# Terraforming Mars: Prelude

Terraforming Mars: Prelude is a board game for 1–5 players. It plays in 90–120 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 3. It is rated 8.4 out of 10 by 93 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $15.86 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–5 (best with 3)
- **Playing time:** 90–120 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 2.6 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2018
- **Categories:** Industry / Manufacturing, Science Fiction, Economic, Expansion for Base-game, Environmental
- **Mechanics:** Open Drafting, Tile Placement, Hand Management, Solo / Solitaire Game
- **Ludoya rating:** 8.4 out of 10, from 93 reviews
- **Owned by:** 395 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 318
- **Unique players:** 275

**Designers:** Jacob Fryxelius

**Artists:** William Bricker, Isaac Fryxelius

**Publishers:** Stronghold Games, FryxGames

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gamers Guild AZ | 15.86 $ | https://gamersguildaz.com/products/terraforming-mars-prelude-board-games |
| Cardhaus Games | 18.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/terraforming-mars-prelude/ |
| 401 Games | 25.95 $ | https://store.401games.ca/products/terraforming-mars-prelude |
| Mathom | 16.2 € | https://mathom.es/es/terraforming-mars/39578-terraforming-mars-preludio-711841508807.html |
| Goblin Trader Barcelona | 15 € | https://www.goblintrader.es/es/inicio/29518-terraforming-mars-preludio-711841508807.html |
| Spelexperten | 179 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/spelserier/terraforming-mars/terraforming-mars-prelude-exp-swe.html |
| Zacatrus | 16.2 € | https://zacatrus.es/terraforming-mars-preludio.html |
| La Gameria | 16.95 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/terraforming-mars-preludio-831.html |
| Dragons Lair | 195 kr | https://dragonslair.se/products/terraforming-mars-prelude-sv |
| Alphaspel | 199 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/125726-terraforming-mars-prelude-se |
| Fantasiapelit | 17.9 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_201766 |
| Jugar x Jugar | 18 € | https://www.jugarxjugar.com/shop/estrategia/3956-terraforming-mars-preludio-711841508807.html |
| Ludifolie | 19.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/19474-terraforming-mars-prelude-2.html |
| Zatu Games | 18.99 £ | https://zatu.com/products/terraforming-mars-prelude |
| Game Ninja | 249 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/terraforming-mars-prelude/ |
| World of Board Games | 265 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/terraforming-mars-colonies-exp-sve |
| Good Games | 39 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/terraforming-mars-prelude |

## Expansions

- [Terraforming Mars: Merger Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-merger-promo-card)
- [Terraforming Mars: Corporate Archives Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-corporate-archives-promo-card)
- [Terraforming Mars: New Partner Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-new-partner-promo-card)
- [Terraforming Mars: Double Down Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-double-down-promo-card)
- [Terraforming Mars: Head Start Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-head-start-promo-card)
- [Terraforming Mars: Established Methods Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-established-methods-promo-card)
- [Terraforming Mars: Anti-Desertification Techniques Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-anti-desertification-techniques-promo-card)
- [Terraforming Mars: Strategic Base Planning Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-strategic-base-planning)
- [Terraforming Mars: Giant Solar Collector Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-giant-solar-collector-promo-card)

## Rules questions

### When do I play the Prelude cards—before the first generation or during it?

After paying for corporations and project cards in setup there is an extra setup round where each player plays the two Prelude cards they kept in player order; the remaining Prelude cards are discarded, and the whole setup counts as generation 1 (page 2).

### Do Prelude cards cost anything or stay in play like regular project cards?

Prelude cards do not cost anything to keep and “work like green cards,” staying in play with their tags visible (page 2).

### If a Prelude card has a wild tag, does that trigger on-play effects or count for end-game scoring?

A wild tag does not trigger effects when put into play and does not count during end-game scoring, but after it’s played you may treat it as a tag of your choice when you perform an action (for example to help claim a milestone) (page 3).

### How are Prelude corporations handled—can I be dealt one and do they replace normal corporations?

The five Prelude corporations are shuffled into the corporation deck (you may be dealt one like any other corporation); as a variant you can deal each player one Prelude corporation and one regular corporation if you wish (page 2).

### Does using Prelude change solo-game length or the TR solo variant?

When using Prelude in solo you have 12 generations to complete terraforming (mark generation 12 with a gold cube); the TR solo variant’s goal is TR 63 in 14 generations (or 12 generations if playing with Prelude), and introduces the BUFFER GAS standard project (page 3).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-prelude)
- [Terraforming Mars: Prelude in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/terraforming-mars-prelude)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/247030)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._