Terraforming Mars Player Counts, Variants, and Expansions

Terraforming Mars grows well. The base box already holds two variants, Corporate Era and the draft, and the expansions add maps, new phases, and whole new systems. The trick is adding them one at a time, so your group always knows which change made the game better.

How does the game change by player count?

The box plays 1 to 5.

• Solo has its own rules, covered below.
• Two players: the only rule change is that awards have no second place. With fewer players raising the tracks, games tend to run more generations, so engines have longer to pay off.
• Three to five: more players push the tracks, so the game usually takes fewer generations. There is also more waiting between turns. At five, a group prone to long turns may want a timer, or our tips on analysis paralysis.

Solo play

The rulebook’s solo variant is written for the Corporate Era game. Before choosing cards, you place two neutral cities, each with a neutral greenery, using the costs of cards from the deck to pick their spots. Then:

• You start at TR 14, without the extra starting production.
• There are no milestones or awards.
• A neutral opponent is there to steal from, so cards that hit other players still work.
• You always play 14 generations. To win, you must finish terraforming by the end of generation 14. Then you score as high as you can.

It is a tense puzzle, and a good way to learn the cards. It also appears on our list of the best solo board games.

Corporate Era

The cards with a red and white icon are the Corporate Era set, including two more corporations. Add them all at setup, and nobody starts with the extra production. The cards lean toward economy and technology rather than terraforming.

The rulebook says it makes the game longer and more complex, and does not recommend it for new players. Once your group knows the base cards, it is the natural first step, and it combines with every other variant.

The draft variant

In the draft, you do not just draw your 4 research cards. Everyone takes 4, keeps 1, and passes the rest. Then keep 1 of 3 and pass, then 1 of 2, and take the last card passed to you. Then buy from the 4 you drafted at 3 M€ each, as usual.

Cards pass clockwise in even-numbered generations and counterclockwise in odd ones. There is no draft in generation 1, since its research phase is skipped. The draft adds time and is not recommended for new players, but it gives you more control and lets you keep key cards from rivals.

Which expansion first?

Here is one path, from the lightest change to the heaviest. Each needs the base game. For whether any expansion is worth buying at all, see when expansions are worth it.

Prelude is the usual first pick. During setup, each player is dealt 4 Prelude cards, keeps 2, and plays them once corporations are revealed and cards are paid for. They jumpstart your engine or the terraforming. It has the highest rating of the expansions on the FryxGames site, and reviewers there say it speeds the game up. It also adds 5 corporations and 7 project cards.

Hellas & Elysium is a double-sided board that replaces the base map. Each side shows a new region of Mars with new placement bonuses, milestones, and awards. It adds variety without changing how a turn works.

Venus Next adds a Venus track, floaters, and 49 project cards. Venus is not needed to end the game. It also adds a phase after production where the first player raises a parameter for the World Government, with no TR for anyone, which speeds the game up.

Colonies adds moons where you build colonies and send trade fleets for resources. It adds a lot of player interaction.

Turmoil is the most advanced. Players place delegates to decide which political party rules each generation, global events are visible three generations ahead, and everyone loses 1 TR each generation. It adds many rules and makes the game longer.

Newer additions

FryxGames has added more since. Prelude 2 needs both the base game and Prelude, and most of its cards tie into the other expansions. Amazonis & Vastitas and Utopia & Cimmeria are more double-sided maps; FryxGames says Amazonis suits longer games and 4 or 5 players. Milestones & Awards lets you randomize or choose the five of each for every game.

For solo players, Automa swaps the race against the clock for rival corporations run by an algorithm and special cards.

Spin-offs

Two separate games use the same world with faster rules. Ares Expedition is a card game for 1 to 4 players, about an hour, where players choose phases and act at the same time. The Dice Game plays 1 to 4 in about 45 minutes.

How to choose

• Your group loves the base game: add Corporate Era, then the draft. Stop there for a while.
• Games feel slow to start: Prelude.
• You want new maps, not new rules: Hellas & Elysium.
• You want more interaction: Colonies.
• Your group is deep in and wants politics: Turmoil.