They came from the breach: Giant monsters from another dimension bent on destroying the world. We fought back, we made monsters out of steel: Giant 2,500-ton weapons to protect and ultimately save us. Now you can decide the fate of mankind. Will you be a ranger of one of these massive titans? A Jaeger pilot for the PPDC (Pan Pacific Defence Corp) or are you one of the kaiju; part of the hive mind to cleanse the world of the cancer of humanity. In either case, the fate of mankind is in your hands!
Pacific Rim Extinction is a multi-player miniatures game from River Horse where each player controls one or more miniatures of the PPDC forces (Jaegers) or Kaiju monsters. The base game comes with everything you need to play with 2 people. You can find other expansions to add to the game, but are not necessary. This review will cover the base game which comes with Gipsy Avenger and Shriekethorn.
To start, set out the 2 sided player mat and decide what scenario you wish to play. The game comes with some quick play scenarios to get you going right away. The Jaeger player will take the Jaeger miniature, conn pod, pilot cards, ammo, and energy counters 1 upgrade and their set of 5 action cards. The Kaiju player takes the Kaiju miniature, signature card, two mutations, rage and kaiju blue counter, and their 5 action cards. Set up all buildings, terrain, and objects according to the scenario set up and set aside all of the combat dice and impulse die. The Kaiju player will set their rage at one and their Kaiju blue to full while the Jaegers set their ammo to full and power to 1. The Jaeger player will look at their two pilot cards and calculate their pilot bonus based on their drift compatibility. They get +1 skill for each matching letter on their pilot cards, so choosing a good pilot combination is important. They take a skill bonus counter that matches their total and places it on their conn pod. This is the additional number of dice they roll when attacking or defending.
The side with the lowest number of miniatures will go first, in the event both sides are equal, the kaiju player will go first. The first player will roll the impulse die; this indicates the number of units or miniatures the side can activate. Next, each player looks at their action cards picks one and places it face down next to their unit. Each player simultaneously reveals their card. The side who goes first can move their units based on their movement found on either their conn pod or signature card as a free action. Units can move in the direction of their front arc or back 1 hex. Buildings, terrain, and other units affect movement which are explained in detail in the rulebook. After movement, the active player takes their action indicated on their action card. These include running, charging and special attacks specific to their model. Each side has a tactical card that allows them to make a general melee or ranged attack. Melee is when two units are touching their bases and range is either short or long.
To attack, take the number of attack dice of your base skill add the attack skill, and any additional bonuses from upgrades or mutations. The defending player does the same by using their base skill and armor skill plus bonuses. They roll and compare and if the attacker scores more hits than the defender, they have damaged their opponent. How much damage assigned is based on how many successes they scored over the defender’s armor roll. For each point of damage, the attacker draws one action card randomly from the defender’s hand. The defender places its damage side up along their unit’s SP track. Some damage cards have additional effects. Dice can also trigger effects as well, which add bonuses.
Once the active side has activated the number of models they can, they pass the impulse die to the opposing side and they take the same steps. After both sides have taken their actions, the round ends. The game continues until the fourth round where each side will roll an action die, if the total equals 4 or more successes, the game ends and points are calculated. If not, the game continues adding an additional combat dice from every round after 4. Each side earns points based on the scenario and from the chart in the rulebook, the side with the highest points, wins!
Miniatures games are like Magic or other collection-based games; players who are serious gamers will invest a lot into collecting the units for the game. While the base game includes only 2, it works to provide many different games with all the scenarios included. The miniatures are pre-painted and are very detailed. The starter box is under $60 and you don’t need 2, because you can only have one of each unit at a time. It has an easy entry point in complexity compared to other games like Battletech or Warhammer 40k. I like the mechanics even though the combat is dice-driven. The action cards are at the heart of the player’s strategy. Taking damage can cause serious problems if you lose a critical card from your pool; you will need to adapt. The designers have taken a lot of details from the Pacific Rim franchise and fitted them into the mechanics of the game. Pilot selection and drift compatibility is a serious part of the game for the Jaeger player. Mutation selection is important for the kaiju. You want to find mutations that will benefit based on what Jaegers you are up against.
Fans of the franchise may invest in it for the miniatures alone. For gamers, it is a solid game; not too complex but offers a lot of player choices and strategic decisions that even seasoned gamers will have a challenge. The game victory conditions are based on completing objectives for points, and not just a slugfest. Players can re-live the awesome battles from the movies and it plays well at 2 as well as higher player counts, but it is important to make sure each side is equally balanced. Three Jaegers against one category 2 Kaiju will most likely be no fun for the kaiju player, but it may take three to take down a category 5. Overall, a good miniatures game with a great entry cost that is sure to provide hours of kaiju hunting fun.
Written by Ed Carter
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