Terraforming Mars - How To Play

Summary

In *Terraforming Mars*, players take turns performing actions to terraform Mars, increasing its temperature, oxygen levels, and placing oceans. Players play cards, claim milestones, fund awards, and take advantage of various actions on their player mats to improve production and gain resources. The game concludes once all global parameters are met, and the player with the highest points from TR, tiles, funded awards, and milestones wins. Strategic planning, card management, and timing are key to success, with various expansions and solo modes offering additional depth.

Takeaways

• 😀 Players perform actions using cards and resources, aiming to terraform Mars by increasing the temperature, oxygen, and placing oceans.
• 😀 A player's Terraform Rating (TR) is central to the game, determining both their victory points and resource generation.
• 😀 Blue cards have unique actions, some with costs (like spending credits) and others that provide free actions (like adding animals to cards).
• 😀 Milestones offer players the chance to score points by fulfilling specific conditions (e.g., owning cities, having a certain TR), with a cost of 8 credits to claim them.
• 😀 Awards are funded by players to gain points at the end of the game, with increasing costs for each successive award funded.
• 😀 The game is played over multiple generations, with players performing actions and passing until all players have passed in a round.
• 😀 The production phase happens simultaneously, where players gain resources based on their production levels, such as credits, plants, and heat.
• 😀 The game ends once the temperature and oxygen levels have reached their maximum, and all ocean tiles have been placed, triggering final scoring.
• 😀 In the final scoring phase, players earn points from their TR, funded awards, claimed milestones, cities, greeneries, and cards.
• 😀 If there's a tie in points at the end of the game, the player with the most credits wins; if there's still a tie, all tied players share the victory.
• 😀 Expansions introduce new mechanics, including alternative boards, corporations, and planets, adding variety and replayability to the base game.

Q & A

What is the Terraforming Rating (TR) and how does it affect the game?

The Terraforming Rating (TR) is a key score in *Terraforming Mars* that tracks a player's progress in terraforming the planet. Each time you raise the temperature, increase the oxygen level, or place an ocean tile, your TR increases. TR is important because it determines your starting credits during the production phase and contributes to your final score at the end of the game.

How are blue cards used in *Terraforming Mars*?

Blue cards allow players to perform one-time actions or provide ongoing benefits. Some blue cards require a cost to be paid (e.g., credits or resources) in exchange for a specific benefit, while others offer free effects that trigger during the game. Blue cards can only be used once per generation, and players mark their usage with cubes to prevent reuse.

What is the significance of placing tiles with unique symbols in the game?

Tiles with unique symbols must be placed according to their specific rules. These tiles grant various bonuses and effects. For example, city tiles must be placed in specific areas on the board, and the placement of these tiles can trigger additional benefits such as raising your Terraforming Rating or gaining points based on adjacency to other tiles.

What are milestones and how do they contribute to scoring?

Milestones are specific conditions that players can achieve during the game (e.g., owning three cities, reaching a TR of 35). Once a milestone is claimed, the player places their marker on the milestone track and earns 5 victory points at the end of the game. Players can claim up to three milestones, but no milestone can be claimed more than once.

How do awards work, and what are the conditions for funding them?

Awards are special categories that offer points at the end of the game based on specific achievements, such as having the most heat resources or the highest credit production. Players can fund these awards by paying credits and placing their marker on an unfunded award. Awards are scored at the end of the game, and the player who funded them does not automatically win them.

What happens during the production phase?

During the production phase, all players gain resources based on their production levels, including credits, steel, titanium, plants, energy, and heat. Players' Terraforming Rating (TR) determines how many credits they receive, while other resources are gained based on specific production tracks. Energy cubes are converted into heat, and players prepare for the next generation.

How does the research phase work?

In the research phase, each player draws four cards from the deck. They can choose to keep any of these cards by paying 3 credits per card. Cards that are kept are added to the player's hand, while discarded cards are placed back into the deck. There is no hand limit, and if the deck is exhausted, the discard pile is reshuffled.

What are the conditions that end the game in *Terraforming Mars*?

The game ends when all three global parameters—temperature, oxygen level, and ocean tiles—reach their maximum values. Once these conditions are met, the current generation is completed, including its production phase, and then players can convert plants into greenery tiles. This triggers the final scoring of the game.

How is final scoring calculated in *Terraforming Mars*?

Final scoring includes points from several sources: your Terraforming Rating (TR), funded awards, milestones, cities and greenery tiles you own, and the points on face-up cards. Additionally, any face-down cards are revealed for their points. Players also score for adjacency between cities and greenery tiles, and the player with the most points wins the game.

What role do expansions play in *Terraforming Mars*?

Expansions in *Terraforming Mars* introduce new elements to the game, such as corporate cards, new boards, new planets to terraform, and colonies to settle. These expansions offer additional ways to customize gameplay and provide new challenges and opportunities, enhancing the game's replayability and depth.