Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition Gameplay Runthrough

[@lazulin]

Love it. Love the Race series, love Terraforming Mars, my only complaint with Terraforming Mars is how long it takes and this looks significantly speedier. Seems like a perfect fit for me.

[@MoooingDragon]

This playthrough tutorial was so helpful. I now understand the game well enough to play. Thanks so much!

[@BoardgameLiker]

Thanks a million for using a solid color gaming surface. The mats with art on them look great but provide too much visual clutter for me. Lighting is fantastic also. This video looks amazing! Also, it looks like you don't use an "auto-iris" option on your camera..... THANK YOU! Auto-iris can be ( and usually is ) super annoying.

[@rahdo]

thanks! yeah i've turned off auto iris, focus and color balance as they just don't get the job done :)

[@69robtaylor]

Awesome, I can already tell I’ll love this. I like how the events ( red cards) remain face up this time for the tags. Cheers Richard for the video

[@VoiceofFox]

I just got this game and, as always, turned to Rahdo to help me learn it and I spotted an error in the Klingon subtitles. Re: the Action phase, the rule book specifically states: "Each player may resolve any number of the standard actions written on their player board any number of times". E.g. if I have 60 MC I can flip 4 ocean tiles on a single turn as they cost 15 MC each. At 44:14 Richard says words to this effect but the subtitles say these actions can only be done ONCE per turn. Maybe the rule changed between prototype and release but as it stands the subtitles get it wrong. The same info is also repeated in the subtitles at 46:02.

[@PauloRenato23]

Notes corrected... thanks

[@felizitash3661]

Hello! Race for the Galaxy, is that you???

[@chriscollins1780]

But now 100x more fiddley! :)

[@RuNacken]

@@chriscollins1780 Haha Indeed!

[@aaronfirewing9196]

Terraforming Mars the card game! A) it already was pretty much a card game and B) IT STILL HAS A BOARD!!! IT EVEN HAS MORE BOARDS THAN IN TERRAFORMING MARS!!! Also the action selection mechanic is literally taken from race for the galaxy

[@bethezebra]

.....and yet it's awesome regardless....

[@abhishekmondal3275]

While playing the first project card , the steel ability is not increased by 1 along the steel track.

[@davidpurkiss4681]

Is interesting compared to the regular TM solo mode, as in that one quite often a lot of the cards aren't worth buying / playing depending on what they are (as VPs don't matter and other cards often aren't worth the cost), as it's better to push up the various conditions instead. Is nice that with the solo mode in this one that the cards seem more the focus.

[@RobertAcurso]

A little disappointed this is basically travel size TM. Was hoping for something a little lighter weight since this was pitched as a "card game," but it's as much a card game as the original.

[@blackjack2150]

There's also a Terraforming Mars Dice game coming sometime in 2022. That might fit the bill.

[@Kaikaku]

Terrafroming Mars goes racing for the galaxy? Tactical remark: Should have built the Earth Catapult first. More rounds getting that massive bonus and big investments tend to happen either early or late in the game.

[@S.Kapriniotis]

Thanks for the video, makes it very easy for me now to pass this game. Cheers!

[@chriscollins1780]

Completely agree - I can see no circumstances where I would play this over Race for the Galaxy or even New Frontiers.

[@KingOfNormans]

Wait, is this Race for Mars?

[@rahdo]

well it's not terraforming the galaxy

[@carveking]

@@rahdo because it only takes place on Mars not the galaxy 😋

[@atonaltensor]

@@rahdo terraforming the Galaxy was already done in Gaia Project ;p

[@yannisguerra]

It is very much Race for the Galaxy with TM reskin and some extra mechanisms. Interesting, but not sure if it's necessary to have both

[@carveking]

@@atonaltensor true lol

[@jadam42]

Looks interesting, just wish they would move on from Mars. Colonies was the last really interesting expansion. I get they are milking a success and I can’t blame them but Venus expansion should have been a new game, Terraforming Venus, exploring what interesting possibilities there. Keep some core gameplay from Mars and try out some new mechanics. Jupiter and Saturns moons would be another cool theme to explore.

[@pubbles3229]

So.... It's Terraforming Mars in small? Why is it called a card game when it has a board, playerboards and tokens??

[@rahdo]

because the gameplay is almost completely centered around cardplay and card interactions. the tokens and board are just variations on score keeping

[@peterkieling4347]

@@rahdo so like Terraforming Mars 🤔

[@rahdo]

@@peterkieling4347 the original had a large portion of the gameplay centering around building and expanding on the board, making it a board game. that's all gone now.

[@peterkieling4347]

@@rahdo are we talking about the same Game? In Terraforming Mars nothing happens on the Board excepting moving exactly a few Token and place some tiles. About 90% of the Game happens on your build Card engine in Front of you. I am dissapointed about this small Terraforming Mars But another a great Video

[@frenzy47]

@@peterkieling4347 wow you are sooo mistaken about the board being unimportant.

[@sethchapman1425]

Well now I enjoy but do not own TFM. This may be my way in.

[@MortenBarklund]

At 16:10, Rahdo refers to the temperature track, where the card talks about the oxygen track.

[@MortenBarklund]

At 21:29, Rahdo says he can build green or red, but it's of course red or blue (and he does build a blue in fact).

[@PauloRenato23]

@@MortenBarklund notes added... thanks

[@jaypee9937]

Do red cards stay face up for the tags to count? The don’t in the original

[@hawke9800]

It remains face up

[@maverickdelta]

Is the game different enough to own both Terraforming Mars and Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition?

[@rahdo]

that is a very good question. i think the best reason to own both is because you LOVE TM a lot, and sometimes want to have a quick session of it that plays in half the time (or vice versa, you love TM:AE and sometimes want a long epic session)

[@TheTomAbz]

I dont know. Ares expedition looks like a better version of TM

[@JJ_TheGreat]

Yes, this game is definitely more like Race for the Galaxy than Terraforming Mars...

[@JJ_TheGreat]

@@TheTomAbz But it doesn’t have where you go over and add the tiles to the planets - ithas a very basic version of that. Also, it doesn’t have the cards in which you put stuff on them and that stuff ends up growing over time, so you can use it at toward the middle or end of the game.

[@wiktorpanoszkin6915]

So beautiful cards!

[@thecuriousboardgamer]

This looks fantastic. My only concern is it'll make Terraforming Mars almost obsolete as this is so much more accessible that it'll be a lot easier to get to the table with my group!

[@swvi9459]

I dont understand people who wants short and small board games. Go play few games of Magic or Hearthstone on PC then. Board games should be long and big, so you can enjoy the time with your family and friends and get your money worth. Original TM is not that long and is very accessible. This kind of model is wrong on so many levels

[@darrenjones4001]

@@swvi9459 Lots of family and friends find long set up and 2 1/2 hour games a barrier of entry so to each their own.

[@swvi9459]

@@darrenjones4001 Then board gaming is wrong hobby for those people.

[@deanlowdon8381]

@@swvi9459 What a terrible attitude! I have friends and family who enjoy playing quick games like Battleline, Lost Cities etc but don’t want to play complicated 2 hour+ games. You seem to be saying they shouldn’t bother playing any games at all!

[@swvi9459]

@@deanlowdon8381 It's like saying that you want to watch a movie, but you only have 45 minutes. Tell me great movies at 45 minutes. And my attitude is terrible, lol. Go play a video game then for 45 minutes and that's it.

[@slysof6436]

Looks really fun but I already have Terraforming Mars. Not sure it’s worth getting this one.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

It seems like this is more like Race for the Galaxy than Terraforming Mars... and I would rather play Race for the Galaxy...

[@RuNacken]

Couple of issues with this as far as I can see: - They should really give co-author credits to Thomas Lehmann, of Race ftG - The playerboards are dual-layered, to prevent cubes from shoving when the table is bumped. But why o why didn't they do the same treatment for the gameboard??? There are a bunch of cubes on there as well (oxygen/temp track, each players TM position). A bump will move those cubes and your game - just like before - will be pretty much over. - The card art is improved, but all the icons, the turnorder cards and general graphic design is still fugly if you ask me

[@rahdo]

1) don't you mean andreas seyfarth, since tom was borrowing from him? at this point, there are SOOOOO many games that use the leader/follow action mechanism that was pioneered in Puerto Rico, does it still need calling out every time? Should ever worker placement game give a special thanks to the designers of Bus? still no harm in shout outs i suppose, but then, shouldn't every game do this for ever mechanism? 2) i dunno... the vast majority of euro games have VP tracks on them, and none of them do dual layer recessed boards, so i can see why they didn't here, to keep costs down. it would be nice, but then, it would be nice for probably 90% of all boardgames on the market :) 3) beauty is in the eye of the beholder

[@jareduxr]

Good points on one and two. Its not really standard to make such an inspiration a co-designer but I agree there needs to be a big shout out in the rulebook to Lehmann. I disagree on the iconography. I think 1) it represents the brand of TM with its unique styling, 2) that styling is refreshingly unique for future/spacey stuff (I'm sure whatever we think is the graphic design of the future is not so its fun to see a different, colorful take), 3) the color coding and icons are really clear about information/action relationships.

[@tyrussleightholme7261]

Can they please release an update pack for normal terraforming mars that has these cards

[@BoardgameLiker]

Already backed it :)

[@hmuriel]

Hopefully they do a better job than the current "big box" Kickstarter. A lot of unhappy backers there. I am personally on the fence and optimistic with the final product, but we'll have to wait and see

[@cobtyrannon2479]

You have 7 Heatproduction in Hand, plan to build it..... and then chose to not play Hellion..... Well thats.... interesting

[@rahdo]

secret time: i choose thor because i figured i'd be more likley to forget about the hellion ability during play :)

[@cobtyrannon2479]

@@rahdo That's a reason i can get behind!

[@warlord76i]

Nothing new around the corner.

[@swvi9459]

This game is such a crash grab. I don't see the point of doing TM card game, when TM already is card game. They just copied Race for the Galaxy, put brand name and that's it. Don't support that kind of model

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

You do not see the point in making a compact game that plays in 1/3 of the time with some different mechanisms thrown in? The RftG mechanism is a good one, which is why it is used in quite a few games.

[@swvi9459]

@@TorIverWilhelmsen No, I dont see a point in copying another game, making card game from a card game and put up TM brand to sell it faster. If you want short games, go play original short games. In other words, dont play board or card games.

[@haukionkannel]

@@TorIverWilhelmsen i agree, the shorter game time can be super usefull and the phases makes interesting interaction between players. I can easily see this get more playes than original TM. But both games has their own places!

[@JJ_TheGreat]

I agree that this game is nothing like TM - and is a cash grab (not a “crash” grab). I disagree that the original TM was only a “card game” - it has more complexity.

[@swvi9459]

@@JJ_TheGreat Sorry, original TM was RNG card game. There we go, much better.