Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 30-45 min
Age requirements: 10+
Set-up time: minimal

Heap Rules Description:

Heap is a card game of vehicular combat. You play goblin bodgers in a post-apocalyptic world. You fight for scrap piles of parts and power.

At the beginning of the game you get four vehicles, a Doombuggy, Gryohopper, Scrap Hog and Bigg Rigg. Each round you will add parts to these vehicles. After one player has added three or more parts to three of their vehicles you face-off for a final battle to determine the winner of the game.

On your turn you may add two parts to any of your vehicles. There are five different types of parts for each vehicle. You may only have one of each part type on each of your vehicles. When you add a part you get to use its bodge action. These have various effects like drawing more cards, making your opponents discard cards or damaging their vehicles. You can repair vehicles by discarding one card of the same vehicle type of the damaged part.

After each player has added their two cards you fight. You get to choose which vehicle you fight with unless someone played a part with a challenge bodge action. If a challenge was played that player determines what vehicle all the players must fight with.

To begin the combat, the starting player (called the instigator) flips the top card on the draw deck. Each card has an attack and defense in the upper left hand corner. The attack and defense is red, green or yellow. The player to your left must block with the same color as your attack with a card from their hand. If they cannot they are out of the fight. Once all but one player has bowed out, the player left is the winner of this fight.

When you play cards they may trigger the parts on your vehicle. For instance if you have a part that lets you draw a card when you attack with yellow, then each time you play a yellow attack card you draw a card. Each vehicle also has a trigger for winning. Usually winning a fight gets you cards in your haul pile.

After combat you may place any cards in your haul pile on your vehicles. Cards placed this way do not use their bodge actions. You discard parts that you cannot place on a vehicle from your haul. Then everyone may discard as many cards from their hands that they wish and draw up to six cards.

The player left of the instigator becomes the new instigator and play continues until one player has three or more parts on three of their vehicles. Once this occurs you finish out adding parts to your vehicles for this round and get ready for the pileup.

The pileup is the final fight and whoever wins it is declared the winner. The combat works just like other rounds, but getting ready for it is different. First any vehicle that has three or more parts is flipped to its turbo side. Then you discard all your parts and your entire hand. Each vehicle tells you a number of cards to draw and possibly discard for the final pileup. Once everyone has drawn and discarded their final hand combat ensues as usual using all four vehicles. The final combatant standing at the end of the pileup wins the game.

Quick Review of Heap:

Heap is a card game that is light and relies on a good bit of luck. It is fairly simple and easy to teach. The game goes by pretty quickly and you can play a few games right after the other.

The art in this game is excellent. The rules are fairly well written and you should have them down after just a game or two.

I really like building up the vehicles. The parts have funny names and trying to build a decent vehicle quickly is fun. There are some interesting interactions while implementing your bodge actions and conflict is sure to arise. There is usually even some fun table talk while you place your parts.

The combat is kind of random, but you want to try and attack with the same color over and over. Hopefully your opponent will run out of the defense and you’ll win. There are some really fun part interactions during the fight. Ones that get you cards or make your opponents discard are very good and can grant you an advantage.

One thing I am not so sure I like is discarding all my parts for the final pileup. You spend the first part of the game building cool vehicles only not to fight with them in the game deciding fight. It is a bit anti-climactic and the first game this really felt like a let down. None of us were expecting it. That said after a few games (or with some foreknowledge) this is not as big a deal. Just remember I told you this so you are expecting it.

So Heap then becomes a race game. You try to build as many of you vehicles up so they can go turbo for the final pile up. If you can do it fast enough your opponents will not have turbo vehicles and be at a disadvantage. This is partially true, but turbo vehicles just give you more options of the cards you bring into the pileup. Not having turbo vehicles hurts a bit but not too much. In fact I have seen the player with the least turbo vehicles win on numerous occasions.

This is a good and bad thing. It keeps someone from running away with the game and keeps everyone involved with a chance to win. That said it also makes the race part of the game feel less important.

For players that don’t mind a lot of randomness in their games you should try out Heap. It has some fun mechanics and interactions. If you don’t like games that might come down to the luck of the draw you might want to skip Heap (or at least try it before you buy it).

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 2 out of 6
Luck 5 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 3 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6