Mission Red Planet is a board game created by game designers Bruno Cathala and Bruno Faidutti in 2005. I like it for the chaotic gameplay, it’s difficult to strategize as all you plans are continually fall apart, it’s all part of Mission Red Planet and other games by Bruno Faidutti.
There is a second edition of the game created in 2015 which adds components for up to six players instead of five, a special two-player variant rule, and new action cards and revised mission and discovery cards. Mars' moon Phobos as a new zone that astronauts can explore before possibly returning to the planet itself.
While the new cards and new Phobos zone, and the reversal of the numbers is thematic, the artwork of the original is a little bit better. The two player rules can also be used with the original.
faiduttian chaos
BGG discussion threads: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1055082/taming-faiduttis-mrp https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/356798/chaos-annoys-me
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1997801/anyone-else-feel-game-quite-random
playing without discovery cards
“According to the rules you shuffle the Event cards (which consists of Bonus Points and Discovery cards) and deal three to each player. Then players pick one Bonus Point to keep (or draw again if they didn’t get any).
Since all that matters is Bonus Point cards to start, separate them out from the Discovery cards to start. For 3-4 players, deal each person three Bonus Point cards and they keep one. With 5 players deal each person two and they keep one. For 5 players you could even go around from the start player and trade in one for a random pull from the “blind” that remains and go around the table that way, then decide which of your two cards to keep.
After players have drawn, shuffle the remaining Bonus Points back in with the Discovery cards and start the game.”
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/177217/deal-only-bonus-cards-start
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/177212/playing-without-discovery-cards
solo
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2682117/intelligent-ai-solo
other games by faidutti
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/356907/mascarade-second-edition
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171663/attila
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17450/argo
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1792370/ad-astra-review
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/297661/gold-river
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/155192/knightmare-chess-third-edition