Welcome

Terraform the Red Planet

You run a corporation on Mars. Buy and play project cards, grow your production and help make the planet livable.

The game ends when oxygen reaches 14 %, the temperature reaches +8 °C and all 9 ocean tiles are placed. Most victory points (VPs) wins.

  • Oxygen starts at 0 %, temperature at −30 °C, and no oceans are placed.
  • VPs come from your terraform rating, tiles, milestones, awards and cards.

Terraform rating

Every step counts: +1 TR

Temperature, oxygen and oceans are the three global parameters. Each time you raise one, your terraform rating (TR) goes up 1 step.

Everyone starts at TR 20. Your TR is your basic income and your basic score: 1 VP per step.

  • A parameter at its goal can't go higher, so it gives no TR. You may still play the card; just ignore that part.
  • When all three reach their goals, the game ends after that generation's production phase.

Global parameters

Bonus steps

Some spaces on the tracks carry a bonus. Raise a parameter to that point and you also get the bonus.

  • At 8 % oxygen the temperature also rises.
  • Heat-production bonuses are printed along the temperature track.
  • At 0 °C an ocean tile is placed.
  • Each temperature step is 2 °C.
= 1 = 5 = 10 M€ production 1 TR + production Steel production 1 = 2 M€ (building) Titanium production 1 = 3 M€ (space) Plants production 1 8 → greenery Energy production 1 leftover → heat Heat production 1 8 → +1 temp.

Player board

Six resources

Your board holds megacredits (M€), steel, titanium, plants, energy and heat. Each has a production track: in the production phase you gain that many cubes.

All resources are cubes: bronze = 1, silver = 5, gold = 10.

  • Steel pays for building-tag cards at 2 M€ each; titanium pays for space-tag cards at 3 M€ each.
  • 8 plants become a greenery tile. 8 heat raise the temperature 1 step.
  • Leftover energy turns into heat at the start of the production phase.
  • M€ income = TR + M€ production. Only M€ production can go negative, and never below −5.
cost ≥requirement tag immediateeffects VPs Activeblue · stays on Automatedgreen · face up Eventred · face down

Cards

Project cards

A card shows its cost, any requirement, its tags, immediate effects and sometimes VPs. Pay the cost, resolve the effects, then place it in the right pile.

  • Blue, active: effects are always on. Actions (red arrow) work once per generation; mark a used one with a player marker.
  • Green, automated: face-up stack. No further effect, but their tags still count.
  • Red, events: face down once played. Their tags only count while being played.

Rounds

A generation in 4 phases

The game is played in generations. Each one runs through the same four phases.

  • 1 Player order: the first-player marker moves clockwise; the generation marker moves up 1.
  • 2 Research: draw 4 cards, buy 0–4 of them at 3 M€ each, discard the rest. No hand limit.
  • 3 Action: take 1 or 2 actions per turn, clockwise, until everyone has passed.
  • 4 Production: energy turns into heat; gain M€ = TR + M€ production; then all other production. Clear markers from used action cards.
  • The first generation skips phases 1 and 2.
Your turn actions APlay a card BStandard project CClaim a milestone DFund an award EBlue card action F8 plants → greenery G8 heat → temperature Pass: out this generation × 8 +1 oxygen, +1 TR 1 2

Action phase

Your turn: 1 or 2 actions

Take 1 or 2 actions, in any combination, even the same one twice. If you take none, you pass and are out until the next generation.

  • Playing a card: check requirements, pay and resolve its effects in any order, then place it in its pile.
  • You may play a card whose parameter is already at its goal, or skip red-bordered "remove resources" effects you can't or don't want to do.
→ Sell patents · 1 M€ per card 11 M€ Power plant · +1 energy production 14 M€ Asteroid · temperature +1 step 18 M€ Aquifer · ocean tile 23 M€ Greenery · greenery tile 25 M€ City · city tile, +1 M€ production

Always available

Standard projects

Six projects are printed on the board for everyone, whatever cards you hold. Each one can be used several times in the same generation.

  • Sell patents: discard any number of cards for 1 M€ each.
  • Tile projects collect the placement bonus of the area you choose.

The map

Placing tiles

Check the placement rules, then take any bonus printed on the area, plus 2 M€ for every ocean next to your new tile.

  • Ocean: only on the 12 blue reserved areas (there are 9 tiles). +1 TR. Owned by nobody.
  • Greenery: next to a tile you own if possible. +1 oxygen and +1 TR. 1 VP, plus 1 VP to each adjacent city.
  • City: never next to another city. 1 VP per adjacent greenery, whoever owns it.
  • Special tiles follow their card. 3 areas are reserved for specific cities.
TerraformerTR of at least 35 8 M€ 5 VP Mayorown 3 cities 8 M€ 5 VP Gardenerown 3 greeneries Builder8 building tags in play Planner16 cards in hand 8 M€ 5 VP 0 of 3 claimed 1 of 3 claimed 2 of 3 claimed 3 of 3 claimed: the rest are locked

Race for goals

Milestones

Meet a milestone's goal, pay 8 M€ and claim it with your marker. It's worth 5 VP at the end.

  • Each milestone has only one owner.
  • Only 3 of the 5 can be claimed, so be quick.
Landlordtiles BankerM€production 14 M€ Scientistsciencetags Thermalistheatcubes 8 M€ Minersteel +titanium 20 M€ Most wins. Thermalist race (heat cubes): 12 5 VP 12 5 VP 5 0 VP Tie for first: both get 5 VP, and no second place is paid.

Race for rewards

Awards

Anyone may fund an award, no requirement: the first costs 8 M€, the next 14 M€, the last 20 M€. Only 3 are funded.

At the end the leader gets 5 VP and second place 2 VP, whoever funded it.

  • In a 2-player game second place gets nothing.
  • Ties are friendly: tied players share the place. If first place is tied, no second place is given.

Game end

Final scoring

When all three parameters reach their goals, play out that generation's production phase. Then, in player order, everyone gets one last chance to turn plants into greeneries.

Score TR + awards + milestones + board + cards. Ties go to the player with the most M€.

  • Board: 1 VP per greenery; each city scores 1 VP per adjacent greenery.
  • Cards: count cards that collect resources first, then all the others, events included.
game board 9 −30 °C 0 % 1gen. player board 1 1 1 1 1 1 TR 20 beginner: 42 M€ + 10 cards 2 corporations + 10 cards

Before you start

Setup

  • Board in the middle: the 9 ocean tiles on their space, temperature and oxygen markers at their start, the generation marker on 1.
  • Remove Corporate Era cards (red-and-white icon) from the project cards and corporations, then shuffle the project deck.
  • The player who most recently won a game of Terraforming Mars takes the first-player marker.
  • Each player: a colour, a player board, 1 production of each resource, and a marker on TR 20.
  • New players take a Beginner Corporation: 42 M€ and 10 project cards straight into hand.
  • Others get 2 corporations and 10 project cards. Choose 1 corporation and the cards to keep; in player order, reveal and pay 3 M€ per card kept.
  • The first generation starts straight with the action phase.
Corporate Era add marked cards +2 corporations no extra production Draft keep 1, pass the rest even gen.: clockwise odd gen.: counter-cw Solo TR 14 · 14 generations reach all 3 goals no milestones/awards 14

Optional

Variants

  • Corporate Era: add the marked cards, including 2 more corporations. Players start with no extra production.
  • Draft: in the research phase, take 1 of 4 cards and pass the rest, until you've set aside 4 to buy from. Pass clockwise in even generations, counter-clockwise in odd ones.
  • Solo: start at TR 14 and play 14 generations; reach all three goals to win. No milestones or awards. 2 neutral cities with a greenery each are placed using card costs.