Ares Expedition takes the Terraforming Mars experience, and packages it into a condensed standalone tableau builder. This 3 module expansion takes Ares even further, adding additional players, terraforming metrics, and mechanics. 

Crisis

In this game mode, Mars has already been terraformed, and it’s the players’ job to work together to keep it that way as the effects of a cosmic disaster raise havoc on the planet. This mode can also be played solo.

Players will reveal crisis cards during the new crisis step, and are required to deal with the immediate effects. Persistent effects will be dealt with every round until the goal of the crisis card can be met a number of times. There are 5 tiers of crisis cards, the 4th always being an event card that permits us to end the game provided we are able to re-terraform Mars by the time the deck of crisis cards runs out.

While the planning and resolve phases steps are largely unchanged, The crisis module uses a new player board to manage metrics. The status of Mars’ metrics will determine the detriment tokens in effect, which will make the players’ job of terraforming much more difficult. If any of the metrics are ever in the purple zone, the game (and Mars) are lost. 

This module also introduces an end step which allows players to spend forest tokens to remove crisis tokens at a ratio of two to one. forest tokens are awarded immediately in place of end game VP for the purposes of this game.

Discovery

This game mode adds four new mechanics to base Ares Expedition – awards, milestones, upgraded phase cards, and wild tags. Awards and Milestones work similarly to how they function in Terraforming Mars. Wild tags give players flexibility as to what tag the card has when played, and upgraded phase cards give players and even bigger bonus when they play the corresponding phase.

Foundations

The Foundations mode contains additional components and phase cards so Ares Expedition can be played with up to six people. it also includes a larger score track and a fourth terraforming metric (infrastructure) with associated project.

Our Thoughts

We are big fans of Terraforming Mars and its expansions. Ares Expedition itself makes the Terraforming Mars experience more accessible for smaller tables and shorter game times. While Ares does have a co-op mode built in, the crisis mode in this expansion was unique in that we played Mars in a brand new way – trying to maintain everything we’ve built (thematically) in the midst of a cosmic crisis.

Adding a module that flips the terraforming script gave new life to this game. It wasn’t about terraforming, but maintaining the work that had been completed.

Anthony – How it Plays

We haven’t won yet, after several plays, but the experience of trying to build the right infrastructure to manage the crisis when the effects are detrimental is the kind of challenge we crave, especially in a relatively short playtime.

I enjoyed the way you have to strategically build your infrastructure while crises are less-awful, before everything goes to crap and really tests what you’ve built.

Frances – How it Plays

Check out our video below for our full thoughts on the gameplay, and an introduction to the rules and experience.