Overview

Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a racing game where players drive cars around a track for a set number of laps. Each round, players shift gears (determining how many cards to play), play speed cards to move, and manage their engine’s heat to avoid spinning out in corners. The first player to cross the finish line after the required number of laps wins.

Components

• 2 double-sided game boards with 4 race tracks (USA, France, Great Britain, Italy)
• 6 player mats (one per player color)
• 6 race cars (one per player color)
• 6 Gear pawns (one per player color)
• 72 Speed cards (12 per player)
• 18 Starting Upgrade cards (3 per player)
• 37 Stress cards
• 48 Heat cards
• Rules booklet

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center (USA track recommended for first game).
2. Each player chooses a color and takes: car, player mat, Gear pawn, 12 Speed cards, and 3 Starting Upgrade cards.
3. Check the board for how many Heat and Stress cards each player adds (typically 6 Heat and 3 Stress).
4. Place player mat in front of you. Shuffle your 12 Speed cards, 3 Starting Upgrade cards, and 3 Stress cards together as your draw deck (left spot on mat).
5. Place 6 Heat cards face up on the Engine spot (middle of mat).
6. Set Gear pawn to 1st gear.
7. Randomly place all cars on the starting grid in ascending order.
8. Draw 7 cards into your hand.

Turn Structure

Each round, all players complete 4 mandatory steps plus situational steps 4-8:

Simultaneous Phase (Steps 1-2)

1. Shift Gears – Move your Gear pawn up or down one position. Shifting two positions costs 1 Heat.
2. Play Cards – Play cards from hand face down equal to your gear number (1st gear = 1 card, 2nd = 2, 3rd = 3, 4th = 4).

Sequential Phase (Steps 3-9, front car first)

1. Reveal & Move – Flip cards, sum values, move car forward that many spaces. Place car on the spot closest to the Race Line if available.
2. Adrenaline – Last car (or last 2 in 5+ player races) may add 1 extra speed and gain 1 extra Cooldown.
3. React – Activate Cooldown and/or Boost symbols.
4. Slipstream – If you end next to or behind another car, optionally move 2 spaces forward (does NOT count toward corner speed check).
5. Check Corner – If you crossed a Corner Line, pay Heat equal to the difference between your speed and the corner’s Speed Limit (if exceeded).
6. Discard – Optionally discard cards from hand (never Stress or Heat cards).
7. Replenish Hand – Move Play Area cards to discard pile, draw back up to 7 cards.

Actions

Cooldown

Move Heat cards from your hand back to your Engine. Available from 1st gear (Cooldown 3) and 2nd gear (Cooldown 1), or from Adrenaline.

Boost

Pay 1 Heat to flip cards from your draw deck until you reveal a Speed card; move your car accordingly. Once per turn. Increases speed for corner checks.

Stress Cards

When you play a Stress card, flip cards from your draw deck until a Speed card appears; that card replaces the Stress card’s value (random 1-4 speed).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• First player to cross the finish line after the required number of laps wins.
• If multiple cars finish in the same round, the car furthest ahead wins (closest to Race Line breaks ties).
• After crossing the finish line on the final lap: no slipstreaming allowed; ignore speed limits after the finish line.
• Continue playing until all cars finish; place finished cars in order on the Hall of Fame.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Spin Out: If you cannot pay enough Heat for a corner, pay all remaining Heat, then: move car back to the first free space before the corner; take 1 Stress (1st/2nd gear) or 2 Stress (3rd/4th gear); move Gear pawn to 1st gear.
• Cluttered Hand: If too many Heat cards in hand prevent you from playing enough cards for your gear, play what you can, cover the rest with Heat cards. Your car does not move; move Gear to 1st gear, skip to step 9.
• Blocked Movement: Cars never block passage, but if your destination space is full, place your car in the first free spot behind the blocking cars.
• Running Out of Cards: Shuffle discard pile into a new draw deck immediately (do not include Play Area cards).
• Heat Card Cycle: Heat moves from Engine to discard to draw deck to hand; only returns to Engine via Cooldown.
• Heat cards can never be discarded or played from hand.

Player Reference

Gear	Cards Played	Cooldown	Notes
1st	1	3	Best for cooling down
2nd	2	1	Moderate
3rd	3	0	Fast
4th	4	0	Maximum speed

Shift 2 gears: Costs 1 Heat (e.g., 1st to 3rd or 2nd to 4th)

Step	Action	Required?
1	Shift Gears	Yes (simultaneous)
2	Play Cards	Yes (simultaneous)
3	Reveal & Move	Yes
4	Adrenaline	Only last car(s)
5	React (Cooldown/Boost)	Situational
6	Slipstream	Optional, if adjacent to car
7	Check Corner	If crossed Corner Line
8	Discard	Optional
9	Replenish Hand	Yes