History TabletopGame / TerraformingMars

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Rates near a 5 — most of the proposed projects are theoretically possible, just not currently feasible with available technology. One or two of the most advanced are a bit SpaceOpera, though they do require that the player has done a ''lot'' of science first, so ClarkesThirdLaw may apply.

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Rates near a 5 — most of the proposed projects are theoretically possible, just not currently feasible with available technology. One or two of the most advanced are a bit SpaceOpera, though they do require that the player has done a ''lot'' of science first.

''Terraforming Mars'' is a tabletop/board game set in a far flung future. Mankind has spread through the solar system, and now has the technology and resources to begin a titanic project. Players take the role of megacorporations given funding from the World Government to accomplish the impossible — turn UsefulNotes/{{Mars}} into a living planet.

The game takes place over several "generations" as the players research projects (cards), spend their funding on making those projects happen, and acquire the resources and support to take larger and larger steps towards making the planet livable. Mars needs three things — oxygen, a higher temperature, and a working water cycle. Contributing directly to any of these will increase your score and raise more government funding. Creating your own infrastructure — whether industrial, space-bound, economic, or biosphere - will aid your efforts and give more opportunities to score, as will some good PR for hitting the right milestones. The game ends when Mars reaches a threshold of "uncomfortable, but habitable", and the winner will be forever known as the leading pioneer of Mars.

* ''Turmoil'', alongside new corporations and project cards, introduces a new political dimension of the game that players must attempt to influence and play around.

The game also had a CardGame version called ''Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition''.

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Rates near a 5 — most of the proposed projects are theoretically possible, just not currently possible with available technology. One or two of the most advanced are a bit SpaceOpera, though they do require that the player has done a ''lot'' of science first.

* ClimateChange: ''Causing'' this is one of your goals. It can be done through asteroid impacts, by releasing volcanic energy, or just through good old-fashioned greenhouse gases.

The game takes place over several "generations" as the players research projects (cards), spend their funding on making those projects happen, and acquire the resources and support to take larger and larger steps towards making the planet livable. Mars needs three things — oxygen, temperature, and a working water cycle. Contributing directly to any of these will increase your score and raise more government funding. Creating your own infrastructure — whether industrial, space-bound, economic, or biosphere - will aid your efforts and give more opportunities to score, as will some good PR for hitting the right milestones. The game ends when Mars reaches a threshold of "uncomfortable, but habitable", and the winner will be forever known as the leading pioneer of Mars.

* ColonizedSolarSystem: Strongly implied to be the setting. Several resources are shipped from Jupiter's and Saturn's moons, so there should have to be at least some bases that far out. This is made explicit in one of the expansions, which focuses on the colonies throughout the system.

* CrutchCharacter: The helpfully named Beginner Corporation lets you keep all 10 research cards that you draw at the start of the game without paying their costs. This is very useful for simplifying the early portion of the game if you're learning to play, but the Beginner Corporation's lack of a special ability beyond that, or any tags that can speed up research, makes it less useful for a player who better understands how to manage their resources.

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Rates near a 5 — most of the proposed projects are theoretically possible, just not currently possible with available technology. One or two of the most advanced are a bit SpaceOpera, though they do require that the player has done a 'lot' of science first.
* OrbitalBombardment: There are quite a few positive ways to affect Mars that would normally fall in the planet killer category if used on Earth. Hitting Mars with a comet will produce water for example, or you can set up shop on a radioactives-rich asteroid and use laser-beams to heat up the atmosphere.

** While there are no hard time limits, some cards cannot be played after the terraforming reaches a certain threshold -- like the search for Martian life, which can only be done while oxygen is low, or the release of super-cold-adapted organisms, which is impossible above a certain temperature.
** The solo variant counts as this. Your goal is to complete the terraforming of Mars within 14 generations. There isn't a 15th generation, whether you complete your objective or not.
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Avoided for the most part. There's a lot to do over a lot of time, so projects concentrate on the positives. That said, there are occasional opportunities for stealing your rivals' thunder — that comet may incidentally impact a competitor's plants, the predators you introduce may not be too picky about whose animals they feed on, you might bump the oxygen or heat level just a notch out of bounds for a competitor's card, or you might simply have a rival build their city in the sweet spot where you were just about to build YOUR city.

* GlobalWarming: ''Causing'' this is one of your goals. It can be done through asteroid impacts, by releasing volcanic energy, or just through good old-fashioned greenhouse gases.

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Rates near a 5 — most of the proposed projects are theoretically possible, just not currently possible with available technology. One or two of the most advanced are a bit SpaceOpera, though.

* BoringButPractical: The "Railway System" card is not what you'd call cutting-edge science fiction -- but it provides income in proportion to the total number of cities built, and it can be pretty powerful in the late game.

* BoringButPractical: The "Rilway System" card is not what you'd call cutting-edge science fiction -- but it provides income in proportion to the total number of cities built, and it can be pretty powerful in the late game.

* AbsentAliens: Due to the game's (relative) realism, no Martians show up. At most you'll find some local bacteria through the "search for Maritna life" project.
* BoringButPractical: The "railway system" card is not what you'd call cutting-edge science fiction -- but it provides income in proportion to the total number of cities built, and it can be pretty powerful in the late game.
* ColonizedSolarSystem: Strongly implied to be the setting. Several resources are shipped from Jupiter's and Saturn's moons, so there should have to be at least some bases that far out. This is made explicit in one of the expansion, which focuses on the colonies throughout the system.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: You can play as one! Specifically, you play as the head of a corporation, and you can choose to take [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential ethically questionable actions]], such as using [[IndenturedServitude indentured workers]] or sabotaging other companies. However, the opportunities for outright evil are relatively limited; presumably, law enforcement is effective enough that outright CorporateWarfare is bad business.

* GlobalWarming: ''Causing'' this is one of your goals. It can be done through asteroid impacts, releasing volcanic energy, or just through good old-fashioned greenhouse gases.

* OrbitalBombardment: There's quite a few positive ways to affect Mars that would normally fall under planet killer territory if used on Earth. Hitting Mars with a comet will produce water for example, or you can set up shop on a radioactives-rich asteroid and use laser-beams to heat up the atmosphere.

* EuroGame: One actually created by a European company. ''Terraforming Mars'' has most of the usual Euro features, such as a relatively low random element, though it is more strongly themed than some, and the art is a bit erratic by Euro standards.

* EuroGame: One actually created by a European company.

''Terraforming Mars'' is a tabletop/board game set in a far flung future. Mankind has spread through the solar system, and now has the technology and resources to begin a titanic project. Players take the role of megacorporations given funding from the World Government to accomplish the impossible — turn UsefulNotes/Mars into a living planet.

''Terraforming Mars'' is a tabletop/board game set in a far flung future. Mankind has spread through the solar system, and now has the technology and resources to begin a titanic project. Players take the role of megacorporations given funding from the World Government to accomplish the impossible — turn Mars into a living planet.

The game has received a range of {{Expansion Packs}}s:

''Terraforming Mars'' is a tabletop/board game set in a far flung future. Mankind has spread through the solar system, and now has the technology and resources to begin a titanic project. Players take the role of megacorporations given funding from the World Government to accomplish the impossible - turn Mars into a living planet.

The game takes place over several "generations" as the players research projects (cards), spend their funding on making those projects happen, and acquire the resources and support to take larger and larger steps towards making the planet livable. Mars needs three things - oxygen, temperature, and a working water cycle. Contributing directly to any of these will increase your score and raise more government funding. Creating your own infrastructure - whether industrial, space-bound, economic, or biosphere - will aid your efforts and give more opportunities to score, as will some good PR for hitting the right milestones. The game ends when Mars reaches a threshold of "uncomfortable, but habitable", and the winner will be forever known as the leading pioneer of Mars.

The game has received a range of [[ExpansionPack Expansion Packs]]:
* ''Hellas & Elysium'' introduce two new maps to play on. Hellas features a cold south pole that can be terraformed for heat and water, while Elysium features Mars' highest peak, which provides a large boost to research once terraformed. Each of these maps features their own milestones and awards.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: You can play as one! Specifically, you play as the head of a corporation, and you can choose to take [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential ethically questionable actions]], such as using [[IndenturedServitude indentured workers]] or sabotaging other companies.

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Rates near a 5 - most of the proposed projects are theoretically possible, just not currently possible with available technology.
* OrbitalBombardment: There's quite a few positive ways to affect Mars that would normally fall under planet killer territory if used on Earth. Hitting Mars with a comet will produce water for example, or you can set up shop on a nuclear-rich asteroid and use laser-beams to heat up the atmosphere.

* TimedMission: While there are no hard time limits, some cards cannot be played after the terraforming reaches a certain threshold -- like the search for Martian life, which can only be done while oxygen is low, or the release of super-cold-adapted organisms, which is impossible above a certain temperature.
** The solo-variant counts as this. Your goal is to complete the terraforming of Mars within 14 generations. There isn't a 15th generation, whether you complete your objective or not.
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Avoided for the most part. There's a lot to do over a lot of time, so projects concentrate on the positives. That said, there are occasional opportunities for stealing your rivals' thunder - that comet may incidentally impact a competitor's plants, the predators you introduce may not be too picky about whose animals they feed on, you might bump the oxygen or heat level just a notch out of bounds for a competitor's card, or you might simply have a rival build their city in the sweet spot where you were just about to build YOUR city.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Avoided for the most part. There's a lot to do over a lot of time, so projects concentrate on the positives. That said, there are occasional opportunities for stealing your rivals' thunder - that comet may incidentally impact a competitor's plants, or the predators you introduce may not be too picky about whose animals they hunt down, you might bump the oxygen or heat level just a notch out of bounds for a competitor's card, or you might simply have a rival build their city in the sweet spot where you were just about to build YOUR city.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Avoided for the most part. There's a lot to do over a lot of time, so projects concentrate on the positives. That said, there are occasional opportunities for stealing your rivals thunder - that comet may incidentally impact a competitor's plants, or the predators you introduce may not be too picky about whose animals they hunt down.