Heat: Pedal to the Metal

Games from the Cellar

This week, the panel accelerates into a game of Heat: Pedal to the Metal, designed by Asger Harding Granerud and Daniel Skjold Pedersen, and published by Days of Wonder in 2023.

Episode Summary: Heat: Pedal to the Metal is the new racing game from Days of Wonder. In this episode, we briefly outline the rules and basic running gear for Heat: Pedal to the Metal. We go on to discuss the different strategies used during our play and expand on the rules of the game. We take a detour to discuss where we found some shortcomings, but are happy to hear there is a fix underway. Then we end the episode with a discussion on our final thoughts about Heat: Pedal to the Metal.

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Chapters:

(0:01:02) - Racers, Start Your Engines! (0:06:46) - Lights Out, and Now We’re Racing (0:16:02) - Into the Barriers (0:24:45) - Crossing the Finish Line

Chapter Summaries:

(0:01:02) - Racers, Start Your Engines! (6 Minutes) The panel begins the episode with a conversation about acquiring Heat: Pedal to the Metal, remarkably, how John was able to go into a local retailer and pay cash for a game. We spend a little time remarking on the state of the gaming industry. John goes on to further explain why Heat: Petal to the Metal was an instant buy for him (Hint: It’s a racing game). We further expand on how Heat: Pedal to the Metal works, noting that it is a relatively quick game, there are no dice, and the bulk of the action happens with a deck of cards. The panel notes the ease with which the basics of the game can be learned. We conclude our opening discussion with our excitement to try Heat: Pedal to the Metal.

(0:06:46) - Lights Out, and Now We’re Racing (10 Minutes) The panel recaps the play of Heat: Pedal to the Metal, noting Stephen’s victory and Chris’ abysmal finish. We recap the rules, further clarifying the details outlined in the intro. Stress cards, Heat cards, and Speed cards are all discussed. We go on to discuss our strategies for getting around the track, and we hit on how luck is handled in the game. We discuss the pros and cons of catch-up mechanisms; the Adrenaline mechanic allows players who are in last place to gain a free space and dump a Heat card for free, while the Slipstream mechanism allows players in the back of the pack to stay close to the front. The panel discusses the thematic justification for these mechanics and debates whether or not they add to the gameplay. The panel is split on their usefulness.

(00:16:02) - Into the Barriers (8 Minutes) They also discuss the barrier to entry for learning the game and how more experienced players will be able to complete the game faster. There were some misses on the iconography and consistency throughout, but we were informed that there will be an updated rulebook available soon that should address these issues. We further discuss how some of the icons used can be difficult to parse initially, and how the rulebook seems to include extra, unnecessary steps. We wonder if this is to keep the game “family weight”, but land on that it might end up getting in the way. We finish this conversation by expanding on the state of the gaming industry.

(00:24:45) - Crossing the Finish Line (15 Minutes) The panel closes the discussion with their final thoughts on Heat: Pedal to the Metal. There is a brief tangent where we compare Heat: Pedal to the Metal to other racing games that we’ve played.

Shownotes created with assistance from https://podium.page