Stats:
No. of players: 2
Amount of time to play: 90-120 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: 5-10 min

Mars Attacks the Miniatures Game puts you in the shoes of the human resistance or invading aliens for the fate of the planet. Everything you need is in the box and ready to play including miniatures and terrain.

Mars Attacks Rules Description:

Mars Attacks uses a simplified version of the Deadzone rules. This makes it easier to teach and quicker to play.

To start you need to pick a scenario and set up the terrain on the board. There is no set way to place terrain. You just want to create an interesting layout that is not too open or too obstructed. Then you place your miniatures in their starting area and draw four cards.

On your turn you may activate two units, activate one unit and play one card, or once all your units have activated play two cards. When you activate a unit it may move one square and shoot, move squares to aim and shoot. Moving into (or starting in) a square with enemy units makes you take a fight action. Once all units are activated and both players pass the round is over. You may discard as many cards as you like and draw back up to four.

Opposed actions, like shoot or fight, are resolved by rolling d8s against a unit’s stat and then counting successes. The unit with the most successes hits. Also any eights you roll let you roll another die. For example, a unit that shoots and has a 4+ shoot stat rolls three dice. They roll a 3, 4 and 6 for two successes. The defending unit has a 6+ survive stat and rolls a 2, 6 and 8. The defender gets another die from that 8 and rolls a 6 for three successes. This means the attack misses.

There are a few situations where you get extra dice like moving before you fight, aiming, or having an unblock line of sight to your target. Most dice tests start with three dice but these positive modifiers add more dice.

If a unit dies in a square occupied by other friendly units, the surviving units must make a rattled check. This is a one die 5+ check and if failed the unit becomes rattled. The unit is laid down in its square and must stand for its next action which is a move action.

The cards in Mars Attacks are split with the top half for the human payer and the bottom half for the alien player. Some cards may be played any time and others may only be played on your turn. A few help you avoid attacks or give you a +1 to a stat. And some are played in front of you and then activated when you are ready. These cards are more powerful and accurate the more you have in the set but resolving them counts as playing a card for activation purposes. These cards can damage large areas of the battlefield.

Some of the cards have events in them. This includes thrown cars, alien bugs and burning cattle. These appear in random places on the board and can rattle or even kill units.

There are ten scenarios included and each uses different units or heroes. Heroes are special units with heroic abilities. Most units have abilities but heroic abilities are more powerful and may only be triggered a certain number of times. Different scenarios let you score VPs in different ways and the first side to score 8 VPs wins.

Quick Review of Mars Attacks the Miniatures Game:

Mars Attacks the Miniatures Game is a fun, fairly light miniatures game. It has a load of theme and can be wacky and random, like its subject matter.

The components for this game are fantastic. The miniatures look great and are cast in different colors for the two sides. This means you can paint them but don’t have two. You also do not need to assemble them. The terrain is the same as the stuff from Deadzone. The difference is this is off the sprue and ready to clip together and put on the map. It can be a little fiddly but for the most part it is really easy to set up. The rulebook is well written and easy to follow. And the insert is phenomenal. There is even a small board for tracking VPs and heroics but a player aid would have been really nice. I found a great one here.

I have not had much exposure to Mars Attacks but have read up on it. This game has the feel of the franchise. The cards especially accentuate the wacky theme. The cards also help add strategy to the game since playing or resolving them takes uses one of your activations for the turn.

I am a fan of Deadzone but Mars Attacks is easier to teach. This means it will probably hit my table more often. It is a lighter game with less to remember to keep track of.

The terrain and miniatures being ready out of the box is nice too. I don’t mind assembling miniatures, but I am a novice and slow painter. Being able to just open the box, snap the terrain together and play is great.

Between the wacky events, dice and cards this game can be fairly random. Unexpected things will happen and no plan is guaranteed to work. Despite is randomness the game is a race to 8 VP so it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Even though the theme is wacky and the rules are not too complex, this game is definitely for ages 12 and up. It is not that younger kids cannot grasp the rules and play competitively. The images on the cards are pretty violent and some are gory. The art mirrors the rest in the franchise but parents should know it might not be appropriate for young kids.

If you are looking for a lighter miniatures game, you should pick up Mars Attacks the Miniatures Game. It is fun, plays quick and ready to play out of the box. This game could also be a good buy for parents with teenage kids. If you are a fan of the franchise, you should definitely pick this game up.

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