Required Experience

This tournament is intended for players who already know Terraforming Mars and understand the core rules. It is not designed as a beginner teaching event.

Drafting and Corporations

Drafting is used during the event, except for the opening hand of ten cards. A house rule is also used for corporation selection: players choose from three corporations instead of two.

Tournament System

We use the tournament software of the Dutch Open Terraforming Mars organizers. You will need to create a free account on their platform to participate. The software handles pairings, point tracking, and standings, and is designed to support the tournament format we are using.

You can register by using this link. We advise using the same email address for registration as the one you used to sign up for our event.

Tournament Points

Players receive tournament points based on their ranking at the table.

1st place

5 points

2nd place

3 points

3rd place

2 points

4th place

1 point

Tournament points are added across all rounds.

Rounds and Maps

The event uses two rounds, played on Tharsis and a randomly selected Elysium or Hellas map. The base game and Prelude 1 are used. Special promotional cards may also be included if announced by the organizers.

To be eligible for the final standings and prizes, players are expected to participate in all two rounds.

Round Length

A round can last up to 2.5 hours. Fifteen minutes before the end, organizers may announce that players can finish only the current generation. A final warning may follow at five minutes.

When time is called, the game ends immediately and scoring is based on the current board state. No extra production round or final greenery placement is performed after the stop.

Player Count

Games are intended to be played with four players whenever possible. If the total attendance does not divide evenly into four-player tables, some tables may have three players.

Table Assignment

Round one pairings are random. In round two, organizers aim to seat players with others of a similar current level based on earlier results.

Three-player Table Handling

If a three-player game is necessary, a virtual fourth player is used for point calculations, based on the event average described by the original tournament format.

If a player leaves the tournament before completing all three games, their remaining result may also be treated using the tournament average system.

Tie-breakers

For tied victory points in a game, tie-breakers are resolved by checking money first, then production values in this order: money, steel, titanium, plants, energy, and heat.

For tied tournament rankings, opponent strength is considered first. After that, average victory points per generation across the event are used.

Prizes

Top finishers receive the main prizes, while organizers may provide something for the wider field as well. Entry fees support prizes and venue costs, and tournaments are volunteer-run.

Late Arrival

Please arrive on time. A late arrival may result in losing your place to someone on the waiting list, because the event schedule needs to stay tight to complete all rounds.

Withdrawing

If you cannot attend, let the organizers know as early as possible. According to the referenced format, refunds may be available when cancellation happens at least 14 days before the event.

Photo and Video

Photos or video recordings may be made during the event for promotional use. Organizers should handle tagging and personal mentions respectfully and only with permission when appropriate.