Stronghold Games SGTMCG1| Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition | Board Game ,Black| Ages 14+ | 1-4 Players | 45-60 Minutes Playing Time

I wouldn't call this an expansion of the game but a game in itself, the rules are slightly different and the game itself lasts shorter. I was not aware at the time of my purchase that the version I got was a collectors edition (no advertising of this was given) so I'm not aware of any differences in quality if there is another version, but the quality of materials is fantastic with internal storage inside the box already being figured out. There is only one flaw and it's one that's carried over from the main game and that's the lack of tracking of 1/3 of the resources on the player board. Otherwise it's a solid game.

This is a great game and, in my opinion, it's better than the base game of its bigger brother Terraforming Mars. It's definitely quicker and I really like the artwork on the cards. If I had one complaint it would be that the main scoreboard track is way too small and if a few players are playing it can get a bit crowded. I like the way the player boards are double thickness allowing the sunken track to keep the tracking cubes still, so they can't be knocked, I just don't know why they didn't do this for the scoreboard! Even if it was bigger that would help, but the actual game is excellent.

Much prefer this to the original Terraforming Mars as gameplay is streamlined without any reduction in enjoyment or decision making. The component quality was excellent. Played several times (including solo) since buying this and had very different but enjoyable games every time. A must have for anyone trying to break into the hobby.

My wife and I are keen board gamers (though perhaps more so me than my ever-patient wife) with a firm preference for two-player co-operative games of varying degrees of complexity. We even play competitive games (we don’t have many, but Carcassonne is an obvious example) non-aggressively as it is just nicer. This game looks complicated with loads of cards, piles of little plastic tokens and busy player boards, but it really isn’t complicated at all. The rulebook is well laid out and after the first faltering play-through we have not referred to it since. Played in rounds playing two of the five available phases you play cards (two phases), initiate actions, produce terraforming factors or draw cards. With a hand limit of ten cards there is very little of the dreaded analysis paralysis trying to decide which cards to play so rounds rattle along at a cracking pace, especially as players can execute phases simultaneously. It would be nice if the game board was a bit bigger and had indented areas like the player boards as it is easy to dislodge the little tokens on their tracks but it is a minor gripe. We chose this game over the more daunting and competitive original ‘Terraforming Mars’ game (complicated and games can go on for ages) as it was advertised as having a two-player co-op mode. As it happens, this mode is a bit feeble as it simply limits the number of rounds to fifteen in which time you have to have completely terraformed the planet. Without the right cards in hand, this is pretty much impossible. As is often the case, we have adopted our own house rules where, basically, the object is to complete the terraforming in the smallest number of rounds keeping track of how many times each of us has incremented a terraforming factor. A bit like reading a really good book, the speed of the rounds makes for quite addictive gameplay and a really pleasant way to while away a few idle winter afternoons. With the vast number of project cards (209) and a good selection of corporations to choose, no two games are the same. I have just ordered the ‘Ares Expedition Crisis’ as this offers a more fully developed co-op mode and introduces some interesting new game elements. Once it has arrived in a few weeks and we have played through a few times, I will pen an appropriate review when I have time. EDIT: If you are looking for a well-rounded & fulfilling bit of co-operative gameplay, then the ‘Crisis’ expansion is well worth considering. Needless to say, there is a detailed review: https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3VUHO9IOR2ULH/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8 Complexity: 4/10 Component quality: 8/10 Replayability: 10/10 Gameplay pace: 10/10

Excellent strategy card game, has good complexity and high replayability. Simple to learn, you choose what phase you want to happen on a turn(5 to choose from), everyone plays theirs in secret, you reveal, you get bonuses for playing cards on your own phase. Play cards by spending resources, which are tracked by player boards and cubes, Bronze-Silver-Gold (1-5-10). It's actually amazing the sheer amount of complexity you can track and simply by using them. You build an engine (some kind of synergy of cards) together and try and make Mars inhabitable. The game ends when Mars is safe, you then win by gaining the most Victory Points (VP). Gained by playing cards and making Mars inhabitable. Strongly recommend, it's sufficiently complex that it really does satisfy, however not needlessly complicated in both gameplay and setup to make you tired at the mere prospect of playing it.

Good quality overall, however printing on the cards isn't perfect. Some cards are printed noticeably lighter/washed out. The two clear cubes also have chipped corners. For the price, it's not bad enough to go through the trouble of returning it, but might be to someone else. Apart from that, the double layered boards are great, as are the cubes compared to the original Terraforming Mars. In terms of gameplay, I really enjoy it solo! There's no player interaction at a higher player count, so won't be suggesting when playing with others at all. It was also a bit of an adjustment after playing the original in terms of how the resources work, but once I got the hang of it, it was fine. Much quicker to set up for a solo game than the original!

This game showed up very quickly, in pristine condition. It is the "streamlined" version of the regular Terraforming Mars game, which I have not yet played. But this game is fantastic on its own merit and still incredibly complex and satisfying to play. We sunk many hours into it, so don't plan on being finished in the time frame listed on the box. I run a board game club at my office and I am always looking for streamlined games that I can play. We have a few regular board game enthusiasts as well as a few folks who join us for smaller games. This is a medium to heavy board game that requires a lot of attention to detail, and despite being "lighter" than standard Terraforming Mars it is insanely fun to play, with a focus on strategic card selection and creating a tableau of cards that work well together. It is an "engine builder" , so play starts out a little slow but quickly picks up pace. The instructions state that players should do their actions in each phase simultaneously to speed up play, but we felt it was best to go individually, as we helped each other to keep track of all of our moving parts. Despite this being a "competitive" game, we wound up playing with open hands and discussing the way cards worked to help one another learn, especially on the first playthrough. I think you could play it as cooperatively or competitively as you like. Players take the role of companies, competing to do the most to terraform Mars for human life. Winning comes down to points, and some folks may find that aspect a little uninteresting. But the cards themselves, and the way everything interacts, as well as the science and logic put in by the game developers became the most interesting aspect for us. A wonderful game for science nerds or space enthusiasts. It seems like it will have fabulous replayability.

Love this game! Easy to play, clear and descriptive instructions, excellent quality of materials. A great game, playable by two people and which takes many of the same concepts from Terraforming Mars (full edition) and tweaks them a bit to make for an interesting, enjoyable - and shorter - game. Highly recommended. Suggest getting the expansion pack "Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition: Discovery", for even more interesting competition.

Bought it after reading that it was a shorter version of the highly regarded Terraforming Mars. Ha our first game (two player) took over 3 hours. Third game got down to under two. Despite not particularly looking for such a long game we are really enjoying it. Hooked and hoping experience will get us down to 90 mins per game.

J'adore ce jeu !!

El juego es una maravilla visual, si lo tomas en descuento mejor.. lo compré a muy buen precio. Solo que es un poco complejo al inicio, para quienes no estamos familiarizados con Terraforming Mars; nada que unos videos no resuelva.