Terraforming Mars

1 Overview

Terraforming Mars is an engine-building tableau game for 1 to 5 players designed by Jacob Fryxelius and published by FryxGames. Players are corporations competing to terraform Mars by raising the planet's temperature, oxygen level, and ocean coverage to habitable levels. The player who contributes the most to terraforming -- measured in Terraform Rating (TR) and Victory Points -- wins.

Terraforming Mars is one of the most beloved games in the hobby, regularly appearing in top-10 board game lists. It features over 200 unique project cards with varied abilities that create deeply different game states every playthrough. Games take 2 to 3 hours with experienced players, 3 to 4 hours when learning.

2 Components

• 1 game board (Mars map + global parameters)
• 5 player boards
• 233 project cards
• 17 corporation cards
• 8 standard project tiles
• Resource cubes (megacredits, steel, titanium, plants, energy, heat)
• Tiles (ocean, greenery, city)
• Milestone and Award markers

3 The Goal

Three global parameters must all reach their target values to end the game:

• Temperature: Raise from -30°C to +8°C
• Oxygen: Raise from 0% to 14%
• Oceans: Place all 9 ocean tiles on the board

Each time you raise a global parameter by one step, your Terraform Rating increases by 1. TR is both your end-game VP and your income rate each generation.

4 Setup

1. Each player receives 2 corporation cards (choose 1 to play) and 10 project cards (keep any you can pay for -- discard the rest).
2. Set starting TR to 20 for all players.
3. Corporations start with varying resources as listed on their card.
4. Randomly determine first player.

5 Round Structure (Generations)

1. Player Order: Pass the first-player marker clockwise.
2. Research Phase: Each player draws 4 project cards and keeps any they wish to pay 3 megacredits per card.
3. Action Phase: Players take turns in order. On your turn, take 1 or 2 actions. Pass when done for the generation. Continue until all players have passed.
4. Production Phase: All players produce resources. Convert energy to heat. Add income based on TR + production rates.

6 Project Cards

The 233 project cards are the heart of the game. Each has a cost in megacredits, optional requirements (min/max temperature or oxygen), and an effect. Three card types:

• Green cards (automated): Immediate effects. Placed face-up in your tableau after playing.
• Blue cards (active): Ongoing abilities. Many have action icons -- you can use them once per generation as a free action.
• Red cards (events): One-time effects. Turned face-down after playing (they grant VP through tags, not ongoing effects).

Cards have tags (space, science, plant, animal, etc.) that interact with other cards and scoring. Building synergistic tag combinations is the primary engine-building goal.

7 Global Parameters

Raising parameters is done through cards, standard projects, and tile placement:

• Each temperature increase (+2°C) costs 14 heat (standard project) or is granted by certain cards
• Each oxygen increase requires placing a greenery tile (plants via standard project, or via plant production)
• Each ocean placement costs 18 megacredits (standard project) or is triggered by certain cards

When temperature reaches specific thresholds (-24°C and 0°C), ocean tiles are also placed. When oxygen hits 8%, temperature also increases.

8 Placing Tiles on Mars

Three tile types are placed on the Mars board:

• Ocean tiles: Placed on reserved ocean spaces only (marked with a wave icon). Give a bonus based on adjacent placement.
• Greenery tiles: Placed on any non-reserved space. Raise oxygen. Must be adjacent to your existing tiles if possible. Worth 1 VP at end of game.
• City tiles: Cannot be adjacent to another city. Worth 1 VP per adjacent greenery (from any player) at end of game.

9 Scoring

At game end, each player scores:

• Terraform Rating (your TR track position)
• Milestones claimed (5 VP each, max 3 milestones total in the game)
• Awards funded (1st place = 5 VP, 2nd place = 2 VP, max 3 awards)
• Greenery tiles (1 VP each)
• City tiles (1 VP per adjacent greenery)
• VP from project cards

10 Strategy Guide

Pick a Focus Early

Terraforming Mars rewards specialization. Decide in generation 1 whether you're building a plant/greenery engine, a heat/temperature engine, or a science/card-draw engine. Spread resources thin and you fall behind in everything.

TR Is Income

Every point of TR is 1 megacredit of production per generation. Raising TR early compounds over the game. Don't hoard resources waiting for the perfect card -- raise parameters early and often.

Milestones Are Efficient

A milestone costs 8 megacredits and awards 5 VP. That's strong value. Identify early which milestones your corporation can claim and build toward them in the first 4 to 5 generations.

Cards Are Worth Less Than They Look

Keeping expensive cards in hand that you can't afford yet is a tax on your megacredits. If you won't play it within 2 generations, reconsider whether it belongs in your hand.

11 FAQ