Ares Expedition adapts Terraforming Mars into a streamlined card game

Ares Expedition is a card-game adaptation of Terraforming Mars that blends mechanics from the designer card game Race for the Galaxy to make the original experience more compact and accessible. The game uses simultaneous action selection and a variable phase order: there are five numbered phase cards, each player selects one per round, and only the chosen phases activate for everyone in ascending order.

Cards played stay in a player’s area and trigger on specific phases, letting players build engines that generate money, heat and plants and that can produce larger returns later in the game. Players are rewarded for anticipating opponents’ phase choices, and the game disallows playing the same phase card twice.

Gameplay emphasizes engine-building and escalating production: early production yields small returns while later rounds can produce large resource avalanches that enable combos and big turns. Scoring comes mainly from the terraforming rating but also from cards and other actions, and the game includes ways to boost card draw so strategy, not just luck, plays a major role.

The release also addresses production-value complaints about the original board game: art and components are described as professional and cards easy to read. Two versions are available—a Target-exclusive mass-market edition (listed at $40 MSRP) and a Collector’s Edition (listed at $60 MSRP) sold on Amazon and at some game stores.

Key Topics

Culture, Ares Expedition, Terraforming Mars, Variable Phase Order, Simultaneous Action Selection, Engine Building