Turn Structure

Each round represents a generation of Mars's development & colonization. At the start of each round, the "first player token" moves to the next player. Each generation, players perform the following steps:

1. Research: Draw 4 cards. Add any number of them to your hand for 3 M€ each, then discard the rest. (No hand limit.)
2. Actions: Take 1-2 actions from the list below. Continue in turn order until all players have passed.
• Play a card from your hand.
• Execute a standard project.
• Claim a milestone.
• Fund an award.
• Use a Blue Card action (each may be used once per generation).
• Spend 8 plants to place a greenery tile. (This increases the oxygen level and your Terraform Rating).
• Spend 8 heat to increase the temperature by 1 degree. (This also increases your Terraform Rating).
• Pass. If you pass, you will not be able to take any more actions for the round. Usually, you do this when you cannot take further actions. When all players have passed, the round ends.
3. Production: Convert unspent energy into heat. All players gain resources according to their production values and M€ equal to their Terraform Rating + M€ production value.

Playing Cards

To play a card, you must pay its cost in M€. (Other cards may be able to reduce this cost.) In some cases, resources can be spent instead of M€.

• 1 Steel = 2 M€ to pay for any Building card (brown building icon)
• 1 Titanium = 3 M€ to pay for any Space card (gold sunburst icon)

Some cards have requirements, such as:

• Global parameters (# of oceans, oxygen, temperature must be above or below a certain level)
• # of Tags of a given type in play. Tags appear on the top of played cards in your tableau. (BGA also displays them in numbers.)
• Ability to produce a specific resource (like titanium).

Once the cost is paid, then you gain the benefits and effects of the card (e.g., gain resources, increase/decrease production values). If a production value change has a red border (usually a negative effect), you can apply it to another player or no one.

After the card is played, it moves to one of three areas on your board. (You can change how these areas are arranged by clicking on the "three bars" icon.)

• Red cards have one-time effects. They do not contribute tags so they are automatically hidden, but may be worth VP.
• Green cards have one-time effects, but their tags add to your tableau (which can help you play other cards) and may be worth VP.
• Blue cards have either an ongoing passive effect or an action you can take on your turn.

Standard Projects

Standard projects are always available as an action. Most involve placing tiles on the Mars board. If a tile is placed in a hex with resource icons, the player gains those resources. You also gain 2M€ per Ocean tile adjacent to the placed tile.

You can also raise the temperature by spending heat or plants instead of M€.

Milestones and Awards

Milestones and awards are the competitive aspect of Terraforming Mars. The first player to meet a certain milestone gains its benefits. Awards are given at the end of the game.

Pay 8 M€ to claim a Milestone for which you have met the requirements. Each milestone is worth 5 VP, but only 3 milestones may be claimed per game. The Milestones available depend on the map.

For Awards, the first Award funded costs 8 M€, the next costs 14 M€, and the last costs 20 M€. Only three Awards may be funded per game. When scoring, BGA checks each funded award and gives VP to the first and second-place players that meet its criteria. The player who funded the award receives no special consideration.

Game End and Scoring

The game ends when the oxygen level reaches 14%, 9 Ocean tiles are on the map, and the temperature is 8˚C. The current generation/round ends. All players have one final turn to convert extra plants into one or more greenery tiles.

On a tie, the player with the most M€ wins.

Variants

Solo

To win, you must reach the goals for each global parameter (temperature, Ocean tiles, and oxygen level).

• Always uses the Corporate Era setup. (All Corporate Era cards are included.)
• Before the game starts, 2 neutral City tiles are placed on the map, each with an adjacent greenery tile. These tiles do not increase the oxygen level.
• Starting Terraform Rating is 14 instead of 20. You do not have extra production of resources.
• Awards and Milestones are not used.
• You can steal from a neutral opponent or reduce its resources and production.
• The game ends after 14 generations (rounds), regardless of whether the temperature, ocean tiles, or oxygen levels meet their goals.

Options

• Draft Enabled: Cards are drafted among all players during the Research phase instead of bought.
• Beginner Corporations: Beginner Corporations start with 42 M€ and receive 10 cards without needing to spend money. (Recommended for beginner players only)
• Corporate Era: Choose a corporation card at the beginning. Each gives a different benefit. All productions start at 0.
• Prelude Expansion: Includes Prelude cards (player chooses 2 out of 4), extra project cards, and extra corporations.
• Colonies Expansion: Includes Colony tiles with fleets, extra project cards, and extra corporations.
• Map
  • Tharsis: Base map, focuses on urban development and oxygen production
  • Elysium: Large ocean area and unique placement bonuses
  • Hellas: Depicts the south pole and relies on heat and water
  • Vastitas Borealis: Features frozen carbon dioxide that can increase temperature
  • Amazonis Planitia: Large map designed for 4-5 players with higher Milestone requirements
• Realtime Scoring: Player's scores are shown during the game.
• Multi-step undo support (Experimental): Allows player to undo actions one-by-one, instead of restarting the Actions phase