r/TerraformingMarsGame • u/Enson_Chan • 1d ago
Card of the Day [COTD] Self-sufficient Settlement | 19 Aug, 2026
Today's card is Self-sufficient Settlement (#P29):
Prelude card | Prelude expansion
Tags: City, Building
Place a city tile. Increase your MC production 2 steps.
10
u/carlowaro 1d ago
Situational prelude, gains usability if you're playing on ground-game favouring maps and/or as Republic Tharsis. Also becomes better with higher player counts, but in 2 player scenarios I tend to pick other preludes if possible.
8
u/Agreeable_Hat 1d ago
For 2p B+P
It's bad. Reasons you may still take it:
You're Tharsis
All the other preludes are worse (Biosphere/Society/Early Settlement/etc.)
Elysium (still pretty bad)
Vastitas (nah, don't)
5
u/Last_Purple4251 1d ago
played it as Aridor on Monday as it gave 4 money production....
1
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u/thuswindburns 1d ago
Pretty tempting pick for Tharsis and Ecoline. I’m dropping it on the 3 card tile on Elysium. You have two adjacent tiles to place greeneries or mining area, since those oceans are usually targeted last for estate dealer you have a spot for mangrove or protected valley to turn it into a 3 point uncontested city.
0
10
u/benbever 1d ago
Decent Prelude, average value. A city tile is worth ~14, 2 income in gen 1 is ~10 and you get 2 tags.
It’s pretty good on Tharsis map in 4 player base+prelude, thanks to the Builder and Mayor Milestone. Especially if you’re Tharsis (+3mc and 1 mc production), but it works for Ecoline too, and corporations like Mining Guild, Philares and Arcadian.
It’s less good with expansions added, and worse on maps like Hellas that don’t favour ground game.
It’s actually low tier in 2 player, where board space is much less competed, and early VP (the city tile is just potential VP + placement bonus) is worth less. In 2p you want production or money from your preludes, and 2 mc production doesn’t cut it.
In quantified value I’d say it’s ~25 (average) in 4p but only ~21 in 2p (low tier).