Love the game! It is really fun and it is a great strategy game that relies on your own intelligence and planning, not how well you can destroying your opponent. Honestly can't fault how the game is played and how much fun it is.It did take a long time to learn and at times I felt that the instructions were a bit confusing. Which does make it hard to teach to new people. I think this will be a game my partner and I will play by ourselves or solo.Also, there is nothing in the box to help organize the cards. They basically just float freely through the box which increases the chance of them getting damaged and mixed around if the box is moved around too much. But what really pisses me off is that it is $80 to buy a box organizer for this game... which is just crazy ... MoreLove the game! It is really fun and it is a great strategy game that relies on your own intelligence and planning, not how well you can destroying your opponent. Honestly can't fault how the game is played and how much fun it is.It did take a long time to learn and at times I felt that the instructions were a bit confusing. Which does make it hard to teach to new people. I think this will be a game my partner and I will play by ourselves or solo.Also, there is nothing in the box to help organize the cards. They basically just float freely through the box which increases the chance of them getting damaged and mixed around if the box is moved around too much. But what really pisses me off is that it is $80 to buy a box organizer for this game... which is just crazy when the game itself is expensive. There really should have been something in the box to at least put the cards in so they don't get damaged when the box is moved.

A Brilliant Game - For Geeks and Non Geeks

First impressions: I bought this game for my boyfriend this Christmas as he loves these sort of strategic boardgames (if you like Catan this is more advanced but an obvious next step). I'm not overly familiar with these games but knew he'd set his heart on this months ago, trying to justify the price - turns out it was worth every penny. There are lots of pieces in the box and it weighs more than expected so, along with the detail that goes in to the game play, you can really see where your money goes. Also, visually, the game is stunning; both in terms of the artwork on the boards and playing cards to the colours of the counters and M (Mega credit) tokens used in play. Set up: So, knowing that this was going to take some time to set up and understand the game play ... MoreFirst impressions: I bought this game for my boyfriend this Christmas as he loves these sort of strategic boardgames (if you like Catan this is more advanced but an obvious next step). I'm not overly familiar with these games but knew he'd set his heart on this months ago, trying to justify the price - turns out it was worth every penny. There are lots of pieces in the box and it weighs more than expected so, along with the detail that goes in to the game play, you can really see where your money goes. Also, visually, the game is stunning; both in terms of the artwork on the boards and playing cards to the colours of the counters and M (Mega credit) tokens used in play. Set up: So, knowing that this was going to take some time to set up and understand the game play first time, we both studied the game play manual included. We also looked up some "how to play" videos on YouTube (highly recommended) as this really helped explaining the rules and objectives for each type of card and the parameters of each event and task. The video also really helped explain where all the pieces should go at the start of the game fsr better than we could have guessed from reading the booklet alone. First play: Being novices to this particular game, be both opted to play as beginners and took a "Beginners Corporation" card which allows new players to the game an easier start to proceedings but giving them a more generous allotment of resource cards and M to begin play with. I won't lie, first play was a little confused and frustrating as we had to reference the game play booklet and the YouTube video many times to understand what we needed to do. The hardest thing about Terraforming Mars is knowing how to play the resource/project/event cards as there are hundreds of them and they are all unique. With practice though this is what makes this game great, and even during the first game we both played some curveball cards, much to the annoyance of the other player! There are awards and milestones which can be achieved (see the bottom edge of the main board) and during the first play these were pretty much forgotten about until the last hours or so of play. I sneakily got enough of the required criteria behind me before buying 2 x milestones which game me an extra 5 VPs (victory points) each to add to my final score. These are worth investing in where possible as I won with those extra 10 points! There are still cards and scenarios that we know we've not played yet and will likely come across in later games, this all adds to the game play experience as opposed to being frustrating. Even knowing that we didn't get to use all the available resources, we both now have a better understanding of how to strategise next time. We have a better idea of which cards are actually worth paying M for during the research phase at the start of every new generation, and where to concentrate our efforts. Scoring: I thinks its worth noting that although it may seem like you've not got a chance of winning at times; keep going! (my boyfriend played some awesome cards, gained loads of M and resources etc. & even stole some of my resources towards the middle/end of our first game. I honestly thought I was done for and had no chance, however when counting up the Victory Points (VPs) at the end, I had a few more than him, and along with the VPs I gained from my earlier mentioned Milestones, I actually won!). Conclusion: This truly is a game of serious strategy and working smart is the key. Its visually a very engaging and interesting game, it had colours and shiny things! Yes there are some frustrating elements to begin with but we both truly believe that with more game play we will overcome these frustrations as we learn the best strategies and ways to play to gain most from Terraforming Mars. We've really enjoyed ourselves and are off to play another match later and see what we find! We hope this helps others who are unsure about whether this game is for them... maybe like us, not every potential player is a massive Geek and you're not sure if this is everyone's cup of tea. For us, we've found it to be a fun way of connecting over a medium that doesn't involve screens and and WiFi. We've both annoyed, impressed and surprised each other and that's what makes a game great for us! Regards The Zim Geek and The Closet Geek x

Amazing game with high replayability

Buying this game for a friend because I already own it and have played it literally hundreds of times (my gaming group tracks each game's results in an excel spreadsheet, so yes, literally hundreds.)This game has incredible depth with only a moderate learning curve. While new players will likely spend the first couple of games just learning what the cards can do and focusing on their own development, mastery of the game requires paying attention to other players' actions and strategies. Over time, one learns that there are many tiny strategic decisions to be made, and making those decisions well can add up to a victory.Also, there are four expansions (soon to be five with the release of Turmoil) for this game, all of which are unique, interesting, and compatible ... MoreBuying this game for a friend because I already own it and have played it literally hundreds of times (my gaming group tracks each game's results in an excel spreadsheet, so yes, literally hundreds.)This game has incredible depth with only a moderate learning curve. While new players will likely spend the first couple of games just learning what the cards can do and focusing on their own development, mastery of the game requires paying attention to other players' actions and strategies. Over time, one learns that there are many tiny strategic decisions to be made, and making those decisions well can add up to a victory.Also, there are four expansions (soon to be five with the release of Turmoil) for this game, all of which are unique, interesting, and compatible with one another. You can play with any or all of the expansions in any combination.Depending on the individual players and which expansions you use, if any, game play typically takes 2 to 3 hours, with 2 being a shorter-than-usual game. On the plus side, players take turns performing actions each round, so people generally are not left sitting with nothing to do for long periods of time.I've gotten many hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of Terraforming Mars, and it is easily my favorite board game of all time.

Amazing! My new all-time favorite board game!

Shipping was way faster than expected. Said it would take 1-2 weeks and arrived In 3 days! The game came in good condition and this is a game I would HIGHLY recommend. It has become my favorite board game. It is a longer game though, especially when introducing it to new people (3hrs ). For this reason, We are getting the prelude expansion back to make the game naturally better and a little faster too. If that doesn’t shave enough time off the total game play, we will likely tweak some things just to make it so that it can roughly be 90-120 minutes instead of 3 hours. Even when we played with people who already knew the game, it still took 2.5 hours, which was better and still a TON of fun, but perhaps still slightly long. Definitely get it, and tweak the starting ... MoreShipping was way faster than expected. Said it would take 1-2 weeks and arrived In 3 days! The game came in good condition and this is a game I would HIGHLY recommend. It has become my favorite board game. It is a longer game though, especially when introducing it to new people (3hrs ). For this reason, We are getting the prelude expansion back to make the game naturally better and a little faster too. If that doesn’t shave enough time off the total game play, we will likely tweak some things just to make it so that it can roughly be 90-120 minutes instead of 3 hours. Even when we played with people who already knew the game, it still took 2.5 hours, which was better and still a TON of fun, but perhaps still slightly long. Definitely get it, and tweak the starting rules just a little bit until you find the sweet spot for timing that you prefer the most.

Great game

This game is interesting and fun, but can be slow and take too long to finish. My family is not a huge fan of the player boards because one small tap or shake of the table can jostle the board and totally mess up your scoring system. Lots of cool cards and super fun concept with some optional variants.

Great game, poor box storage.

Both solo and multi-player games are fun and challenging. It takes a couple times to get use to the game play, but that is to be expected in these types of games. The reason I did not give 5 stars is the price and game storage. The price is a bit high for what you get in the box. I was expecting a storage tray to hold all the pieces and cards, but that is not the case. Instead i had to grab a couple ziplock bags from the kitchen. Now the pieces are organized in bags, but the pieces could get damaged if you travel with the game. Overall, it is a very entertaining game to play and i would recommend it to others.

Such an awesome game

I have seen the details about the game online and doubtfully bought it. But it exceeded my expectations! The game design is very smart. One would need to spend some time understanding the game rules and semantics. But once you are past that, it is just splendid. It essentially simulates trying to colonise Mars. The rules of the game very neatly tie into the main theme.There are n number of variables in the game play and so many things to keep track of. This is good workout on the mind and is definitely for someone looking for a boardgame on a different level.

TERRAFORMING MARS

Well, its a couple of years on now and TM is still one of the games I am always happy to bring to the table, once you have mastered the basics I would recommend purchasing the Preludes expansion to speed up the first act and turmoil for the upgraded player boards.Your goal is to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars. The winner is the player with the most victory points that are awarded not only for your contribution to the terraforming but also for advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system and doing other commendable things such as sending a meteor ... MoreWell, its a couple of years on now and TM is still one of the games I am always happy to bring to the table, once you have mastered the basics I would recommend purchasing the Preludes expansion to speed up the first act and turmoil for the upgraded player boards.Your goal is to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars. The winner is the player with the most victory points that are awarded not only for your contribution to the terraforming but also for advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system and doing other commendable things such as sending a meteor hurtling into your opponent's hydroponic farm or introducing penguins to the habitat.It's also worth having a look at Thingiverse for some of the amazing upgrades you can make to your game (if you have access to a 3D printer).

Terraforming Mars

Cool game, with lots of different aspects to it.Like the name suggest you have to make Mars habitable, this is done by raising the temperature to +8, making the surface of the planet have 9% water, and increasing the oxygen levels to 14%. All of which start zero, apart from the Temp' which starts at -30.These can all be changed through out the game by using a mixture of production/event cards and money "Mega Credits"Each player is dealt 2 companies to choose from, these all have different starting advantages, from finance to production, you also get dealt 10 production cards of which you get to choose zero to ten. But these cost Mega Credits to purchase and to play them you need to spend a mixture of Mega Credits and production. They also help in producing ... MoreCool game, with lots of different aspects to it.Like the name suggest you have to make Mars habitable, this is done by raising the temperature to +8, making the surface of the planet have 9% water, and increasing the oxygen levels to 14%. All of which start zero, apart from the Temp' which starts at -30.These can all be changed through out the game by using a mixture of production/event cards and money "Mega Credits"Each player is dealt 2 companies to choose from, these all have different starting advantages, from finance to production, you also get dealt 10 production cards of which you get to choose zero to ten. But these cost Mega Credits to purchase and to play them you need to spend a mixture of Mega Credits and production. They also help in producing finance and production like Iron, Titanium, Heat, Plant Life and Energy. all of which is needed to terraform the red planet.Playing these cards means you can create Cities or Greenery (which produce oxygen, thus moving the oxygen counter up) You also get to place Mines and Nuclear sites Urban areas, Ocean tiles etc, there are a lot of counters, all of which have been though about and all help to terraform the planet. The science and relevant action behind the production cards is well thought out in relation to how they affect the planet (at times the pictures on some of the cards are bit Windows clip art)At the same time these items can help increase your score and help you gain a strategic hold over your opponents. Increasing your production, while removing some of theirs.Altho' this game pits you against other players, as the winner is the person with the most points at the end, it also kind of makes you play co-operatively at times and is an all round friendly game to play.Out of 10, I'd give it 8.5 and can see this being a firm favourite in our collection.

Terraforming Mars

I have now played the game a few times and it gets really interesting! I definitely recommend watching some YouTube videos on how to play as the instruction book does an ok job of explaining but is a bit confusing. I would have awarded 5 stars but my game board is warped and will need to be flattened by being pressed with heavy items. Im not sure if this is the manufactures, Walmarts, or the delivery agents fault but it does impact the play ability with tiles. Once the board is flat, all the board pieces will stay in place.