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Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition
45m - 60m
1 - 4 Players
Ages 14+
Hand management games are games with cards in them that reward players for playing the cards in certain sequences or groups. The optimal sequence/grouping may vary, depending on board position, cards held and cards played by opponents. Managing your hand means gaining the most value out of available cards under given circumstances. Cards often have multiple uses in the game, further obfuscating an "optimal" sequence.
Hand Management
The simultaneous action selection mechanic lets players secretly choose their actions. After they are revealed, the actions resolve following the rule-set of the game.
Simultaneous Action Selection
Variable Phase Order implies that turns may not be played the same way as before and/or after.
Variable Phase Order
Variable Player Powers is a mechanic that grants different abilities and/or paths to victory to the players.
Variable Player Powers
41.00
€
30 day low:
Out of stock
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Kickstarter – Gamefound
Board Games
Strategy
Family and Children
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Adult
Thematic
Ελληνικα Παιχνιδια
LCG
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Marvel Champions: The Card Game
The Lord of The Rings: The Card Game
RPGs
D & D
Pathfinder
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altonu
/* Secret Santa 2021 gift */ I think this is the 2021 release I was most excited about, so was quite happy to get this as a Santa gift. First play was with 3 players. It had been a while (pre-pandemic) since I played the original Terraforming Mars game, but I'd say it has the same feel for me as the original, just with most of the board aspects abstracted or streamlined. I can easily see this getting to the table more often than its parent version, and possibly ranking it higher than the original over time (not gonna get rid of original any time soon though). Would love to see an expansion for it - the one thing it feel like its missing is more choice/variety in corporation cards.
Alan Stern
Race for the Galaxy (RftG) meets Terraforming Mars (TM). Longer and more complicated than RftG but shorter than TM. On the TM side, this one foregoes the board and milestones parts but keeps most other elements. Ares Expedition also makes everything triggered by phase selection meaning you don't produce each round. This actually creates some new decision points since it's RftG phase selection with bonuses. I feel like Ares Expedition (AE) is a neutered form of TM. Die-hard TM fans will likely bristle at the missing elements. Newer TM fans may appreciate that AE plays out differently because of the phase selection. In the end, I feel like AE isn't distinct enough from TM to stand on its own. AE is fun and enjoyable, but why not just go play the real deal (TM)? EDIT: After 5 solo plays, I'm rather enjoying this one! It's quick to set up, easy to play, not too long, and quick to put away. I'm much more likely to be fine with 10-15 min. of setup for a multiplayer game, but for a solo game I start to bristle. The footprint is small enough to not require the entire table meaning I can play this at the kitchen table without taking over the entire table. The solo game feels challenging at times but rewarding. (I think I'll end up gravitating towards a solo variant of some sort.) AE really hits the spot for balancing accessibility and time, particularly for solo play. Yeah, this is a winner for the accessibility alone. Rating bumped from 7 to 8. EDIT2: I introduced this to two friends of mine, neither of whom is a big fan of TM due to the game length. Both loved this one! The speed and accessibility are HUGE pluses! One of them said that AE fires TM for them and I can't disagree. I'm now more likely to pull out AE than TM. (Heresy, I'm sure.) Rating may go up more...
AlwaysAPickle
Not played yet, but played the “main” game a few times and like it quite a lot. From what I’ve seen, I think I’m going to prefer this more owing to the reduced table place and speedier play.