with the exception of MegaCredits, which can reach a value of up to -5 (but no lower). In case of reaching the upper limit of the track, a new marker would be added, leaving the first one at the maximum.

Each type of resource has a specific use:

• MegaCredits (M€ symbol over a yellow square): used mainly to cover the cost of projects, both their initiation (keeping the card) and finalizing them (playing the card).
• Steel: steel can be used to pay for Building-type projects (dark pentagon on a brown circle). In practical terms, when playing cards of this type, steel works just like MegaCredits, though with a specific exchange rate where 1 unit of steel equals 2 MegaCredits. However, it cannot be directly exchanged for MegaCredits (unless a card allows it).
• Titanium: works just like steel, but for Space-type projects (star planet symbol), with an exchange rate where 1 unit of titanium equals 3 MegaCredits. Just like steel, it cannot be directly exchanged for MegaCredits either.
• Plants: these resources will be used to deploy greenery on Mars and raise the oxygen level as one of the available actions.
• Energy: this is the only resource that cannot be used directly unless through the effect of a card. Its peculiarity is that it cannot be stored over time, so at the end of each generation, unused energy converts into heat (the last type of resource).
• Heat: like plants, it is a resource used to alter the environmental conditions of Mars, raising the temperature in exchange for a certain number of heat units.

All these resources are tracked using metallic-looking cubes that accumulate in the different compartments of the personal board (and also on some cards that accept resources). We have three types of cubes: bronze (1 unit), silver (5 units), and gold (10 units). Care must be taken not to mix the different piles, as a single bronze cube represents a different resource depending on where it is located.

Let’s move on to the Central Board, which displays a face of Mars along with a series of tracks and relevant spaces.

• In the center of the board, we find the Red Planet divided into a series of hexagons representing the different locations where terraforming can take place. There are a number of reserved spaces, such as a couple of satellites, a central city, or the spots for oceans, with an inner blue glow. Some of the spaces show resource icons that are obtained the moment a player covers them with a tile.
• Around the board, we find the Terraforming Rating track with spaces numbered from 0 to 100. At the end of the game, these will equal victory points, but during the game, they function as a parallel level of MegaCredit income. That is, the money gained in each production phase will be the sum of the terraforming rating and the income level on the player’s board. This parameter increases whenever we raise one of the key environmental parameters of the game.
• On the upper arc of the planet, we find the oxygen track, with spaces numbered from 0% to 14% (with an increment of 1% per space). This is one of the environmental parameters to progress during the game. The standard way to increase it is through greenery. The track shows a temperature increase bonus on one space that activates the moment oxygen reaches that value.
• On the right banner, we find the temperature track, with spaces numbered from -30°C to +8°C (with an increment of 2°C per space). This is the second environmental parameter to develop. Like oxygen, some spaces trigger a bonus in the form of heat production or ocean placement for the player who reaches it on their turn.
• In the top right corner, we find a space to place the supply of ocean tiles. This is the third environmental parameter to develop, with the objective of placing all the tiles from this pile onto the board.
• In the upper left area, we find a couple of satellites, where players can build thanks to the effect of certain projects.
• In the lower left area, we find the Milestones area. Five possible goals are shown that players can achieve during the game. Only 3 Milestones can be claimed, each at a fixed cost, provided the player has met the conditions.
• In the lower right area, we find the Awards area. They function similarly to Milestones, with the difference that these are evaluated at the end of the game, regardless of who activated them. Let’s say they are a kind of bet, and the one who activates it does not necessarily have to be the one who receives the points at the end.
• Finally, in the lower left area, above the Milestones banner, we find a box with the Standard Projects that a player can carry out in exchange for MegaCredits.

When transforming the surface of Mars, players will place a series of tiles representing various elements:

• Ocean Tiles: water is fundamental for life and is one of the 3 environmental parameters to develop. Additionally, placing adjacent to ocean tiles will provide extra income.
• Greenery Tiles: greenery will be responsible for producing oxygen through photosynthesis. At the end of the game, each of these tiles will provide victory points to whoever placed them, regardless of their location.
• City Tiles: these represent urban centers on the Martian surface. At the end of the game, they provide an amount of points depending on the number of greenery tiles surrounding the city (directly adjacent).

Additionally, there are a number of Special Tiles that correspond to specific cards allowing them to be placed on the board. Beyond occupying a certain space and receiving its bonuses, they do not usually provide further benefits.

To mark the ownership of city and greenery tiles, as well as to track parameters on the various tracks, players will have a series of Cubes of their color.

That’s enough to get started.

Setup

1. The main board is deployed in the center of the table.
2. A general supply of resource cubes, city/greenery tiles, and special tiles is formed.
3. The 9 ocean tiles are placed in the corresponding space on the board.
4. The white markers are placed at the beginning of the tracks on the board: terraforming rating, oxygen at 0%, and temperature at -30°C.
5. Each player receives a player board and a set of cubes of their chosen color.
6. One of these cubes is placed on the 20 value space of the terraforming rating track.
7. A cube will also be placed as a marker on each track of the player board in the 0 value space.
8. The corporation cards are shuffled, and each player receives 2, having to choose 1 of them.
9. The deck of cards is shuffled, and 10 are dealt to each player. The rest of the deck is left aside to draw from.
10. Players choose which corporation they start with, receiving the starting resources and, if necessary, setting up any production tracks.
11. Likewise, they will decide how many cards out of the 10 received they will keep, having to pay 3 MegaCredits for each card they save. The rest are placed in the discard pile.
12. Finally, the first player is chosen, and they are given the identifying tile.

That is enough to get started.

Game Flow

A game of Terraforming Mars consists of an indefinite number of Generations (Rounds). Each generation is divided into a series of phases.

Phase I: Player Order

In this phase, the first player marker is simply passed to the player to the left of the one who held it in the previous generation.

This phase is not executed in the first generation.

Phase II: Research

Each player receives 4 new project cards from the deck, and a drafting phase is executed. From the cards in hand, one is chosen and the rest are passed to the player on the left. This continues until 4 cards have been chosen (the last one will be a direct choice because only one card will reach us).

After this, each player must decide how many cards to keep, paying 3 MegaCredits for each one, and discarding the rest.

This phase is not executed in the first generation.

Phase III: Actions

Beginning with the first player and continuing clockwise, players alternate turns in which they can choose to:

• Perform 1 or 2 Actions (it is not mandatory to execute 2 actions, even if you can). The actions a player can perform are:
  • Play a Card from Hand. To do this, proceed as follows:
    • Check Requirements: the requirements indicated in the top left area of the card must be met (if any), in addition to being able to apply all effects, with the following exceptions: raising environmental parameters when it is no longer possible (they are at maximum), adding a resource that cannot be taken due to not having an appropriate card, and removing opponents’ resources (if they do not have the necessary resources or if you simply do not wish to harm someone).
    • Pay the Costs in MegaCredits and apply the immediate effects (those indicated in the lower area of the card).
    • Place the Card according to its Type: if it is an event card (orange), it is placed in a face-down pile and is not considered until the end of the game; if it is an automated card (green), it is placed partially overlapping the rest of the cards of this type so that their tags can be seen, as they apply for the rest of the game; finally, active cards (blue), which must be overlapped showing their recurring effect or triggerable action.
  • Use a Standard Project: the player activates one of the standard projects indicated on the main board by returning the indicated amount of MegaCredits to the supply. The options are:
    • Sell Patents: cards from the hand are discarded, and one MegaCredit is received per discarded card.
    • Power Plant: in exchange for 11 MegaCredits, the energy production level can be increased by one unit.
    • Asteroid: in exchange for 14 MegaCredits, the temperature level can be increased by one step.
    • Aquifer: in exchange for 18 MegaCredits, an ocean tile can be placed on one of the reserved spaces.
    • Greenery: in exchange for 23 MegaCredits, a greenery tile can be placed on any space that is not an ocean nor reserved. A cube of the player’s color is placed to indicate ownership of the tile. Additionally, the oxygen marker is advanced by one step.
    • City: in exchange for 25 MegaCredits, a city tile can be placed on any space of the board, provided it is not placed adjacent to another city. A cube of the player’s color is placed to indicate ownership of the tile. Additionally, the MegaCredit production level is increased by one unit.
  • Claim a Milestone: the player can claim one of the milestones in exchange for 8 MegaCredits if they meet the indicated condition and there are not yet 3 milestones claimed, placing a cube of their color on the corresponding award. The available milestones are:
    • Terraformer: having a terraforming rating of 35.
    • Mayor: having 3 cities on the board.
    • Gardener: having 3 greenery tiles on the board.
    • Builder: having 8 building tags among visible cards.
    • Planner: having 16 cards in hand.
  • Fund an Award: the player can activate one of the awards in exchange for the corresponding amount depending on the number of awards already activated (the first costs 8, the second 14, and the third 20 MegaCredits), placing a cube of their color on the corresponding award. The available awards are:
    • Landlord: highest number of tiles on the board.
    • Banker: highest MegaCredit production level.
    • Scientist: highest number of science tags on played cards.
    • Thermalist: highest amount of heat resources.
    • Miner: highest amount of steel and titanium resources.
  • Convert Plants into Greenery: in exchange for 8 plant units, the player can place a greenery tile on the board. A cube of the player’s color is placed to indicate ownership of the tile. Additionally, the oxygen marker is advanced by one step.
  • Raise the Temperature: in exchange for 8 heat units, the temperature marker is advanced by one step.
  • Use the Action of an Active Card: a cube of the player is placed on the card to indicate that it has already been activated in this generation.
• Pass: players cease to act in this phase, skipping their turn when it would be their time again if there are still players executing actions.

The phase ends once all players have passed.

Care must be taken when applying certain actions because there are effects that must always be considered:

• When advancing in one of the three environmental parameters (oxygen, temperature, or water), the player will additionally increase their terraforming rating by one unit, regardless of the method used to make progress. If the player places a greenery tile but oxygen is at its maximum value, they will not receive terraforming points.
• When placing a tile on the board, if the space shows resources or cards, the player receives those resources or cards immediately.
• If a player places a tile on the board, they will receive 2 MegaCredits for each ocean tile adjacent to the tile they place.
• If a player places a greenery tile, it must be placed adjacent to a tile they already own on the board. If they do not own any, they can place it anywhere.

Fase IV: Production

At this time, players produce the corresponding resources according to their production tracks, with the following exceptions:

• MegaCredits: the player obtains an amount of MegaCredits equal to the sum of their terraforming rating plus their MegaCredit production value.
• All leftover energy from the round is automatically converted into heat. Energy cannot be stored from one generation to another.

Finally, the generation marker is advanced, and cubes on action cards are removed, allowing them to be activated again in the next generation.

Game End

The game ends at the end of the generation in which the three environmental parameters have been fully developed: ocean tiles, oxygen, and temperature. Now, each player, in turn order, can spend the plant points they possess to place greenery tiles as if resolving the standard project during the game (they can build several greenery tiles in a row). The final scoring is then evaluated. Players add:

• The current value of Terraforming Rating points.
• 5 points for each award that the player is the best at fulfilling (regardless of who funded the award), or 2 points for being the second best. In case of a tie, the same points are received (if there is a tie for first place, second place points are not awarded).
• 5 points for each Milestone claimed by the player.
• 1 point for each greenery tile belonging to the player.
• Each city provides as many points as greenery tiles adjacent to it, regardless of ownership of those tiles.
• The victory points indicated on the cards.

The player with the highest score will be the winner. In case of a tie, the winner will be the one with the highest amount of MegaCredits in their personal reserve.

Variants

• Beginner Mode: each player is given a starting corporation card, and all players begin with the marker at value one on their production tracks.
• No Drafting: players do not draft in the second phase of each generation. They decide directly on the 4 drawn cards.
• No Corporate Era: all cards with the red symbol in the lower left area are removed from the deck. These cards usually lengthen the game because they are not focused on terraforming, but they do not involve any mechanical changes.

Personal Opinion

Well, the tocho-review of the game of the moment has arrived (or maybe not if you are reading this #tocho-review™ a few months after publication). Of course, I’m talking about Terraforming Mars (as if anyone could be in this paragraph without realizing it). A card development game considered by many as the best game presented at the 2016 Essen Fair, which has starred in one of those spectacular climbs that are no longer so rare in the BGG ranking, already settled in the Top 10. Let’s see if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

First of all, this game already started making a lot of noise for dealing with the trendy theme: Mars. Three games were announced for the fair, though only the one we are covering today seems to have caught on (the other two were Martians: A Story of Civilization and First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet; Mr. Trzewiczek’s reimplementation of his Robinson Crusoe didn’t even manage to be available at the Fair). I suppose the box office success of Matt Damon’s movie had a lot to do with it. People were eager to swallow reddish sand.

In Terraforming Mars, we find a card development game that, while not contributing any concept we hadn’t seen before in this type of game, manages to offer a very attractive design, especially due to the powerful premise of converting Mars into a habitable place without having to walk around in space suits continuously.

Before we start breaking down the game, a warning. It is not the first time (nor will it be the last) that the game of the moment passes through here. With those titles, I tend to be more demanding because they aspire to stand at the highest level and earn a big green seal of approval. That’s why many titles have fallen just one step short, despite being great designs. More than one person might be thinking that I’m already making excuses before getting hurt. Maybe yes, maybe no. Just a heads-up.

As a proper card development game, the basic objective of the players will be to try to accumulate a larger amount of victory points than their rivals by playing cards into their play area, so that their effects boost different factors and generate an economic engine that allows us to progress faster and faster. These are games where we start with very little and have to build a machine that produces more and more. In this sense, many games will come up as comparisons in this tocho-review, so I will list them now (so you have their links handy): the great Race for the Galaxy (here is its tocho-review), Deus (here is its tocho-review), Imperial Settlers (here is its tocho-review), or Seasons (here is its tocho-review). Terraforming Mars shares a similar ‘draw cards-play cards-combine effects’ pattern with all these games. It is the additional peculiarities that set them apart.

First, let’s talk about the differentiating elements of Terraforming Mars. As I said, it is not a design characterized by including anything not seen in any of the four previously mentioned games, but it does something similar to what happens when a sequel to an unexpectedly successful movie is filmed: it doubles down. Do you like combo games? Well, you are going to get your fill of cards! Do you like resources? Well, there you have 6 different types plus other optional ones! Don’t feel a sense of development? Well, you are going to start with an engine completely at a standstill and accelerate little by little, without sudden jerks, enjoying the ride. Don’t feel thematic immersion in previous games? Don’t worry, you are going to feel like you are making history while altering Mars so it stops being a rust-toned wasteland.

If you have played the previous titles, it is likely that the big paragraph I just dropped is a perfect summary. But since I like to cover the widest possible spectrum of readers, let’s delve a bit deeper.

When one sits down to play Terraforming Mars, they usually feel overwhelmed by that huge amount of different resources with variable uses. Six production tracks plus the terraforming rating is a significant amount of elements to maintain, both on the board and in mind when keeping clear the course of our corporation. Obviously, this is methadone for the most intense eurogamers. Constant decisions when choosing cards and activating actions to make that economic engine start running as soon as possible. Making our snowball roll faster down the hill than our rivals’.

There is no resource to look down upon. MegaCredits are the axis of the game. With them, we can buy and play cards, besides being able to activate standard projects, something that will be a constant in the final generations. Steel and titanium work like MegaCredits with added value, though only when playing and/or activating certain cards. Plants are essential to cover Mars in green and allow photosynthesis to raise oxygen levels. And heat, obviously, is required to raise the temperature of the Red Planet which, although it might look like Seville in summer, is colder than a polar bear’s freezer. Perhaps the least attractive resource in initial games is energy. First, because it cannot be accumulated (it converts to heat from one round to the next), so it only makes sense as a secondary source of heat—unless we play some special card that requires this type of resource. But from the start, it is likely that, when investing, it is the one given the least thought.

Moving on. The next notable aspect is the use of a board on which the evolution of the different corporations is reflected, placing tiles that represent the growth of greenery, the appearance of seas and oceans, and the construction of cities where the Martian population can reside. The most important thing about this board is that it adds a certain element of conflict among players who want to occupy certain places, especially cities next to greenery, since green tiles grant bonuses regardless of the owner. In addition, there are succulent resources waiting to be extracted when placing a tile. Without being a particularly fierce interaction, its inclusion is appreciated, since this type of game usually functions as a multi-solitaire. Deus already opted for this solution with very good results, although in the case of the game of the gods, this interaction is much more cutthroat. But as I said, it fits perfectly with the game. Furthermore, nothing beats a board with the planet’s surface to see how it changes appearance to feel greater thematic immersion.

But Mr. Fryxelius does not stop there to keep players in suspense, and takes the concept of milestones and awards from the first expansion of Race for the Galaxy. In the expansion of Tom Lehmann’s most famous game, claimable rewards were introduced for players upon reaching certain conditions. Some rewards were non-transferable, meaning the first to achieve them would keep them until the end of the game, while others could change hands as one player surpassed another in the required condition. Here we will have those milestones for the first one who manages to meet the condition, and the awards, though with the added grace of having to be activated by a player, risking their capital so that, if they do not develop properly, someone else might take the points. These are two well-implemented elements, as one, the milestones, accentuates interaction in the opening stages of the game, while the other raises the tension as the end approaches: the awards.

More! What lovers of this type of game usually look for is the satisfaction of finding synergies between cards and making the most of their combined benefits. The endorphin rush when boosting effects is very powerful and satisfying. The problem is that these moments usually require a certain level of planning and knowledge of the cards, making them games whose enjoyment increases over the course of multiple plays. Terraforming Mars is no exception, and every time we bring it to the table, it will leave a better taste in our mouths, both from the feeling of mastering the design better and better, and from a more appropriate game pace (I will talk about this later).

However, achieving these moments is not trivial because alongside a deck of cards, we usually find Lady Luck. Yes, friends, in Terraforming Mars, as in any game of this style, there is luck. Players receive cards randomly and, depending on the game’s characteristics, luck will influence more or less. Here we find a curious case and what, personally, seems to me a small design flaw.

On one hand, we encounter a huge deck of cards. When I say huge, I mean that rarely will you have to shuffle the discard pile because the draw deck has run out. What does this cause? That the tactical factor becomes predominant. Here, unlike in Deus or Race for the Galaxy, we cannot push the machine to cycle through the deck and try to get certain cards into our hand. Here, the number of cards that can enter your hand each round is fixed, no more, no less. Therefore, dismissing the option of trying to exploit known combos or specific development arcs, players must focus on choosing which cards they consider can fit well with their current situation and the one they will have in a few generations.

As some might already be guessing, the Fates can ruin a game if they systematically dedicate themselves to not offering decent cards to a particular player. This is why the game incorporates a variant with drafting which, as many colleagues have already commented, is mandatory to apply. This is something we already saw in Seasons, also with a very restricted draw system (although in the case of the game set in the world of Xidit, the draft occurred at the beginning of the game and only once, and you rolled with that). Here we do it every round, so, inevitably, the downtime increases. Only with multiple plays and knowledge of the cards will we make a faster selection, but in initial games, it can become insufferable. In fact, I would recommend that for the first few games this variant should not be used, as it doesn’t make much sense when you don’t really know what’s happening in the game.

Anyway, this aspect is also mitigated by that great concept of having to pay for cards you want to add to your hand. You not only have to choose in the draft which cards might be most interesting, but from that first selection, you must decide which one you keep definitively, having to pay 3 MegaCredits for each one. Thus, if after the draft a player can add 4 powerful cards to their hand, they will have to open their wallet, which will leave them depleted for the current generation. If I had to pick one concept from Terraforming Mars, it would be this one.

Most games of this type usually keep their duration contained, so that if a game is determined by luck, well, nothing happens, you congratulate your opponent and start another one right away. This is unthinkable with Imperial Settlers or Terraforming Mars.

Let’s take advantage of the fact that the topic of game duration is back. Terraforming Mars is to card games what this humble blog is to board game reviews. Playing a game of Terraforming Mars is going to take us a minimum of two hours at the table. And I’m talking about players used to this type of game and without suffering from analysis-paralysis, executing a draft at lightning speed, having very clear what they want and don’t want to add to their hand of cards. The moment you start adding extra conditions (first games, people not used to the symbology of these games, AP, more players at the table, etc.), you can keep adding minutes to the total play time.

Watch out for this, because more than one person can end up fed up with drawing cards and playing cards. Normally, this type of game has a limited duration for this very reason, because card combos don’t usually sustain themselves over time. Let me explain using one of the greats as an example, Through the Ages (here is its tocho-review). In the civilization game by Mr. Chvátil, one feels a true development of their civilization not just because of the time spent sitting at the table, but because every card, every cube used counts and, more importantly, it is not something carved in stone. You feel that all the progress made in previous rounds impacts the present, the current turn. This feeling is much harder to maintain in the card development games we’ve mentioned because the vast majority of cards, when played, apply their effect and that’s that. There are few cases where a player can lose this progress. You simply alter the tracks and accumulated resources and keep going. Yes, the feeling of development is found here, in those increasingly advanced tracks. But it’s something very abstract. One doesn’t feel a particular difference between playing a card at the beginning of the game, with relatively mild effects due to the low cost, and a card in the final rounds, where you are usually loaded with resources.

This was one of the most remarkable flaws of Imperial Settlers (besides its absolute lack of interaction). Rounds grew increasingly longer in which one had the feeling of doing the same thing over and over again, simply looking to accumulate more and more components. That monotony is a deadly danger for this type of game.

Fortunately for Terraforming Mars, monotony doesn’t manage to settle into the game, as long as it flows at an appropriate pace, thanks, once again, to that huge deck of cards. Each game will be different depending on the choices we opt for. But I would be careful about recommending this game as a first experience in this genre, even if it is the one with the best thematic implementation.

Contenido

This is, perhaps, the trait that we could most clearly highlight about the Fryxelius’ game. Normally, this type of design usually includes a heavy symbolic burden that causes players to detach from the theme and focus solely on managing symbols and resources. However, Terraforming Mars is quite light in terms of this symbology, and the existence of the board (as we have already said), along with the coherence of the card effects, allows players to stay inside the story. In this aspect, Terraforming Mars vastly outperforms the previously mentioned games, where at no point do you feel like you are building a galactic empire, developing your civilization in antiquity, or fighting in a wizard tournament throughout the seasons of a year. A great job by the author in this regard.

However, within this thematic marvel, there is something that, to me personally, grates immensely. I don’t understand why the deck of cards isn’t structured in some way. As many of you already know, there are a good number of cards that demand requirements to be played, and those whose requirements establish a maximum for a certain environmental parameter to be playable (temperature or oxygen) catch the eye. I can understand that, having kept this card in hand, we get caught off guard and can’t play it. However, it makes no sense on a thematic level that these cards can be drawn later on. Someone might tell me, well, bad luck and don’t pick it. But if we are looking for thematic immersion, it makes no sense that if Mars is already close to being a luxury resort, complete with pets and herds of cows, I draw a card that allows establishing fungi. Ending up with unplayable cards in hand is frustrating because they already steer the draft, eliminating choices when it comes to picking. I believe the recommended approach would have been to organize the deck by Eras, establishing certain parameters at which the deck changes.

All in all, and despite the fact that it seems I have pointed out many flaws, Terraforming Mars seems to me to be a great card development game, and it is only due to details that it isn’t a flawless game, something very few games can boast about. If you like card development games and don’t care that time flies while you build combos, this is your game.

Despite having its interactive factor, it remains quite multiplayer solitaire, so the game scales perfectly in terms of feel. The only bad thing is that, with more players, fewer generations will be played, since the parameters will grow faster thanks to the combined effect of a larger number of corporations. That is, the game duration will remain roughly the same (although a larger number of players raises the chances of gridlock by players), but a specific player will enjoy fewer turns and, therefore, their sense of development will be lesser. And let’s not forget the downtime. So, mechanically it doesn’t go poorly, but I believe the game is most enjoyed with 2-3 players.

Replayability, as you may have guessed, is huge. That deck of cards allows for completely different games. If that wasn’t enough, the slight starting asymmetry provided by the different corporations allows for variable initial paths. These different starting points carry similar weight toward the final result but allow the development to be approached differently. It seems like a total success to me. With Terraforming Mars, there is game for a long while.

Let’s move on to what is probably the most controversial aspect of the game, its production. Terraforming Mars combines impressive details with other despicable ones. We’ll start with the famous metallic resource cubes. People comment that these even came chipped from the factory, when it’s actually because of the manufacturing process, they all have a corner where there is no paint. It happens with the plastic ones too. So far, I haven’t seen any flakes of metallic paint on the table. What might bother the most finicky players is that the metallic finish is not uniform. If we gather all the cubes of the same type, especially the bronze ones, we will see different shades. Nothing particularly relevant, but it’s there. Let’s continue with the cardboard elements (board and tiles). In terms of thickness, no complaints. However, the printed sheet of the elements to be punched out doesn’t seem to be the best in the world, so the backs of all the tiles show imperfections. It gives the appearance of a used game when we haven’t even deployed it on the table yet. Let’s move on to the cards. These have a rather thin stock, plus a smooth finish that doesn’t help give body to the card, although they do show a magnificent elastic response. Sleeves are mandatory (you have to buy a few packs). Finally, we have the player boards, with the material I hate most in board games: cardstock. It’s true that it simply functions as an information container, but a more elegant solution could have been found. Those who enjoy the game and know they will bring it to the table regularly are getting various overlays to prevent the cubes from moving, something that can happen with tremendous ease, so watch out for bumps. Anyway, this is not exclusive to Terraforming Mars, and in Through the Ages itself, you have to be careful not to ruin the small setup of overlapping cards and cubes on them that everyone builds in their play area. Lastly, the rulebook. While it is adequately structured, there are elements that are confusing and not fully clearly explained, especially those referring to symbology. But well, it’s not a glaring issue and it’s manageable.”

More controversy! The graphic aspect. Bringing family members in to do a job usually brings trouble. If not, just ask Richard Breese. The overall look of Terraforming Mars is quite decent. However, the cards are a hodgepodge of real images, renders, and hand-drawn illustrations that lack coherence. It’s true that there are a ton of cards, and hiring an illustrator for them would have raised the cost. But at least a little care, as there is an asteroid card where the image is even out of focus. They also deserve a slap on the wrist for some symbols, like the one indicating that the production level of a resource is raised. Didn’t it occur to any of the Fryxelius brothers to use the same symbol as for the resource, but simply adding a big ‘+’ symbol? It’s true that once it’s explained it doesn’t usually cause problems, but it’s very counterintuitive.

And let’s wrap this up. Terraforming Mars is a design that relies on generating a powerful economic engine based on cards with a board deployment. The constant decision-making to activate production, the stimulating search for synergies, and the subtle tension over controlling milestones allow for highly rewarding sessions where the snowball keeps growing as it rolls down the hill. Although the lack of structure in its gigantic deck can generate frustrating situations and its extended duration at the table demands that the game flow at an agile pace to avoid monotony, its tactical depth and having to pay to keep cards allow it to maintain players’ interest. A title with obvious rough edges that falls just short of maximum glory, but offers a very satisfying space development journey. For all this, I give it a…