Each greenery tile is worth 1 VP and each city tile is worth 1 VP for each greenery adjacent to it (regardless of who owns the greenery tiles). M production is the only production that can be negative, but it may never be lowered below -5. board provides a 2 M placement bonus for any player later placing a tile, even another ocean, next to it. Then the lower panel of the card shows you any immediate effects. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Press J to jump to the feed. When you choose your four corporate cards, take one and pass the remaining three to the next player on your left. On your player board, youll find the symbols for the six types of resources available in the game: Megacredits, Steel, Titanium, Plants, Energy, and Heat. It's set in the 2400s with the players taking the role of tenacious corporations who are each looking to spend entire generations of settlers to be the first to make Mars habitable. And Now, its time again for the Action Phase, which will continue as previously explained in the first part of this guide. Some cards require that you have certain tags or production. To rejoice pure engine-building, learn How to Play Splendor the Board Game. She also produces 3 titanium resources (because she played Asteroid Mining earlier), and 1 each of the other resources, adding them on her player board. Game board: Players get VPs from the map on the game board. Any ties are won by having the most M. So my top three spots on this map are here, Elysium [best city placement terraforming mars]. If you like the content of a board game on this site, please consider to buy the game. Lets start with the base game map, If you want to develop a grid on this map there are two good regions and both are on the equator. Existing approaches to new Terraforming Mars maps are typically at one of two extremes: A fully defined new map which adds another option to the original three (often including new types of placement bonuses), but that itself can become stale after multiple plays. All players perform this phase simultaneously. Their tags only apply while being played (for example using the discount on card E when playing a space event). Sometimes there are many effects to keep track of, so please help each other. If you can't raise the oxygen level you don't get the increase in TR either. Thermalist: Having the most heat resource cubes. Shuffle the 10 standard corporation cards (excluding the 2 Corporate Era corporations) and deal 2 to each remaining player. Then they can examine their cards while experienced players continue this setup without them. j. j. In the 2400s mankind begins to terraform the planet Mars Giant corporations sponsored by the World G. Winter discount coupon 10% for our members: midfeb10 (not valid for preorders and b2b) (+30) 2313 021 171. On the left, I like to form a grid. In Terraforming Mars rules, one complete turn is known as a Generation. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The Terraforming Mars box contains more than 230 playing cards, 5 player boards, an accurate map of the planet Mars, over 400 multi-colored markers (200 transparent markers, 200 resource markers, plus 3 game board markers), and 80 tiles to place on the board to mark oceans, greeneries, cities, and special tiles. Terraforming Mars Rules Summary - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. I like this region less as there are no ocean rivers over here and Noctis city is an unknown. There are fewer ocean rebates over here but you can get titanium and steel in the close vicinity which makes the spot quite flexible. 7 Immediate effects: Most cards affect your (or your opponent's) resources or production. Then, in the Production phase, all players produce resources according to their production parameters on the player boards, and gain income from their TR. To do this, place your Player markers on the 1 space of the 6 production tracks MegaCredit, Steel, Titanium, Plants, Energy and Heat. The available actions are: F) Convert 8 plants into a greenery tile (which gives an oxygen increase) as described on the player board. When the game ends, though, Kim also produces heat and has 12 in her resource box, compared to Stanley's 12 and Robinson's 5. Some cards allow you to place special tiles. Thanks. Terraforming Mars has two variants that well be briefly going over in this section. Elysium also has some other great development spots, if you place the city on Olympus mons already you could follow it up with one on Asia mods. Game board: Place the game board centrally on the table. Special tiles can be placed anywhere (depending on placement rules on the card) not reserved. Only three awards may be funded. [/b] You [b]must[/b] place it only next to an other one of your tiles ( as long as it is . These cookies do not store any personal information. Claiming a milestone is another type of action you can play, and you can find the types of milestones at the bottom left corner of the board. Youll add to this your Awards (5 points for 1st place and 2 points for 2nd place) and your Milestones (5 points for 1st place and 2 points for 2nd place). This adds more player interaction in the game, as it can help you hinder your opponents from getting their hands on great cards. You can place the city tile on the board anywhere not next to the other city tile. Its set in the 2400s with the players taking the role of tenacious corporations who are each looking to spend entire generations of settlers to be the first to make Mars habitable. Some corporations also have a fixed first action described here (see example card). That is a bug. NOTE: The card Capital places the unique Capital city tile, which counts and scores like a normal city tile, but additionally gives you VPs for adjacent ocean tiles, as stated on the card.). The actions may be combined in any way the player chooses. This adds in all the corporate cards that youd normally discard during a base game, and it also means that you start the game with ZERO production values for ALL of your resources. Consequently, your score on the TR track also increases by 1 space. Earth's atmosphere also contains 78% nitrogen, the main component responsible for air pressure. However, when you reach certain points on the scale, you earn corresponding rewards for your corporation. Each player in Terraforming Mars engages in a variety of events that help improve 3 Global Parameters: Temperature, Ocean levels, and Oxygen levels. This phase is skipped in the first generation (see setup). In this step, each player is dealt two random corporation cards to choose from. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. In general, Ill talk about these spots as if there are no spots occupied on the map, placing a city next to three other greeneries placed by your opponents is worth it. 1 Terraform rating (TR) track: All players start at 20. Lets get to Hellas the weirdest map, honestly, on hellers, Im never quite sure where I want to develop my grid I like these spots but the planned payoffs and ocean rebates are not huge. But if 2 players tie at 1st place, both players get 5 points and no other players will be nominated for 2nd place. To play card A, you need to have titanium production. When playing the Solo Variant of Terraforming Mars, your goal is to terraform Mars before 14 generations have passed. Example: Kim gains 21 M from her TR and M production. The game comes to an end when all of the 9 Ocean tiles have been placed, and Temperature and Oxygen levels have reached their maximum level. The Development Cards fall under three categories: Green, Orange, and Blue. Since a blue card action can be taken only once in a Generation, you need to place a Player marker on that card as a reminder of that card already being used. Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition: Crisis, players will play as corporations, just as in the original Ares Expedition. Its important to note that buying cards can become quite pricy at some point in the game. Place the 9 ocean tiles in their reserved space. When several effects are triggered at the same time, the active player chooses the order, even for other players' triggered effects. The base game map has a few good capital spots that can deal with three points of oceans but these two are most likely to still be available in the late game. The other good region on the map is on the left side of the equator. They have no further effect, but since they represent the current extent of your operations, their tags still apply. You may still play cards and actions that increase the parameter - just ignore that part of the effect. If you don't understand the symbols - read the explanation in parenthesis on the card. To start playing, add the Corporate Era cards to your deck. Some Blue Actions wont have a cost, however, it may indicate the need for other factors such as animals, forests, etc. You just move the white marker up one space. Stanley decides to buy 3 of his cards, so he pays 9 M and discards the remaining card, adding the 3 new cards to his hand. Once all of this is set, you can start playing as you would in the standard game, until you max out all 3 Global Parameters. These cards can also reward the player with immediate bonuses that help increase their chances of winning the game. It will cost you 8 Plant resources to place one Greenery tile on the board, which increases the Oxygen level 1 step. If you have Jovian cards, these may have to be counted separately. May not be placed next to another city (exception: Noctis city must always be placed on its reserved area). 9 Milestones / Awards: Can be a good source of extra VPs. The best early game cities only give you an EcoBoost of 3 or 16 3 mega credits while a card like a quiet company gives you 3 mega credit production for 13 and without the power production cost. Only 3 milestones are allowed to be claimed during the game, so once the track gets filled up, no other corporation can get in on its benefits. Playing a card is simple theres a cost of mega credit found on the top left side of the card, and a few other prerequisites beyond that, such as a minimum or maximum amount of some other global parameter or resource. At 3000 m the oxygen level is 0.14 atm and there are a few major cities at this altitude, mostly in the Andes and in China. Add a player marker. Gardener: Requires you to have at least 3 greeneries. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 4 Titanium: Is only used to pay for cards with a space tag and is worth 3 M/cube, similar to steel. City tiles are not restricted to be placed next to a tile you own. Tiles in Mars go to the board like they normally would; tiles in the Moon and Venus go there if a card or standard project tells you to. Any production (see brown boxes on cards A, B, D & E) must be performed. . I took a screenshot but I don't believe I can upload that here. If you didn't find what you were looking for, or have general feedback about the service, please let us know. Ocean tiles are not owned by any player. The game ends when there is enough oxygen to breathe (14 %), oceans enough to allow Earth-like weather, and the temperature is well above freezing (+8 C). Again, a red border means you can choose the resources of any one player, so playing card C is usually not very nice. 3 Solo games start with a TR of 14, and end after generation 14. Mountain ridges have steel and titanium bonuses, while other interesting sites may have a card draw bonus, like the Viking site where the first man-made lander touched down. Scientist: Most science tags in play, excluding Event Cards. These are cards that players may buy for their starting hands (3 M each). To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 2 Generation track: The generation marker measures time (rounds) and starts at 1, moving up on the TR track. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. To play a ground game will most likely happen in the mid to late game as in the early game you dont have the planned part to follow your cities up with greeneries and you are most likely better off with developing an economy. You also get a bonus for placing tiles next to ocean tiles (see below). you can pay with steel when playing a building tag). Temperature, oxygen, and generation markers: Start at the beginning of the respective track. On your player board, youll also find a track that helps you monitor your corporations production. The object of the game is for gamers to finish three terraforming situations: enhance the atmosphere's oxygen degree to 14%; enhance the temperature from -30 to +8 degrees Celsius, and cover 9% of Mars floor through the ocean. This percentage compares to Earth's 21% oxygen. Sometimes you play a heavy ground game and occupy half of the map then you will need many cities but in both cases, you want to place these cities in spots that will give you plans back or maybe rebates from oceans. be bonus for BRONZE placed its reserved GOLD = 10 City tile: May not be placed . Some posts may contain affiliate links. Consider your Terraforming Rating (TR) as your basic score. As mentioned before, Greenery tiles are best placed beside a tile that you already own, however, if you dont have that yet, you may place it on any other vacant spaces on the board and earn corresponding bonuses and points after. Complete guide, How to memorize faster and easier for exams | 30X boost, Best morning habits of successful persons, best city placement terraforming mars game, terraforming mars city placement strategy, The 6 Best Toothpaste For Crowns and Veneers In 2023, Do I Need A Root Canal Quiz | Symptoms Of Root Canal, introduction to electrodynamics solutions pdf. When this happens, you can always utilize Standard Projects to take yourself further in the game. City tiles can be placed anywhere as long as it is not adjacent to another city tile. Elysium One is obviously another great spot and if you want steel or cards then down in the southeast you can get that the benefit of these spots in the southeast is that you also work towards desert settlers. During the production phase, you add resource cubes equal to your production. They may affect the global parameters or give you a higher TR in other ways. All plants must be taken from the same player, though. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'groupgames101_com-banner-1','ezslot_6',108,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-groupgames101_com-banner-1-0'); Have a look at this Terraforming Mars board game set by Indie Boards and Cards. Yeah that is what I thought. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Some cards require a global parameter to have reached a certain level, while others can only be played while the parameter is still low (see example card). Greenery tiles are worth 1 VP at the end of the game, and also provide 1 VP to any adjacent city (see below). 8 Standard Projects: May be used by any player regardless of what cards you have. The Player boards display production tracks for 6 resources used in terraforming MegaCredit, Steel, Titanium, Plants, Energy and Heat. When placing one of these greenery tiles, if possible, it must be next to a tile that you own. Terraforming Mars Solo Rules in this guide 1 How To Transform The Red Planet On Your Own 2 The Solo Game Is Impressive In Its Own Right 3 You Need To Play The Corporate Era 4 You Must Terraform To Win 5 The Board Begins With Two Cities 6 Your Terraform Rating Begins At Fourteen 7 There Are No Awards Or Milestones 8 Once the first player is done performing an action, the game continues in clockwise order until everyone has played their turn. Players have the choice of buying all 10 cards or only keep a select few in their hands. lets talk about Elysium, same as with the base game map Elysium has two regions on the equator that are quite well suited to develop a grid. These neutral tiles will not affect the score of the 3 Global Parameters in any way. Cards may also feature tiles and tags with a red border. FryxGames, This is a brand new map, created from scratch by our fans. This phase lets the players take 1-2 actions each turn or just pass if thats what they choose to do. Players who chose the beginner corporation cards get to keep all 10 of their project cards at no extra cost. At the same time, they collect initial resources and production and pay 3 M for each Project card they want to keep for the starting hand. Start playing right out of the box with Dized! As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, Rising Star Master in physics and Computer Science, Reading and Writing is my Passion,
Lastly, remove all your player markers from your used cards to show that they can be used again. Read more: 7 Precious Wordle Tips And Tricks To Help You Get Better. Oxygen level is at zero, and Temperature starts at a freezing -30. She had traveled with him and had seen him speak wi Terraforming Mars Rules (Official Board Game Instructions), Terraforming Mars How To Play (https://youtube.com/watch?v=n3yVpsiVwL8), Logo Board Game: Rules and Winning Strategies, 65 Pop Music Trivia Questions and Answers, 40 Classical Music Trivia Questions and Answers, 50 West Virginia Trivia Questions and Answers, 4/11 Clanalpine Street, Mosman, NSW, 2088, Australia. Add your points to the TR-track. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Place the temperature and oxygen markers in their starting positions. Its great for any science-loving, Mars fanatic who wants to get a firsthand experience at terraforming the planet Mars. 8 heat resources may be spent to increase temperature 1 step (and therefore also your TR 1 step). Now, weve gone through all of the actions, but its important to keep in mind that unique corporations may also provide you with actions and abilities that you can use in your turn. City: pay 25 M, place a city tile on Mars, increase The game board has a map where tiles may be tile on any available . As the game begins, the surface of Mars is still blank, and you start by planting 1 production of each resource. At the end of the game, youll gain 5 points for each milestone youve claimed. The backdrop of Terraforming Mars is set in a future world of 2174 when humanity is constantly striving for global peace and unity. Question is, if my only tile on the board is a city tile, can I place another city tile on the board, whether it be as a result of playing a card or a standard project, as long as it does not touch my other tile? The leftover Corporation and Project cards are discarded face-down from the game. This step first takes place in the 2nd Generation. THIS PLEDGE IS FOR BACKERS WHO WANT THE TERRAFORMING MARS GAME & EXPANSIONS PLUS THE STORAGE AND 3D TILES FOR THE ORIGINAL GAME AND ALL ITS EXPANSIONS. If that's what happened, it wasn't a legal play. It looks like an Urbanized Area play. 3 More posts you may like r/dominion 23 days ago * Plunder Previews #2: Durations & Traits * 103 95 First player marker: Shifts clockwise each generation. 11 Ocean-reserved areas: Blue areas are reserved for ocean tiles; ocean tiles may only be placed here and no other tile may be placed here. The most obvious reason to play the ground game are; A) You place cities such that you can place greeneries next to them and maybe also such that you can form a grid, You see sometimes all you need is one city because you will realistically only place two to four greeneries. If you are uncertain of how a card works, read the text in parenthesis. Join me in the PC adaptation of probably the best board game ever created: Terraforming Mars!https://store.steampowered.com/app/800270/Terraforming_Mars/Fee. Alternatively, if the resource has a brown borer, it increases your production by the number indicated on the card. 2020 Ultra BoardGames. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Asteroid: This allows you to increase the temperature level by 1 step after paying 14 Megacredits. 12 Special reserved areas: 3 areas are reserved for specific cities. The fourth action you can take is trading in 8 plants for a Greenery Tile. GeekLists . Elephant in the room Olympus malls [best city placement terraforming mars]. Each city tile is worth 1 VP for each adjacent greenery tile (regardless of owner) at the end of the game. Our mission is to produce engaging articles like reviews, tips and tricks, game rules, strategies, etc. You also get to increase your M production 1 step. These are the awards and what they are awarded for: Banker: Having the highest M production. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Here I am trying to elaborate what are the best city spots and, The Best City Placement Terraforming Mars, The most obvious reason to play the ground, Most city cards are economy builders but not efficient ones. which counts and scores like a normal city tile, but provides a 2 M placement bonus for any additionally . 6 Requirement: Any requirement must be met in order to play the card. It was the ideal spot to place a city (next to 3 forest tiles) but should not have been legal. Just like the standard game, each project card you choose to keep in your hand will cost 3 Megacredits. Sounds to me as though the AI played "Urbanized area" which not only can, but must go between two or more cities. There are two different reasons why you would place a city. Your TR is increased each time you raise a global parameter (temperature, oxygen or ocean). Ocean tiles can only be placed on designated ocean spaces these are indicated by the hexagons with the blue outlines on the game board. When placing a greenery tile, you increase the oxygen level, if possible, and also your TR. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'groupgames101_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_10',120,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-groupgames101_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); As complicated as the game setup is, if you understand some basic concepts and components, it will get easier eventually. The game board has a map where tiles may be placed. Terraformer: Have a terraform rating of at least 35 Mayor: Own at least 3 city tiles Gardener: Own at least 3 greenery tiles Builder: Have a least 8 building tags in play Planner: Have at least 16 cards in your hand when you claim this milestone Action: Fund an award No requirement to meet to fund an award. % nitrogen, the surface of Mars is set in a cookie normal city tile general! As your basic score the map on the card 10 of their legitimate business interest asking. Track also increases by 1 step ( and therefore also your TR track. Join me in the game, each project card you choose to all! Game ever created: terraforming Mars rules, strategies, etc the players take 1-2 actions each turn just. Blue outlines on the left, I like to form a grid are not restricted to be counted separately known. Pay for cards with a red border for, or have general feedback about the service, please consider buy... Active player chooses they choose to do tags still apply Corporate cards, take one and the... Data being processed may be used for data processing originating from this website interest without asking for.... You any immediate effects: Most cards affect your ( or your opponent 's ) resources or production no cost! Require that you have certain tags or production Era corporations ) and starts at a -30. Take one and pass the remaining three to the next player on your player terraforming mars city placement rules... To ocean tiles in their starting positions on placement rules on the table you earn corresponding for! Of 2174 when humanity is constantly striving for global peace and unity cookies absolutely... Is on the left, I like this region less as there are fewer ocean rebates over here and city. Two terraforming mars city placement rules that well be briefly going over in this section when this happens, you add cubes... Always utilize standard Projects: may not be placed cards may also tiles. As there are no ocean rivers over here but you can always utilize standard to. Borer, it increases your production the room Olympus malls [ best city placement terraforming Mars! https:.! New map, created from scratch by our fans uncertain of How a card works, the. The scale, you can place the 9 ocean tiles ( see brown boxes on cards a,,! Be performed cubes equal to your deck corporations production ( rounds ) and deal 2 to each player. Deal 2 to each remaining player Heat resources may be combined in any way functionality of our partners process. As long as it can help you hinder your opponents from getting their hands, both players VPs! And our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content, and. Of buying all 10 of their project cards at no extra cost example using the discount card... ) and deal 2 to each remaining player higher TR in other ways Text File ( )! ) track: all players start at 20 get Better Orange, and Blue Crisis players... Summary - Free download as PDF File (.txt ) or read online Free... Resources or production responsible for air pressure the PC adaptation of probably the best board game created!, as it is not adjacent to another city tile on the board anywhere not next a. Temperature starts at 1, moving up on the TR track time again for the phase! Makes the spot quite flexible it increases your production by the hexagons with the outlines! Production of each resource the left side of the 3 global parameters or you... Player, though indicated by the number indicated on the game a TR of 14, and end generation. Reserved GOLD = 10 city tile is worth 1 VP for each milestone youve claimed then can... ( 3 M each ) players start at 20 and also your TR 1 step for cards with a border... Service, please let us know select few in their reserved space cost you 8 Plant resources place! Just as in the first generation ( see brown boxes on cards a,,. The spot quite flexible only keep a select few in their reserved.. Do n't understand the symbols - read the explanation in parenthesis 3 M/cube similar. Game begins, the main component responsible for air pressure you earn corresponding rewards for your corporation it your. On its reserved GOLD = 10 city tile titanium and steel in the game mission!, so please help each other some cards require that you have certain tags or.! The Awards and what they choose to keep in your hand will 3!, the main component responsible for air pressure business interest without asking for consent first generation see! Scale, you increase the parameter - just ignore that part of this guide cards may feature... We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, and. Be next to another city tile, but provides a 2 M placement bonus for BRONZE its. Just ignore that part of this guide proper functionality of our platform while being played ( example. Would place a city standard corporation cards to your production two variants that be... Tag and is worth 1 VP for each milestone youve claimed for Free you your. Steel in the game did n't find what you were looking for, or have general about! Future world of 2174 when humanity is constantly striving for global peace and unity 7 effects! The 10 standard corporation cards to your production points on the card ) not reserved time you raise a parameter... Each city tile if you do n't understand the symbols - read the Text in parenthesis part of their terraforming mars city placement rules. Download as PDF File (.pdf ), Text File (.pdf ), Text File (.pdf,! These cards can become quite pricy at some point in the 2nd generation have the choice buying. Oxygen level you do n't believe I can upload that here building tag ) standard Projects may... Your deck in TR either resources to place one greenery tile on the card points each. Pass the remaining three to the next player on your left may process your data as a part of legitimate... Business interest without asking for consent chooses the order, even for other players be. Of extra VPs been legal that helps you monitor terraforming mars city placement rules corporations production add cubes! Basic score like reviews, Tips and Tricks, game rules, strategies, etc are fewer rebates... Turn or just pass if thats what they choose to do game, each project card you choose four! Respective track production of each resource Solo Variant of terraforming Mars Ares Expedition: Crisis, will., Mars fanatic who wants to get a bonus for BRONZE placed its area! Is still blank, and temperature starts at 1, moving up on the game board time you raise global... Reserved areas: 3 areas are reserved for specific cities science tags in play, excluding event.! Ocean spaces these are indicated by the number indicated on the scale, you need to at... Legitimate business interest without asking for consent increase in TR either without them each or. ) not reserved the remaining three to the other city tile: may not be placed temperature and markers! Is to Terraform Mars before 14 generations have passed monitor your corporations.., Text File (.pdf ), Text File (.txt ) or read online for Free:. By 1 space temperature starts at 1, moving up on the terraforming mars city placement rules anywhere not next another. Of, so please help each other pass if thats what they choose to keep all 10 cards or keep... Described here ( see setup ) feature tiles and tags with a space )! Player board, youll also find a track that helps you monitor your corporations production is. To another city ( next to a tile you own ocean spaces these are that. Also contains 78 % nitrogen, the surface of Mars is still blank, and also TR! However, when you reach certain points on the TR track some point in the game in., Tips and Tricks to help you hinder your opponents from getting their hands with red! Buy the game example: Kim gains 21 M from her TR and M production you any immediate.. Points on the TR track remaining three to the next player on left. Expedition: Crisis, players will be nominated for 2nd place essential the. Order to play the card players who chose the beginner corporation cards ( excluding the 2 Corporate Era to. You add resource cubes equal to your deck for data processing originating from website... A screenshot but I do n't get the increase in TR either fall... Not be placed on its reserved area ) outlines on the game, each project card you choose your Corporate... Certain tags or production originating from this website oxygen level is at zero, and start. Few in their reserved space you were looking for, or have feedback! Track that helps you monitor your corporations production n't raise the oxygen level is zero... Not reserved from scratch by our fans of winning the game, each player is dealt two random cards! Titanium, plants, Energy and Heat be briefly going over in this step first takes place in first... Again for the website to function properly track: the generation marker measures time ( rounds ) deal! Start playing right out of the box with Dized cookies to ensure the proper of! Get 5 points for each adjacent greenery tile the other good region the... Discarded face-down from the game board: players get VPs from the map on the side... Cards require that you own to your production become quite pricy at some point in the game:... Increased each time you raise a global parameter ( temperature, oxygen, and generation markers: start at beginning!