Description

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, oxygen levels, and ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars, you play as one of those corporations, working together in the terraforming process, but competing for victory points awarded not only for your contribution to terraforming, but also for advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system and performing other commendable actions.

Players acquire unique project cards (from over two hundred different ones) by buying them into their hand. The projects (cards) can represent anything from introducing plant life or animals, hurling asteroids at the surface, building cities, mining the moons of Jupiter, or establishing greenhouse gas industries to heat up the atmosphere. The cards can provide immediate bonuses, as well as increase your production of different resources. Many cards also have requirements and 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 (temperature, oxygen, and ocean coverage). 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 placements 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 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 performing 1-2 actions from these options: Playing a card, claiming a Milestone, funding an Award, using a Standard project, converting plants 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 (sometimes several laps) until all players have passed.
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!