I finally won a game of Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition! It uses the phase selection mechanisms from Puerto Rico / Race for the Galaxy and it's very important to pick the right phase (search for a card, play a card, produce resources, use actions) at the right time.
It's really different from ordinary Terraforming Mars. You don't get an engine going, and you need to do a lot of your actions with money instead of resources. But that's good. It doesn't make sense to have two games that play the same.
I'm starting to get hooked on this puzzle.
Jw, as per your advice I did try the app for Race for the Galaxy and it was pretty fun. Learning on the app went so much more smoother than when I attempted to learn with the physical game… now the problem is taking the time to bring out the cards when I can just “load it up” on my phone. 😜