Tips terraformingmars

Corporation

The first major decision is the choice of corporation. Some corporations are stronger than others but this may depend on the number of players. For example, Tharsis gains when other players play cities and so is good with many players. The Mining Guild, however, likes to play tiles on mineral deposits and this is harder when there is more competition for them.

Cards

Another big factor is the first ten cards which you draw. You should look for synergies when choosing which cards to keep, especially with your choice of corporation. As the cards are expensive to take, you should be careful about investing in cards which can't be played early -- either because they are expensive to play or have requirements which can't be satisfied soon. Bear in mind that the standard projects such as Aquifers can be played without any cards and so cards are not essential.

Early game

Early priorities include developing your income and production; competing for the Milestones; and establishing a city in a good part of Mars -- either on the tropical equator or the rich mineral zones.

Late game

Later in the game, the focus will switch from economic development to scoring victory points (VPs). The Awards are a good source of VPs and so should be bought when you seem likely to have a lock on one.

Early Game Strategies

• Match your projects to your corporation. Don't play with beginner corporations, even when learning the game, as they don't provide you with any direction. If you start with steel or titanium, pick cards that use those.
• Produce early to win later. Build your engine in the beginning, but at some point you'll want to switch over to cards that earn you points. This depends on how other players are playing or how fast global parameters are filling.
• Time your Awards and Milestones. They don't actively help you out so it's easy to forget about them. Choose one milestone to aim for, then try to earn it quickly. Two is even better. Awards are a midgame action, which involves discretion on when to get them. Timing is crucial and not always in your control.
• Vary your speed. Sometimes your turns will be drawn-out, sometimes they will be over quick. Keep that in mind when considering what you short-term goals are, such as milestones, how much money your opponents have. Blue cards can let you stall out your turn and outlast your opponents.
• Do the Math. Each action can be assigned a specific value. Calculating this can be tedious, but some are intuitive. The earlier you can play a card that increases production or produces microbes or animals, the more value you will get out of it. Generally, play production projects earlier. For more detail, you can read detailed breakdown of each card's value.