Blast Tactics Game Review

The Basics:

• For ages 10 and up (publisher suggests 12+)
• For 2 to 4 players
• Approximately 20 minutes to complete

Geek Skills:

• Counting & Math
• Logical & Critical Decision Making
• Reading
• Strategy & Tactics
• Risk vs. Reward
• Visuospatial Skills
• Bluffing and Misdirection

Learning Curve:

• Child – Easy
• Adult – Easy

Theme & Narrative:

• Race around the arena with bombs in hand to explode the competition before you run out of time and space!

Endorsements:

• Gamer Geek approved!
• Parent Geek approved!
• Child Geek approved!

Overview

Games requiring strategic and tactical thought often take much time and attention. Frequently, these games have a “slow burn” as players make minor adjustments to shift their footing to find solid ground for victory. The same can be said for this game but without the need to spend a good hour plotting and planning. No, you have less than 30 minutes to outmaneuver your foes, set your traps, and get out of the way before things get explosive.

Blast Tactics, designed by Sean Dallas McDonald and published by Tower Guard Games, is comprised of four Bombon Player minis (with accompanying clear stands), 20 Bomb tokens, 20 Blastable Block/Item tiles, 10 Arena tiles, 16 Ability cards, 24 game variant items, and one Overtime/Caution token. The component quality is excellent, with thick cardboard and durable cards.

Building Bombs

To set up the game, complete the following steps:

First, build the arena using the tiles. The size of the arena and the number of Blastable Blocks are based on the number of players. The rule book describes the arena building in detail.

Second, have each player select a Bombon mini figure of their choice, place it on the Arena tiles, and collect one Heart token and two Bomb tokens of their color.

Third, find the “Overtime” Ability card and set it aside. The rest of the Ability cards are shuffled. Draw the top two cards (without looking at them), add the “Overtime” Ability card, and shuffle these three Ability cards together. When done, place them on the bottom of the Ability card deck. Additional cards are drawn and placed at the bottom of the Ability card deck based on the number of players. When done, place the Ability card deck face-down and within easy reach of all the players. This is the Ability card draw deck for the duration of the game.

Fourth, draw the top two Ability cards and place them face-up in a row next to the Ability card draw deck.

This completes the game setup. Time to light the fuse and get going! Determine who will go first and begin.

Lighting the Fuse

Blast Tactics is played in turns with no set number of turns per game. A Player’s turn is summarized here.

Step One: Tend to Your Bombs and Resolve

The first thing the active Player does on their turn is evaluate their Bombs currently in play. Bomb tiles have two sides. The first is the starting side, which shows the bomb is lit. The other side shows that the bomb is about to explode. When a bomb explodes, the Bomb tile is removed from the arena. Bomb tiles are flipped over to their proper side based on this order. If a Bomb tile explodes, it’s removed and then does damage. All bombs, by default, have an exploding radius of two adjacent spaces on the arena floor.

• If a bomb’s impact hits a Player’s mini, it takes damage
• If a bomb’s impact hits another Bomb tile, that bomb also explodes, possibly setting off a chain reaction
• If a bomb’s impact hits a blastable block, the tile is flipped over, revealing an item that can then be collected
• If a bomb’s impact hits a revealed item, that item is removed from the arena
• If the bomb impacts a grey block, nothing happens

Step Two: Observe Overtime

If the “Overtime” Ability card has been drawn, it will be activated. The arena starts to shrink, and outside Arena tiles are flipped over. Any Player unlucky enough to have their mini in an Arena tile removed from the game is also unceremoniously removed. This will force players to move their minis toward the center of the arena, decreasing distance, maneuverability, and danger.

If the active Player has not drawn the “Overtime” Ability card, skip this step.

Step Three: Draw and Buy Ability Cards

The active Player now draws new Ability cards, placing them face-up in the row, ensuring that no greater and no fewer than two Ability cards are ever showing on their turn. If there are two Ability cards already available, skip the draw.

The active Player may “buy” an Ability card at the cost of one action. Ability cards can only be used on the Player’s turn.

Step Four: Take Action!

The active Player has, by default, two Move actions. A single Move action moves the Player’s mini to an adjacent square on the arena floor. When moving, the active Player may place a Bomb tile, thus leaving a trail of destruction behind them. Additional movement is possible through Ability cards and by taking damage.

Players can also use their Ability card and any collected items.

This completes the active Player’s turn. The next player in turn order now takes their turn.

Damage, Speed, and an Explosive Death

Throughout the game, the Player’s Bombon minis will traverse the arena, exploding things and taking hits. When a Player is fully healthy, their Heart token is face-up to the starting side. After taking damage, they flip it over, revealing a speed (movement) bonus. If the Player takes another hit of damage, their Heart token is removed, as is the Player’s Bombon mini.

Big Bangs for Big Wins

The game continues until only one player is left in the arena. If two or more Players are eliminated at the same time, leaving no one playing, the winner is the Player who had the most Hearts before going boom.

Game Variants

The basic game allows the player to flex their strategic and tactical skill. Several options are available if this is too easy or does not add enough excitement. This includes allowing eliminated Players to get back into the game and adding unique spaces to the arena. Special squares include teleportation pads, making bombs that hit everyone regardless of their proximity to Bomb tiles, and conveyor belts that force movement.

To learn more about Blast Tactics, visit the game’s webpage.

Final Word

The Child Geeks learned the game quickly and blew each other up. I was most pleased that my initial fear that a large arena would allow players to avoid each other was quickly dismissed. Indeed, just the opposite is true. There is more than enough space for the Players to maneuver, but rather than avoid, they engage as quickly as possible, depositing bombs left and right. According to one Child Geek, “I enjoyed the game. It plays fast and is easy to learn. It felt great to corner my brother and blow up his robot!” Another Child Geek said, “I thought the game would be bad because you have to try to fight other people, but you don’t. Not really. You drop bombs, and if they explode, it’s their fault for not watching out. I liked it when they made mistakes.” When the last bomb blew up, the Child Geeks all agreed it was an explosively good time.

The Parent Geeks, who usually shy away from combat and more aggressive games, were pleasantly pleased with the game. As one Parent Geek said, “This game felt like a puzzle to me. Or, better put, that video game Tron I played as a kid against another person. You drove a lightcycle and created walls for your opponent to avoid and eventually crash into. But you also created possible problems as the course became less and less navigatable. That’s the feeling I got from this game, and I loved it.” Another Parent Geek agreed, adding, “The game is highly tactical and strategic, but also easy to approach and fast to play. Great entertainment.” When the votes were collected, the Parent Geeks all agreed that Blast Tactics was “da bomb.”

The Gamer Geeks found Blast Tactics to be light, aggressive, a bit silly, and just random enough for them to feel fully engaged and put out when they got hit. But even a punch to their elitist gaming gut didn’t put them down. They got right back up and demanded another game. After such a proverbial gut punch, one Gamer Geek said, “It sucks when you are blown out of the game, but by the time it happens, the games are more or less almost ready to be completed. I have yet to survive until the arena fully collapses, but it sure is fun watching my fellow players even when I am not directly participating.” Another Gamer Geek said, “Good stuff. Fast and casual, but still in your face enough to make it smart when you lose, and smile wickedly when you win. I think this is a great filler game for us gamers and a great game for casual players, too.” When the last game was finished, the Gamer Geeks found Blast Tactics left a pleasant impact on their gaming table.

Blast Tactics is a fast and fun game. Best of all, you do not know when the game might end, creating tension. Once the Overtime card comes into play, things go from in control to out of control in a hurry. Bombs become bigger, plays become short, and big risks become the norm.

The game’s best moments for me were when it was just one other Player and myself. We were reasonably matched in skill and aptitude (which isn’t saying much). We avoided each other’s bombs, but barely, as the arena continued to get smaller and smaller. It all came down to one tile and two players with many bombs. I lost, but oh boy, what a ride! You know you are playing a great game when defeat doesn’t sting.

My initial concerns regarding the game were immediately dismissed when I put the game in front of my kids. I thought they would just drop bombs around each other and avoid contact as much as possible, creating a silly experience where the players just circled each other. There would be no real engagement if such were the case—no real game. What I observed was just the opposite. Players purposely attempted to lure their opponents out in the open, chain bombs for big explosions and even put themselves in harm’s way just to get a hit on their opponent. It was glorious.

Honestly, I spent less time worrying about my competition and more about myself during the game. You have a good chance of blowing your mini up if you are not careful. A few of our Players did just that and ended their careers navigating the arena earlier than expected because they didn’t avoid their own explosive devices. This turned out to be pretty funny most of the time and proved to be a warning to all to watch where you step and where you plant your bombs. Hilariously, the lesson rarely stuck in the heat of battle. This is especially true when the arena floor starts to get very crowded.

Do try Blast Tactics when the opportunity presents itself. The game provides a lot of ducking, dodging, and blowing everything up. Light the fuse on this bad boy and see if it’s a bang at your family gaming table, too.

This game was given to Father Geek as a review copy. Father Geek was not paid, bribed, wined, dined, or threatened in vain hopes of influencing this review. Such is the statuesque and legendary integrity of Father Geek.