2020 · Exploration
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
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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- 606
- Plays logged
- 656
- Players
- 2h 54m
- Average play
- 184
- In collections
- 53
- On wishlists
7.8/10
from 95 Ludoya reviews
Balleflass6.0 8.5 after first play. I see a lot of potential here and I'm sure It will go closer to 9.5 after a while like it did with Lisboa. The actions are quite easier to teach and execute than Lisboa and the action-sequence you need to work through to reach your goal is easier to follow. One minor negative is that every player need to check everyones tech all the time (especially in 4-player games) to make sure they use the actions to the fullest. Will most likely bring a whiteboard to show the level of every tech in the game to solve this. UPDATE: 19.04.22 I like Lisboa more than this. I felt the rule set is overly complex for what it does. I think the game would be a lot better and cleaner if it got rid of the scientist/contracts element as it doesnt bring anything to the game in my opinion. My problem with Lisboa is the highly random Decrees, but that's another discussion.
Vic Granell10.0 After spending some time watching two rule videos (Gaming Rules! and Before you Play) on Youtube, the hole BYP Playthrough, and going through the rulebook a bit, we played half 4p game two weeks ago. We didn't have time to finish and there were still lots of rule gaps, so we postponed and everyone did their homework in filling the gaps. We finished a 3p game last week and I realised how worth all the learning had been. I'm doubting whether I will mark On Mars with a 10 depending on further games, but for now it is in my top 10 for sure. Can't wait to try the upcoming co-op expansion, and other Lacerda games!
Jan Solo8.6 El mejor juego de Vital Lacerda. Tan bueno como exigente.
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).
Free, on web, Android and iOS
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.