Debate: Is Terraforming Mars actually overrated or am I just bad at it?

I've been playing board games for about 5 years now and Terraforming Mars always seemed like this sacred cow in the community. Everyone raves about it but I tried it 3 times with different groups and each game felt like a spreadsheet simulator that dragged on for 4 hours. My buddy swears it's the best engine builder ever made and says the complexity is what makes it great. On the other hand I keep thinking maybe I'm missing something or not playing with the right expansions. Has anyone else felt this way and later flipped and started loving it? What got you there if so?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_ellis4222d agoMost Upvoted

Feel you on this one. I tried Terraforming Mars twice and both times I was just bored out of my mind watching other people do math for 20 minutes before their turn. It definitely feels like work more than fun sometimes. I almost gave up on it completely until a friend showed me the basic game with no expansions and we set a hard 2 hour timer. That actually changed my mind a bit because the pressure made everyone play faster and stop overthinking every single card. So maybe try it with a timer and skip the expansions until you figure out if the core loop clicks for you.

the_miles22d ago

Hear that @aaron_ellis42. Did the timer feel rushed or actually more fun?