WE PLAY: Terraforming Mars w/Prelude

We Play is a member-sponsored event where they host games from their collection to teach and play.

Our host Geoff Presents:

Terraforming Mars: 8.4

With Prelude & Venus Expansions

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, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars, you play one of those corporations and work together in the terraforming process, but compete for getting victory points that are awarded not only for your contribution to the terraforming but also for advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system and doing other commendable things.

The players acquire unique project cards (from over two hundred different ones) by buying them into their hands. The projects (cards) can represent anything from introducing plant life or animals, hurling asteroids at the surface, building cities, mining the moons of Jupiter, and establishing greenhouse gas industries to heat up the atmosphere. The cards can give you immediate bonuses, as well as increase your production of different resources. Many cards also have requirements and they become playable when the temperature, oxygen, or ocean coverage increases enough. Buying cards is costly, so there is a balance between buying cards (3 mega-credits per card) and actually playing them (which can cost anything between 0 to 41 mega-credits, 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. However, your income is complemented by 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 places 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 (guess why) 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 doing 1-2 actions from these options: Playing a card, claiming a Milestone, funding an Award, using a Standard project, converting plant 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!

Terraforming Mars Prelude: 8.8

As the mega corporations are getting ready to start the terraforming process, you now have the chance to make those early choices that will come to define your corporation and set the course for the future history of Mars - this is the prelude to your greatest endeavors!

In Terraforming Mars: Prelude, you choose from Prelude cards that jumpstart the terraforming process or boost your corporation's engine. There are also 5 new corporations and 7 project cards that thematically fit the early stages of terraforming a new planet.

Prelude is an expansion to Terraforming Mars, and can be combined with any other Terraforming Mars expansion or variant.

Terraforming Mars Venus Expansion: 7.6

Terraforming Mars: Venus Next, the second expansion for the Terraforming Mars base game, has players building flying cities and making the atmosphere more hospitable on the deadly planet Venus.

In Venus Next, the World Government chooses to also fund the terraforming of Venus. Around 50 project cards and 5 corporations are added, with a special focus on how to make Venus habitable. With the new floater resource, a new milestone, a new award, a new tag, and a new terraforming parameter, players are given more paths to victory and an even more varied play.

Join us on the 23rd @ 2:00 pm as We Play Ankh with expansions as we would love to teach you this game.

*This event requires a 1 - Day Membership, credit will be applied back for qualifying purchases. Current Members are always free for this event.*