Terraforming Mars: The Dice Game

I played the prototype at Essen and enjoyed my playthrough - I love TfM but did not like Ares Expedition, so I was not sure about the Dice Game. I can say it was a fast version and felt in its core like TfM. My first impression is that there are enough ways to mitigate bad dice rolls.

Very good game but marked by very poor production quality and subpar rules explanation. Would have loved to rate it higher but can't.

A spin on the Terraforming Mars series. This time around rolling dice is the main way that players build cards. Players use their dice and cards to terraform mars.

Played with 4. I feel that the game plays better at lower player counts(?).

Some games you feel as if you are doing nothing because your production doesn’t allow you to play any cards in your hand. Turning dice faces is a waste of moves and is not fun. By the time you get your engine going, the game is halfway or 2/3rds of the way over.

There is no catch up mechanic. It is very clear who is in the lead and no way to disrupt them. Trying to get more points by terraforming only serves to end the game faster for the person ahead.

Somehow more frustrating than it felt like it should have been.

Terrific game that emulates the play of Terraforming Mars but with a Dice Throwing mechanism.

Even though it feels like a more entry-level game, but due to the engine-building nature of Terraforming Mars games, newer payers found it difficult to pick up the game.

Not as good as original TM but overall does a fantastic job involving dice and making you feel like you have a ton of options and paths you can go to get points.