Critical Mass: Patriot vs Iron Curtain

About this board game

Critical Mass: Patriot vs Iron Curtain is a fast-paced two-player mech combat game with a playing time of about 30 minutes. Released in 2018, it combines fighting-game strategy with deck-building elements as two players battle head-to-head.

Each player chooses a favorite mech, with every mech offering a different starting loadout of cards and unique powers. These choices shape the cards available from the beginning and help define each side’s approach to the fight.

Every turn, both players secretly play one card face-down. Once the cards are revealed, they resolve according to their speed, provided they have not been interrupted.

• Weapons deal damage and can interrupt the opposing card.
• Defending avoids weapon hits.
• Upgrading adds additional cards to your arsenal, but can be interrupted.
• Recharging reloads cards that have already been spent.

After cards are played, they move into their owner’s cool-down pile and remain there until they are reloaded. Managing this supply is central to maintaining your options while choosing the right moment to attack, defend, upgrade, or recharge.

Damage progressively destroys a mech’s armor. When enough armor has been removed, an armor core becomes vulnerable; destroying that core stuns the mech for the next turn.

In Critical Mass: Patriot vs Iron Curtain, every face-down choice can affect the timing and outcome of the exchange. The game ends when a mech’s armor has been completely destroyed down to its last core.