Cities of Martian Rails: Makian Farms to Mutchville

Martian Rails (2009), the crayon board game manufactured by Mayfair Games about railroading on the Red Planet in which players build tracks and haul freight in sleek trains with names like Spirit, Tweel and Viking, has a long list of interesting cities that players can capitalize on to generate revenue for their rail companies. For example:

Makian Farms – A medium sized town within the Hellas Basin (southeast section). The domes of this agricultural town control light, heat, air pressure, and localized gravity.

Margaritifer – A small settlement within the Margaritifer Sinus (south central section). The name for this region dates to the maps of Antoniadi in 1901. During the time of troubles, “The Hidden Colony” took refuge in this area.

Marsport – A large city in the northwest section. One of the original cities and spaceports.

Mariner – A small settlement deep in the Candor Chasma portion of Mariner Valley (Valles Marineris). This great valley system was only discovered and named in 1971 when the Mariner 9 spacecraft first orbited Mars.

Melas – A small settlement in the Melas Chasma portion of Mariner Valley. This is a wide spot in the Valley.

Meldilorn – A small settlement in the southeast section. It is on an island at the junction of two canals. The island is also an oasis.

Mutchville – A medium sized town in the north central section. This was the landing site of Viking 1. In 1981, the lander was renamed for a mission scientist of NASA’s Viking team—Thomas A. Mutch. The town that grew around the tourist site took the name of his memorial.

Martian Rails is loaded with references to Martian SF! Read the booklet of rules (pdf)!