RULEBOOK

INTRODUCTION
When your crew was sent to Mars in 2029, the mission Welcome to First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet, acooperative, story-driven adventure
seemed straightforward enough. After an uneventful journey game for 1-4 players who win or lose together. In each mission, you will try to accomplish an
the fruit of MCEIs hard labor you found yourselves the objective within aspecified number of rounds. The integrated app will challenge you with goals
first humans to walk on Martian soil. Once there, with all the to complete and obstacles to overcome.
needed infrastructure already in place, your task was to lay the In the following sections of this rulebook, you will learn how to play the game: What around
groundwork for the next stage of the colonization program. consists of, how to take actions, how to maintain your base, and what you need to do in order
to successfully complete amission. The icons used in the game are explained at the end of this
*MCEI [em-kei] Mars Colonization and Expansion Initiative. An international rulebook, and some of the frequently asked questions (FAQ) about gameplay are answered
agency established in 2016 to send human colonists to the Red Planet. there. You can find answers to mission-specific questions in the app.
FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

COMPONENTS

38 Modifier tokens 12 red 8 orange 6 black

26 Objective tokens

backs fronts

1 game board
3 Trackers

18 Morale tokens
8 Shutdown tiles (4 energy and 4 oxygen)
back fronts

4 player ID boards

7 Energy 7 Oxygen 7 Hardware 7 CPU

Connectors Filters
9 POI tokens
28 Spare Parts tokens
(POI = Point of Interest)

13 Facility tiles
1 First Player token
back fronts

3 ring 3 tiles 12 Condition tokens 3 double-sided 2 campaign booklets

back front
mission sheets

8 Upgrade tiles

8 ring 1 tiles 8 ring 2 tiles,

19 ROI tiles
(ROI = Region of Interest)
4 envelopes with secret mission info
4 Multiplication tiles DO NOT OPEN UNLESS INSTRUCTED!

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 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

COMPONENTS
back back back
fronts fronts fronts

HUB (= Habitable Units Block)

the Scorpio rover

40 Working Block 28 Living Block 26 System Block
Malfunction cards Malfunction cards Malfunction cards
back back
the Froggy rover fronts fronts

3 miniatures

3 green Explore dice 3 gray Gather dice

8 Upgrade cards 14 Facility cards

back
fronts

3 blue Research dice 3 brown Build dice

3 Malfunction dice (1 yellow, 1 red, and 1 orange)

15 custom dice
Player pawns: 6 Research cards 4 double-sided Profile cards
back back
fronts fronts

AOMs
pawns:

12 action pawns
8 Direction cards 12 Skill cards
back
fronts

samples status markers: used for various

(14 blue), working (44 green), purposes
broken (28 red), (24 black, 15 clear)

min. 125 plastic markers

4 AOM cards (AOM = Automated Operating Machines)

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FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

INTRODUCTION

Modes of Play Goal of the Game

As you begin your adventure with the game, you can choose Whether it is astandalone mission or part informs you when your mission ends (no later
either astandalone mission or acampaign. Standalone of alonger campaign, your goal is always than the last round of agiven mission) at
missions are single, unique experiences with ahigh amount of to meet the victory conditions for agiven that point, your mandatory objectives must be
replayability. Choose amission depending on which skills you mission within the specified number of completed. In astandalone mission, optional
want to focus on: exploration, research, or building. In the rounds (sols) and all of your astronauts must objectives are there to bring you closer to
box you will find three double-sided mission sheets they remain alive. Each mission sheet provides you your goal or improve your current situation
provide details about each mission. with the information on how to win the game (for example, by giving you spare parts or more
(in the Mission Objectives section of the food). This works differently in acampaign and
sheet). During amission, the app keeps track is described in The Campaign Mode section.
of your progress. Throughout each round, Some missions also have aThreshold value.
the app displays amenu, from which you can If it is provided on the mission sheet, meeting
access your Mission Log. that Threshold is always mandatory. It may
There are two types of goals you can achieve: refer to things like anumber of broken parts
mandatory goals and optional goals and they in the HUB. When the mission ends, you must
are all listed in the Log. Whenever you achieve be at or below that Threshold in order to win.
any goal, click its checkbox to mark it complete. Astronauts Health. Your astronaut can sustain
In order to win, you need to achieve all the 5 wounds before they die. If any astronaut
mandatory goals before time runs out. The app dies, the mission is immediately lost.

Astronauts
Acampaign is achain of missions that tell ariveting story
you will unravel it as you go along, making decisions and
completing various tasks. Thanks to the accompanying app,
you will save your game after each mission so you can easily In the game, your astronaut is represented by aplayer ID board and the 2 action pawns of your
go back to where you stopped playing last time. This way you color. Your ID board provides information about your astronauts profession, base skill, and health.
can set up the next mission while retaining the continuity of Action pawns represent the time you take to
your actions from the previous missions. perform your actions. To use them, place them
One of the campaigns has elements of alegacy game on an action you want to take. For how this
(see The Campaign Mode section on p. 20 for details). works, see the Action Pawns box on p.11.
Skills allow you to spend your Morale tokens base skill
In both modes of play, First Martians: Adventures on the Red
Planet uses the same core mechanics, which are explained in order to perform aunique feat, such as
health track
in this rulebook. Gameplay changes, if any, are described on rerolling adie or gaining asample. Each
particular mission sheets. skill can only be used once per round. Your
astronauts base skill is printed on your player
ID board and is available to you in every
The app game. Additionally, each astronaut has aset
The accompanying app is free for you to download. of three Skill cards. In astandalone mission,
We support Android and Apple devices as well as PCs. these are available from the beginning of the
Get your version from Google Play, App Store, or game; during acampaign, you need to unlock
www.portalgames.pl. them first.

The app has ain-built manual, and on our website you can Health. Your ID board has ahealth track
find the PDF version along with avideo tutorial on how to use it to mark your astronauts current
use this app. number of wounds.

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 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

INTRODUCTION
Wounds and Conditions
When amission begins, insert ared marker in the leftmost slot
Board & Facility Tiles Anatomy
of your health track (on the astronauts portrait). Whenever
your astronaut suffers awound, move the marker on your
health track 1 space to the right.

Note that the health track has some icons

on it. Every time that icon is passed as aresult
of moving the marker to the right, you also gain
acondition: Draw 1 random Condition token from
the stack and resolve it (aplayer may gain more
than one condition during around). When you are
healed (and the marker is moved to the left), do
not resolve the effects of passing the icon.
Each round has 6 phases, and you can get Condition tokens
in phases 1-5. If you get your token in the Action phase (eg.,
after abad roll), this tokens effect does not apply to your
other actions this round. If you get atoken in, say, the Morale
phase (because you got wounds for not having enough
Morale tokens to discard), this tokens effect applies to your
actions this round. So the timing is important. If you draw
aCondition token during phase N, its effect applies in phase
N+1 (and later ones).
Your astronaut can have multiple conditions at atime, but
no more than one of each type (for example, you cannot
have two Migraine tokens at the same time). If you draw
acondition you already have, keep drawing until you get If astatus
one that is different from the ones you currently have, then marker is red,
shuffle the unused tokens back into the stack. the part shown
to the left is
Skills broken and the
cost/penalty
Each astronaut has abase skill and aset of three Skill cards.
shown to the
Each skill can be used only once per round, but at any time
right apllies.
during that round. When you use your base skill, put ablack
marker on its text to indicate you used it this round. When you
use askill from aSkill card, flip that card over.
Skills have immediate effects for example, when the
Geologist spends 2 Morale tokens to gain 1 sample, that
sample is available for research immediately after it was gained.
To unlock askill during acampaign, you must make
aDiscovery. Whenever you move aresearched sample to
the Discovery space, each astronaut chooses one of their They tell you which part is broken
Skill cards and places it near their ID board. That skill is (and what part you need to repair it):
immediately ready to use. Energy Connectors, Oxygen
Filters, Hardware, CPU.

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FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

SETUP

Standalone missions fall into one of three categories: Explore, Research, and Build. When you begin
your game, choose amission you want to play based on what actions and skills you want to focus on.
For each mission (including those that are part of acampaign), you can choose your preferred difficulty
level. This affects how damaging (or rewarding) the consequences of various Events are.
Enter your preferences into the app to adjust the gameplay experience to your expectations and needs.

We suggest you begin your adventure with the Make Yourself at Home
introductory mission.

The instructions below provide ageneral overview of how to prepare your game (if there
are fewer than 4 players, see p. 19). Details vary from mission to mission (especially during
acampaign, where the setup of the next mission is affected by what happened earlier). Check
that you are making any necessary adjustments and preparations to these setup instructions
as required and always follow any specific instructions given by the app. Mission-specific
rules override the general setup instructions.

1. Prepare the Board 3. Choose Your Astronauts b. Input into the app d. Click Next and select Panel 01, Solar Panel 02,
a. Place the board in the Each player chooses an whether you are amission from the list. Farm. The middle row
middle of the gameplay astronaut to play with playing astandalone e. Find the chosen (left to right): AQuiet
area. (Scientist, Geologist, mission or starting/ mission sheet and place Place, Crew Quarters,
Engineer, or Medic). Take the continuing acampaign. it near the board. Put Med Lab, Control Center.
b. Place 1 white marker
accompanying ID board and Choose the mission 1 white marker on the The bottom row
on the 0 space of the
2 action pawns in the color type (for standalone leftmost space of the (left to right): Garage
Morale track.
of your choice. Insert 1 red missions) and your sol counter. Hall, Probe Bay, Lab,
c. Place 1 white marker preferred difficulty Working Bay.
marker in the slot on your
on the 00 space of the level. 5. Prepare the Facilities &
astronauts portrait. b. Insert white markers
Stress track. Supplies
c. Unless youre in the top slots of the
d. Place 1 white marker 4. Prepare the App & continuing acampaign, a. Place all 13 Facility Oxygenators and Solar
on the icon of the Mission add your chosen tiles on their Panels productivity
Round Order track. a. Launch the app on your astronauts to the Flight respective spaces on tracks. Insert 1 black
device. You can place Crew Debriefing panel. the board. The top marker in the Farms
2. Place the Miniatures the device youre using The names are given row (left to right): Greenhouses column
Place the HUB miniature at the on the AUX DEVICE randomly, but you can Oxygenator 01, for each astronaut
center of the map. Place the 2 space on the board. customize them. Oxygenator 02, Solar in the game you
rover miniatures in the Depot.

6
 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

SETUP

have that many Shuffle each deck 6. Prepare Tokens, Tiles, d. Place the other tiles, 8. Almost ready!
Greenhouses currently separately and place and Dice tokens, markers, and Check that youve made any
built. Then, add 1 it face down to the a. Separate the ROI tiles dice within easy reach necessary adjustments and
white marker next to right of the respective by their size into three this is the pool. preparations to these setup
each built Greenhouse. Malfunction track. face-down stacks. instructions as required by
Insert 1 green marker 7. Choose the First Player
e. Place the oxygen, Shuffle each stack and the app.
in each slot of the energy, and food place it near the board. Decide who the First Player
will be during the games Read the background story
status markers column trackers on the b. Separate the Shutdown first round. If you cannot (from the mission sheet or
(for each Facility). appropriate spaces tiles by their backs into decide, select the First the app).
c. Place 1 red marker of the general supply two face-down stacks. Player randomly. Proceed to round 1, phase
on the 0 space of each track. The app tells Shuffle each stack and 1 (the Event phase), and...
Blocks Malfunction you the exact starting place it near the board. good luck!
track. amount of oxygen,
c. Shuffle all condition
d. Separate the energy, and food
tokens into one Other components
Malfunction cards by reserves for that
face-down stack. Place
their backs into three mission. Youll notice that after setting up the game, some components
it near the board.
Malfunction decks. are still left in the box. Dont worry - the app will tell you when
to use them.

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FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: EVENTS

Round Overview I. Events

Agame of First Martians is played over aseries of rounds. First, you need to advance Malfunction (see below).
Each mission sheet has asol counter to indicate how many Then the app displays an Event. How you resolve it depends
rounds there are (1 sol = 1 round). on the Events type.

Advancing Malfunction
As time goes on, the HUBs condition deteriorates. Before the
Event for the round, the app tells you to advance one of the
Malfunction tracks by 1. Move the corresponding marker up
1 space and resolve any consequences (see p. 18).

Mission Events
Each round consists of 6 phases, resolved in the following order:
Mission Events are crucial to the gameplay and push the
I. EVENTS. The First Player reads aloud the Event story forward. Read the story text and the Event description;
presented by the app and resolves its effect. resolve its effects immediately. The Event action follows
Sometimes Events have one-off effects, sometimes if you dont take it this round, you open yourself up to
they affect the entire round, some will even stay apossibility of negative consequences (more on that in the
with you longer. Actions section on p.14).
II. MORALE. The First Player (only) resolves the After youve read all the new information provided by the
effects of the current Morale level. app, this phase ends; move the white marker on the Round
Order track down 1 space and proceed to the Morale phase.
III. PRODUCTION. Resources (oxygen, energy, food)
are produced and used. The effects of Stress and
broken in the Working Block are resolved.
Adventure Events and Follow-Up Events
IV. ACTIONS. The players act together to create and
execute the best plan of action for this round. The app will only show one Mission Event per round, but some additional Events may occur
as aresult of what happened in the past or what action you did or did not take in previous
V. MALFUNCTION. The First Player rolls the rounds. These extra Events are either Adventure Events or Follow-Up Events. Why they
Malfunction dice and resolves the results. occur is explained on pp. 13-14. When the app presents you with such an Event, follow the
instructions on the screen.
VI. CLEAN-UP. Update the tokens and markers on
the board. The story text provided by an Adventure or an Event might be aclue for you as to its
possible consequences. Adventure and Follow-Up Events, if any, always happen before
When the Clean-Up phase is over, the First Player token is aregular Mission Event in agiven round.
passed clockwise to the next player. Advance the marker on
the sol counter to the next space and move the white marker
back to the top of the Round Order track. Anew round begins.
The following sections describe each phase in detail.

8
 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: MORALE & PRODUCTION

II. Morale III. Production

Although the Morale level reflects the mood of the entire In this phase, calculate and adjust the amount of oxygen, energy, and food,
crew, only the First Player resolves its effects in each round. as well as your Stress level and broken parts in the Working Block.
The Morale track ranges from -2 (you are feeling in despair)
to +3 (you have the power and vigor to go on). Morale can
never go beyond these limits.
Oxygen, energy & food
Oxygen, energy, and food are your essential resources. Food is produced
by the Farm (Greenhouses 01-05), oxygen by Oxygenators 01 and 02, and
energy by Solar Panels 01 and 02. These resources are produced every round;
additionally, you may have some reserves at your disposal when you start the
mission (when you set up amission, the app always provides details on what
and how much you have in the general supply).
The resources are then spent: Oxygen refills the HUB, energy is used to power
the Facilities, and food is consumed.

Oxygenators
When resolving the effects of the groups Morale, There are two Oxygenators in the HUB. Awhite marker indicates
the First Player gains or discards Morale tokens as the current productivity of each of them (min = 1, max = 4). Add
indicated by the current Morale value (for example, up the values from both Oxygenators the sum tells you how
they gain 2 Morale tokens if Morale is at +2 or they much oxygen you produce this round, and therefore how many
discard 1 Morale token if Morale is at -1). Facilities you can refill with breathable air. The Facilities which
Whenever the First Player has to discard more Morale tokens need aconstant oxygen supply are the ones that have the
than they have, they discard as many as they have, then icon to the left of the status markers column. These are: The Farm,
suffer 1 wound for each token they lack. No one can ever Crew Quarters, Med Lab, Control Center, Garage Hall, Probe Bay, Lab,
choose to suffer wounds instead of discarding Morale tokens. and Working Bay. Green/red status markers in these Facilities
If the groups Morale is at 0, nothing happens. do not indicate that oxygen should or shouldnt be supplied (only
that whats been supplied can or cannot be used - for example,
After resolving the consequences of the Morale level, move
a red status marker may mean that oxygen is supplied but there is
the white marker on the Round Order track down 1 space
a leak inside a given Facility).
and proceed to the Production phase.
If you produce more oxygen than you spend, add half of that
surplus (rounded up) to the general supply (move the oxygen
tracker accordingly). Should you not produce enough air, some
The First Player Facilities will become unavailable. See the Not Enough Oxygen/
The First Player Energy box on how this is handled (see p.10).
token indicates
who the First Solar Panels
Player is in this There are two sets of Solar Panels in the HUB. Awhite marker indicates the current
round. productivity of each of them (min = 1, max = 5). Add up the values from both Solar Panels
The First Player is the sum tells you how much energy you produce this round and how many Facilities you can
the one who: power. The Facilities which need aconstant energy supply are the ones that have the icon
Resolves and experiences the to the left of the status markers column: both Oxygenators, the Farm, Crew Quarters, Med Lab,
effects of the Morale phase. Control Center, Garage Hall, Probe Bay, Lab, and Working Bay. Green/red status markers in
these Facilities do not indicate that energy should or shouldnt be supplied (only that whats
Resolves any disputes among
been supplied can or cannot be used - for example, a red status marker may mean that energy
the players.
was supplied to a Facility but a short circuit occurred).
Also, some in-game effects refer
If you produce more energy than you spend, add half of that surplus (rounded up) to the
specifically to the First Player.
general supply (move the energy tracker accordingly). If you cannot power all Facilities,
some Facilities will become unavailable. See the Not Enough Oxygen/Energy box on how this
is handled (see p. 10).

9
FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: PRODUCTION
Stress
Not Enough Oxygen/Energy
If you produce less oxygen/energy than you need, you will have to make some Facilities unavailable. The more people are crammed into the confined space of the
Sometimes, an in-game effect tells you exactly which Facilities to shut down. At other times, you will decide HUB, the more stressful conditions become.
for yourself but you can never have more operational Facilities than your current oxygen/energy production
allows for. For example, 10 Facilities need a constant energy supply. If the total Solar Panels productivity is 8,
there must be 2 Energy Shutdown tiles lying on 2 of those 10 HUB Facilities. No Facility can have more than
1 energy Shutdown tile and 1 oxygen Shutdown tile lying on it at any given time. Such Facilities cannot be
used for anything else other than removing Shutdown tiles.
When you shut down aFacility, place arandom oxygen/energy Shutdown tile face down on that Facility. And as
long as this tile remains on the board, resolve its +2 Stress effect every round in the Production phase. If you want
to make that Facility functional again, you must place 1 pawn on that tile in the Action phase and then flip the tile
over at the end of that Action phase. Resolve the effect on the front of the tile immediately. Each Shutdown tile To track the growing tension, use the Stress track. In the
provides an instruction on what to do to discard it. Shuffle adiscarded Shutdown tile back into its stack. Production phase, move the white marker on this track 1 space
for each astronaut in the game (additional effects may increase
IMPORTANT: When an oxygen Shutdown token is lying on aFacility, that Facility may still consume energy.
Stress, too). Whenever that marker reaches space #18 (or would
When apower Shutdown token is lying on aFacility, that Facility may still consume oxygen.
move beyond it), the tension becomes unbearable and a fight
REMEMBER: This is adifferent effect than ared / status marker which, for example, forces you to takes places. These consequences must be resolved:
spend energy/oxygen from the general supply as an additional cost of your action!
Each astronaut suffers 1 wound.
Note: You can never choose to shut down aFacility in order to gain more oxygen/energy in your general supply, to prevent
The groups Morale goes down by 1.
the negative effects of amalfunctioning Facility, etc.
Note: Facilities that are shut down are immune to other effects targeting them directly or indirectly (for example, if
Then reset the track to #00.
aMalfunction card has the Probe Bay keyword but the Probe Bay Facility is shut down, discard this card without resolving it.)
Working Block: Red
Resolve the effects of active penalties indicated by red status
Farm markers in the Working Block (if aFacility is shut down, the
penalty is not active):
First, if you have anew seed planted (see Planting
Roll the green Wound die. If you roll a , Froggy is
New Seeds on p.17), growth occurs move its marker
damaged put aBlocked Modifier token on the Froggy
up 1 space on the Growth track. If it was already on
x space. Froggy cannot be used this round or in any
the top space (#6) on this track, move it to an empty
subsequent rounds until it has been repaired. You must
Greenhouse.
take the Build action on that rover to discard that token
Then, you produce as many food portions as you have (see Repairing Rovers on p. 17).
plants in your Greenhouses. Finally, each astronaut must
eat 1 food portion. If there is not enough food produced, Remove 1 chosen sample from any ROI.
you must use food reserves, if you have any in the
Increase the Stress level by 1.
general supply. If there is not enough food for everyone,
you must decide who will not eat. Each astronaut that Put the token on the Working Bay ! space.
does not eat suffers 1 wound for each food portion they
(each can house (each provides no more can be should have eaten. After the Production phase has been fully resolved, move the
aplant or 1 food portion planted (there
agrowing seed) in every can never be In rare cases, if you produce more food than you eat, add white marker on the Round Order track down 1 space and
Production more white half of that surplus (rounded up) to the general supply proceed to the Action phase.
phase) markers than
(move the food tracker accordingly).
black markers
on the Farm)
General Supply
Your general supply is where you keep track of your reserves of oxygen,
Wilting
energy, and food. Place the trackers on the appropriate spots to indicate how
When Energy Connectors or Oxygen Filters on the Farm are not working (there is ared status marker next to their icon), much you have in your reserves. Adjust the trackers accordingly as you gain
your plants and seeds will wilt. When this happens, no growth occurs. Instead, move all markers on the Growth track and spend the resources.
down 1 space (discard amarker if you cannot move it down any further) and move 1 previous fully grown plant marker
back to Growth track slot #6.
This can be deadly, so to counter this effect in the Production phase, you can spend 1 energy and/or oxygen from the
general supply (whatever your Farm lacks) to halt the process of wilting for this round.

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 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: ACTIONS

IV. Actions Action types, costs & penalties

Performing actions inside the HUB and outside it (during In addition to basic requirements described in the following sections, actions will often have
what is called an EVA extravehicular activity) is the main amodified cost or apenalty - for example, because of red status markers in a Facility.
part of the game. Players discuss together which actions to The cost of an action is what you need to have in order to declare an action (for example, having to
take, then assign their action pawns to their chosen actions. spend oxygen from the general supply). Apenalty is the consequence of resolving this action (for
Agiven Event action can be taken only once; all other actions example, suffering awound). If you cannot pay the action cost (for example, you have no oxygen
can be taken multiple times in the same round. Finally, the in the general supply) or cannot deal with its penalty (for example, your astronaut will die if they
players resolve those chosen actions in the order below. suffer that wound), you cannot take that action.
Your action pawns can be assigned to one or more actions. Sometimes an action will be referred to by acertain type for example, when youre instructed to
You must use both of your action pawns (unless an in-game take the Research action. Then, you must apply the costs and penalties of that given action and,
effect tells you otherwise). You may use additional pawns, if additionally, the costs and penalties of that action type. For example, planting anew seed on the
you have any. You assign the pawns to the chosen actions by Farm is aResearch action (it is identified by the Research icon: ). Therefore, when you take that
placing them in the appropriate places on the board or the action, you must apply all costs and penalties from the Lab the Facility for Research actions.
mission sheet.
FOR TOKENS LYING ON FACILITY TILES: If you use aFacility or its action type, add the costs/
You can assign your pawns to: penalties only for the tokens on the ! space of that Facility.
1. EVENTS to prevent negative consequences of an FOR TOKENS LYING IN THE ROVER AREAS: If you use arover, add all the costs/penalties for the
Event; unless stated otherwise by the Event itself, its tokens on the x space of that rover.
action cannot be taken more than once.
2. AQUIET PLACE to gain Morale tokens.
3. CREW QUARTERS to increase Morale or reduce Stress. Mission actions
4. MED LAB to heal wounds or conditions. Mission sheets may offer special actions that can be taken
5. CONTROL CENTER to decrease the Malfunction level. during that mission. Amission sheet will tell you where,
when, and which action to perform in order to get aparticular
6. GARAGE HALL to explore new ROI tiles.
result; apply all the modifiers affecting that type of action (for
7. PROBE BAY to gather samples. example, if youre asked to take aspecial Build action, take into
8. LAB to take the Research action and to plant new account all effects that currently influence the Working Bay or
seeds on the Farm. Build actions directly).
9. WORKING BAY to repair equipment, build upgrades, etc.
After all pawns are assigned, they will be resolved in the order
above and once all the chosen actions have been resolved, How many pawns do Ineed? Additional requirements
move the white marker on the Round Order track down
Actions can either be automatically successful or resolved through rolling dice.
1 space and proceed to the Malfunction phase.
Note: The order of resolving actions depends on the action types (for
You need only 1 pawn You may use 1 pawn
example, all Research actions are resolved in the same step). Actions that do
not belong to one of the types above are resolved at the end of the Action to be automatically and roll the action dice
phase (in any order). successful in resolving to determine the result
this action. OR or use 2 pawns for the
action to be automatically
Action pawns successful.
Action pawns represent the way the astronauts perform actions.
The numbers of pawns shown in the picture are the base requirements
for agiven action. They are often modified by many in-game effects. For
When you perform an action, you can dedicate all of your time to it by using example, you need 1 extra pawn on agiven action for each token
both of your pawns. This means you will be automatically successful (unless affecting that action.
no other modifiers apply) when resolving this action.Alternatively, you could
assign only one pawn to an action, meaning you can potentially get more
actions done. However, this means you need to roll the dice to determine
whether the action is successful or not.

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FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: ACTIONS
Placing the pawns
AOMs
Action pawns of one or more players may be used when planning
AOMs (Automated Operating Machines) give you additional pawns
an action, in which case these pawns are stacked. The pawn on
you can use in your actions. These pawns are color-coded and can
the top of the stack indicates who is taking the action (gaining
only be used for their specific actions.
the benefits, suffering the consequences, etc.); the others are
They can be used to assist other pawns or to take an action on their own. Whenever an only assisting.
AOM is used, the player who uses it takes its card to indicate they are the operator.
The pictures below show some examples of attempting the
If necessary, the operator rolls the dice for their AOM and resolves the results.
Build action.
You can combine an AOM and arover to assist you in one action.
IMPORTANT: If an action has no type (for example, has the icon only), you can use This is one action and no dice are
AOMs for that action, too. rolled. The red pawn is taking the action
(resolving its effects), the yellow pawn
is only assisting.
Rovers
You have two rovers at your disposal to aid you in your actions. They do not perform any
These are two separate actions; roll dice
actions on their own at least one pawn is needed to operate each of them (whether its an
for each attempt. Whether the action is
AOM pawn or an astronaut pawn). When arover assists you in action, take its miniature and
successful or not depends on the roll.
place it together with the pawns declared for that action. You cannot combine both rovers
when performing asingle action.
You may use arover with multiple pawns. There is no limit to how many pawns you can send
This is the same action taken twice. The
with arover, but only the pawn on the top of the stack resolves the consequences of the
yellow player is automatically successful.
action; the other ones are only assisting.
The red player needs to roll the dice to
FROGGY. You can treat Froggy as 2 additional pawns during an Explore action. determine the outcome.
These two pawns cannot be split up between different explorations.
SCORPIO. Scorpio gives you 1 additional pawn for an Explore/Gather/
REMEMBER: Each stack of pawns is a separate action!
Research/Build action of your choice, as long as this action is taken outside
the HUB (you cant drive your rover inside the Facilities!).
After resolving an action in which arover was assisting, place its miniature back in the Depot. In First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet, you will declare many
different actions and sometimes it may be difficult to remember which
When arover has aBlocked token on it, it cannot be used until repaired (p.17).
pawns were assigned to which actions. Therefore, place your pawns
Arover can have more than 1 Blocked token in its area you need separate Build
where it reminds you what action you are taking.
actions to discard each of them.
For example:
When you take amission-specific special Research action, place
If your action requires anything else, you your pawns and any additional resources on the mission sheet
must have that extra item available when you (instead of on the Lab the normal place for Research actions).
declare that action:
When you take the Gather action to pick up asample outside
If you need aspare part, place it together the HUB, place your pawns on the ROI you want to gather from
with the pawns. If the action is successful, (instead of the Probe Bay the normal place for Gather actions)
discard that spare part. If the action is and put the sample you want to gather on top of your pawns.
unsuccessful, put that part back where it
came from. When you repair abroken part of aFacility, place your pawns
next to the status marker you wish to replace (instead of on
If you need to use reserves from the the Working Bay the normal place for Build actions).
general supply, adjust the trackers
when you declare that action. These REMEMBER: No matter where the pawns are, always remember that
supplies are spent whether the action the actions are resolved in afixed order (1-9 on p. 11): If you placed
is successful or not. your pawns on the Med Lab to repair one of its broken parts through
the Build action, you do not resolve this action in the Med Lab step,
but in the Working Bay step.

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 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: ACTIONS
Rolling Dice
Adventures
Adventures are triggered by some in-game effects, such as rolling a on an action die.
Adventures are similar to Events (they must be resolved when they happen and they may
have negative consequences.) However, they differ in that more than one Adventure can
take place in around, and they often only affect one player.
Adventures are action-specific and color-coded: Things that may happen to you when you
explore new areas are obviously different from what may occur when you install aFacility
Upgrade. Adventures are always represented by the icon. When you must resolve an
If an action is not automatically successful, you have to Adventure, click the corresponding color-coded button in the app, depending on the action
determine its outcome by rolling the matching action dice. you were taking. Resolve the Adventure by following the instruction presented by the app.
Action dice come in sets of three. The sets are color-coded
Adventures either have one-time consequences that you resolve when the Adventure occurs,
and correspond to one of the following actions: Explore
or they have delayed effects that will or will not take place later in the mission (this happens
(green), Gather (gray; also for the Unwind action), Research
randomly). When that delayed effect occurs, follow the instruction provided by the app.
(blue; also for the Heal action), and Build (brown; also for the
Manage action). Each set contains:

ASUCCESS DIE ( DIE):

Resolving actions
Success! Apply the actions effect;
If your action was successful, take back your pawns and
discard any additional resources that were spent during that
No success gain 2 Morale tokens instead. action. Apply the actions effect.
If your action was unsuccessful, take back your pawns and
AWOUND DIE ( DIE): return any unspent additional resources that were required
for the action back to where you took them from. Do not
Suffer 1 wound; apply the actions effect.

REMEMBER: Supplies from the general supply paid as the

Nothing happens. action cost are spent even if your action was unsuccessful.

AN ADVENTURE DIE ( DIE):

Resolve an Adventure;

Nothing happens.

If you roll more than one die, the results are independent (for
example, if you rolled asuccess, your action was successful
even if you need to resolve an Adventure; if you rolled
awound, you must suffer it even if you were successful in
your action, etc.). Resolve the effects of your roll in any order
before you carry on with your action.

13
FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: ACTIONS

Actions in detail
The following sections describe the actions you can take. Remember that there are no player turns in this game.
You all cooperate to decide which actions to perform.
Here you can also find adetailed description of the specific requirements you need to fulfill, when DECLARING the action. After
all actions have been declared, RESOLVE the actions you chose in the following order, as indicated by their Resolve description:

1. Events 2. AQuiet Place 4. Med Lab (HEAL)

To take an Event action, do what the Event description in the (REST) In the Med Lab you will heal
app tells you to do. It always specifies how many pawns you This action is used to gain wounds and conditions.
need and if you have to fulfill any additional requirements Morale tokens, which are Unless you have the Auto-
(such as spending spare parts). Event actions may reward you needed to pay for skills. Also, scanner Upgrade installed,
with Morale tokens, improve Morale, etc. Also, they prevent the First Player may have the Medic pawn must assist
an Events delayed consequences from happening. to discard them during the in the Heal action.
Morale phase. DECLARING. Place 1 of
Delayed Event consequences
DECLARING. The Rest your pawns on the Med Lab
When you decide whether to take an Event action or to skip it, bear in mind that each Event action requires 1 pawn. assisted by 1 Medic pawn. If
may have future consequences if it is left unattended. The game retains each Event for three Place it on A Quiet Place. you have the Auto-scanner
consecutive rounds as long as its in the Mission log and you choose not to take its action, Upgrade, you do not need
RESOLVING. When you
you may face the consequences. An Event disappears from the Mission Log after three to be assisted. The Medic
successfully resolve this
rounds or after its consequences occurred (whichever happens first); when the app discards herself needs only 1 of her
action, gain 1 Morale token.
an Event, you can no longer take its action, but you are also protected from its consequences pawns to take this action.
Place it near your ID board.
(unless theyve already occurred).
Note: No in-game effect can RESOLVING. When you
force you to roll dice or resolve successfully resolve this
The Follow-Up mechanism Adventures in this Facility. action, choose whether
In addition to regular delayed consequences, some Events have Follow-Ups. AFollow-Up is to heal your wound or
aunique, player-specific Event that may occur in the future as aresult of one of the Events condition. If your wound is
that happened in the past. Players actions dont influence whether it occurs or not. AFollow- healed, move the red marker
3. Crew Quarters on your health track 1 space
Up is not explicitly given by the app when the original Event is presented, but it is always (UNWIND)
arelated part of that history (can be positive or negative) to immerse you more in the story. to the left (ignore the
Unwind in your Crew icon when you skip it). When
Quarters to improve Morale your condition is healed,
DECLARING. Take the necessary pawns and any other or lower your Stress. shuffle its token back into
resources, and place them on the Current Event Action space the stack.
DECLARING. The Unwind
of the board (in the AUX DEVICE box). If you decided not to action requires 1 pawn.
take this action during this round, click Skip. Youll have two Place it on the Crew
more chances to complete it later in the game. Quarters.
RESOLVING. When you successfully resolve this action, do RESOLVING. When you
whatever the app instructs you to do in the Event description, successfully resolve this
then click Completed. action, choose whether to
Event actions that were neither completed nor discarded by the increase Morale by 1 or
app can be viewed in the Mission Log. Each entry on this list reduce Stress by 6.
reminds you what to do and how many rounds are left before
this Event becomes unavailable. When you decide to take apast
Event action, place the pawns and any additional resources on
the Past Event Action space (there is only one such space on
the board but you may take more than one past Event action).
When you resolve such an action successfully, click Completed.

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 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: ACTIONS

POI tokens
POI (Point of Interest) tokens are special finds that you can discover on newly
explored ROIs (the icon). Each POI token has its effect written on it or
there is one of these icons: / / . These icons refer to mission-specific
finds; consult the mission sheet to see what effect agiven POI token has.
When you gain aPOI token, put it in the Available area of the Cargo Bay
they are immediately ready to use.
5. Control Center 6. Garage Hall (EXPLORE)
(MANAGE) Unless stated otherwise, each POI token can be used only once discard it
The Garage Hall allows you to take the Explore when used. When aPOI token gives you something asample or aspare
This action allows you action and uncover new ROIs (Regions of part, for example you can replace it for that thing at any time.
to keep the danger of Interests) on the map. You can only explore
Malfunction at bay (to some accessible spaces: All spaces around the HUB
degree, at least). and all spaces adjacent to already explored
tiles are accessible. Spaces/tiles are considered
Distances & Movement
DECLARING. The Manage
adjacent when they share an edge. During amission, you may want to or need to move around the map. You do not need
action requires 1 pawn.
to move to perform actions in the HUB. However, if you want, for example, to collect
Place it on the Control Whenever you wish to explore anew space,
asample or explore anew ROI, you must get to that place first. Although movement is not
Center. you need to establish aroute of accessible tiles
considered aseparate action, getting to afar off place comes at acost.
RESOLVING. When you leading to that space. If there is more than one
route, you can choose which one youll take. Unless this is changed by an in-game effect, you always start your movement at the HUB
successfully resolve this
Every time you attempt an action outside the and this is where you return after you resolve your actions. To get to aparticular ROI tile/
action, move ared marker
HUB you are affected by all the tiles, spaces, and space, you need an uninterrupted and explored path leading to that tile/space. If there is
on achosen Malfunction
effects on your way, including the place youre more than one way, you decide which one to take. The cost of movement and its additional
track down 1 space.
starting from and the place you want to explore requirements depend on the chosen route. An ROI tile/space may require, for example,
(see the Distances & Movement sidebar). taking awound or using an additional pawn. You must resolve the effects of all the tiles/
spaces along the way including the one you end your movement at, and also the one you
DECLARING. The Explore action requires
start your movement from (unless its the HUB).
1 pawn (if you want to roll the green dice
to determine the outcome) or 2 pawns (if Note that all tiles and spaces have at least one penalty: the farther you go, the more
you want your action to be automatically pawns you need.
successful). Add any additional pawns for In the example below, you want to build amission item in the area marked yellow, R2-NW.
distance (see the Distances & Movement box Lets assume you have the required spare parts. Aregular Build action in the Working Bay
on the right). Place these pawns on the space would cost you 1 pawn (and rolling brown dice to determine the outcome) or 2 pawns (and
you want to explore. the action would be automatically successful). So far, not many tiles are explored and there
RESOLVING. When aspace is successfully is only one way to get there. There are three modifiers on your way and awound icon
explored, draw arandom ROI tile from the ( ). You must add these to the regular action requirements: The action costs you 1 wound
corresponding stack (ring 1, 2, or 3) and and 4 pawns (if you want to roll the brown dice) or 1 wound and 5 pawns
place it face up on that space. Each tile may (if you want your action to be automatically successful).
provide new opportunities (e.g., samples to Remember you can use Scorpio to help you in
be gathered) and threats (e.g., difficult terrain the Build action outside the HUB - this way
which hinders movement). Place as many you need 3 or 4 pawns respectively.
samples on that ROI as there are icons. If
there is aPOI icon, draw 1 POI token and put
it in the Available area of the Cargo Bay. The
ROIs terrains effect (if any) does not affect
you when that ROI is explored and the tile is
placed, but it applies in all future rounds.
The icon found on some ROI tiles is only
used for some mission-specific effects.

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FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: ACTIONS
7. Probe Bay 8. Lab (RESEARCH & PLANTING)
In this example, you want to explore the ROI marked yellow, R3- (GATHER) The Lab allows you to take the Research action you can
NW. The white route is shorter, but the yellow one is potentially
safer you do not have to drive near the Geysers, which saves The Probe Bay allows you examine the samples you previously gathered. AResearch
you from suffering awound. There are three icons on the to take the Gather action, action also allows you to plant anew seed.
previously explored tiles on your way and afourth one on the collecting samples by
space you want to explore. So to take this action, you can use moving them from an ROI Research cards
5 pawns and roll the green dice, or use 6 pawns to succeed to the Cargo Bay. Also,
Adeck of 6 Research cards is used to generate random
automatically without rolling the dice. Because you move through some missions may instruct
numbers: percentages from 15% to 50% and numbers from 01
the Chasm, the player whose pawn is at the top of the stack must you to perform the Gather
to 06. They may be used, for example, to generate the number
also resolve an Adventure (the assisting action to obtain resources,
of an Objective token or the amount of what you extract.
players do not). spare parts, and other useful
Whenever youre asked to draw aResearch card, draw it and
materials. You cannot gather
consult the number or percentage the effect that instructed
from unexplored ROIs.
you to draw that card will tell you which value youre after.
DECLARING. The Gather Then, shuffle the card back into its deck. Unless otherwise
action requires 1 pawn (if instructed, whenever youre asked to draw multiple cards, draw
you want to roll the gray one, look at it, shuffle it back into the deck, and only then draw
dice to determine the another one.
outcome) or 2 pawns (if
you want your action to be
automatically successful). Research Actions
Add any additional pawns When you take aResearch action using asample, you
for distance if this is done examine it or make discoveries.
outside the HUB. Place your
DECLARING. The Research action requires 1 pawn (if you want
pawns next to what you
to roll the blue dice to determine the outcome) or 2 pawns (if
want to gather.
you want your action to be automatically successful). Add any
RESOLVING. When you additional pawns for distance if this is done outside the HUB.
Direction cards
successfully resolve this When you declare this action to examine asample, use the
Adeck of 8 Direction cards is used action, take whatever you Research box on the board:
to generate random directions. gathered and place it in the
They may be used, for example, If you want to examine asample for the first time: Take 1 sample
Pending area of the Cargo
to determine where asignal came from the Cargo Bay and place it on the left space of the topmost
Bay. It becomes available to
from. Whenever youre asked to empty Research track together with your pawns.
you at the end of the round.
draw aDirection card, draw it and If you want to examine asample for the second time: Place
check the direction. Then, shuffle your pawns on the research track where that sample is.
the card back into its deck. Unless
RESOLVING. When you successfully resolve the Research
otherwise instructed, whenever
action, move the examined sample to the Examined space (if
youre asked to draw multiple cards,
it was examined for the first time) or to the Discovery space
draw one, look at it, shuffle it back
(if it was examined for the second time).
into the deck, and only then draw
another one. In the campaign mode, you need Discoveries to gain new
skills for your astronauts.
Dont worry about the Easy, Medium, and Heavy
Note: The number of Research tracks is unlimited. If you need more than
words on these cards. They will be used for some rare 3 tracks, place your next samples below the Research box.
in-game effects, and youll be told exactly when and how
to use them.

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 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: ACTIONS
9. Working Bay (BUILD)
Disassembling
Planting New Seeds The Working Bay allows you to take the
Build action. You may use this action to Each Upgrade card (see p. 18) has two of the following symbols on it: , , , or .
Your Farm consists of up to
repair broken equipment, install upgrades, If agiven Upgrade card is available to you but you dont intend to install it, you can return
5 Greenhouses ablack
or to create mission-specific items. it to the box and take the two indicated spare parts instead. Place them in the Available
marker in aGreenhouse slot
area of the Cargo Bay you can use them right away. This can be done at any time during
indicates that Greenhouse is Repairing broken equipment around and is not considered an action.
built. Both seeds and plants If you want to repair broken equipment
are represented in the game by You can also replace agreen status marker in any of the Facilities for ared one take
(replace ared status marker with agreen
white markers. Awhite marker the corresponding spare part and place it in the Available area of the Cargo Bay you
one), you can do this in two ways: you can
in aGreenhouse (the 1-5 track can use it right away. This is not an action but can only be done at the beginning of the
either use aspare part or switch matching
on the left) is afully grown plant Action phase.
parts between Facilities. The repaired
(each Greenhouse can have 1 equipment becomes fully operational at
plant). Awhite marker on the the end of the Action phase during which it
1-6 Growth track on the right was repaired. Example: Switching parts between Facilities
is agrowing seed; it does not
DECLARING. This action requires 1 pawn You want to replace the broken Energy Connectors in the Garage Hall with the working
provide any food until it is fully
(if you want to roll the brown dice to Energy Connectors from the Lab. When you declare your action, you place your two
grown and moved to an empty
determine the outcome) or 2 pawns (if pawns and agreen status marker from the Lab on the Garage Hall. As other actions
Greenhouse.
you want your action to be automatically are resolved this round, the Garage Hall is not yet repaired (cannot use power and needs
If the Farm is not full already successful). Add any additional pawns 1 whenever its used) and the Lab is already broken (you took the green marker out
(there are less white markers for distance if this is done outside the of this Facility, so it needs 1 whenever its used, too). When you successfully resolve
than black markers), you can HUB. Together with the pawns, place any your Build action to repair the Garage Hall, move the red status marker from the
plant anew seed. Eventually, it additional resources required for that Garage Hall to the Lab, and insert your green marker in the empty slot in the Garage
will grow into aplant and provide Build action: Hall. The Energy Connectors in the Garage Hall will become operational at the end of
an additional food portion. this Action phase.
If you use aspare part: Take a corresponding
DECLARING. This action requires spare part from the Cargo Bay and place it In case you chose to use 1 pawn less and roll the brown dice to determine the outcome:
1 pawn (if you want to roll the together with your pawns where you want If you roll no success, simply put the green marker (the working Energy Connectors) back
blue dice to determine the to make the repair. to where you took it from.
outcome) or 2 pawns (if you want
your action to be automatically If you switch parts between Facilities: Take
successful). When you declare the green marker from where the working
Repairing rovers
this action, take 1 seed from the part is being removed and place it with
your pawns where you want to make the You can use the Build action to discard any
Cargo Bay and place it with your one token from the Depot.
pawns on the Research action repair. Note: The part you took the marker
space of the Farm. You can take from is immediately considered broken DECLARING. This action requires 1 pawn
only one such action per round. (its cost/penalty applies), but the part you (if you want to roll the brown dice to
repaired becomes operational only at the determine the outcome) or 2 pawns (if
RESOLVING. When you end of this Action phase. See example in you want your action to be automatically
successfully resolve this Action, the box on the right. successful). Place your pawns in the Depot,
insert 1 white marker into next to the rover you want to repair.
slot #1 of the Growth track. RESOLVING. When you successfully
There can only be one seed resolve this action: RESOLVING. When you successfully
in any one slot of the Growth If you used aspare part: Replace the red resolve this action, discard 1 chosen token
track, but more than one seed marker with agreen one where you did from the x space of that rover.
may grow on this track at the your repairs. Discard the spare part token.
same time, as long as you have If you switched apart between Facilities:
enough Greenhouses built to Move the red marker from what
accommodate them. you repaired to where you took the
In 6 rounds, the seed you planted corresponding working part from. Put the
will be fully grown and will provide green marker (the one you had with your
an additional food portion. pawns) in place of that red one.

17
FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: MALFUNCTION
Upgrades V. Malfunction Resolving keywords
Facilities can be upgraded. In the Malfunction phase, you roll the Malfunction Each Malfunction card has apair of keywords on it (for
The game comes with many dice and resolve their effects, adding them to the example: Complication. Lab). When youre asked to resolve
Upgrade cards, but not all current Malfunctions. acard with acertain keyword, draw cards one by one until
of them may be available you encounter the one you need. For example, if you need
in agiven mission. When Theres aMalfunction track on the right of each
to resolve 1 Living Block Obstacle card, draw successive
you set up amission, the Facility Block. Each track has 6 spaces numbered
Living Block Malfunction cards until you encounter one
app specifies how many and 0-5. The Malfunction box in the bottom right
with the Obstacle keyword on it. Resolve that card, discard
which upgrades are available corner of the main board tells you which Facilities
all the others.
during that mission. are in danger of malfunction.

Each upgrade is compatible To resolve the Malfunction phase:

with only 1 Facility (as First, assemble your pool of Malfunction dice for this round. After resolving the consequences of the Malfunction phase,
indicated by the icon in the Consult the mission sheet to see which Malfunction dice (if move the white marker on the Round Order track down 1 space
bottom right corner of each any) must be rolled. Then, check the Malfunction box to see and proceed to the Clean-Up phase.
card). The effect of installing which dice to add to the pool unless they are already in
agiven upgrade is always that pool (ared marker = add that die; agreen marker = dont
printed on that Upgrade card. add that die). Malfunction dice colors
Roll all dice from this pool. Malfunction dice, just like action dice, are color-coded.
DECLARING. This action
This helps you quickly identify which die corresponds to
requires 1 pawn (if you want Then, for each Block: add +1 for each active penalty in
which Facility Block.
to roll the brown dice to that Block to what you rolled on the corresponding die. If you
determine the outcome) or didnt roll agiven die, the base result for that Block is 0, but But there is more to it than that. Yellow, orange, and red
2 pawns (if you want your you must still add all active penalties from that Block. indicate increasingly more deadly consequences of the
action to be automatically respective Blocks Malfunction. If you can, attend to the
Next, accordingly - move the markers up their
successful). Place the pawns System Block first if these Facilities remain broken, the
tracks by the number rolled on the
on the Upgrade card you dangers can quickly become too much to handle.
corresponding dice.
wish to install.
RESOLVING. When you
successfully resolve this
action, remove the Upgrade
card from the game. Place
the corresponding Upgrade
tile in the Pending area of
the Cargo Bay. It becomes
operational during the
Clean-Up phase.
Finally, resolve the effects of the Malfunction tracks, if any
were triggered. Whenever Malfunction reaches or should
pass 5, draw 1 Malfunction card from the corresponding
Malfunction deck, resolve its effect, put the card on aface-
up discard pile next to its deck, and reset the track to 0.
Additionally, if the next Block in sequence has agreen marker
in the Malfunction box, change it to red: Working Block ->
Living Block -> System Block -> Working Block. For example,
if Malfunction lands at 5 on the Living Block Malfunction
track and the System Block has agreen status marker in the
Malfunction box, change that status marker to red.
If you ever run out of Malfunction cards in any deck, shuffle
the corresponding discard pile to form anew deck.

18
 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

GAMEPLAY: CLEAN-UP, END OF THE GAME

VI. Clean-Up Ending the Game

In the Clean-Up phase: Players win and lose together. There are several possibilities:
In each Facility: Discard the tokens (if any) from the !
space and move the topmost token (if any) from the >>
Victory
space to the ! space. You succeed in your mission if you complete all the mandatory mission
Move everything from the Pending area of the Cargo objectives before the end of the game. If the mission has aThreshold value,
Bay to the Available area of the Cargo Bay. If there are you must be at or below that Threshold. The app then declares you winners.
any Upgrade tiles here, move them to their respective
Defeat
Facilities.
You all lose when:
Move the white marker on the Round Order track back to
the top space. At least one of the astronauts dies.
Discard all black markers from the skills used this round; You run out of time: You failed to complete all of the mandatory mission
any Skill cards used are flipped back face up. objectives by the end of the mission.
Pass the First Player token clockwise to the next person. You do not meet the Threshold value at the end of the mission
(if amission requires aThreshold).
Move the white marker to the next space of the Sol
Counter on the mission sheet.
The First Player clicks the Next Round button in the app and it Objective tokens
will tell you if the mission has ended. If it didnt, anew round
Objective tokens are mission-specific. They are used to track
now begins.
your progress in the mission. Generally, red tokens indicate
mandatory objectives, the orange ones are optional objectives,
and the black ones are used in other cases.
Modifier tokens
When you gain an Objective token, place it where the mission
Modifier tokens trigger anumber of in-game
sheet tells you to. If no place is specified, put it in the Pending
effects. They can, for example, force you to use an
area of the Cargo Bay and treat it as anything else you gather.
additional pawn, or to reroll asuccess die. All the
icons on the Modifier tokens are explained in the When an Objective token gives you something for example,
table at the end of the rulebook. asample or aspare part you can replace it for that thing at
any time after gaining that token, unless instructed otherwise.
Whenever an effect introduces anew Modifier
Note: The numbers on the tokens do not reflect the hierarchy of goals.
token into play, you will be instructed where
to put this token. Modifier tokens do not act
retroactively they cannot influence an action
that was already declared even if it hasnt been
resolved yet. They do apply, however, to all
future actions until the end of the round in which
1-3 players
theyve been discarded. The following changes are introduced when there are fewer than four astronauts in play:

Begin the game with the Auto-scanner If there are 2 astronauts in play, for each
Upgrade tile already in play. Discard the mission you can choose 2 AOMs to help
Auto-scanner Upgrade card (so that you you. Take their cards and pawns.
dont draw it during setup). If you play solo, use 2 chosen astronauts.
If there are 3 astronauts in play, for All AOMs are available to help you, but
each mission you can choose 1 AOM to in each round you can use no more than
help you. Take its card and its pawn. 2 of them. You may choose them during
each round, as you see fit.

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FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

CAMPAIGN MODE

The Campaign Mode Winning and losing in acampaign

When you lose amission during The Labyrinth of
About the campaigns
The first few months saw you performing all the the Night campaign, the app will give you an option First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet
activities more or less on schedule. However, making to replay that failed mission or restart the entire offers two campaigns which are distinctly
sure that all the facilities are up and running, and campaign. The Welcome to Mars campaign is alegacy different from standalone missions. We cannot
keeping them maintained, proved more difficult on one and none of its missions can be replayed. give you too many details at this stage, but we
Mars than your training back on Earth. want you to remember acouple of things.
When you win acampaign mission, the app will
Astronauts, however, do not lack stamina. You
doubled your efforts to keep the HUB in good
reward you with some bonuses, according to how
many objectives you managed to complete within 1. First and foremost, the campaigns
are designed to provide you with an
opportunity of immersive, emotionally engaging
condition while continuing with your enterprise. the time limit. It is strategically wise to try to
More weeks came and went. The little, unexpected complete as many objectives as you can. Otherwise, experiences. The basic mechanics you used
adversities and everyday tension became increasingly your future missions may be more challenging. in standalone missions are now expanding to
difficult to bear. What was planned as an exploratory accommodate for astory they need to tell.
operation is now slowly turning into asurvival The plotline and your choices are the most
mission. However, the most dramatic events are yet Saving the game important elements of the campaigns.

2.
to unfold. The consequences of your actions from the You will need to make more decisions
previous missions are carried over to the next, so than during standalone missions. For
ONLY READ THE INFORMATION ON THE
COVER OF ACAMPAIGN BOOKLET. in order to continue with the campaign, you must example, it now becomes much more important
record the current situation. When the app asks to care for your astronauts. Its not enough
IF YOU DONT WANT TO SPOIL YOUR
you to save the game status after asuccessful to scrape through one mission, leaving your
EXPERIENCE, DO NOT EVEN BROWSE
THROUGH THE BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE mission, click Begin and closely follow the astronauts barely alive, because there are
READY TO START PLAYING. instructions on the screen. more tasks ahead of you! If you dont attend to
Once youve recorded all the necessary your astronauts now, they will likely die in the
In addition to standalone missions, First Martians: information, you can proceed to the next mission missions to come.

3.
Adventures on the Red Planet offers you athrilling either right away or later, whenever youre The supplies you have, your spare
campaign mode. Acampaign is aseries of five ready. The saved game allows you to recreate the parts and reserves, are not to be used
missions with acaptivating overarching story campaigns status at any time. immediately. Remember, you might need them
for you to discover. There are two campaigns in later on. What you have is given to you for the
the box. We suggest you play The Labyrinth of entire campaign, so decide carefully whether to
the Night first. The other one Welcome to Mars Resuming the Game spend aresource or not.
is alegacy-style one: There are some special

4.
When you click the Continue Campaign button in Plan ahead. Growing aplant from aseed
components you will use only once. Each mission the apps main menu, you will see alist of previously
in acampaign takes about 60-90 minutes to play. takes time. Unlocking skills requires making
saved gameplays. Select the one you wish to Discoveries (see the Skills box on p. 5). You will
The campaigns are independent of each other continue with. As you click through subsequent
they tell different stories. often find yourself having less time than you
screens, you will recreate the state of things as they need, but there are some important actions
When you are ready to begin acampaign, set up were at the end of the chosen mission. When this you should take early on. The further you are
its first mission. Choose your astronauts wisely, has been done, start the next mission. in the campaign, the more devastating the
because you wont be able to change them later in Setting up the next mission in acampaign is consequences of your past delays may become.
the campaign. Each mission in acampaign follows

5.
different from setting up astandalone mission; All the missions within one campaign are
normal rules for astandalone mission. If there are the setup relies on the state from the end of the
any gameplay changes, they are provided by the best played with the same gaming group.
previous mission. If the app does not specifically This is to ensure the feeling of owning the
mission sheet or through the app. tell you to change agame element, that choices from the previous missions.
element remains in its place (dont discard your
conditions; dont repair the Facilities; whatever
you explored remains explored; the skills you
unlocked remain available; the supplies you used
are not replenished, etc.). Adventures whose
consequences have not yet been resolved may still
surface in this mission.

20
 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

FAQ

FAQ The most recent FAQs are accessible through the app. Find answers to your questions easily on your device.

Q: When Objectives tokens are Q: When Ishut down aFacility, Q: If the game tells me to place a the minimum number of pawns Facility, change the corresponding
referred to by arange (e.g. #1-3), can Istill use that Facility token but there are none left, necessary to perform that action? green status marker to a red one. If
do you mean #1, #2, and #3 or Upgrade? what do Ido? A: Lets assume there are no other that part is already broken, discard
#1, #2, or #3? A: No. As long as aShutdown tile is A: Markers and tokens (save for modifiers currently active, and this card.

A: Whether aparticular statement on that Facility, you cannot use its Condition tokens) are not limited 1 pawn on agiven action means
refers to one Objective token or actions and upgrades (for example: to the components in the box. For rolling dice and 2 pawns mean Q: When I have the red marker in
many, depends on how its worded. if the Lab is shut down, you cannot example, if you need to place a asure success. The penalty in the last slot of the health track, is
Objective tokens #1-3 means plant new seeds; if the Crew token on the board but there are question only refers to the my astronaut dead or alive?
three Objective tokens (#1, #2, and Quarters are shut down, you do not none left, use amultiplication tile. die, so if you use 2 pawns, you roll
A: Alive. The astronaut will die
#3) whereas an Objective token gain an additional Morale token in If you need to use ared marker to only that one die; but if you use 1
if you have to move the marker
#1-3 means one Objective token the Production phase). indicate abroken part but there are pawn, you still need to roll all three
beyond your ID board.
(#1, #2, or #3). no red markers left, use anything dice (risking awound and/or an
else as asubstitute. Running out of Adventure) of course, you dont
Q: Concentration Difficulties. If
markers or tokens does not mean roll the die twice. Q: If I produce less energy/oxygen
Q: When multiple effects copy the there are multiple pawns assigned
you cannot or should not apply than I need but I have reserves in
same result, do Ihave to resolve to one action and among those
their effects. the general supply, can I use them
that result multiple times? pawns there are two astronauts Q: When I want to flip over a
to make up for the difference?
with Concentration Difficulties, do Shutdown tile, do I have to take
A: Only tokens add up. Apart
Ihave to resolve that conditions Q: When Iget acondition token into account the costs/penalties A: No. If you produce less than
from that, other tokens, cards, costs,
effect twice? for passing the icon on my of the Facility that tile is on? you need, to must use Shutdown
and penalties cannot multiply asingle
health track, then Iget healed tokens to switch off Facilities you
effect (for example, you never A: No, because only the effects of A: No. You always need only 1 pawn
and then suffer another wound, cant supply with energy/oxygen -
resolve more than 1 Adventure per tokens add up. to flip a Shutdown tile over.
do Iget another condition for these Facilities become unavailable.
action and you never need to reroll
skipping that same icon again? Reserves from the general supply
asuccess die more than once).
Q: I flipped a Shutdown tile Q: How do Complication cards are used to pay for the cost of
A: Yes. The rules say, Every time
Some examples: If youre asked to and it tells me to add +1 to my work exactly? broken parts of available Facilities:
that icon is passed, not The first
put the token on an ROI with the production of energy/oxygn, but If there is a red marker next to that
time that icon is passed.... A: When you draw a Complication
Chasm on it, ignore that instruction my current production is already cost and you want to take that
card, check the other keyword to
the Chasm already has the at its peak. What do I do? Facilitys action, you must then pay
identify the Facility it refers to. The
effect. If youre asked to put a Q: If an action has a penalty, that cost by spending reserves from
A: Nothing. Shutdown tiles cannot icon shown on the card tells you
token on agiven ! space and there why would Iever use more than the general supply.
boost production beyond your which part is now broken. In that
already is a token there, ignore
maximum production capacity.
that instruction. However, if youre
asked to place a token on agiven GAME DESIGN: Ignacy Trzewiczek
space, you must always do so Q: Can each action taken in ARTWORK: Katarzyna Kozaczkiewicz, Piotr Foksowicz, Aga Jakimiec, Rafa Szyma
this is because none of these tokens The games graphic design uses public domain images provided by NASA, ESA, and other providers.
the Control Center during the COVER ARTWORK: Aurelien Fournier
is active; when you move the top same round target adifferent GRAPHIC DESIGN: Rafa Szyma
token to the corresponding ! space, Malfunction track? ADDITIONAL GRAPHIC DESIGN: Maciej Mutwil, Aga Jakimiec
only one such token will be active at RULEBOOK: Piotr Winiewski
A: Yes.
agiven time.
2017 PORTAL GAMES Sp. zo.o. First Martians & Portal Games (publisher).
ul. w. Urbana 15, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this work by
Q: If Ihave the Power Generator any means without the written permission of the publisher is
Q: When an effect allows me to portalgames.pl, [email protected] expressly forbidden.
Upgrade installed, can Iuse it to
redraw aparticular type of card,
ignore one red status marker at the REPLACEMENT SERVICE: This game is aquality product. It has been assembled with great care. However, if your copy
what exactly am Isupposed to do?
end of the mission when Icount should lack anything, please accept our apologies and contact us for replacement: [email protected].
A: If youre unhappy with what you Portal Games team wishes you many happy hours with this game.
the broken parts in the HUB?
drew, you can discard this card and
A: No. The Power Generator Proofreaders: Paul Grogan, Vincent Special thanks for their outstanding in development and helped me in many
draw another one. You must resolve Salzillo, Benjamin Schnheiter, Benjamin contribution go to Merry Trzewiczek ways: Piotr, Asia, Szymek, Greg, Aga, Kamil,
Upgrade only affects the penalty Nicholson, Tony M, Anthony Racano, and Marek Spychalski. Marjan, Senior, Darek, Multi, Scorn, Jacek,
the new card.
that part remains broken and counts Robert Ciombor, Grzegorz Polewka, I would also like to thank the following Kuba, and many others - Ignacy.
towards the Threshold value. Patrick, Matthew, Jacob, Marty, Tony people who played the game when it was

21
FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

COMPONENTS

22
 FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

INDEX

Index
A Adventure events 8 O
Action pawns 4, 11 Delayed event 14 Objective tokens 19
Action pawns (placing) 12 Follow-up events 8 Oxygen 9, 10
Actions 8, 11 Explore 15 Oxygenators 9
Actions in detail 14
F P
Mission actions 11
Facilities 9, 10, 11, 17 Penalties 10, 11
Resolving actions 13
FAQ 21 POI tokens 15
Succesful action 13
Farm 10, 17 Probe bay 11, 16
Unsuccessful action 13
Greenhouse 10, 17 Production 8, 9
Adventure 13
Growth track 10
AOMs 12 R
Planting new seeds 17
App 4 Research 16
Seeds 17
Aquiet place 11, 14 Research cards 16
Wilting 10
Astronauts 4 Research & planting 16
First player 7, 9, 19
Aux device 14 Rest 14
Follow-up mechanism 14
Rois 10, 15
B Food 9, 10
Round 8
Blocked token 12
G Rovers 12
Build 17
Garage hall 11, 15 Repairing rovers 17
Repairing broken equipment 17
Gather 16
Upgrades 18 S
General supply 10, 13
Shutdown tile 10
C Goals 4
Skills 4
Campaign 4, 20
H Solar panels 9
Campaign booklet 20
Heal 14 Standalone mission 4
Clean-up 8, 19
Health 4 Stress 9, 10
Conditions 5
Stress track 10
Control center 11, 15 I
Stress level 9
Costs 11 ID board 4
Supplies 13
Crew quarters 11, 14 K
T
D Keywords (Malfunction cards) 18
Threshold value 4
Defeat 19 L
Dice 11, 13 U
Lab 11, 16
Adventure die 13 Unwind 14
M Upgrades 18
Success die 13
Malfunction 8, 15, 18
Wound die 13 V
Advancing malfunction 8
Direction cards 16 Victory 19
Malfunction track 18
Disassembling 17
Manage 15 W
Discovery 5, 16
Med lab 11, 14 Working bay 11, 17
Distances 15
Modifier tokens 19 Repairing broken equipment 17
E Morale 8, 9 Wounds 5
Energy 9, 10 Morale tokens 4, 9, 14
Events 8, 11, 14 Movement 15

23
FIRST MARTIANS RULEBOOK

PLAYER AID

Round Summary List of icons

I. EVENTS 6 Garage Hall: and green dice or Action costs & Put the this action (does not affect
-> place a new ROI tile. Add penalties token on the assisting players). Green:
Explore; gray: Gather, Un- spare parts tokens
1. The First Player advances Malfunction. samples and POI tokens (if any). That In the Malfunc- Working Bay ! space.
wind; blue: Research, Heal; (Energy Connectors /
2. Players resolve their Adventures (if any). ROIs terrain effect does not apply tion phase: move
brown: Build, Manage. Oxygen Filters
3. The First Player reads aloud the story this round. the marker on the cor- ROIs effects If you needed to
/ Hardware / CPU)
and resolves the Mission Event. 7. Probe Bay: and gray dice or responding Malfunction
-> take 1 sample from where you Whenever roll aSuccess die Used for various
track up 1 space.
II. MORALE gathered and move it to the Pending arover drives to for this action and rolled mission-specific
Your plants are dy- or through this ROI, roll purposes
area of the Cargo Bay. It becomes a , you must reroll it
The First Player discards/gains Morale ing resolve the the green Wound die at
available at the end of the round. once. Only the result of
tokens according to the current Morale effects of wilting (p. 10). the end of the Action
8. Lab: and blue dice or -> this second roll applies.
level. If they dont have enough to No rover can phase. If you rolled a ,
Conditions
examine/discover samples using the You must suffer
discard, they suffer 1 wound for each assist in Explore that rover is damaged ANEMIA
Research box. Discoveries unlock 1 wound to take
lacking token. actions. add 1 Blocked token to In each rounds Produc-
Skills in the campaign mode. this action (does not af-
To take this ac- the x space of that rover. tion phase that astro-
III. PRODUCTION 9. Working Bay: and brown dice or fect assisting players).
tion, you must You must take the Build naut must eat 2 food
-> repair equipment (replace red Whenever you portions instead of 1.
spend 1 . You dont action on that rover to
1. Check your oxygen and energy status markers with green ones), repair use arover, roll
get it back if the action repair it. As usual, they get
production. If you produce less rovers (discard tokens from the rover the green Wound die at
was unsuccessful. 1 wound for each por-
than you use, place Shutdown tiles area), or install upgrades (place the The outer edge the end of the Action tion they cannot eat.
to level out the difference. If you Upgrade tile on the board and discard To take this ac- of this ROI is phase. If you rolled a
produce more than you use, add half tion, you must impassable you can ANXIETY ATTACK
its card). , that rover is damaged
of the surplus (rounded up) to the spend 1 . You dont go left or right, but you Decrease the groups
The minimum requirements given add 1 Blocked token to
general supply. get it back if the action cannot go directly to the Morale by 1. Resolve
above are modified by relevant tokens, the x space of that rover.
was unsuccessful. more external ring from this effect immediately,
2. Move any seeds you have up 1 space. distance, etc. You can only take an You must take the Build
this ROI. then shuffle this token
Produce as many food portions action if you can pay the cost and Even if you used action on that rover to
back into the stack.
as you have fully grown plants. handle its penalties. enough pawns for Whenever you repair it.
Consume as many food portions as the action to be auto- go to or through CARDIAC DISORDER
there are astronauts. If there is not V. MALFUNCTION matically success-ful, you this ROI, resolve an Ad- One pawn of that astro-
enough food, players decide who will must roll the correspond- venture (does not affect Facility Parts naut can only be used to
not eat and suffer 1 wound for each The First Player: assisting players). Energy take the Heal action in
ing . If you dont roll a
lacking food portion. 1. Assembles the pool of Malfunction , that action is unsuc- Connectors order to heal that condi-
Whenever you
dice for this round. cessful. Green: Explore; tion. The other pawn of
3. Increase Stress by the number of go to or through Oxygen Filters
2. Rolls the pool of Malfunction dice. gray: Gather, Unwind; that astronaut can be
astronauts (and other effects). this ROI, decrease Mo-
Adds all red from a corresponding blue: Research, Heal; Hardware used to take any action.
4. Resolve penalties of broken in rale by 1.
the Working Block. Block to what they rolled. brown: Build, Manage. CONCENTRATION
Whenever you CPU
3. Moves the markers up the (In the Garage DIFFICULTIES
go to or through
IV. ACTIONS corresponding Malfunction tracks. Hall) Whenever If the astronaut with this
this ROI, suffer 1
4. Resolves Malfunction effects. you use Froggy, roll the Other Icons condition token takes an
Players decide together which actions wound (does not affect
green Wound die. If action, they must resolve
to take. The chosen actions are always assisting players). condition
VI. CLEAN-UP you roll a , Froggy is an Adventure. If they
resolved in this order: You need 1 pawn only assist in that action,
damaged - put a Blocked more for any ac- Morale
1. Events: Event action requirements 1. In each Facility: Discard tokens from the astronaut whose
Modifier token on the tion involving this ROI.
are provided by the app. Take the the ! space, move the topmost token Stress pawn is on top of the
Froggy x space. Froggy
current Event action or one of the from the space to the ! space. stack for this action must
cannot be used this round
past Event actions if its still in the 2. Move everything from the Pending Sample resolve an Adventure.
or in any subsequent Tokens
Mission log. Each Event action can area to the Available area of the MIGRAINE
rounds until it has been Blocked. This Fa- Malfunction
be taken only once. Cargo Bay. That astronaut cannot
repaired. You must take cility or rover can-
2. A Quiet Place: -> 1 . 3. Move the white marker back to the the Build action on that Morale token use skills, but can spend
not be used this round.
3. Crew Quarters: -> +1 Morale or top of the Round Order track. rover to repair it (p. 17). Morale tokens for other
4. Discard black markers from used 1 token of this wound
-6 Stress. Remove 1 cho- purposes.
Skills. Flip over used Skill cards. kind counters 1
4. Med Lab: + Medic/Auto- sen sample from POISONING
pawn on this action.
scanner -> heal 1 wound or 1 5. Move the white marker to the next any ROI. Whenever that astro-
condition. The Medic heals herself. space of the Sol Counter. Resolve acor-
Increase the Energy/oxygen/food naut should suffer any
responding
5. Control Center: -> -1 Malfunction 6. Pass the First Player token clockwise. Stress level by 1. from the general supply number of wounds, they
Adventure when you take
on a chosen Malfunction track. suffer twice as many.

24