Board Game Arena

aspirin_ wrote: ↑10 June 2025, 10:32

FrankJones wrote: ↑10 June 2025, 08:25 So, I've been chatting with the OP in this thread.

And I think this was just a bizarre fluke game. Helion opponent was refusing to use heat as HEAT, and the OP just wasn't getting Temperature raising cards or heat production cards.

I checked in at game 13 to take a peek, and the temperature was at -20. WHAT? WITH HELION in the game?? And then when I next checked, the gam was Gen 16 ! And temp was still only 0 degrees!?

Just chalk this one up as random RNG nonsense.

This game was undoubtedly bad luck on the heat cards (If you say so, since I am not watching a gen 16 game), but even then, there is the standard project asteroid button to raise heat, OP also skipped energy prod in the opening hand, which were 3 heat bumps if played gen one. Instead OP doubled down on plant prod and the o2 parameter with his preludes.

If a game goes to gen 16, both players made mistakes, but one player def made the bigger one in letting it go that far.
Helion is not obliged to raise the heat into a loss, esp low rated Helion player will mostly use heat as money no matter what. Thats bad play, but expecting them to raise heat for us and we just ignorie it, is also bad play. Especially after gen 2, when the opponent just did nonsense after nonsense with his heat, OP shouldve seen the writing on the wall with this game and either commit to engine too (with agt and Inventors Guild, which he weirdly enough skipped) or save money to sp out or play energy which rolls over to heat. But buying and playing random cards, which I assume is what happened when you score 139 in 16 gens is not going to cut it.

Just blaming RNG nonense or the Helion opponent who didnt raise heat wont help you, everyone can finish a game of Terraforming Mars alone in less than 16 gens.

My fault, I made a mistake.

I have barely reviewed this game at all, except to check in and take a look when it was gen 13 and then 16.

I think I got this game confused with the one in the post entitled, "Tournament game against 700 ELO player. I am speachless".

My analysis:

Opening hand:
Ecoline,
dome farming, self-sufficient settlement,
Peroxide, Big asteroid, Business network, imported nitrogen.

Gen 2. Oceans should be adjacent, then greenery next to 2 of them. Also, I would have used business network first. Inventor’s guild, buy it.

Gen 3, has to be greenhouses. I’m not buying designed micro. Second action, plant a greenery. Opponent has 14 cards, a plant killer could be out there.

Gen 4. Subterranean reservoir, not medical lab. There are no building tags. Okay, got it back, inexplicably. Buy only that card.

Gen 5, pass on windmills usually, though I suppose it’s not terrible here.
No reason to play research yet, not without Mars or Olympus. It does not make any science card playable. 14 for an SP asteroid is questionable. Helion will likely get one of the 2 heat bump bonuses anyway.

Gen 6: Flooding on the east ocean, then move greeneries in that direction. Have to play Mine after buying those city cards.

Mine continues to go unplayed despite those city cards.

Gen 8. Plant a greenery and get that temp bonus. Why not play Moss?

Gen 9: Take Trans-Neptune. That’s the 7th science tag. Herbivores and fish are overkill
Fish is not happening anytime soon, Livestock is already in possession.
Playing Medical lab instead of trans-Neptune for the 7th science tag is rough.

Play Moss! It’s 2 MC to increase plant production by 1, and add an animal to eco zone. This is a much better price than Designed Micro.

Gen 10, buy zero. It is time to start doing SP asteroids.

Gen 11. Hate draft magnetic field dome, not soil factory.
Restricted area should go next to the 2 oceans, and also blocking opponent from playing there.

Industrial microbes and nitrite reducing bacteria are slowing down the attempt to end the game.

Gen 12: Might as well play Carbonate at this point, there are still 15 temperature bumps left.

Do the 2 cards first.

Lava tube ? Why?
The greenery placement is odd. Play next to an ocean and use restricted area. Or just sell 2 cards.

Gen 13 I am going with Quantum extractor over birds. Birds is a discard. Opponent only has 1 plant production.

Gen 13 development center, too late in the game. Standard tech and SP asteroids.

Kelp farming? What does this accomplish? The game needs to END. ASAP.

What happened to Import of advanced GHG?

Gen 13 Extreme Cold Fungus.. Why? Finish the Terraforming. You’re lengthening the game against a player with a stronger engine.

Imported GHG is a free card that also gives 3 immediate heat and 2production. Why is it not being played?

Gen 14 – FINALLY a temperature card, Lava flows. But it is not drafted. Okay, got it back, but did not buy it. It’s 17 MC for 2 temperature bumps and a piece of steel.

At this point, your opponent already has the win, but is trying to lose by playing senseless SP cities.

Lave Tube settlement on the last volcano spot instead of lava flows is puzzling.

Gen 15. Mining rights?

Mining expedition with the oxygen maxed?

Insulating all heat to money is an odd play. The temperature is the only parameter not yet complete. Passing instead of putting down 2 greeneries is odd.

Yet another example of not ending the game quick enough