Description
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition is an engine-building game in which players control interplanetary corporations with the goal of making Mars habitable (and profitable). You'll do this by investing mega credits in project cards that will directly or indirectly contribute to the terraforming process. To win, you'll want to build a high terraform rating (TR) and as many victory points (VP) as possible. Players increase their TR by raising the global parameters: oceans, oxygen and temperature. TR also determines each corporation's base income, and at the end of the game TR counts as VP. Additional VP and production capacity are awarded for building project cards and other actions taken during the game.The game is played in rounds, and in each round players choose one of five phases that determine which activities will take place that round. This means every round is different and can consist of building new project cards, taking general and project-specific actions, generating income and resources (power plants and heat) or researching to draw more project cards. Each player carries out all the 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 waiting for each other!The game board has tracks for oxygen, temperature and terraform rating, as well as a place for all the ocean tiles you will flip during the game. The game ends when there is enough oxygen to breathe (14 %), enough oceans to allow Earth-like weather (9) and the temperature is well above freezing (+8 °C). At that point it will be possible, if not comfortable, to live on the surface of Mars!The winner is the player with the most VP at the end of the game.
