Race to Mars

Race to Mars Rulebook

Table of Contents

2 Planet cards (Earth and Mars)
4 Rocket cards (1 per player colour)
8 Player pawns (2 per player colour)
60 Player tokens (15 per player colour)
1 Trajectory card
100 Space cards
40 Asteroid cards
24 Boost cards
8 Double-sided Reference cards
1 Insight card
25 Experience tokens
1 Start Player card
1 Active Player card
8 Starting cards
10 Headquarters cards

Setup

Place the Planet Earth card on the left, followed by space for six future cards. Then place the Trajectory card, space for six more future cards, and finally, the Planet Mars card. *Recommendation: For the first game, skip placing the Trajectory card.
Put the Asteroid and Boost cards face-up within reach of all players.
Position the Insight card and Experience tokens within reach of all players.
Shuffle the Space cards to create a face-down draw pile within reach.
Place a Player pawn of each player's colour on different launch pads on the Planet Earth card.
Give each player a Rocket card, a Player pawn, and Player tokens in their matching colour.
Give each player two Reference cards.
Give one player both the Start Player and Active Player cards. *Recommendation: For the first game, skip steps 9 and 10.
Shuffle the Headquarters cards, deal two to each player, and return the remaining cards to the box.
Shuffle the Starting cards, draw one, place it next to the Insight card. Then reveal one more card than there are players (e.g., four cards for a three-player game), and return the remaining cards to the box.

Resources

There are six resources in the game required for your journey to Mars.

Basic resources: Four of the resources are basic and more common: Fuel, Hull, Navigation, Velocity. There's also a wild basic resource that can substitute for any of the four basics, but not for the advanced resources.

Advanced resources: The two advanced resources are rarer: Engineering, Communication.

Playing the Game

The game unfolds in two parts: Pre-launch and Post-launch.

Pre-launch has two phases:

1.1 Pick a card (or launch your rocket)
1.2 Place the card in your deck or attach it to your rocket

Post-launch consists of six phases:

2.1 Play cards (simultaneously)
2.2 Advance rocket
2.3 Exchange cards for Experience
2.4 Spend Experience
2.5 Discard cards
2.6 Draw cards

Turn Order

A round of all players taking a turn proceeds as follows:

All players in Pre-launch mode take their turns in clockwise order, starting with the player with the Active Player card (phases 1.1-1.2).
All players in Post-launch mode play cards simultaneously (phase 2.1).
All players in Post-launch mode individually take the rest of their turns clockwise (phases 2.2-2.6), starting with the player with the Start Player card or the closest player in clockwise order. Players complete all steps (phases 2.2-2.6) before the next player takes their turn.

Playing the Game 1: Pre-Launch

All players start in Pre-launch mode. At the beginning of each round, reveal one more Space card from the draw pile than there are players in Pre-launch mode. Then starting with the player with the Active Player card, each player does the following in clockwise order:

Pick a card (or launch your rocket and skip the second step, see Launching the Rocket).
Recruit the card to your Crew deck or attach it to your rocket as a module.

During the initial 12 rounds, add the leftover card to the trajectories to Mars. The first six cards are placed from the Planet Earth card to the Trajectory card, and the next six from the Trajectory card to the Planet Mars card. In the *recommended first game, all 12 cards go from Earth to Mars.

The cards forming the trajectories can't be rotated. After round 12, discard leftover cards in a common discard pile.

Once the leftover card has been dealt with, pass the Active Player card clockwise to the next player still in Pre-launch mode, and reveal new Space cards to start the next round. The Start Player card remains with the same player throughout the game.

If the draw pile is empty, shuffle all discarded Space cards for a new draw pile. In the unlikely event of being unable to reveal enough Space cards, all remaining players in Pre-launch mode launch their rockets, regardless of cards in their Crew decks and number of Rocket modules (see Launching the Rocket).

Phase 1.1: Pick a Card

Pick one of the revealed Space cards.

Phase 1.2: Place a Card

After picking a Space card, immediately decide to either recruit it to your Crew deck as a Crew ability (purple top part of the card) or attach it to your rocket as a module (grey bottom part of the card). Crew abilities represent your team of skilled astronauts and ground staff and go face-up in front of you, while modules slide under your Rocket card, with the latest addition closest to you. Once placed, cards cannot be moved between your deck and rocket or up and down in the rocket.

Anatomy of a Space Card

Crew ability: Used Post-launch to advance your rocket.
Hazard: Potentially dangerous area.
Trajectory Area: Forms trajectories between Earth and Mars.
Rocket module: Attaches to your rocket to enhance it.

The Rocket

You build your rocket in Pre-launch mode and use added modules during the Mars flight in Post-launch mode. Rocket module effects:

Rocket card: Draw two cards each turn (phase 2.6) – not considered a module.
Extra draw: Draw an additional card each turn (phase 2.6). Example: If you have added one of these to your rocket, you draw a total of three cards each turn.
Storage: You may keep one card between turns (phase 2.5) per storage module attached to your rocket. You may at anytime jettison (remove from the game) this to jettison up to three cards from your hand and/or personal discard pile.
Resource: You have a basic resource of the indicated type available to you each turn (phase 2.2).
Hazard protection: You are protected from all hazards of the indicated colour and ignore any effects they would otherwise have had on you.
Free advance: You may jettison (remove from the game) this to immediately advance exactly 3 spaces for free, anytime when advancing your rocket (phase 2.2).
Copy: Copy either the module immediately above or below this one. You decide each turn which and it does not have to be the same as on a previous turn. If a module immediately above or below this module is jettisoned from your rocket, you can no longer copy it. Instead, you might be able to copy a new module on future turns. Since your Rocket card is not considered a module, it can't be copied. This module can never copy another copy effect.

Pre-Launch Player Example

Components in front of a Pre-launch player: Player tokens and Player pawn, Rocket with modules, Crew deck, Headquarters card.

Launching the Rocket

You can skip picking a card (phase 1.1 and 1.2) and instead launch your rocket when both these criteria are met:

All the 12 cards have been placed to form the trajectories between Earth and Mars and...
...you have at least twice as many cards in your Crew deck as you have Rocket modules (your Rocket card is not a module and does not count).

When launching, shuffle your Crew deck to form a face-down personal draw pile. Do not add an Asteroid card (see Asteroid Cards). Then draw cards matching the number indicated on your rocket (performing phase 2.6). You are now in Post-launch mode and will also be performing all the Post-launch steps this turn.

On the turn you launch, you'll draw cards both during the launch and at the end of your turn (phase 2.6). If you use effects that copy or duplicate card-drawing Rocket modules, they'll apply to both draws.

Playing the Game 2: Post-Launch

Players can launch their rockets in different rounds. Players who have launched their rockets are in Post-launch mode.

Once all players are in Post-launch mode, return the Active Player card to the box, and skip Pre-launch steps for the rest of the game. On a Post-launch turn, players complete the following six steps:

Play cards (simultaneously)
Advance rocket
Exchange cards for Experience
Spend Experience
Discard cards
Draw cards

Post-Launch Player Example

Components of a Post-launch player: Player tokens and Player pawn, Rocket with modules, Play area, Personal draw pile, Headquarters card, Experience tokens, Hand, Personal discard pile.

Phase 2.1: Play Cards

Play cards from your hand to your play area in front of you to activate Crew abilities (purple top part of the cards). Disregard the other parts of the cards. Keep playing cards until you no longer can or wish to continue.

*Recommendation: This phase is simultaneous for all players. For the first game, you can do it in turn order a couple of times to get into it.

Crew abilities fall into two categories:

Immediate effects (blue background): Trigger immediately and must be fully executed unless stated otherwise. Resolve multiple immediate effects on the same card in any order.
Resources (green background): Utilized when advancing your rocket (phase 2.2).

Cards may have both immediate effects and resources.

Examples of Crew abilities:

Immediate effect: Draw two cards from your personal draw pile.
Immediate effect: Draw three cards from your personal draw pile. Keep one in your hand and discard the other two in your personal discard pile.
Immediate effect: You may jettison (remove from the game) any card from your personal discard pile or hand.
Immediate effect: Gain a Boost card from the supply and place it in your personal discard pile.
Immediate effect: Gain two Experience tokens from the supply.
Copy: Copy another card in your play area. Carry out any immediate effects on the copied card. Resources on the copied card are available when advancing your rocket (phase 2.2). This effect will never copy a Boost card or another copy effect. You can't play a card with a copy effect if there is nothing to copy.
Examples of resources as Crew abilities: Immediate effect: Draw a card from your personal draw pile. Resource: One Fuel.

*Recommendation: When playing cards into your play area, for an easy overview, organize them into two columns for clarity. Place cards with only immediate effects in the left column and those with resources in the right. Additionally, clearly display any copy (+1) cards on top of the cards they copy without covering the top purple area. You can even place these cards in a separate column if you prefer.

Phase 2.2: Advance Rocket

The Player pawns starting on the Earth card represent the players' rockets. Each resource symbol along a trajectory represents a space a pawn can move to. When advancing your rocket, you always move to the next space (resource symbol) along the trajectory you are on, in a straight line towards Mars.

To move to a space, you must spend a resource of the type indicated on the space you are moving to. Each turn you have access to the resources on your Rocket modules and on the Crew abilities in your play area. You may move as many steps as you can or wish to.

Every time you advance your rocket to a new space, place one of your Player tokens on the resource (on one of your Rocket modules or Crew abilities) you used to do the move. That resource is spent and can no longer be used this turn.

*Recommendation: Use your Player tokens and your spare Player pawn to track your upcoming progress already during card play (phase 2.1). This way, just take back your Player pawn from the furthest-back position when it's your turn to move (phase 2.2). Just remember that hazards must be dealt with immediately (see below).

Hazards

When you pass through a hazard, you must immediately deal with it before you may continue to advance your rocket. If you have hazard protection of a specific colour, ignore effects of all hazards in that colour.

Red hazards: Jettison a Rocket module. This can be any of your modules, even one where you have already used the resource to advance your rocket this turn. Unused resources on jettisoned modules are immediately lost and can't be used to advance your rocket later on your turn. If you don't have any Rocket modules, a red hazard will have no effect on you.
Yellow hazards: Jettison a card with a Crew ability (purple top part) from either your hand or from your personal discard pile. It can't be a Boost or Asteroid card. If you don't have a card with a Crew ability in your hand or in your personal discard pile, you must jettison a card from your play area. If you do, you may choose to jettison a card where you have already used the resource(s) to advance your rocket this turn. Unused resources on jettisoned cards are immediately lost and can't be used to advance your rocket later on your turn. If you don't have a card with a Crew ability in your hand, in your personal discard pile or in your play area, a yellow hazard will have no effect on you.
The Green hazard (on the Trajectory card): Take one Asteroid card from the supply and place it in your personal discard pile.

Phase 2.3: Exchange Cards for Experience

Exchange any number of cards with a Crew ability (purple top part) in your hand for Experience tokens. Boost and Asteroid cards cannot be exchanged. Place the chosen cards in your personal discard pile, receiving one Experience token from the supply per discarded card. Experience tokens are not meant to be limited. If you run out of them, use a substitute.

Phase 2.4: Spend Experience

Spend Experience tokens to gain Insights.

The Insight card is always available, allowing you to spend three Experience tokens to gain a Boost card from the supply, placing it in your personal discard pile. *If you're playing without Starting cards in your first game, this Insight is the only one available.

In subsequent games, there will be two additional Insights available, varying from game to game (see Starting Cards). On a turn, you can gain as many Insights as you can afford and want to, even the same Insight multiple times.

Phase 2.5: Discard Cards

Follow these steps in order:

Remove all Player tokens from your Rocket modules and Crew abilities.
Return played Boost cards to the supply.
Discard all cards in your hand to your personal discard pile.
Discard all cards in your play area to your personal discard pile.

The order of placing cards in your discard pile doesn't matter. If you have storage modules, you can choose to keep one card per module in your hand during step three.

Phase 2.6: Draw Cards

Draw cards from your personal draw pile into your hand, matching the number indicated on your rocket. If, for instance, you have two Rocket modules indicating an extra card, draw a total of four cards. Storing cards doesn't affect the number of cards drawn.

Example of Play

Anna, Winston, Daniel, and Loes are playing a four-player game. Loes and Winston have launched their rockets, while Daniel and Anna are still in Pre-launch mode. They begin the round by revealing three Space cards.

Anna holds the Active Player card and goes first. She chooses to launch her rocket, shuffles her Crew deck and draws three cards as per her rocket's indication, moving into Post-launch mode. Daniel picks a Space card and adds it to his rocket as a module, discarding the remaining two cards.

Winston, Anna, and Loes simultaneously play cards (phase 2.1) into their play areas, resolving immediate effects. Winston, who has the Start Player card, then performs the rest of his turn by first advancing his rocket five spaces (phase 2.2), placing Player tokens on used resources. He still has three cards left in his hand, two Space cards and an Asteroid card. He decides to exchange one of the Space cards for an Experience token (phase 2.3). Winston had two Experience tokens from before and decides to spend all his three Experience tokens to gain a new Boost card and places it in his personal discard pile (phase 2.4).

After removing Player tokens from his Rocket modules and Crew abilities, he discards his Asteroid card along with all the cards in his play area except his Boost card (phase 2.5). The Boost card is returned to the supply, and he decides to keep his remaining card in his hand, which his storage module allows him to do. Finally, he draws four cards as indicated on his rocket (phase 2.6).

Anna is up next and then Loes and after that the round ends and they start a new one by revealing two new Space cards.

Asteroid Cards

When prompted to draw a card and you don't have any cards left in your personal draw pile, perform the following steps in order:

Add an Asteroid card to your personal discard pile.
Shuffle all cards in your personal discard pile to create a new personal draw pile.
Draw the rest of your cards.

You must draw a card when you are prompted to do so.

Asteroid cards lack Crew abilities and will clog up your deck and slow you down. They can't be exchanged for experience (phase 2.3) and they may not be jettisoned when passing through a yellow hazard. They can however be jettisoned with the jettison Crew ability or Insight. Asteroid cards are not meant to be limited. If you run out of them, use a substitute.

Boost Cards

When you gain a Boost card from the supply, place it in your personal discard pile.

When playing cards (phase 2.1) you may play Boost cards from your hand into your play area as a resource. When you advance your rocket (phase 2.2), a Boost card can stand in for any one of the six resources (basic or advanced).

When you discard cards from your play area (phase 2.5), Boost cards are always returned to the supply instead of being placed in your personal discard pile. Unused Boost cards still in your hand (phase 2.5) are discarded in your personal discard pile just like other cards.

Boost cards can't be copied, can't be exchanged for experience (phase 2.3) and they can't be jettisoned when passing through a yellow hazard. They can however be jettisoned with the jettison Crew ability or Insight. Boost cards are not meant to be limited. If you run out of them, use a substitute.

The Game Ends

The game concludes when a player reaches the final space on their trajectory (on the Mars card). If this player sits directly to the right of the Start Player, the game ends after that player's turn. Otherwise, play continues until the player to the right of the Start Player has taken a final turn.

If only one player reaches Mars, they win. If multiple players do, the one with the most Experience tokens wins. In case of a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Tips for Your First Game

Trajectory Awareness: Pay attention to your trajectory and ensure access to necessary resources.
Resource Balance: Try to limit advanced resources in your trajectory. Boost cards and modules that can be jettisoned to advance for free can aid in overcoming challenging sections.
Hazard Management: Hazards, especially near Earth, can slow you down. Consider adding shield modules to your rocket if it looks dangerous.
Deck/Rocket Composition: Keep in mind that you need at least twice as many cards in your Crew deck as you have Rocket modules to be able to launch your rocket. *Recommendation: For the first game, aim for 5-7 Rocket modules.
Card Drawing: Drawing extra cards is useful, but excessive drawing will also give you Asteroid cards. Jettisoning cards can be valuable.
Strategic Card Play: Avoid playing cards with no benefits on your turn. Exchange them for Experience tokens instead.

Rules Easily Forgotten

Post-Launch Turn Order: Post-launch play always starts with the player with the Start Player card or the closest in clockwise order.
Asteroid Addition: After you have launched your rocket, add an Asteroid card each time you shuffle your Crew deck.
Immediate Hazard Resolution: Hazards must be dealt with immediately when you pass through them.
Boost Card Return: Boost cards are always returned to the supply after use.
Wild Basic Resource Limitation: The wild basic resource cannot stand in for advanced resources.

Headquarters

Recommendation: If it's your first game, do not use the Headquarters cards.

In subsequent games, deal each player two Headquarters cards during setup. Before choosing Starting cards and revealing the first Space cards, each player must decide on one Headquarters card and return the other to the box. Reveal your choices in clockwise order, starting with the player with the Start Player card.

Place your chosen Headquarters card face-up in front of you. Your Headquarters provide you with a unique special ability that only applies to you. There are 10 different Headquarters in the game (the printed manual shows each card without a printed name):

You may use two of the same basic resource as an advanced resource. Place your Player tokens on those resources as normal to advance your rocket (phase 2.2) to a space with an advanced resource on it. You may use this ability multiple times on a turn.
You may use one of your Rocket modules twice each turn. This can be different modules from turn to turn. An effect that jettisons a module when used cannot be duplicated with this effect.
When you spend experience (phase 2.4), you pay one less (but always a minimum of one). The discount applies to each Insight you gain on a turn.
Add an additional Starting card to the selection. You get to pick an additional one once everyone has picked. The leftover card becomes available as an Insight just as normal.
Pre-launch, you may move cards freely between your Crew deck and your rocket. You don't have to place (phase 1.2) any of your cards until you launch your rocket. At this point they must be placed and can thereafter no longer be rearranged.
You may launch your rocket as long as you have at least two more cards in your Crew deck than you have Rocket modules. All the 12 cards still need to be placed before you can launch.
Each turn you may return one of your played cards to the top of your personal draw pile (phase 2.5 step 3), instead of discarding it. Boost cards must still be returned to the supply.
You may add an additional card to the selection (Starting cards and phase 1.1), when it is your turn to pick a card. If you do, then the last player to take a turn decides which of the two leftover cards to either make available as Insight (Starting cards) or add to the trajectories (phase 1) and discards the other one.
Start with two Boost cards in your Crew deck. Whenever you gain a Boost card, place it on the bottom of your personal draw pile, instead of in your personal discard pile. Include the two starting Boost cards in your deck count when launching your rocket.
Draw two extra cards each turn (phase 2.6). Every time you gain an Asteroid card, you gain an additional Asteroid card and an Experience token. The extra Asteroid card is also placed in your personal discard pile.

Starting Cards

Recommendation: If it's your first game, do not use the Starting cards.

In subsequent games, draw one and place it next to the Insight card during setup. Then reveal one more Starting card than there are players.

After players choose their Headquarters cards, but before revealing the first Space cards, pick one Starting card each in counterclockwise order, starting with the player to the right of the player with the Start Player card. Decide whether to recruit it to your Crew deck as a Crew ability or attach it to your rocket as a module in the same way as with the Space cards (phase 1.2).

The leftover card is placed next to the Insight card and the previously drawn Starting card. There are now a total of three Insights available that the players can spend Experience tokens to gain (phase 2.4) throughout the game. There are eight different Starting cards in the game (each has a Crew ability, a Rocket module and an Insight):

Crew ability: Immediate effect - draw a card from your personal draw pile. Gain one wild basic resource. Rocket module: You draw an additional card each turn (phase 2.6) and you play with the top card of your personal draw pile revealed. Insight: Spend two Experience tokens to jettison any card from your hand or from your personal discard pile.
Crew ability: Immediate effect - draw a card from your personal draw pile and you may jettison any card from your personal discard pile or hand. Rocket module: You have a Communication resource available each turn. Insight: Spend one Experience token to keep one card in your hand to the next turn (phase 2.5).
Crew ability: Immediate effect - return up to two cards of your choice from your personal discard pile to your hand. Rocket module: You may jettison this to immediately advance exactly 5 spaces for free, anytime when advancing your rocket (phase 2.2). Insight: Spend one Experience token to draw an additional card (phase 2.6).
Crew ability: Immediate effect - gain one Experience token from the supply and copy another card in your play area. Carry out any immediate effects on the copied card. Resources on the copied card are available when advancing your rocket (phase 2.2). This card will never copy a Boost card or another copy effect. You can't play this card if there is nothing to copy. Rocket module: You draw an additional card each turn (phase 2.6). You may jettison this to immediately advance exactly 3 spaces for free, anytime when advancing your rocket (phase 2.2). Once you have done so, you no longer draw the additional card. Insight: Spend four Experience tokens to advance your rocket one space for free.

Glossary

Asteroid card – Card with no Crew ability that will clog up your deck and slow you down.
Boost card – Card that can stand in for any of the six resources, returned to the supply after use.
Crew ability – Purple top part of Space and Starting cards, used Post-launch to advance your rocket.
Experience – Currency used to gain Insights.
Hazard – Potentially dangerous area on the trajectories.
Headquarters – Provides you with a unique special ability.
Insight – Effect gained by spending Experience tokens.
Jettison – Remove card from the game and return to the box.
Launching – Your rocket takes off and you transition from Pre-launch to Post-launch mode.
Personal discard pile – Area in front of you during Post-launch, where you place cards that you discard face-up.
Personal draw pile – Face-down card pile for drawing during Post-launch.
Play area – Area in front of you during Post-launch, where you play your cards from your hand.
– Second part of the game, where you play cards to advance your rocket.

Reference: Insights and Hazards (back page)

Insights: add a Boost card to your discard pile; store a card; draw a card; jettison a card; gain a Crew ability; advance 1 space; change trajectory; gain a Rocket module; hazard protection on your next turn.

Hazards: jettison a Rocket module (red); jettison a Crew ability (yellow); add an Asteroid card to your discard pile (green).