How to Play Terra Mystica: Terraforming, Power & Six Rounds
Terra Mystica is a six-round asymmetric strategy game. Each faction prefers one terrain type, so expansion requires terraforming neighboring hexes before building. Structures create income, power and board presence.
Start each round with income
Collect workers, coins, priests and power according to the exposed income symbols on your faction board and any bonuses from tiles or other effects.
Players alternate one action at a time
On your turn, take one main action: terraform and build, upgrade a structure, improve shipping, improve terraforming, send a priest to a cult track, use a power action, use a special action or pass.
Terraform before building
Your faction can build dwellings only on its home terrain. Converting other terrain costs spades based on the distance around the terrain cycle and your faction’s terraforming ability.
Upgrade structures to change income and power value
Dwellings upgrade to trading houses, then to stronghold or temple paths depending on the structure tree. Upgrades cover one income profile and reveal another, so building choices change both current board power and future economy.
Power cycles through three bowls
Power charging moves tokens through bowl I, bowl II and into bowl III, where power becomes spendable. Buildings constructed near opponents can let them charge power, creating a tradeoff between cheaper adjacency and helping rivals.
Cult tracks and towns create secondary scoring paths
Priests can advance on the four cult tracks. Connected groups of structures that meet the required power value can form towns and take town tiles, producing immediate benefits and end-game value.
Passing locks your round
When you pass, choose an available bonus tile for the next round where applicable. You take no more actions that round while the remaining players continue.
After round 6, score network and cult tracks
Final scoring adds the largest connected structure network and cult-track rankings to VP already earned during rounds, towns and faction effects.