Terraforming Mars: Colonies – Card Previews

What better way to get back into the “hey, this blog isn’t just about reviews” mode than to talk about a new expansion for one of my favourite games?

Terraforming Mars (published by Stronghold Games) easily made my Top 5 games played in 2017 list as it’s just so amazing. I can see why some people don’t like it (the production values aren’t the greatest, it can get long sometimes, etc), but I love it to death.

Each expansion has added interesting elements to the game, and Terraforming Mars: Colonies looks to be doing even more of that when it comes out later this year.

And FryxGames has been doing their job to increase the hype:

Here’s the next Colonies spoiler, enjoy! https://t.co/ZkIq9tmjOE pic.twitter.com/rJKTVEwZzr

— FryxGames (@FryxGames) October 12, 2018

In the Colonies expansion, players will be moving beyond Mars and trading with (or establishing) colonies on and around some of the outer planets in the solar system.

This expansion has me so excited.

While Terraforming Mars: Prelude really improved the game by giving players a boost at the beginning of the game (and shortening it to some extent), Colonies just adds a lot of new interesting possibilities, a new avenue of strategy.

As usual, you will have to see how they work with the cards you actually get, but new options are always a great thing!

It looks like Colonies will have a new emphasis on Titanium, and the new cards will give players new chances to increase their production of it.

I’m excited to see what this brings to the table.

Also reintroduced to the Terraforming Mars world are floaters, which were first shown in the Venus Next expansion. Looking at some of the card previews, it looks like Colonies will synergize well with Venus Next in that some of the cards will allow you to put floaters “anywhere” rather than just on cards with the Jovian tag on them (which would preclude the Venus cards in that case)

And it will certainly make it easier to achieve the Hoverlord milestone (having at least 7 floaters on your cards) if you’re playing with Venus Next.

Fryx Games have had two other card previews on their web site, so I’ll give their links here and here.

As I’ve noted before, two guys in my gaming group have Terraforming Mars and jump on new expansions as they come out, so I won’t be buying it.

But I am chomping at the bit to play it when they have it.

It’s available for pre-order on the Stronghold Games web site or any of your online and local retailers.