Saturday, September 4, 2010

Events of Martian Rails: Green Mars!

Martian Rails (2009), the crayon board game manufactured by Mayfair Games about railroading on the Red Planet in which players build tracks and haul freight, has a long list of events to which players can respond in order to generate revenue for their rail companies. For example:

Green Mars! -- Spring comes suddenly to the Southern hemisphere. Due to the eccentricity of the orbit if Mars, the Southern hemisphere is much hotter in the summer and colder in the winter versus the Northern hemisphere. The Southern Ice Cap is partly water ice and partly frozen carbon dioxide. When it begins to melt, the floods often overflow the canal system and destroy all canal structures and bridges in their paths. The Northern Ice Cap is mostly water ice. Therefore, when it begins to melt, the floods often overflow the canal system and destroy all canal structures and bridges in their paths.

Martian Rails is loaded with references to Martian SF!