# Terraforming Mars: Colonies ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2018 - **BGG Rating**: 8.1 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-5 (Best with: 3) - **Duration**: 120 min - **Weight**: 2.99 / 5 - **Designers**: Jacob Fryxelius, Jonathan Fryxelius - **Artists**: Isaac Fryxelius, William Bricker - **Publishers**: FryxGames, Stronghold Games, Arclight Games, Brädspel.se, Ghenos Games, Intrafin Games, Kilogames, Korea Boardgames, Lautapelit.fi, Lavka Games, Maldito Games, MeepleBR, MINDOK, Rebel Sp. z o.o., Reflexshop, Schwerkraft-Verlag, Siam Board Games, Surfin' Meeple China - **Categories**: Economic, Environmental, Expansion for Base-game, Industry / Manufacturing, Science Fiction, Territory Building - **Mechanics**: Hand Management, Increase Value of Unchosen Resources, Open Drafting, Set Collection, Tile Placement, Variable Player Powers, Worker Placement ## Verdict The essential upgrade for those wanting to take Martian economics to the rest of the solar system!Expands strategic possibilitiesNew layers of economic managementDynamic interaction and draftingHigh-quality componentsRequires the base gameIncreases playtimeHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Suit up, space travelers, because the Martian horizon just got a whole lot wider! If you're already a Terraforming Mars fan, you know the goal is to turn the Red Planet into a habitable home. But what if we told you that the real profit isn't just found in Martian soil? In Colonies, your corporation decides to look beyond Mars and explore the rest of the solar system. It's time to send trade fleets to distant moons and even attempt to colonize the clouds of Jupiter! This expansion adds a delightful strategic layer to the base game. Now, you don't just focus on oxygen and temperature; you need to manage colonies on other celestial bodies to ensure your income and resources keep climbing. The game introduces new components, such as colony tiles, where you establish your presence to extract maximum value. Additionally, the pack is packed with new project cards and fresh corporations that offer entirely new ways to play. The 'open drafting' mechanic and the way unchosen resources gain value bring a fresh dynamism, making every 'take or leave' decision carry immense weight. It's the kind of expansion that doesn't just 'add stuff,' but actually expands the strategic possibilities in a way that makes the base game feel like just the beginning of the journey. If you love managing massive space empires and want deeper economic gameplay, Colonies is the upgrade your table needs. Just don't forget: to join this mission, you'll need the Terraforming Mars base game in hand! ## How to Play Game Objective The outer solar system is the new frontier! In this expansion, corporations expand their reach to the moons of Saturn, the clouds of Jupiter, and even Pluto. Your goal is to trade with these colonies, harvest resources, and build your own colonies to gain specific benefits and resources to aid your efforts. Setup Follow these steps to prepare the expansion components: Place the Trade Fleets Tile next to the game board. Each player takes one trade fleet and places it on the Trade Fleets Tile with their player marker inside it. Shuffle the Colony Tiles and draw a number of tiles equal to the number of players plus 2 (exception: use 5 tiles for a 2-player game) and place them next to the main board. Place a white marker on the highlighted second step of each Colony Tile track. Note: TITAN, ENCELADUS, and MIRANDA start with their white marker on the moon picture itself. The marker only moves to the highlighted second step once a card in play can collect their respective resources. Until this happens, you cannot place a colony or trade there. Shuffle the Colony corporation cards into the other corporation cards and the Colony project cards into the main game project cards. Variant: Players may draw one Colony corporation and one other corporation to choose from. Game Flow The expansion integrates into the standard game flow, adding a new phase called the Solar Phase, which occurs after the production phase each generation: STEP 1: Game End Check – Check if temperature, oxygen, and oceans are all maxed out. If they are, the game ends and final scoring begins. No further steps in the Solar Phase are executed. STEP 2: World Government Terraforming (If playing with Venus Next) – The first player acts as the WG and increases a non-maxed global parameter by one step or places an ocean tile. All bonuses go to the WG (no TR or other bonuses for the first player), though other cards may be triggered. STEP 3: Colony production – All Trade Fleets return from the Colony Tiles to the Trade Fleets Tile, and the white marker on each Colony Tile moves one step up the Colony track. Actions and How to Play Players have two primary ways to interact with the colonies during their turn: Building a Colony This is a standard project that costs 17 M€. When you perform this action: Place your player marker on the lowest available spot on the Colony Tile track. If necessary, move the white marker up 1 step. Take the placement bonus printed inside the track (e.g., increasing energy production). Restrictions: Only 3 colonies total are allowed per Colony Tile. Each player may only have one colony per Colony Tile unless a card states otherwise. Trading with a Colony Tile This is a new action (not a standard project). To trade, you must: Pay the cost: 9 M€, or 3 energy, or 3 titanium. Move your trade fleet from the Trade Fleets Tile to an available Colony Tile (not the Colony track). A Colony Tile can only hold one trade fleet at a time. Check the Colony Tile track to determine your trade income. Give the local colony owners their colony bonus. Immediately after trading, move the white marker as far left as possible, stopping either next to the player colonies or at the bottom of the track. End of Game and Scoring The game ends during STEP 1 of the Solar Phase if the temperature, oxygen, and oceans are all maxed out. At this point, final scoring begins with the normal conversion of plants. Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Tips for Winning Strategic Trading: Use the trade fleet to acquire high-value trade income (such as energy resources) by timing your trade based on the position of the white marker. Colony Bonuses: Build colonies to benefit from the colony bonus whenever another player trades at that specific Colony Tile. ## FAQ ### Can I play Colonies solo? No, you absolutely need the Terraforming Mars base game to play this expansion. ### How long does a game take with this expansion? Playtime increases slightly, typically landing around the 2-hour mark, depending on the player count. ### Do I need other expansions to play? No! Colonies works perfectly with just the base game, but it is also compatible with all other existing expansions. ### Does the game get much harder? It becomes more complex and deep, offering more strategic options, but isn't necessarily 'harder' to grasp. ### Who would you recommend this game to? To players who have mastered the base game and crave more economic management and space exploration options. ## Price Comparison ### Best Offers in Brazil - **Amazon**: R$ 161,63 (https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0777M969L?tag=bgbot26-20) - **Meca dos Jogos**: R$ 151,74 (https://www.mecadosjogos.com.br/terraforming-mars-colonias-p594?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Leão Livros**: R$ 153,34 (https://www.leaolivros.com.br/terraforming-mars-colonias?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Facil Shopping**: R$ 153,92 (https://www.facilshopping.com.br/produtos/expansao-terraforming-mars-colonias-board-game-meeple/?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Caixinha Boardgames**: R$ 166,47 (https://www.caixinhaboardgames.com.br/produtos/colonias-expansao-terraforming-mars/?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Livtoys**: R$ 166,47 (https://www.livtoys.com.br/boardgames/expansao-terraforming-mars-colonias?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on Compara Jogos: https://www.comparajogos.com.br/item/terraforming-mars-colonias ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 20.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4887503&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 23.07 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=7050769&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 24.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4673504&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.97 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4821902&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4802040&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 26.19 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=2083834&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 28.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1089902&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 29.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6186949&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 30.17 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1666407&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 30.57 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4782824&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/25851/terraforming-mars-colonies?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com