The year is 1889. The Paris World's Fair is the most popular place to be, and the masses marvel at the latest technical achievement on exhibit. Meanwhile, the big industrial trusts, supported by their governments, are planning their next step — the conquest of Mars and the mining of the fantastic ores found in its subsoil. In Mission: RED PLANET players control one of these big corporations. They try to recruit the best scientists and astronauts and launch rockets both to explore the planet and to take control of the most promising places before anyone else arrives. Spies and armed forces are also required since this unexplored world is full of secrets and dangers. It exists many thousands of kilometers away from the nearest journalists, socialists and other such troublemakers resulting in no-holds-barred competition.