Heat: Pedal to the Metal

This is a motor racing game with a deck management mechanism at its heart. Now, I do like a motor racing game, but deck management is not my favourite game mechanism. However, playing the game a few times has converted me.

As you'd expect with a motor racing game, you have different tracks to race on with the key limiting factor being the maximum speed in the corners. Exceeding this means penalties. In this case, that's discarding the 'Heat' cards you start with and it gets serious when you run out.

The Heat cards go into your discard pile and eventually recycle into your hand. You then have to find a way of making them available again (going slowly is the obvious one) or they're just clogging up your hand. As I've discovered, when you spend your Heat cards and when you get them back are crucial.

The beginners' game is pretty simple, but the game really takes off when you add in the extra features (customising your car/deck, adding non-player racers and, of course, the weather!).

For 1-6 players, aged 10+, playing time 30-60 minute

HEAT: Pedal to the Metal was designed by Asger Harding Granerud and Daniel Skjold Pedersen and is published by Days of Wonder

Find out more:
    HEAT: Pedal to the Metal at BoardGameGeek
    Pevans's first impressions of HEAT: Pedal to the Metal in TWJO 245 (PDF, 1 Mb)