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On Mars
90m - 150m
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
This mechanic usually requires players to pick up an item or good at one location on the playing board and bring it to another location on the playing board. Initial placement of the item can be either predetermined or random. The delivery of the good usually gives the player money to do more actions with. In most cases, there is a game rule or another mechanic that determines where the item needs to go.
Pick-up and Deliver
Tile Placement games feature placing a piece to score VPs, with the amount often based on adjacent pieces or pieces in the same group/cluster, and keying off non-spatial properties like color, "feature completion", cluster size etc.
Tile Placement
Variable Phase Order implies that turns may not be played the same way as before and/or after.
Variable Phase Order
142.00
€
30 day low:
Out of stock
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Kickstarter – Gamefound
Board Games
Strategy
Family and Children
Party
Adult
Thematic
Ελληνικα Παιχνιδια
LCG
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Marvel Champions: The Card Game
The Lord of The Rings: The Card Game
RPGs
D & D
Pathfinder
Gamebooks
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Bags
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Sleeves
Sapphire Sleeves
Paladin Sleeves
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Marvel: Crisis Protocol
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alphaamigo
Saying On Mars is not my favorite Lacerda game is like saying that Caramel is not my favorite ice cream topping. It is still very good, and I would never turn it away if offered. I really appreciate the way that Lacerda designs cooperative elements in games while making the game strictly competitive. The system here of only scoring big when providing what the colony needs may be his best work in this area. Like all Lacerda games, On Mars surprises you with what you are actually doing after about half of a game is played. You start with preconceptions of what to expect, but as you play, you realize that the "game" is in a different place and has different tensions than you thought. Here, the tension is not maximizing your time in space and on the surface (as you would expect). The name of the game is On Mars, and that is where all of the action is. The tension is more in reluctantly going into space due to need, fearing that while you are there, action will happen and you will miss out on opportunity. It is a genius design. Probably my second favorite behind Lisboa (his masterpiece IMO).
ajewo
Very complex worker placement, engine building game with a lot of interconnected mechanics by Vital Lacerda (Kanban, Gallerist, Lisboa) about colonizing Mars. A lot of interaction (synergy) between players that opens up opportunities for the other players. [b]Pros:[/b] + Artwork + Components: a lot of custom shaped wooden pieces with engravings, thick cardboard, recessed player boards. + Synergy between players (by technology and scientists) + Plenty of options (sandboxie, point salad). Still, you have to focus in order to win. You cannot do everything. + Satisfying combo chains triggered by one action. + Executive (bonus) action grant you some flexibility for your main action (less punishing). + Different win conditions (replayability). Win conditions ensure, that the game cannot be played endlessly. + Competitive spatial building as well as movement with rower and bots + Acquiring contracts and blueprint that either gain you positive or negative victory points (some gambling / push your luck). + Intertwined worker and resource management plus harvesting. [b]Neutrals:[/b] # Quite sandboxie but with random incentive goal cards each game and secret goals # Thematic but not as grounded as Vital's other games (e.g., magic crystals) # High synergistic player interaction and some blocking building spots with another building or destroying resources on the map. # High potential for analysis paralysis # A little luck of the draw (blueprints, tech tiles) # There are two different worker placement zones (Mars and Orbit). You can only place your worker in one zone and have to travel to the other in order to use the other actions. [b]Cons:[/b] - Crowded board and cards make it hard to keep an overview. - Steep learning curve (okay, I try this, and now?). Rulesbook takes some time to read. There are complex game mechanics that are not always thematically grounded which makes the game even harder to learn. [b]Thoughts:[/b] I like that many mechanics induce synergistic, non-destructive player interaction. The game has some light semi-cooperative elements due to shared building spaces. The game is less punishing than I thought at first. Your turns may be messed up by other players but you can always do something else instead. Negative victory points for un-built blueprints and contracts are crucial to avoid. It is tricky when to get them because you let other players know what you after and risk not to achieve them. However, you do not want to wait too long so that another player takes the tile. The different game end conditions ensure that the game does not overstays its welcome and keeps playing time reasonable. However, it can be very long with players who are prone to analysis paralysis since there is no luck in the game and everything is open information (except for secret goals). The game is complex and has a steep learning curve. You might also loose the overview from time to time due to all the pieces on board and chained actions plus rewards. The game mechanics are quite complex - and even for a Lacerda game, I can't shake the feeling that there is complexity for complexity's sake. Unlike other Lacerda games, not all game mechanics make thematically sense here. [b]Related games:[/b] * Brass: Birmingham (synergistic player interaction, more streamlined) * Gaia Project (less player interaction, similar combo chains triggered by one action)
Alan Stern
Love this one! It had overtones of [gameid=161533] for me in that many (all?) of the actions can (eventually) be triggered in different ways (as a main action, an executive action via completed blueprints, or via the square tiles). I like the bifurcation of the actions/board - the travel aspect forces some interesting decision points. I think blueprints/advanced buildings might be too easy to abuse? Not sure, need more plays. I'm really looking forward to trying this one more! Rating may improve with additional plays. EDIT: No, the blueprints aren't easy to abuse - we just had a rule wrong. Ugh.