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4 Years to Mars

4 Years to Mars

(Self-Published) · 2025
1–660–120 min14+ yrs7.1 BGG30Co-opStrategy
short answer

How do you play 4 Years to Mars?

The space race is heating up once again, and governments have issued their challenge: Develop a viable Mars program in four years. The catch? Your government will supply only a fixed amount of funding per year.

To find the best price for 4 Years to Mars, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

4 Years to Mars box art
official art · (Self-Published)

The space race is heating up once again, and governments have issued their challenge: Develop a viable Mars program in four years. The catch? Your government will supply only a fixed amount of funding per year. The rest of your budget and the success of your mission depend on the success of the projects you fund...but you're not the only one in this race!

4 Years to Mars is card-based, with individual player boards to track mission objective progress. The game can be played solo, co-operatively or competitively.

In the first of four program years in the competitive game, players spend their "space bucks" (Spucks) on funding research in their four space station experiment bays. In the following years, players fund projects to further their mission objectives and provide additional funding for the next program year. Research topics reduce the cost of corresponding projects. In the base game, action cards can be played to help your program as well. After four years, government funding ceases, then the player with the most points wins, with points being awarded for progress in each of the eight mission objectives. A bonus is given to the first and second players to complete the entire objective.

In the co-operative game, all players work together to complete the eight mission objectives before the end of the four program years. In order to advance a mission objective, players must work together to fund projects that create sets of mission objective icons. For example, to advance your rover mission objective once in a five-player game, you must have a set of five cards with mission objective icons. Unlike sets for the competitive game, cards can be used for multiple icon sets.

In the single player game, the goal is also to complete the eight mission objectives before the end of the four program years, but some cards are removed from the market after every round, so you must plan for the next year.

All of the projects in the game are based on real NASA projects and products.

-description from designer

🔬 game anatomy
BGG rating7.1 / 10
Vibe
Co-opStrategy
Play time
60–120 min
Players
1–6
Recommended age
14+ yrs

from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does 4 Years to Mars cost?
No store is currently tracking 4 Years to Mars. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy 4 Years to Mars cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play 4 Years to Mars?
4 Years to Mars is a card game game, for 1–6 players, taking ~60–120 minutes, featuring cooperative game. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about 4 Years to Mars — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does 4 Years to Mars support?
4 Years to Mars is played by 1–6 players.
Q5How long does a game of 4 Years to Mars take?
A game of 4 Years to Mars takes about 60–120 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is 4 Years to Mars for?
4 Years to Mars is recommended from age 14.
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