On Mars (2020)

How to Play On Mars

On Mars is played over several rounds, each consisting of two phases – the Colonization Phase ​and the Shuttle Phase​.

During the Colonization Phase, each player takes a turn during which they take actions. The available actions depend on the side of the board they are on. If you are in orbit, you can take blueprints, buy and develop technologies, and take supplies from the Warehouse. If you are on the surface of the planet, you can construct buildings with your bots, upgrade these buildings using blueprints, take scientists and new contracts, welcome new ships, and explore the planet’s surface with your rover. In the Shuttle Phase, players may travel between the colony and the Space Station in orbit.

All buildings on Mars have a dependency on each other and some are required for the colony to grow. Building shelters for Colonists to live in requires oxygen; generating oxygen requires plants; growing plants requires water; extracting water from ice requires power; generating power requires mining minerals; and mining minerals requires Colonists. Upgrading the colony’s ability to provide each of these resources is vital. As the colony grows, more shelters are needed so that the Colonists can survive the inhospitable conditions on Mars.

During the game, players are also trying to complete missions. Once a player has completed a total of three missions, the game ends. To win the game, players must contribute to the development of the first colony on Mars. This is represented during the game by players gaining Opportunity Points (OP). The player with the most OP at the end of the game is the winner.

On Mars Review

“Gameplay is everything I want in a strategy/hobby game turned up to an 11. The depth of this game is amazing. Every lever you turn, every move you make affects so many other things in the game. Your plans and moves leave little room for error as you navigate around the planet and into space.

Theme is not always a strong draw for me but a game that really shines with theme pulls me in much more. This game has great strategies and movement going into the gameplay but it also drips with such awesome theme as you play that it really thrusts you into the experience…”

Isaac Villa, gamingwithsidekicks.com

“…This is pure strategy at its finest, with a theme I always enjoy.  Everything matters. Everything is fun to explore. I particularly enjoy watching other players get their engine going. The board gets crowded as players build their community from a small shelter mere spaces away from a mine that counts as the center of the board, resources are tight from a shared market at the orbital station, and worker placement spots for each of the game’s main actions are limited.

This makes each turn exciting as you endeavor to plan ahead for executing your plan, but also requires having two or three backup options ready to go, with actions that can still help you achieve victory in the end.”

Justin Bell, meeplemountain.com

The content of this article is originally from Board Game Geek. For more information and a better understanding of the game, you can watch the videos below.