Terraforming Mars
The strategic engine-building board game
In the past, I’ve mentioned that I like complex board games that involve strategy. Recently, I was introduced to one of my favorite new games that involves lots of strategy and is on the side of more complex games. Terraforming Mars is a board game where each player owns a corporation that is successfully trying to terraform planet Mars faster and better than all the other competing corporations. This is certainly not an easy task, as Mars is inhabitable. Players must complete tasks such as raising the temperature, building cities, growing forests, or increasing the oxygen by playing cards and taking actions. Game play proceeds as each player tries to get the most points and win the game!
My favorite part of this game is definitely the theming and gameplay! Terraforming Mars transports you to a different planet (literally) and seems pretty realistic. The board and cards are beautifully designed to make the whole endeavor amazing. My least favorite part of this game is undoubtedly the player mats. The player mats are truly a disappointment compared to the rest of the game! They are very flimsy, and since you are placing cubes on them, you have to be certain not to bump them. Otherwise, the components of this game are remarkable and very well put-together!
This game is certainly more on the complex side when it comes to the realm of board games. The age on the box for this game is 12+ which is probably appropriate. This is a game that you have to work up to, and certainly not a game that you play with someone who isn’t really into board games (they will be so confused and never play a board game ever again). Once you learn the ropes, the game really isn’t too difficult, but it can be difficult to learn all the rules and how the game works.
I hope I didn’t scare you away from this game because it is really great! It is perfect for long-time board game geeks or even those who are branching out to more difficult board games. You can check it out on Amazon. There are also a number of expansions for this game like Prelude, Turmoil, The Other Side of Mars, and more! Also, if you have any comments or questions about the game (whether it be the rules or the game itself), be sure to let me know in the comments!