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How to Play Terraforming Mars Rules for rulebook haters

I hate rulebooks! This condensed How to Play Terraforming Mars rules help players get the essential instructions without having to trawl rulebooks.

The Terraforming Mars game overview page introduces you to the game through a summary of the gameplay and videos shared by other gamers.

Click here to view Terraforming Mars Game Setup

Objective of Terraforming Mars Board Game

Terraform Mars to improve living conditions and enable human migration.
Players control corporations competing to terraform Mars.
Strive for high Terraform Rating (TR) and Victory Points (VP) through tile placement.

Game Overview

Control a Corporation: Buy and play cards to improve terraforming.
Goal: Achieve good TR and earn VPs.

Generations

Game rounds are called Generations.

Development on Mars

Earn VPs by developing Mars for human migration, winning awards, and completing projects.
Place Tiles:
- City tiles: Worth 1 VP, gain 1 VP for each adjacent Greenery Tile.
- Special tiles: Function described on the card.
- Greenery tiles: Increase oxygen level by 1 step, place adjacent to another tile you own, mark ownership with your player marker.

Global Parameters

Track on the Game Board: Temperature, oxygen, and ocean.
Impact on TR: Raising global parameters increases your TR.
Goals:
- Oxygen: 14%
- Oceans: 9 tiles
- Temperature: +8°C
Game End: When all global parameters reach their goals.
TR: Determines income and score.

Additional Points

Global Parameters: Can’t be improved further once they reach their goals but can still play cards increasing the parameter without impact.
Time: Measured in generations, tracked with the Generation Marker on the TR track.

Terraforming Mars Gameplay

Player Order Phase

Skipped in the 1st Generation.
1st player marker shifts 1 step clockwise.
Generation marker moves up 1 step.

Research Phase

Skipped in the 1st Generation.
Draw 4 cards; decide which to buy for 3 MegaCredits each.
Buy 0-4 cards; discard the rest face-down.
No hand limit.

Actions Phase

Players take 1 or 2 actions each turn or pass.
Play proceeds clockwise until all players pass.
Once you pass, no more actions can be taken in that generation.
Actions can be combined in any way.

List of Actions

Play a Card from Your Hand
- Check Requirements: Card can be played even if global parameters are maxed.
- Pay for the Card: Resolve immediate effects, perform any production.
- Place the Card:
  - Events (red): Personal pile face-down.
  - Automated (green): Face up in a stack.
  - Active (blue): Ongoing effects, top panel visible.
Use a Standard Project
- Sell Patents: Discard cards to gain MegaCredits.
- Power Plant: 11 MegaCredits, increase energy production 1 step.
- Asteroid: 14 MegaCredits, increase temperature 1 step (and TR).
- Aquifer: 18 MegaCredits, place an Ocean tile (get 1 TR and placement bonus).
- Greenery: 23 MegaCredits, place greenery tile, increase oxygen and TR 1 step, get placement bonus.
- City: 25 MegaCredits, place a city tile, get placement bonus, increase MegaCredit production 1 step.
Claim a Milestone
- Pay 8 MegaCredits.
- Only 1 player can claim each milestone; only 3 of 5 milestones can be claimed.
- Milestones worth 5 VPs at end of game.
- Milestones:
  - Terraformer: TR of at least 35.
  - Mayor: Own at least 3 city tiles.
  - Gardener: Own at least 3 greenery tiles.
  - Builder: At least 8 building tags in play.
  - Planner: At least 16 cards in hand.
Fund an Award
- No requirement to meet.
- First player pays 8 MegaCredits, second pays 14, third pays 20.
- Only 3 awards can be funded, each funded once.
- Endgame: 5 VPs to winner, 2 VPs to second place.
- Awards:
  - Landlord: Own most tiles.
  - Banker: Highest MegaCredit production.
  - Scientist: Most science tags.
  - Thermalist: Most heat resource cubes.
  - Miner: Most steel and titanium cubes.
Use Action on a Blue Card
- Each blue card action can be used once per generation.
- Pay cost, gain benefit, place marker on card.
- Markers removed during production phase.
Convert Plants into Greenery
- 8 plant resources = 1 greenery tile.
- Increases oxygen level 1 step and TR.
- Place greenery tile adjacent to another of your tiles if possible, get placement bonuses.
Convert Heat into Temperature
- 8 heat resources = increase temperature 1 step (and TR 1 step).

Production Phase

Performed simultaneously by all players.
Energy Conversion: Convert all energy into heat (move all resource cubes from energy box to heat box).
Resource Collection:
- MegaCredits: Based on TR plus MegaCredit production.
- Other Resources: Collect any resources produced as tracked by player board. Place resources in corresponding boxes.
Reset Actions: Remove player markers from used action cards to reset for the next generation.
Start Next Generation.

End of Game

Game End: Occurs when all global parameters (oxygen, oceans, temperature) reach their goals.
Final Actions: After production phase, players can convert plants into greenery tiles (in player order).
Final Scoring:

Counting Score and Winning

Terraform Rating (TR):
- Your TR at the end is your basic score.
Awards:
- Leading player in each category: 5 VPs.
- Runner-up: 2 VPs (no runner-up in a 2-player game).
Milestones:
- Each claimed milestone: 5 VPs.
Greenery and City Tiles:
- Each greenery tile: 1 VP.
- Each city tile: 1 VP per adjacent greenery tile.
Cards:
- Count VPs on cards that collect resources.
- Count VPs on all remaining cards (including events).
- Jovian cards may need to be counted separately.
Determine Winner:
- Player with the highest total score wins.
- If tied, the player with the most MegaCredits wins.