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Description
Terraforming Mars: The Dice Game is a card-driven dice game in which players use special dice to develop their corporations and terraform Mars into a new home for humanity. The dice represent resources that players spend to play cards and perform other actions. During the game, you increase your production of dice, terraform, place cities and greenery tiles on the board, and gain various bonuses. Each turn, you either produce new dice (Production Turn) or perform actions (Action Turn).
Whenever you terraform Mars (raise oxygen or temperature, or place an ocean tile), you gain 2 Victory Points (VP). You can also gain VP for placing tiles and playing cards, as well as winning Awards and Milestones.
The game ends when two of the three global parameters — oxygen/temperature/ocean — have been completed. The player with most VP wins.
Year Published
2023
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 1 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video XhuNIujH7JA
Cardboard Herald general_discussion at 11:12 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 11192 · mention_pk 32911
Click to watch at 11:12
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
none
Cons
- Resource system feels counterintuitive
- Less precise than original game
Thematic elements
- Resource management
- Mars colonization
Comparison games
- Terraforming Mars
- Ares Expedition
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We are pro respectful execution
- Name your camels to increase immersion by 15%
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tj-33SYONas
game_review at 0:01 sentiment: negative
video_pk 8448 · mention_pk 24831
Click to watch at 0:01
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Interesting point system based on tags
- Support action at the beginning of each turn
- Attempts to preserve core economic system of original
Cons
- Dice mechanics create frustration
- Lacks fluidity
- Fails to elevate above predecessors
- Creates roadblocks to gameplay
Thematic elements
- Space Colonization
- Mars Terraformation
- Resource Management
Comparison games
- Terraforming Mars
- Ares Expedition
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice rolling — Uses dice with common, uncommon, and rare sides representing different resources
- resource manipulation — Players can modify dice to achieve desired outcomes
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love dice games where through the long lens of Statistics you can plan on certain averages
- more often than not sets roadblocks and frustrations in front of the things that make Terraforming Mars great
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video VOk6yQlNvtc
Board Game Coffee interview at 0:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7851 · mention_pk 23174
Click to watch at 0:29
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fast-paced gameplay with quick turns
- Compact footprint suitable for travel or smaller tables
- Accessible iconography and streamlined resources
- Preserves Terraforming Mars flavor with a new dice-based mechanic
- Encourages strategic dice management and quick decision-making
Cons
- Reduced tile-ownership and some depth compared to the base game
- Dice randomness can influence planning and risk assessment
- Balance adjustments from the original to the dice variant; potential pacing shifts
Thematic elements
- terraforming, resource management, corporate competition on Mars
- Terraforming Mars universe; corporate Mars terraforming in a compact, dice-driven format
- fast-paced, iconography-driven, with minimal text
Comparison games
- Terraforming Mars
- Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card-based costs paid with dice — Project cards require paying exact dice symbols to play, forcing players to manage a multi-colored dice pool to meet costs.
- dice as resources — Resource dice replace resource cubes; dice faces show different resources (bio, mega credits, water/oxygen/energy, heat, titanium/steel). Production is represented by rolling dice.
- iconography-driven, minimal text — Card icons carry the bulk of meaning, enabling easier learning and faster play, including for younger players.
- no generation phase; continuous production — There is no strict generation phase; if you run out of dice, you can produce more or take other actions to refresh your pool.
- production and dice pool management — Players accrue dice through production, roll them to generate resources, and manage the pool across turns.
- tile placement with instant bonuses and no ownership — Tiles grant bonuses immediately when placed; ownership is not retained for the long term, affecting scoring dynamics.
- two actions per turn (one support, one main) — Each turn consists of a single support action and a single main action, streamlining tempo and decision-making.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we're five brothers working together in frix games and each of all of us are designing games
- bonacore... just dropped the idea into our laps and we said yes, challenge accepted we'll make your dice game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Dy3N3Eozrmc
Board Game Coffee general_discussion at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 5250 · mention_pk 15532
Click to watch at 0:00
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- compact footprint and easier portability
- dice-as-resources provides a tactile twist
- simplified setup relative to the original game
- thematic alignment with Terraforming Mars
Cons
- instant scoring can reduce suspense of a close finish
- balance and pacing of dice economy may vary
- potential overlap with original game mechanics
Thematic elements
- Terraforming Mars through a dice-driven engine and real-time scoring
- Mars, terraforming era
- engine-driven, real-time scoring emphasis
Comparison games
- Terraforming Mars
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card_buying_and_engine_building — Acquire cards to improve capabilities, similar to Terraforming Mars, adapted for dice.
- dice drafting/rolling — Roll dice to generate resources and determine actions available each turn.
- dice_storage_on_corporation_boards — Can store dice on corporations for future turns.
- dice-as-resources — Dice represent resources and can be spent to perform actions or purchase cards.
- dice-based_tile_placement — Replace or represent traditional board tiles with dice (oceans, forests, cities) via colored dice.
- real-time_scoring — Score points as actions are taken, rather than a heavy end-game tally.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the resources I'm generating are the dice
- it's like terraforming mars lights where this is terraforming mars but with dice
- the board looks awesome and chunky
- i love this game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4