Heat: Pedal to the Metal - Heavy Rain Expansion

Nice new maps and adds a 7th player

This expansion is just that - an expansion of the original. It does not change a whole lot, but simply adds 2 maps and a few added mechanics - and I love it! The maps are great and add Chicanes, which are some really fun sections, especially in the Mexico map. You also get an extra racer, Orange. I wish it was more than just one, but I will take it. There are a few cards added to better cope with the flooding on the Japan track (which can be used on any map), but the flooded mechanic really is not all that difficult to get through. It only affects shifting by adding one Heat. I do wish they added Legends (AI) cards that included the Orange helmet; however, I just have Orange follow whatever color racer I am from the original set. Works great! I love this expansion and enourage anyone who likes Heat: Pedal to the Metal to purchase it. The maps and added racer are great.

This expansion is just that - an expansion of the original. It does not change a whole lot, but simply adds 2 maps and a few added mechanics - and I love it! The maps are great and add Chicanes, which are some really fun sections, especially in the Mexico map. You also get an extra racer, Orange. I wish it was more than just one, but I will take it. There are a few cards added to better cope with the flooding on the Japan track (which can be used on any map), but the flooded mechanic really is not all that difficult to get through. It only affects shifting by adding one Heat. I do wish they added Legends (AI) cards that included the Orange helmet; however, I just have Orange follow whatever color racer I am from the original set. Works great! I love this expansion and enourage anyone who likes Heat: Pedal to the Metal to purchase it. The maps and added racer are great.

I have played the core game quite a bit and really enjoyed it and these two new tracks and rain mechanic add some new dimension to the game. I haven't played the advanced ruleset with these but have run both tracks a few times. If you like the core game you can't go wrong adding more tracks. This also includes an option for one more player.

If you are a fan of the Heat: Pedal to the Metal, you probably would really like this expansion as there are more cards, an additional board and another race car. The issue is that this expansion is $35 here on MiniMarket (and that is reduced of course) while the base game is $60 (also on Minimarket). The base has a lot of content (six cars with all the cards, play mats, plus the car upgrades, 2 doublesided boards totally four race tracks, and a solo mode). There is just no easy way to write this, this expansion is thin on what is provided for the price. There is one car only (Orange) with the corresponding cards in orange which fits nicely into the original core box along with the orange shifter icon. There is still room for one more in the box, so why did Days of Wonder not provide another? A purple car/cards/shifter would have been a great inclusion, for instance. The Expansion has a double sided boad with a track from Japan (with new flooding rules for the track and a bridge - eye candy only, no rules) and Mexico (which is a huge board with a Chicanes rule of 2 consecutive corners with one space in between). There are an additional 7 Sponsership Cards, 12 Advanced upgrades (car capabilities) and 4 event cards for the 1964 season. The rules are 1 and a third pages in total - which reinforces that the content in this expansion is less than what one might have expected. Is it worth buying now? I would say no. If you are really hot for a 7th car or love the color, wanting a few car upgrades, like the notion of looded spaces (only on Japan track) and could really get into two more race tracks, then wait and get the expansion when MiniMarket offers some form of a discount. Nice expansion, but needed to be more.

If you are a fan of the Heat: Pedal to the Metal, you probably would really like this expansion as there are more cards, an additional board and another race car. The issue is that this expansion is $35 here on MiniMarket (and that is reduced of course) while the base game is $60 (also on Minimarket). The base has a lot of content (six cars with all the cards, play mats, plus the car upgrades, 2 doublesided boards totally four race tracks, and a solo mode). There is just no easy way to write this, this expansion is thin on what is provided for the price. There is one car only (Orange) with the corresponding cards in orange which fits nicely into the original core box along with the orange shifter icon. There is still room for one more in the box, so why did Days of Wonder not provide another? A purple car/cards/shifter would have been a great inclusion, for instance. The Expansion has a double sided boad with a track from Japan (with new flooding rules for the track and a bridge - eye candy only, no rules) and Mexico (which is a huge board with a Chicanes rule of 2 consecutive corners with one space in between). There are an additional 7 Sponsership Cards, 12 Advanced upgrades (car capabilities) and 4 event cards for the 1964 season. The rules are 1 and a third pages in total - which reinforces that the content in this expansion is less than what one might have expected. Is it worth buying now? I would say no. If you are really hot for a 7th car or love the color, wanting a few car upgrades, like the notion of looded spaces (only on Japan track) and could really get into two more race tracks, then wait and get the expansion when MiniMarket offers some form of a discount. Nice expansion, but needed to be more.

The new features of the expansion make the AI module system very challenging, would recommend using the garage module with the new upgrades if you are planning on playing solo.

This is a good expansion to an already great game. Some might think it's not enough, but I think it is the perfect amount of extra stuff to keep your racing fresh. This gives you 2 new tracks and one new player set (pawns, board, and cards) as well as a few new car parts upgrades for your deck if you play with those. All in all this is enough without causing bloat. And you can fit it all in the original Heat box.

This expansion adds a lot of interesting elements. One of my favorite additions is the ability to have a seventh player!

Heavy Rain has some much-needed expansion material for Heat: Pedal to the Metal. The new tracks (2) are interesting and provide more variety - especially with the flooded corners. New sponsorship cards and upgrades are also good additions, with the most interesting being the cards that now allow the player to cool heat from their hand. If I have a complaint, it is that Days of Wonder decided to include the materials for only one new player. Looking at the base game, it is clear that Heat was always intended to support 8 (or more) players. Incrementally increasing player count from the base 6 to 7 seems to telegraph that Days of Wonder will be using Heat as a profit generating treadmill (interestingly, the new tracks have scoring spaces for TWELVE cars, so ... do your own mental arithmetic on your eventual spending on expansions).