Tracks on Mars 2017

Early colonization efforts of Mars have been successful. With dozens of outposts scattered across the surface, a new challenge awaits: providing infrastructure to the red planet and moving goods to where they are needed most (while making a tidy profit of course). Fortunately the abundance of precious metals will help with this task by allowing upgrades to the transport vessels over time.

Tracks on Mars is a light-weight family crayon rail game. It has been designed specifically for two players. Drawing the tracks, loading goods onto the pawns, and over sized dice all work together to make this a very tactile experience. Luck is a major factor but can be mitigated by re-rolls and catch-up mechanics. On a strategic level, players have to balance network building, transportation, and equipment upgrades.

The core mechanics are Yahtzee-style dice rolling and resource allocation. Matching dice rolls are converted to currency which is then used to either claim new routes or move the player's pawns to pick up and deliver goods. Victory points are ultimately scored depending on the distance that goods have been transported. Players have to decide whether they want to make multiple short runs for few VPs or spend turns building a long route for fewer high value transports.

This is a print & play title comprised of five dice, 40 resource cubes, currency token cards, an 18" x 18" board, and four 3D printed pawns.

—description from the designer