Terraforming Mars: Utopia & Cimmeria
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You've already brought water, oxygen, and cities to Hellas. Now you gaze at the Cimmeria crater and the Utopia lava plain. Same cards, same tension. Different geography. And all your certainties change.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT
Two sides of Mars you've never terraformed
Arnd Drifte, designer of Afforestation and long-time contributor to the Terraforming Mars line, signs this expansion that brings two new Martian regions to the table. On one side, Terra Cimmeria, the cratered southern highlands. On the other, Utopia Planitia, the vast northern lava plain. Both with new milestones and awards that reward different strategies compared to the base maps and other expansions.
On the table, nothing changes in terms of mechanics: you continue to play cards, place tiles, raise global parameters. The board's geography changes. Oceans are distributed differently. Placement bonuses are not where you remembered them. Milestones ask for placements you've never considered. And suddenly, your winning build on the Tharsis board stops working.
What they say abroad
That feeling of exploring Mars for the first time, but with 200 games under your belt. That's the value of these maps.
— FroGames
"Utopia & Cimmeria brings back the challenge of discovering optimal placements, which is what made the original map so engaging."
Utopia & Cimmeria brings back the challenge of discovering optimal placements, which is what made the original map so engaging.
— Meeple Mountain
Terraforming Mars: Utopia & Cimmeria
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsWhat's inside
Board, milestones, and new awards
Terra Cimmeria
The cratered southern highlands. Many craters, few ocean bonuses. Milestones reward those who build far from others and those who keep the temperature low.
Utopia Planitia
The northern lava plain. Open spaces, scattered oceans. Awards go to those who place many cities and those who control more different regions.
Alternative milestones
Each map has its own achievements. On Cimmeria, the winner is whoever explores remote territories. On Utopia, rapid territorial expansion counts.
Specific awards
End-game bonuses change face. On one map, forest density matters, on the other, widespread urban control.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
The rules of Terraforming Mars do not change. Only the board on which you apply those rules changes.
Before starting the game, flip the double-sided board and decide which side to use: Terra Cimmeria or Utopia Planitia. Read the specific milestones and awards for that map.
Deal cards, corporations, tracks. Everything is identical to the base game. The only difference is the board in front of you and the new objectives printed on the edges.
Turns, actions, tile placement, global parameters: the game structure is unchanged. But each time you place a tile, you look at the new geography and calculate different bonuses.
At the end of the game, count points according to the awards printed on the map you chose. Those who pursued the wrong objectives lose ground. Those who understood the map win.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Which side do we play?
Flip the board. Someone says Cimmeria, someone else Utopia. Read the milestones aloud. Discover that on this map, the placement you always used doesn't work. You start from scratch.
The first oceans in strange places
Place the first oceans. They are not where you usually put them. Hex bonuses are distributed differently. Those who had a tried-and-tested ocean strategy begin to make new calculations.
Milestones you've never seen
Mid-game, someone reaches a milestone that didn't exist on the Tharsis board. The others check their position: is it reachable or not? The race changes direction.
The city you shouldn't place there
Someone places a city in a hex that seems wrong. But the awards on this map reward widespread expansion. And suddenly that move makes sense. The others make mental notes for the next time.
Scores overturned
End of game. Awards go to different players than in a standard game. Those who built densely lose points. Those who expanded widely win. And everyone wants to replay the other map immediately.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things to consider
Requires the base game
This is an expansion. It requires Terraforming Mars base (or one of the Big Boxes that include it). The cards, cubes, tokens: everything comes from the main game. This only includes the double-sided board and the map rules.
Does not add mechanics
If you were looking for new cards, new corporations, or unprecedented rules, you won't find them here. This expansion only changes the playing field. It's perfect for those who love TM as it is and just want to vary the board.
Learning curve reset
The first games on each map will be explorations. TM veterans will have to forget tried-and-tested strategies and study the new layouts. Those who love optimization start from scratch here, and it's not for everyone.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The victory conditions remain those of Terraforming Mars. But the ways to achieve them change radically.
Victory
- Reach the map-specific milestones before others
- Accumulate awards adapted to the geography of that side of the board
- Build engines that exploit differently positioned hex bonuses
Defeat
- You apply the same strategy you used on the Tharsis map
- You ignore the new milestones and pursue generic objectives
- You place tiles where you usually put them without studying the new layout
Two faces of Mars. Dozens of new games with the same cards. It's the expansion that adds nothing and changes everything.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Terraforming Mars: Utopia & Cimmeria
Can I play this expansion with others (Prelude, Venus Next, Colonies)?
Yes. Utopia & Cimmeria is compatible with all Terraforming Mars expansions. You only replace the board; everything else (cards, modules, corporations) works normally.
Are the two maps balanced in the same way?
They have different philosophies. Terra Cimmeria rewards those who explore remote areas and keep the temperature low. Utopia Planitia favors widespread urban expansion and territorial control. Both are balanced, but require opposite approaches.
What mechanics does Terraforming Mars: Utopia & Cimmeria use?
As a map expansion, it uses the same mechanics as the base game: hand management (managing project cards), tile placement (placing tiles on the board), engine building (building productive combinations) and race (racing for milestones and awards).
How much does the game really change compared to the standard board?
More than it seems. The hex bonuses are redistributed, milestones reward unusual placements, and final awards go to different strategies. If you have 50+ games on Tharsis, the first 5-10 on Cimmeria will make you feel like a novice. That's exactly the point.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes, this Ghenos Games edition is completely in Italian. The board features localized names and texts, compatible with all Italian editions of the base game and expansions.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Terraforming Mars: Utopia & Cimmeria is the double-sided expansion designed by Arnd Drifte for 2-5 players (duration 90-150 minutes, ages 12+) that brings two new Martian regions to the table: Terra Cimmeria, the cratered southern highland, and Utopia Planitia, the northern lava plain. Each map introduces new milestones and awards that completely change established strategies on the Tharsis board. Published by FryxGames and localized by Ghenos Games, it requires the base game and integrates with all existing expansions. Available on FroGames.it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
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