Status: Available | Reference implementation | Bugs

The expansion focuses on the theme of expansion of humanity in the solar system. Building new societies and culture. Focusing on some extra projects on Mars connected with information and culture.

~70 new project cards 12 new corporation cards ~15 new preludes 6 new global events Planetary influence track New tags (mars, clone) New resource type (data)

When playing a card with a Clone tag, you get to choose which planet it represents when you play it. That's Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter (or The Moon, when you're playing with The Moon expansion.) The tag remains that new type for the rest of the game, and any effect for playing a card of that tag type takes immediate effect.

Example: You previously played the Saturn Systems corporation which gives you 1 M€ production anytime someone plays a Jovian tag. Somebody then plays Lobby Halls which has a Clone tag, and chooses to turn the it into a Jovian tag. The Jovian track rises one step, and you gain 1 M€ production.

Example: You previously played Venus Waystation which gives you a 2 M€ discount on all cards with a Venus Tag. You then play Lobby Halls which has a Clone tag, and you choose to turn the Clone tag into a Venus tag. While the Venus track rises one step, Venus Waystation's effect does not apply, since the discount only applies to paying for the project card, which happened before you chose the tag type.

Pathfinders also introduces a new resource: Data! Data represents information that may be of value in the development of the solar system. Data is collected on cards and work in the same way as microbes and animals.

(Data is also used in The Moon expansion.)

Planetary influence tracks represent the cultural impact of each planet upon the nascent Solar civilization. They are not Global Parameters, although they can be increased in a similar fashion. Instead of cards or Standard Projects increasing planetary influence tracks, each time ANY player plays a card with any planetary tag(s) (Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, or the Moon*), that player immediately increases the matching planetary influence track by one space for each such tag on that card.

* Yeah. The Moon is not a planet, we know.

Example: When you play the Rare-Earth Elements card which has an Earth and a Mars tag, you increase both the Earth and Mars tracks one step each.

This way the society that gains more attention and progress gives something back to the corporations. Every few steps every player receives a small reward. Rewards are connected thematically to the planet. Everyone receives the reward so everyone has an incentive to work on increasing the planetary tracks. Since everyone has a reason to contribute, some new strategies arise.

Rewards become better the higher the tracks go. Additionally, in most cases, the player who increased the track to that level gains an additional reward.

Track symbols as follows:

^ - the player who increased the track to that step gains this reward;

* - every player gets this reward, including the player who increased the track (in addition to the ^ reward);

! - the player with the most of that planetary tag gains the reward (always the last space of the track for the biggest contributor).

Do not expect to reach the highest level each game but every maximum level is achievable. Make your own story of the exploration and which planet progressed the furthest.

This expansion, more than most, has its variants out on the web, and this is the implementation we use. It contains the rulebook and a list of all the cards.

The expansion has components that touch on Colonies, Turmoil, Venus, and also The Moon. The Moon track comes from David J. (see the Solar Board without the Mercurial Market.)

Many rules in the game are not clear, and so we had to make some decisions, such as:

• VP rewards on the planetary track are gained at the time the track position is reached, and not re-evaluated at game end.

• If The New Space Race is in the same deck as By-Election (Promo), one will be randomly removed from the game. This is because they both change the Ruling Party for the first generation.

Unlikely Maybe Probably

• 59 Curiosity Labs: You can gather microbes or data on this card. Making the app support one card with two resource types is nearly impossible. (MAYBE I can do it with a proxy card.)
• 13 Martian Transhipment Station: For every Mars or space tag you play (including these), add 1 data to this card. You can use any data on this card as steel or plant or energy or heat. That might be doable, but what a mess. I think it's too much work.
• T4 Gateway Station: Place a city tile on the orbit of Mars (adjacent to but outside of its areas). Wow, a board space outside the map grid? Don't expect it. I mean, it's doable, but I'm not putting that kind of stress on the rest of the game.

• MarsFrontierAlliance: When you reveal this card, select any remaining political program tile (you may use its effect as a passive effect of your corporation or as ruling party this generation). Effect: After new ruling party is chosen, place the political program tile of the second most popular party on this card (you may use its effect as a passive effect of your corporation or as ruling party this generation). Card viz might be tricky, but it's doable.
• Planet PR: Each time you play 2 of the same planetary tags in a row (including this), raise the planetary influence track by 1 extra level and get 2M€. Looks neat, but tricky, and also a weak card.
• Sistemas Seebeck: You can use energy and heat (and production of energy and heat) interchangeably as one resource. Having this card work as both heat and energy seems not possible.
• Spire: Effect: When you play a given tag put a corresponding resource on this card. OR When you play a given tag, take a corresponding resource from this card and put it on a card you play or on the production board. If you cannot, put it on any other eligible card. This is a visualization nightmare.

• Consolidation: Once Merger is complete, this is a quick follow. Of course, it means that a player could have three corporations, wow.