Milestones & awards
Milestones and awards are worth up to 25 points a game, and they’re the cheapest points on the board when they’re bought right. They are also public, countable, and racy — which suits a player who likes knowing the score.
The milestones (claim for 8 MC, worth 5 VP, only 3 claimable)
Section titled “The milestones (claim for 8 MC, worth 5 VP, only 3 claimable)”On the standard board:
| Milestone | Needs | Who gets it naturally |
|---|---|---|
| Terraformer | TR 35 | The tempo player |
| Mayor | 3 cities | City builds |
| Gardener | 3 greeneries | Plant engines |
| Builder | 8 building tags | Steel-heavy hands |
| Planner | 16 cards in hand | Card hoarders (rare on purpose) |
Five points for 8 MC is the best price in the game — under 2 MC per point, roughly a 3× discount on the fair rate. Even forcing one with standard projects usually pays: three SP greeneries plus the claim is ~20 MC for 5 VP, still better than most cards. The catch is the race: only three of the five can ever be claimed, and head-to-head claiming one also denies one.
Two 2-player notes the general advice misses: Gardener goes fast (almost any corp can reach three greeneries by generation 3 if it tries), and Planner is genuinely live at two players — long 2p games reward card hoarding, and strong engine players routinely sit on 15+ cards mid-game. If you’re the engine player tonight, Planner may simply fall into your lap; watch for Matthew reaching for it too. The general shape: the player pushing pace collects milestones, the value player collects awards.
Claim on turn-order pressure, not on comfort. If Matthew could qualify before your next action — he’s at 7 building tags and acts first, say — claim NOW, even inefficiently; his next turn is “play a building, take the milestone.” But a milestone only you can reach can wait while the 8 MC works elsewhere. The unforgivable version is being surprised by his claim. If you’re one step short of a race, forcing the step early (the city you’d have built anyway, the greenery a generation sooner) is usually right — even three standard-project greeneries to lock Gardener prices out at ~20 MC for 5 VP, still one of the better deals available.
Planner deserves a note: holding 16 cards to claim it fights everything the economy chapter said. It’s for hands that were hoarding anyway, not a plan.
The awards (fund for 8/14/20 MC, 5 VP first place)
Section titled “The awards (fund for 8/14/20 MC, 5 VP first place)”Landlord (tiles), Banker (MC production), Scientist (science tags), Thermalist (heat), Miner (steel + titanium resources). Only three can be funded; the price climbs with each funding.
The funding math is different from the milestone math because funding doesn’t score — winning does. And in a two-player game the official rule is harsher than most guides mention: second place is not awarded at all. Lose an award — even one you funded — and you get nothing.
Fund only awards you’ve already effectively won, and fund them late. An award you fund and lose is 8-20 MC set on fire plus 5 free points to Matthew. Strong players call careless funding “the most common way to throw a close game.” The dream is the late, uncontested fund of a category you quietly dominated — 8-14 MC for a guaranteed 5-point swing.
Watch the categories you’re accidentally winning. Heat piles up in some games; so do science tags. An award you never planned for is still 5 points if you notice in time — and noticing before the third slot fills is the skill.
One named hazard: Banker is the swingiest award in the game. Several cards move MC production by huge steps in a single play (converting all heat production to money, +1 per space tag, and friends) — there are documented games of a +23 production swing in one turn. Never fund Banker on a small lead. And when your lead in a category is structural (he can’t realistically catch you), fund at the 8 MC slot early rather than 20 late — same 5 points, 2.5× cheaper.
The tension: 24 MC of side-board money
Section titled “The tension: 24 MC of side-board money”Fully racing milestones and awards costs real money in the exact window the economy wants it. The resolution is the usual one: milestones near-always (the price is too good), awards only from strength. And if the side board is lost — he’s claimed the natural milestones, the awards favor his engine — let it go without chasing. Ten points of side board can be replaced by five greeneries you funded with the money you didn’t burn racing.