If by “throw away” you mean, “give them to people for whom they’re not bad cards”, I agree! Also, you look at four then three then two cards. That’s way more than four. Which is partly the point of drafting. More cards to consider means more opportunities to set up synergies.
But, yes, without drafting you only look at four, which is part of the problem. Terraforming Mars relies so much on synergies among the cards, and when you play with drafting, the players have more control over those synergies, in terms of setting them up and depriving other players of them. I’m not being facetious when I say that Terraforming Mars falls apart without drafting. It takes an intricate, gratifying, and thoughtful economic engine builder and undermines it with luck of the draw.
I don’t like kickstarting production at the beginning of the game. That should be something players have to deal with on their own. Sounds like baby mode to me! Harumph!
But now you have me curious about prelude. I already like the differences among the corporations, but you’re saying they’re even more different in one of the expansions? Hmm, that sounds like something I’d want.
-Tom