Terraforming Mars: The Dice Game
Terraforming Mars: The Dice Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
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Game board: Place the game board (choose one side) in the middle of the table. Place a transparent cube on 0% Oxygen, and a transparent cube on -32°C temperature. Place 7 ocean tiles in a pile on the ocean symbol on the game board. Each player chooses a player color and place the corresponding cube at the start of the VP track (0 VP).
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Dice pool: Place all the dice next to the game board, where all players can reach them. This is called the dice pool. Place all wild tokens and tiles next to it.
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Project deck: Shuffle the Project cards and place the deck face down next to the game board with space for a discard pile next to it.
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Bonus cards: Shuffle the Bonus cards and randomly select 4 cards (for 1-2 players), 6 cards (3 players), or 8 cards (4 players). Place them unseen in a stack face down next to the game board and put the remaining bonus cards back in the box. When players reach the bonus steps on the VP track (at 5 VP and 12 VP), they will gain a bonus card.
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Awards: Take 1 dice of each color from the dice pool, randomly select 3 of them, roll them, and place them on the 3 award spots on the game board. Players compete to have the most of these symbols on the cost of their played cards by the end of the game.
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Milestones: Randomly select 3 milestone tiles and place them on the game board. Return the rest to the box. The first player to reach a milestone goal receives the tile at once and for free. Each milestone tile is worth 4 VP at the end of the game.
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Player order: The player who most recently won a game of Terraforming Mars (any version) is first player and starts the game. Turns will proceed clockwise around the table.
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Projects and corporations: Deal 5 Project cards to each player. This is your starting hand. Shuffle the corporation cards and deal 2 corporations to each player. You now choose 1 of these corporations to be your own. Unused corporations are returned to the box.
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Reveal corporations: In player order, place your chosen corporation face up in front of you. Gain the starting bonus shown in the red box (in this example, 3 wild tokens). Then cover this red box with your player color tile.
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Initial production: Take the production indicated in the brown box (in this case 2 yellow dice and 1 red dice). The dice are rolled and stored in front of you. They are now your resources. Throughout the game, you can gain more resources by performing a production turn.
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First player penalty: The first player must choose 1 of its resources and give it to the last player (skip this if playing solo). Then the First player starts the game.
Playing the Game
In player order, the players take turns going around the table. This continues all through the game until 2 out of 3 global parameters have been completed and the game ends.
On your turn, you may either choose to produce new resources (production turn) or perform actions (action turn):
Production Turn
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Keep up to 3 of your current resource dice (wild tokens are not dice!), and return the rest to the dice pool.
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You may discard any number of cards from your hand.
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If you have less than 5 cards in hand, draw cards until you have 5.
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Produce new resources: Take and roll all the dice indicated in the brown boxes on your corporation card and green project cards in play. If there is not enough dice in the dice pool, you take as many as you can and then gain 1 wild token (regardless of number of dice missing).
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Flip back any used blue project cards. These cards may now be used again.
Action Turn
An action turn consists of 1 support action followed by 1 main action:
Support action (yellow arrow):
- Gain and roll 1 dice of your choice from the dice pool.
- Pay any resource to turn another dice to any of its sides.
- Pay any resource to draw 2 cards.
...or use a support action on one of your unused blue cards. Then flip it sideways to mark it as used.
Main action (red arrow):
- Play a card from hand, paying its cost. (Read more on next page)
- Perform another support action as your main action.
- Pay 3 heat resources to increase temperature 1 step.
- Pay 3 water resources to place 1 ocean tile.
- Pay 4 plant resources to place 1 forest tile (and increase oxygen 1 step).
- Pay 3 city resources to place 1 city tile.
- Pay 3 MegaCredit resources to immediately gain 2 VP.
...or use a main action on one of your unused blue cards. Then flip it sideways to mark it as used.
Free action (green arrow): Some blue cards have free actions that may be taken at any time during your turn, before or after your support action or main action, or even at the start or end of a production turn. Perform the effect and flip the card sideways.
All your used blue action cards will be restored (flipped back) when you take a production turn.
Playing a Card
Playing a card is a main action done on your action turn, so make sure to perform your support action first! To play a card from your hand, you must pay the exact resources depicted at the top left of the card (icons must match!). Resources you pay are returned to the dice pool. Wild tokens may be paid as if they are any resource of your choice.
After paying for the card, perform its effects in any order. If an effect can't be performed, ignore that part (see clarifications on page 10).
All GREEN CARDS have a brown production box in their upper right corner. Nothing happens when you play these cards. Stack them with the card cost and the brown production box visible. All dice in brown boxes are gained and rolled each time you perform a production turn.
When you play a RED CARD, the effects on the card are resolved immediately. Any dice gained are immediately gained and rolled into resources. Stack the red cards together face up in a pile, so that the card cost is visible at all time (they might help you win Awards at the end of the game!).
When you play a BLUE CARD, nothing happens - just place the card separately from your other cards. These cards have an action (support action, main action, or free action) that only you may use. When using an action on a blue card, pay the cost (if any) depicted before the arrow, and then gain the benefit depicted after the arrow, and then flip the card sideways to mark it as used. All used blue cards are unflipped during your production turn, so they may be used again.
GREEN CARDS: During a production turn, you add up the dice in brown boxes. In this example, you will roll 3 yellow, 2 blue, and 1 red dice.
RED CARD EXAMPLE: When you play this card, you gain a yellow dice which you roll, you gain a red dice which you turn to become a °C resource, and raise temperature on the game board 1 step (and receive 2 VP).
BLUE CARD EXAMPLE: It takes a main action to play the card, but as a main action later on, you may pay 1 steel to place an ocean tile on the game board. Then flip this card. It can not be used again before you take a production turn.
Game Concepts
No re-rolls: You never ever re-roll your dice resources in this game!
Terraforming give you 2 Victory Points (VP): Whenever a player terraforms (places an ocean tile on the board, or raises temperature or oxygen), that player gains 2 VP and immediately moves his player cube up the VP track on the game board.
Keep on terraforming: If oxygen, temperature, or ocean is completed, you can still terraform these parameters. Nothing happens, but you gain 1 VP (instead of 2 VP).
2 of 3 ends the game: When the second parameter is completed, it triggers the end of the game, and then all players get one last turn (including the player who just ended the second parameter).
Immediate VP vs VP at the end of the game: You gain immediate VP when you terraform, when you place some of the tiles (see Placing tiles on the board), and when you play cards that have a VP symbol with green ribbon. Immediately move your cube up the VP track! At the end of the game, all VP symbols with red ribbons are counted. At the end of the game you also get VP for Milestones and Awards.
Placing tiles on the board: An icon showing a hexagon depicting an ocean, forest, city, or special tile, means placing a tile with that symbol on the game board. Only 1 tile may be placed on each area. Place the tile and gain any placement bonus printed on that area.
- Ocean: Place an ocean tile on an ocean reserved area (marked blue on the board). No other tiles may be placed on ocean reserved areas. Gain 2 VP because it counts as terraforming.
- Forest: Place a forest tile on an area on the board and gain 1 VP for each adjacent city. Increase oxygen 1 step and therefore gain 2 VP for terraforming.
- City: Place a city tile on an area that is not adjacent to another city. Gain 2 VP for placing this tile, plus 1 VP for each adjacent forest.
- Special tiles: Place the brown tile with the corresponding symbol on an area.
Bonus on parameter: The oxygen and temperature parameters have bonuses along the way. The player who raises a parameter to such a step receives that bonus.
Bonus cards: When you reach the bonus steps on the VP track (at 5 VP and 12 VP), you gain a bonus card at the end of your turn. Secretly look at all the available bonus cards, select one and immediately play it for free. Then return the remaining bonus cards face down, and the next player can take his turn. Bonus cards work just like other green, red, or blue cards, and counts toward milestones.
Dice and resources: There are 5 different dice colors. Each dice has 3 different resource symbols. Note that each dice has one common resource (on 3 sides), one uncommon resource (2 sides), and one rare resource (1 side).
- Common: megacredit, plant, energy, steel, heat.
- Uncommon: science, microbe, water, titanium, event.
- Rare: earth, animal, oxygen, city, nuclear.
The dice icon (a colored die) means a dice of that color. Take it from the dice pool, and immediately roll it so it becomes a specific resource. The side facing up on the dice is your resource (for example a plant).
The question mark (?) means any resource of that color.
A white resource icon with a question mark means any resource of any color.
A white dice icon represent a dice of any color.
ROTATE A DICE! If a dice icon has pink arrows around it, that means you are allowed to rotate one of your resource dice to the side you want.
Wild tokens: Wild tokens may be spent as any resource of your choice.
Red borders on resources: If a resource icon has a red border and a minus symbol in front, it means that each opponent must loose one such resource (if possible). In this case, the opponent may choose any green resource dice.
No available dice in the dice pool: If there are not enough dice in the dice pool to perform your production turn, then gain 1 wild token (not more!) and as much as you can of your production. In any other situation, any missing resources or dice are simply lost without compensation.
End of Game
The game ends when 2 out of 3 global parameters (ocean/temperature/oxygen) have been completed. Then all players (including the player completing the 2nd parameter) get 1 last turn. Note that increasing the 3rd parameter still gives 2 VP, and you still receive 1 VP for raising an already completed parameter.
When the last turn is completed, any remaining resources and cards in hand are discarded without effect. Now add VP from Awards, Milestones, and cards to get your final score:
Awards: For each Award, players will count the number of that icon in the costs of all their played cards. The player with the highest number of that icon scores 5 VP, and second place scores 3 VP. Ties are friendly: If 2 or more players tie for winning an Award, both players score 5 VP, but no second place is awarded. If 2 or more players tie for second place, both get 3 VP. In a 2 player game, there are no VP for second place.
Milestones: Each milestone tile is worth 4 VP. Milestones are gained during the game as soon as a player fulfill the requirement. See milestone overview on the back of the rulebook.
VP from cards: Each player adds all VP from all their played cards (medal symbol with red ribbons at the lower right).
The player with the highest score wins the game!
If tied, the player with the highest production of dice (count all dice symbols in brown boxes on corporation and green cards) is the winner. If still tied, this really calls for a re-match!
Solo Play
You always play 50 turns when playing solo. The goal is to complete all 3 global parameters (ocean/temperature/oxygen). If you reach that goal you may also count your final score. If you fail, your score does not count!
Use the normal multiplayer rules, and add the following:
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Board setup: Place 1 city tile on any of the 3 areas with VP-placement bonuses. Then place an ocean tile next to the city tile, and 1 forest tile on any area adjacent to both the city and the ocean. Oxygen starts at 2%, and temperature starts at -28 °C. Note: You do not get any bonuses or points for any of this.
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Awards: As normal, randomize 3 awards. To win an award at the end of the game, you need to have at least 6, 8, or 10 of the corresponding symbol, depending on if the symbol is rare, uncommon, or common. Each award you win gives you 5 VP at the end of the game. If you are only one symbol away from winning (5, 7, 9 respectively), then score 3 VP instead.
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Milestones: Place 3 random milestone tiles on the board. If you do not claim them in time, they will be removed (see Milestone deadlines below).
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Bonus cards: Use 4 bonus cards. After initial production, look at these bonus cards, and select 1 to play immediately. During the game you will take 2 more, and the last will not be used this game.
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Time cube: You have 50 turns to complete the terraforming process. Mark time with another player cube, starting at 0 during setup, and moving on to 1 before you start your first turn, so that it always marks the active turn number. As soon as you are done with a turn, don't forget to move the time cube up to the next turn.
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Milestone deadlines: After turn 16, remove the milestone tile in the topmost slot (if it is still unclaimed by you). After turn 20 and 24, remove the milstones in the middle and bottom slots, respectively. After turn 50, the game ends immediately.
As a reminder, these deadlines are marked with dots on the VP track on the gameboard.
What did you score?
| Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| 110+ | Is this even possible!? |
| 100-109 | Supreme victory! |
| 95-99 | Great! |
| 90-94 | Really good |
| 85-89 | Not bad at all. |
| 80-84 | Decent |
| 70-79 | Getting the hang of this! |
| 60-69 | You can do better |
| <60 | Might as well lose... |
| Fail to terraform | Try again! |
Corporate Era & the Promo Pack
The Corporate Era expansion and the Promo pack introduces new cards, new milestones, and some new and simple rules to the game. All cards in the Corporate Era expansion have a small yellow lamp in the lower left, and the Promos are recognized by the two purple lights in the lower left. NOTE: the promo pack is not included in the retail version!
So, what is new?
Corporations and blue cards can have effects and discounts on them. A DISCOUNT means you may always pay one less of that specific resource when paying to play a card.
An EFFECT tells you to react when something happens in the game. For example the bonus card Quality Control; whenever you play a green card, you immediately gain 1 VP.
You do not flip cards with discounts and effects - they are always active.
Red borders on tiles means that you react when anyone places that tile, including yourself. For example, Arctic algae; You immediately gain 1 green dice whenever an ocean tile is placed on the gameboard. (Arctic Algae, Eco Architects, Rover Construction)
Production of wild tokens and VP. Some cards produce wild tokens or immediate VP, and you receive them everytime you take a production turn. (Reputation, Sponsored Academy, Bio Materials, Inventrix)
Storage: Instead of saving only 3 dice when taking your production turn, some cards let you save more dice, according to the number of box symbols depicted on the card (Logistics, Effective Storage).
Cards That Might Need an Explanation
All cards are playable: To play a card, you only need to pay its cost. If you can not perform one or more of the effects of the card, then just perform the ones you can. Some examples below:
Mangrove: You must place a forest tile next to an ocean tile. If you can not do that, then you can not place the tile at all, the oxygen is therefore not raised, and you therefore do not gain VP for this. Urbanized Area: If you can not place this city next to another city, then you can not place this city at all, and you therefore get no VP.
IF: When playing a card where it says you gain something IF something is fulfilled, then this can only be counted once. For example Peninsula: you gain 2 blue dice if you place a forest next to an ocean tile. If you place this forest next to 2 oceans, you still only get 2 blue dice. (Swamp, Peninsula, Immigrant City, Mohole Lake, Tipping Point, Lakefront Resorts).
Corporations
Lakefront Resorts (promo): If you place a tile next to an ocean, you gain 2 yellow dice. If that tile is adjacent to more than one ocean, you still only get 2 yellow dice.
Manutech (promo): When you play a green card, you also immediately gain what is indicated in the brown production box on that card.
Tharsis Republic: when revealing this corporation, place a city tile on the gameboard and gain its 2 VP and placement bonus.
Terralabs (promo): During production turn, when you draw cards up to 5, you draw up to 7 instead.
Vitor (promo): You gain a yellow resource of your choice when playing a card with VP (red ribbons). Playing a card with negative VP will not give you this bonus, and playing a card with more than 1 VP will still only give you 1 yellow resource.
Red Cards
Capital (promo): Gives 2 VP for being a city, and 1 VP per adjacent forest, plus 1 VP per adjacent ocean tile.
Equatorial Magnetizer: All tiles on the middle row counts, for a maximum of 7 green dice.
Fertile Fields: Yes, it raises oxygen 2 times.
Infrastructure: Gain and roll a grey dice for each city tile on the board.
Mohole Lake: If you place this ocean tile next to a forest or city, you gain 2 extra VP, making a total of 4 VP (regardless of the number of the number of forests or cities).
Tipping Point: Raise temperature or oxygen and gain VP for that. IF you also got a bonus from the track, you gain 2 extra VP (4% oxygen, 10%oxygen, -24°C, -16°C, 0°C).
Blue Cards
Commercial District: Rotate up to 3 of your resources.
Decomposers: Spend any green resource to gain a plant and 1 immediate VP.
Development Center: Spend any amount of science resources to gain that amount of other resources of your choice from the dice pool.
Electro Catapult: Gain and roll (do not rotate!) any 3 dice of your choice from the dice pool.
Industrial Microbes: Gain a grey resource of your choice (steel/titanium/city).
Lobbying: Spend any yellow resource to gain and roll any dice and recieve 1 immediate VP.
Restricted Area: Discard 2 cards from hand to gain 2 immediate VP.
Robotic Workforce: Pay 1 steel resource during an action turn, to get 1 extra main action after your normal main action.
Bonus Cards
Coordinator: Immediately gives you a whole extra turn (production turn or action turn).
Efficient (promo): Take a free support action any time during your turn (production turn or action turn). Then flip it sideways to mark as used.
Milestones
Legend: Have 6 red cards in play.
Monopoly: Have 7 dice resources of the same color.
Miner: Have 5 green cards in play.
Generalist: Have at least 1 production of each dice color.
Scientist: Have 3 blue cards in play.
Philanthrope: Have 4 played cards with end game VP on them (negative VP do not count).
Mogul: Have 12 cards in play. All 3 colors count. Corporation cards do not count.
Terraformer: Have 16 points on the VP-track.
Corporate Era Milestones
Celebrity: Have 3 cards in play that have a cost of 5 or more resources.
Billionaire: Have 13 dice resources. All colors count. Wild tokens do not count.
Award Nominee: On your played cards, have 5 cost icons that match ONE of the 3 awards. If you win this milestone, you also have a great chance of winning that award!
Icon Reference
- Orange planet icon = Raise oxygen, 2 VP.
- Thermometer icon = Raise temperature, 2 VP.
- Blue hexagon icon = Place ocean on reserved area, 2 VP.
- Grey hexagon icon = Place city, 2VP + 1VP per adjacent forest.
- Green hexagon icon = Place forest, 1VP per adjacent city. Raise oxygen, 2 VP.
- Green ribbon medal = VP now.
- Red ribbon medal = VP at the end of the game.
- Yellow arrow = Support action.
- Red arrow = Main action (playing a card is also a main action!).
- Green dotted arrow = Free action.
Remember to flip your blue cards when you have used them!