Terraforming Mars: Colonies
Official Description:
Terraforming Mars: Colonies is an expansion for Terraforming Mars that allows players to expand their corporations’ operations beyond Mars, venturing into the outer solar system. The game introduces colony tiles representing various moons and distant worlds, each offering unique opportunities and resources. Players can build colonies on these tiles and send their trade fleets to interact with them, gaining new strategic options and ways to generate resources.
The expansion includes new project cards and corporations, further diversifying gameplay and strategies. By establishing colonies and trading with them, players can access additional resources and benefits, which can be crucial for advancing their terraforming efforts on Mars. The trade fleet mechanic adds a new layer of decision-making, as players must choose when and where to send their fleets for maximum advantage.
Terraforming Mars: Colonies can be played with just the base game or combined with any other expansions. It enhances the core experience by providing more paths to victory and increasing player interaction, making the race to terraform Mars even more dynamic and engaging.
Colonies is in constant demand because it fundamentally alters the resource economy and decision space of Terraforming Mars. The modular colony tiles and trade fleet mechanics introduce a layer of timing and route optimization that’s non-negotiable for players who want to stay competitive. The expansion’s core appeal is the way it forces you to weigh every trade action against its opportunity cost, especially as project cards can sidestep standard colony actions. For veteran tables, the “skip at your peril” dynamic is real—ignoring the outer moons is a fast track to irrelevance. That’s why it’s seeing repeated play: the new resource loops and strategic trade-offs are still being mapped out, and mastery is far from solved.
Physically, Colonies is a table hog. The modular tiles sprawl out from the main board, and the basic wooden trade ships—while functional—add to the spatial footprint. Setup is straightforward but not quick; expect a solid 15 minutes to get everything sorted and ready, especially if you’re scaling for a full table. This isn’t a side game or a filler—it’s the main event for the night, demanding both table space and player focus for a full two-hour session. If you’re running multiple tables, plan your layout accordingly; Colonies will dominate its corner.
Teaching Colonies is a technical exercise. You need a veteran lead at the table, especially for the first few rounds. The trade-to-benefit ratio is not intuitive, and players will need reminders about the specific resource costs for shuttle missions and how project cards can bypass standard colony actions. Monitoring the player-scaling tile count is essential to keep the game balanced. Once the session is underway, you can’t fully walk away—questions about timing, trade eligibility, and project interactions will keep coming. The competitive interaction is high, with players jockeying for trade opportunities and colony spots, which keeps the room’s energy sharp and focused. This is not a passive teach; expect to stay engaged throughout.
Category
Tactical & Strategy
My score
8
Our Total Plays
10
Last PLayed
06 Dec 25
🚀 High Velocity
Player Count
1-5
Playtime
120 mins
👑 PREMIUM
Play on BGA
Check Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
