2020 · Science Fiction
On Mars
Players act as company chiefs building the first self-sustaining Martian colony, balancing mission goals from D.O.M.E. with private agendas. Gameplay alternates between a Colonization Phase, where players on orbit take blueprints, buy technologies and gather supplies while players on the surface construct and upgrade buildings, recruit specialists, welcome ships, and explore with rovers, and a Shuttle Phase, where players move between orbit and the surface. Buildings and systems interdepend—water, air, power, food, mining and housing require each other—so players expand and upgrade infrastructure to support growing colonist populations. Completing missions and contributing to colony development earns Opportunity Points; the highest scorer wins when three missions are completed.
- Players
- 1–4 best 3
- Playing time
- 90–150 min
- Age
- 14+
- Complexity
- 4.6 / 5
About the game
- Design
- Art
- Publisher
Expansions
See them in Ludoya
Photos from Ludoya tables
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Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 611
- Plays logged
- 659
- Players
- 2h 54m
- Average play
- 197
- In collections
- 57
- On wishlists
8.1/10
from 102 Ludoya reviews
Mestremuten9.0 Rating: 4/5 Production value: 4/4 Is the game in my collection/Love to have?: 1/1
First impressions · 1 play
Garfield7.0 #40
No plays logged
Sup9.3 KS Janvier 2020
First impressions · 2 plays
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Can I use a Tech tile the same turn I take it?
No — when you Learn Tech you place the tile in your left laboratory, and you must perform Research & Development to develop/activate tech tiles before using them (see pp. 10–11).
Do my colonists return automatically during the round, or do I have to spend actions to bring them back?
Colonists return during the Shuttle phase when resolving Travel to the Colony & Orbit; returning Colonists is handled as part of that travel step (see p. 20).
When I place a Discovery tile from Orbit, where is it allowed to go?
A Discovery tile must be placed on the Colony exactly three hexes away from your Rover — it cannot be placed at a different distance (see p. 20).
Does a newly-built Mine produce immediately?
Yes — when you build a Mine by placing a Colonist it yields 1 Mineral on Orbit immediately, and the mine may be upgraded later (see p. 15).
Are Mars Crystals stored like normal resources and how do they function?
Mars Crystals are a distinct resource with their own rules for storage and use; they can boost movement and actions and are handled separately from minerals/other resources (see pp. 7 and 18).
How do Progress/LSS cubes affect the colony and when are they applied?
Progress and LSS cubes are applied during the Colony status update: they advance the colony level and grant the associated rewards/effects when the colony advances (see pp. 15–16).
Official score sheet
On Mars score sheet
Every scoring category, from the Ludoya kit. On your phone the totals add up by themselves.
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play On Mars with Ludoya
- Keep it in your collectionTrack your copy and its expansions, lend it to friends, or put it on your wishlist and get told when the price drops.Add it to your collection
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- Settle rules questionsAsk anything about the rules and get an answer from the rulebook, with the page to check it on.Ask the rules assistant
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.