Terraforming Mars Robotic Workforce: What does it do?

Terraforming Mars is a classic board game with a lot of love and dedication put into it. There are so many cards and mechanics, however, so you might run into a few things that have been confusing for years. One of these mechanics is the card “Robotic Workforce,” a card that you can equip to a processing card to improve it. But, especially for new players, this can be a bit of an intimidating card. What does it actually mean? This guide to Terraforming Mars Robotic Workforce will give you a better understanding of the card’s mechanics.

What Does Robotic Workforce Actually Do In Terraforming Mars?

The Robotic Workforce card multiplies all bonuses – and penalties – within the equipped card’s Brown box by 2. This does not improve any other qualities of the card, only the card’s Brown box. So, if a card’s brown box reduces energy by 2 and gives you 2 steel and 1 titanium, you multiply those by 2; you lose 4 energy, gain 4 steel, and gain 2 titanium from the card instead. Any other effects on the card are not changed by robotic workforce.

This card can be an early-game monster depending on your gameplan. If you invest heavily into a single building, you can generate a ton of early-game resources. In the mid- and late-game, this can combo with other cards that affect production to make a behemoth of a card!

See Also: Best Terraforming Mars Organizer

That being said, be very careful about what you’re doubling. If you want a card that gives you a ton of resources to get doubled, those often have a downside. For instance, a Strip Mine takes two energy to run. If you double that, that will be a -4 penalty! That’s rough. Make sure you can afford to double this production, or consider a smaller improvement that has no downside.Speaking of Strip Mine, Strip Mine has the bonus of increasing Oxygen by 2 steps. However, Oxygen is not within the Brown Production Box. That means the robots do not double it.