
- BGG rank
- BGG #31,174
- BGG rating
- 5.2
The Legacy of Mars
- 1–5 players
- 150–300 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2027

Rules assistance for Terraforming Mars: Turmoil
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Terraforming Mars: Turmoil is an expansion for Terraforming Mars released in 2019 for 1–5 players, 150 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jacob Fryxelius and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection.
Turmoil, the fifth expansion to Terraforming Mars, takes players back to Mars, and the struggle for control and progress of human society on a big and dangerous planet. The expansion includes new corporations, new projects, and a new type of cards — Global Events, from dust storms to riots to rising alloy demand — that give you something to plan for 3 generations in advance. At the heart of this is the political arena of the Terraforming Committee. A new action allows players to add delegates to different parties, the first delegate each generation being free, and additional ones costing 5 MC. Neutral delegates are added by the global events, representing the wishes and trends of society. When a player (even the neutral player) has more delegates in a party than any other player, that player takes over the party leader seat for that party, and when a party has more delegates than any other party, it becomes dominant. The dominant party will become ruling during the next generation, imposing its one-time bonus, its ongoing policy, and granting chairmanship for its party leader, awarding that player 1 terraform rating. Party: Bonus: Policy: Kelvinist 1MC/heat production 10MC -> 1 heat production + 1 energy production Scientist 1MC/science tag 10MC -> draw 3 cards (once per player) Unity 1MC/planet tag Titanium is worth +1MC Mars First 1MC/building tag Placing a tile on Mars gives 1 steel Greens 1MC/biological tag placing a greenery tile gives 4MC Reds 1TR for the lowest player Increasing TR in the action phase costs +3MC The political arena also determines the players' influence, which can be used to moderate or enhance the effect of the current global event. Influence is gained from being the chairman of the Committee, being party leader in the dominant party, and for having a non-leader delegate in the dominant party. In order to pay for all these new bonuses, the Committee is revising the terraform rating, lowering it for all players by 1 step each generation. In Turmoil, players can try to force their own agenda, or push it in a more moderate, economic way. They can play to mitigate the global events with influence, or adjust their play to better take advantage of them. And they can anticipate the competing players' agendas and try to benefit from them, or counteract them. Turmoil is an expert expansion - be prepared to meet the full spectrum of human civilization in the era of terraforming Mars! —description from publisher
Terraforming Mars: Turmoil supports 1–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Terraforming Mars: Turmoil is 150 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Terraforming Mars: Turmoil for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Terraforming Mars: Turmoil has a complexity rating of 3.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Terraforming Mars: Turmoil belongs to these categories: Economic, Territory Building, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Terraforming Mars: Turmoil are: Jacob Fryxelius. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Terraforming Mars: Turmoil as an expansion for Terraforming Mars. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Terraforming Mars to use it. Check that your edition of Terraforming Mars is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.