Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition – Foundations

2023 · Science Fiction

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition – Foundations

Adds components to support up to six players, including extra player boards, cubes, and a new phase card. Includes two additional boards: an extended score track and a board that introduces a fourth terraforming metric, infrastructure. New project cards interact with the infrastructure metric and integrate into the existing play sequence.

Players
1–6 best 2
Playing time
60 min
Age
14+
Complexity
2.5 / 5
8 on Ludoyafrom $15.71Expansion for Base-gameCard GameCooperative GameHand ManagementSimultaneous Action Selection

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
5
Plays logged
7
Players
2h 50m
Average play
46
In collections
4
On wishlists

8.0/10

from 2 Ludoya reviews

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Do we use the infrastructure track in every game?

It’s recommended for games with five or more players, but you can also use it with fewer players; doing so makes the game last longer. If you play without the track, remove the project cards marked with the infrastructure icon (p. 3).

What do we need to finish before the game can end?

With the infrastructure track in use, all four terraforming metrics must be complete: all oceans faceup, oxygen and temperature maxed out, and infrastructure maxed out. The game ends in the phase when the last of these is completed (p. 4).

What happens when I raise infrastructure?

Each time you increase infrastructure, gain 1 TR and draw a card. You can raise it with a project card or by taking one of the two standard actions (p. 4).

What are the two standard actions for raising infrastructure?

Spend 15 MC to raise infrastructure 1 step, or spend 5 heat and 3 plants to raise it 1 step. Either way, you also gain 1 TR and draw a card (p. 4).

How do we set up the extra player and score-track components?

Use the black and white cubes and phase cards for the additional players, and place the supplemental score board beside the main board. It provides extra room for score cubes; when a score goes below 5 or above 25, move that cube to the main board’s score track and continue there (p. 3).

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.