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Fire up your engines for a racing game for one to six players! Heat: Pedal to the Metal is gaining speed, so we thought we'd introduce you to the game and show you how to play.
Your goal is to reach the finish line faster than your opponents. Sound simple? It is! But be careful not to spin out, overheat your engine, or succumb to stress. Being the fastest is only half the battle! You also have to strategize to reach the finish line with your car intact.
Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a unique racing game experience where chance is built into the game. In the thrill of the race, your speed can get away from you if you're not careful. That's why Stress cards add a bit of extra risk to gameplay. As you're racing to the finish, the pressure gets to you, so playing Stress cards allows you to lean into the risk, adding a random amount to your Speed total. Drive too fast and you'll spin out, but if you steer into the skid, you may drift across the finish line.
The game is played over a series of rounds. Each round is divided into nine steps, many of which players move through together. Throughout the steps, you'll switch gears and move across the racetrack, careful to round corners safely and strategically. Some steps are mandatory for all players, indicated with an exclamation point on your player board, and must be completed by all players before moving on to the next step. Along the way, you may face optional steps to help you advance in the race.
In Step One, players switch gears. You'll check the gear you're currently in and decide whether you'd like to stay in the same gear or move up or down one gear. To move up or down two gears, you can pay one Heat by moving a Heat card from your Engine to your discard pile.
In Step Two, you'll play as many cards as indicated in your current gear. Bear in mind, you must play the exact number of cards, and you cannot choose to play less. So, choose your gear wisely! Cards will be played facedown and revealed in the next step.
In Step Three, players move forward on the track. Players flip their cards face up and resolve them starting with the player in the lead and moving to the back of the line. Cards with a speed meter on them are used to propel your card forward.
Throughout the race your hand will accumulate stress cards, which cannot be discarded and must be played. Stress cards have a variable speed which will make planning your turn difficult.
The combined total of all your speed cards and added value from your stress cards is your Speed. Your Speed is important for rounding corners safely, which comes up in Step Seven.
During Step Three, you'll also complete any other applicable steps from four through eight. Some of these are cleanup steps, but others can really impact your Speed and progress on the track.
If you're in last place, Step Four is designed to help you catch up. In this step, the last player can add an extra space to their Speed before or after adding Step Five's Boost. This player also receives one extra Cooldown, also for use in Step Five.
Step Five helps you speed up and cool down. Players add up each of the symbols they've accumulated over the round, including Heat and Cooldown. Players can also Boost once per round by expending one Heat. They then reveal cards from their deck until they reveal a Speed card, then add it to their Speed total and discard all other revealed cards. For each Cooldown you have, you may place a Heat card from your hand on your Engine, replenishing your Heat for the next round.
If you end your movement beside or behind another car, you'll complete Step Six, which allows you to slipstream, advancing your car two spaces in front of that car. You can only do so once per turn.
If you drove around a corner this turn, you'll complete Step Seven. This is where you'll determine whether you spin out. You'll compare your total Speed against the Speed Limit indicated on the corner you crossed, and if your total was higher, you must pay Heat equal to the difference between your Speed and the Speed Limit to safely navigate it. If you cannot pay this cost, you spin out. More information on spinning out can be found in the rulebook.
In Step Eight, you can discard any number of cards you'd like, except Stress or Heat cards, which must remain in your hand. Step Nine replenishes your hand. You'll move all faceup cards in your play area to the discard pile and draw back up to seven cards, moving on to the next round of play.
Once a player successfully crosses the finish line after completing the necessary number of laps, they win! The game moves very quickly, with players vying to take the lead more and more each round as the race heats up.
Now that you have your driver's permit and know how fast-paced and fun Heat: Pedal to the Metal is put your driving skills to the test at our Heat: Pedal to the Metal Tournament! The top three winners will receive exclusive cars and a cut of the prize pool. Take your cars to the track and race for glory at our North Phoenix location on Apr. 25th at 11:30 AM.
