Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium
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You have colonized Tharsis. Now you look at the other hemisphere and realize you have to start all over again. Olympus Mons changes everything. The Hellas crater changes everything. And those objectives you knew by heart are now worthless.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT
The other side of Mars, with different rules
Jacob Fryxelius returns to Mars in 2017 with the first expansion of Terraforming Mars. Not new cards, not new corporations: two completely different maps, each with its own geography, its own objectives, and its own rewards. Hellas takes you to the south pole, where the largest crater in the solar system awaits to become an ocean. Elysium pushes you towards the opposite equator, with Olympus Mons dominating the landscape and giving three free cards to anyone who places a tile on it.
The map changes, and priorities change. The objectives and rewards you knew on Tharsis no longer exist: here you must explore the pole to become a Polar Explorer, or accumulate properties near the water to dominate Elysium. The tension remains the same, but the winning strategies of the base game don't work here. You have to start studying the board again.
What they say abroad
"If you've played Terraforming Mars to death, this expansion breathes new life into it without changing the core experience."
If you've played Terraforming Mars to death, this expansion breathes new life into it without changing the core experience.
— The Dice Tower
Two maps that seem like simple variants, but force you to rethink every game from the start. The Hellas crater alone is worth the expansion.
— FroGames
Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium
The Terraforming Mars solo game works identically on the new maps: no modifications, just different objectives and rewards. The experience is complete, but it loses the competitive rush for key spaces that makes multiplayer games tense.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsWhat you find in the box
Two boards, forty possibilities
Hellas Map
Mars' south pole, dominated by the Hellas crater: seven hexes that become the largest lake on the planet. Building around the pole gives you heat bonuses and, with luck, water. Objectives reward those who explore the cold.
Elysium Map
Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the solar system, dominates the board. Those who place a tile on it draw three free cards. The north is full of lowlands for oceans, the south is mineral and dry. Opposite geography to Tharsis.
New Objectives
Each map brings five new objectives. On Hellas, you become a Polar Explorer by placing three tiles around the pole. On Elysium, the winner is whoever accumulates the most properties near the water. Forget the Tharsis objectives: they don't exist here.
New Awards
Five awards per map, related to specific geography. The Hellas crater rewards those who fill it with water, Olympus Mons those who build on it. The board changes, and what scores points at the end of the game changes.
🎲How to PlayThe rules in four steps▼
How to Play
The flow of each round
Terraforming Mars does not change. Only where you place the tiles and what goals you pursue changes.
Before the game, decide whether to play on Hellas (south pole and giant crater) or Elysium (Olympus Mons and northern lowlands). Each map has objectives and awards printed on the board. The basic rules of Terraforming Mars remain identical.
The objectives and awards of Tharsis no longer exist. On Hellas, it rewards those who explore the pole, on Elysium those who build near water or on Olympus Mons. Before playing the first card, see what is worth points on this map.
Turns are identical to the base game: play cards, place tiles, increase global parameters. The difference is purely geographical. The seven-hex Hellas crater changes the value of ocean tiles. Olympus Mons gives three cards to whoever builds on it.
Mars is terraformed, awards are assigned according to the criteria of the map you are playing. On Elysium, it counts how many properties you have near water, on Hellas how much you have explored the pole. Same game, different ranking.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The unknown board
You open the Hellas board and you expect Tharsis. Instead, there's a giant crater in the center and the south pole looks at you. Everyone studies the map in silence, trying to figure out where to place the first tiles. The objectives printed on the side are new: no one yet knows what they truly reward.
The race to Olympus Mons
Someone draws the card that allows them to place a tile on Olympus Mons and the table lights up. Three free cards are a huge advantage. Those who don't have that card start looking for alternatives, but the highest mountain in the solar system is always worth it.
The crater fills up
The Hellas crater begins to host oceans. Each water tile placed there is worth points and unlocks bonuses. Those who built around the crater earn adjacency bonuses; those far away bite their hands. Geography matters twice as much as in Tharsis.
Objectives you don't know
Someone declares Polar Explorer and collects the objective that rewards those who have placed three tiles around the pole. The others check their own objectives: on this map, points come from unexpected places. No one had paid attention to the pole until now.
End game, different scores
Mars is terraformed, but the awards on Hellas reward different things than on Tharsis. Those who accumulated properties near water on Elysium gain points that did not exist in the base game. Everyone promises to immediately replay with the other map.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things you need to know
Requires the base game
This is an expansion: it only contains the two double-sided boards and the objective/award tokens. Cards, cubes, corporations, and rulebook are from Terraforming Mars. Without the base game, you cannot play. This is not a problem for those who already have it, but it needs to be clearly stated.
No new cards
If you are looking for new corporations or new project cards, you won't find them here. Hellas & Elysium is just geography: two maps with different objectives and awards. It revamps the game by changing the board, not the deck. Those who want cards should look at other expansions (Venus Next, Colonies).
Changes more than it seems
Two maps may seem like little, but each map forces you to rethink strategies from the start. Tharsis's objectives no longer exist, placement bonuses are in different places, and the Hellas crater or Olympus Mons become the center of the game. It's not a variant: it's a different arena.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win
The player with the most terraforming points, summing up the score on the track, played cards, and map awards, wins. Objectives and awards are specific to Hellas or Elysium.
Victory conditions
- Complete the terraforming of Mars (temperature, oxygen, oceans) as in the base game
- Accumulate Terraforming Points from cards, tiles, and progress on the track
- Conquer the specific objectives and awards of the map you are playing (Polar Explorer on Hellas, properties near water on Elysium)
How to lose ground
- Ignore the specific objectives of the map and play with Tharsis strategies
- Do not exploit geographical bonuses (Hellas crater, Olympus Mons) which are worth extra cards and resources
- Finish last on the map awards because you didn't understand what they rewarded
Terraforming Mars doesn't end on Tharsis. Hellas & Elysium brings back the tension of the first games, when you didn't know which strategy worked. Available on FroGames.it.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium
Can I play Hellas & Elysium without the base game?
No. This expansion only contains the two double-sided boards with specific objectives and awards. Cards, corporations, cubes, tokens, and rulebook are from the Terraforming Mars base game. The complete game is required to play.
Do the Hellas and Elysium maps change the rules?
No, the rules remain identical. Only the geography of the board, placement bonuses, objectives, and awards change. You play Terraforming Mars exactly as always, but on a different stage with different tactical priorities.
Does this expansion add new cards or corporations?
No. Hellas & Elysium only contains the two maps. There are no new project cards, corporations, or preludes. If you are looking for that kind of content, you need to look at other expansions like Venus Next or Colonies.
What mechanics does Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium use?
The same as the base game: hand management (choose which cards to play and when), tile placement (build on Mars to gain adjacency bonuses), closed drafting (choose cards from a personal deck), and asymmetric powers (each corporation has unique abilities).
Is the edition for sale in Italian?
Yes, this Ghenos Games edition is completely in Italian: the boards have translated objectives and awards, and the manual is included in Italian. The cards and corporations are from your base Terraforming Mars game (if you have the Italian edition, everything is already translated).
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium is the first expansion for Jacob Fryxelius's game, for 1-5 players, 90-120 minutes, ages 12+. It adds two alternative maps — Hellas (south pole and giant crater) and Elysium (Olympus Mons and equatorial lowlands) — each with specific objectives and awards. The mechanics remain identical to the base game (hand management, tile placement), but the geography changes the winning strategies. Italian edition by Ghenos Games. Available on FroGames.it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
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