The board game Mission: Red Planet is set in the year 1888, where players take on the roles of executives of ruthless mining corporations determined to exploit the unprecedented resources of Mars. The game was designed by Bruno Faidutti and Bruno Cathala. The goal of the game is to lead an expedition to the Red Planet, mine its minerals and ice, and become incredibly wealthy in the process. However, other corporations have the exact same plan.
In Mission: Red Planet, two to six players compete to occupy Mars and mine its celerium, sylvanite, and ice. Players earn points not only from extracting ore and ice but also from completing a secret mission, which may involve controlling specific zones on the planet or accumulating a certain type of ore. The player with the most points at the end of ten rounds wins.
Each phase of the mining expedition to Mars brings its own challenges. Each ship can hold only a few passengers, and with so many astronauts headed for Mars, it may be necessary to use cunning and sabotage to launch your astronauts into space. Once they land, they may have to fight other mining corporations for control of a zone. Astronauts can be ruthlessly killed by another corporation, or you yourself may have to eliminate a few astronauts. It might happen that a deposit zone has more ore than you hoped for, or it may contain less than expected.
Players start the game with a secret mission on the Red Planet and can acquire another mission during the game. A mission might involve controlling the entire southern hemisphere of Mars, stationing at least one astronaut in every zone, or accumulating piles of sylvanite, celerium, and ice. Other players will not know for certain what your secret mission is until the end of the game. The more subtly you work toward it, the less likely it is that your opponents will guess your agenda and work to sabotage your efforts.