Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition is an engine-building game where players control interplanetary corporations with the goal of making Mars habitable (and profitable). You do this by investing Megacredits (MC) in project cards that directly or indirectly contribute to terraforming. To win, you want to accumulate a high Terraforming Rating (TR) and as many Victory Points (VP) as possible. Players increase their TR by raising global parameters: oceans, oxygen, and temperature. TR also determines each corporation's basic income and counts as VP at the end of the game. Additional VP and production capabilities are awarded for building project cards and other actions taken during the game.

The game is played in rounds, and each round players choose one of five phases, which determines what activities will take place during that round. This means that each round is different and can consist of building new project cards, performing general and project-specific actions, producing income and resources (plants and heat), or researching to draw more project cards. Each player will take all phases chosen for the round and receives a special bonus during the phase they chose. To speed up the game, players can act simultaneously within each phase without having to wait for each other!

The game board has tracks for oxygen, temperature, and terraforming rating, as well as a space for all ocean tiles that will be flipped during the game. The game ends when there is enough oxygen to breathe (14%), enough oceans to allow for Earth-like weather (9), and the temperature is well above freezing (+8°C). It will then be possible, albeit not comfortable, to live on the surface of Mars!

The winner is the player with the most VP at the end of the game.

Sleeves
240pcs 64x89mm
4pcs 70x120mm

More information on bgg.com ➜

ID: 328871

Release Year: 2021

Min. Players: 1

Max. Players: 4

Play Time (minutes): 60

Average Rating: 7.6529

Complexity: A Little Heavier

Mechanics: End Game Bonuses, Follow, Hand Management, Income, Set Collection, Simultaneous Action Selection, Solo / Solitaire Game, Tags, Tech Trees / Tech Tracks, Variable Phase Order, Variable Player Powers, and Variable Set-up

Designers: Sydney Engelstein, Jacob Fryxelius, and Nick Little (I)

Publishers: FryxGames, Stronghold Games, Arclight Games, Board Game Rookie, Ghenos Games, Intrafin Games, Kilogames, Korea Boardgames, Lavka Games, Lex Games, Maldito Games, MeepleBR, MINDOK, MIPL, Rebel Sp. z o.o., Reflexshop, Schwerkraft-Verlag, and Surfin' Meeple China