On Mars
On Mars Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Overview
The game is played over several rounds, each with two phases: the Colonization Phase and the Shuttle Phase. In the Colonization Phase, each player takes a turn. Your available actions depend on which side of the board you are on: on the Space Station (Orbit) you take blueprints, develop technologies, and take supplies; at the Colony (surface) you construct and upgrade buildings, hire scientists, take contracts, welcome ships, and explore. In the Shuttle Phase, players may travel between orbit and the colony.
The colony's systems form a dependency chain: building shelters for colonists requires oxygen; oxygen requires plants; plants require water; water requires power; power requires minerals; and mining minerals requires colonists. To win, contribute the most to the colony's development, earning Opportunity Points (OP).
The game ends once a total of three Missions have been completed (or the colony reaches a high level). The player with the most OP wins.
Colonization Phase
Players take turns in the order of their Player markers on the Turn Order spaces (leftmost Orbit space first, proceeding right, ending at the rightmost Colony space). On your turn you must perform one Main action and may also perform one Executive action before or after it. Contributing to a Mission gains you Crystals. When done, lay your Player marker down.
Main Board Action Mechanics
Only the actions on your current side (Orbit or Colony) are available. Actions use colonist icons:
- Red Colonist (placement): to take the action, place a Colonist from your Living Quarters onto an Action slot. If other players' Colonists are already there, pay 1 Crystal or move a Colonist to your Working Area per other color present (only the number of colors matters). If all Action slots are full, first remove all Colonists of the player(s) with the most on those slots (to their Working Areas), then pay based on who remains.
- Teal Colonist (boost): send extra Colonists to your Working Area to boost the action (see each action). Working Area Colonists return to your Living Quarters when you travel.
- Crystal (boost): spend Crystals to boost the action.
Orbital Station Main Actions
- Landing Pod: travel to the Colony (following the Shuttle Phase travel rules but skipping the Discovery-tile step).
- Obtain Blueprint: take 1 Blueprint from the display, gain the depicted Resource/Crystal, and place an Advanced Building marker on it. Boost: 1 extra Blueprint per Colonist moved.
- Learn New Technology: take 1 Tech tile from the Tech Grid onto the leftmost column of your Laboratory (bottom row free, middle costs 1 Battery, top costs 1 Battery + 1 Resource) and gain its space's benefit. Each player may have only 1 Tech tile of each type. Boost: take a second tile.
- Research and Development (R&D): develop Tech tiles by moving them right on your Player board (1 tile twice or 2 tiles once), paying the cost above each destination column and gaining that space's benefit. Boost: develop 1 tile per Colonist moved.
- Resupply: take 1 Resource or 1 Crystal from the Warehouse into your Storage/Depot (limited capacity). Boost: 1 extra item per Colonist moved.
Colony Main Actions
- Control Center: move your Bots (2 movement) and Rover (2 movement); each Crystal in your Depot adds 1 movement. Bots build and clean (destroying tiles or returning Crystals they end on); a Bot's hex and adjacent hexes form its Building Zone. Rovers collect Crystals passed over and claim Discovery/Research tiles they end on (using Rover Tech tiles adds movement).
- Construct a Building: place a new Building tile (Mine, Generator, Water Extractor, Greenhouse, Oxygen Condenser, or Shelter) in a Bot's Building Zone, paying its cost. Place it either exactly 2 hexes from a same-type Building (no Tech needed) or adjacent to one, creating/growing a Complex (requires a Tech tile of the related type whose level ≥ the number of Buildings being connected). Gain Resources equal to the new Complex size; the first time you create/grow a Complex of a type, advance a Progress cube. Constructing an LSS Building (Generator/Water Extractor/Greenhouse/Oxygen Condenser) advances its LSS track marker. Mines require placing a Colonist (a Miner) on them.
- Upgrade a Building: use a Blueprint (each used once, each Building upgraded once) in a Bot's Building Zone: pay 1 Mineral and move your Advanced Building marker onto the Building. Level-1 Blueprints upgrade any matching Building; level-3 require a Complex of size ≥ 3. Advanced Buildings produce Resources when you travel and grant an Executive action. Using an Upgrade Tech tile allows extra upgrades equal to its level.
- Welcome a Ship: pay 1 Plant + 1 Water to move a Private Ship from your Depot to your Hangar, gaining 1 Colonist + 1 Bot, or 2 Colonists (place the Bot on an empty Shelter). Total ships you can move is limited by the Colony level. Boost: move extra ships.
- Hire a Scientist or Take an Earth Contract: take a Scientist (early) or Contract card from the display (one slot per player; you cannot take it if you already have a Colonist there). Contracts (Delivery or Upgrade) score/lose OP at game end depending on completion.
Life Support System (LSS) and Colony Level
The LSS tracks the colony's four vital resources. Advancing LSS tracks triggers LSS Rewards and can advance the Colony level, which unlocks new blueprints/tech and reduces the number of Missions needed to end the game. Progress cubes in the Progress area score during colony upgrades and at game end.
Executive Actions
Once per turn (before or after your Main action) you may perform one Executive action, shown next to your Depot slots (available only if no ship covers the space; you start with the bottom 3). Each costs Crystals. Advanced Buildings grant Executive actions (using your own costs 2 Crystals).
Scientists: place a Scientist marker in an Advanced Building matching its specialty (even another player's) to perform that Building's Executive action; while a Scientist works there, both the Scientist's owner and the Building's owner may use it for free. Scientists score OP at game end per Advanced Building of their type.
Missions and Private Goals
Three Mission cards sit on the board. Contributing to a Mission gains Crystals and advances its tracker; a fully-met Mission is removed and advances the Remaining Missions marker. Completing 3 Missions (fewer at higher Colony levels) triggers the end of the game.
Each player has 3 Private Goal cards (complete only one for its reward). On your turn you may discard a Private Goal, unseen, to use it as a Crystal.
Shuttle Phase
Move the Shuttle one space toward the middle; if it is on the innermost red Travel space, it travels to the opposite side (its Travel space set by the Colony level — travel frequency drops as the colony grows). Then, in turn order, each player decides whether to travel. If the Shuttle traveled from your side, you travel free; otherwise you may travel by discarding a ship from your Hangar.
Travel to the Colony: place a face-up Discovery tile 3 hexes from your Rover (replacing it); retrieve all your Colonists (from Colony Action slots and Working Area) to your Living Quarters; then move your Player marker to an empty Colony Turn Order space and gain its bonus.
Travel to Orbit: Production — each of your Advanced Buildings produces its Resource, each Advanced Building on a Shelter produces a Crystal, and each Colonist/Advanced Building on a mine produces a Mineral. Retrieve your Colonists; then move to an empty Orbit Turn Order space and gain its bonus.
End of the Game
When the Remaining Missions marker reaches the end of its track, the end is triggered: finish the current round, then play one more round (skipping the final Shuttle Phase). Score OP:
- Colonists: OP by your highest-located Colonist in your Living Quarters (after retrieving all Colonists).
- Progress cubes: 1/2/4/7/11 OP for 1/2/3/4/5 cubes in the Progress area.
- Ships: 3 OP per ship in your Hangar.
- Tech tiles: OP indicated below each Laboratory column.
- Advanced Buildings / Blueprints: OP per Advanced Building (3 for Lvl 1, 5 for Lvl 3 cards); lose 3/5 OP per unbuilt Lvl 1/Lvl 3 Blueprint.
- Scientists: 3 OP per Advanced Building of the indicated type on Mars (any owner).
- Earth Contracts: gain or lose OP per contract based on completion.
The player with the most Opportunity Points wins. Ties are broken by most Crystals, then most Advanced Buildings, then most Progress cubes, then shared victory.