Designer: Jonathan Ying (Bargain Quest, DOOM: The Board Game, Star Wars: Imperial Assault)

Artist: Daniel Mora (Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid)

Publisher: Renegade Game Studios (Altiplano, Arboretum, Architects of the West Kingdom, Clank! in! Space!, Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure, Ex Libris, The Fox in the Forest, FUSE, Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension, Honshu, Lanterns: The Harvest Festival, Raiders of the North Sea, Sentient, Snow Tails, Trajan, Wendake, World’s Fair 1893)

Genre/Mechanisms: action point allowance system, area control, cooperative play, dice rolling, hand management, miniatures, variable player powers

Funding Status: At the time of this posting, Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid Phase 2 – Back to the Grid is already fully-funded.  In fact, pledges currently total almost 9x the initial funding goal with 6 days left to go on the campaign.

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

What It’s About:  A follow-up campaign to 2018’s Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid campaign, adding the new Zeo Ranger Pack, Zeo Gold Character Pack, and the opportunity to pick up items from the first campaign.

How It Works: Since there’s not an instruction manual or rulebook easily accessible, here’s the gameplay as described by Renegade on the BGG game for the page:

“In each game, you need to protect four combat zones that are being targeted by the evil Rita Repulsa. Each round, enemy forces deploy onto these zones and cause chaos among the populace. Who knows what sort of strange monsters Rita has cooked up for the Rangers this time?

During play, Rangers must manage their actions and coordinate their defenses, moving to the locations under the most threat and doing battle with enemies. Finding time to rest and recover between engagements as they prepare to defeat the mastermind behind this plot.

During battle, each Ranger and each enemy in the location participate in the combat sequence. Enemy cards represent enemy actions and health. Rangers can attack these cards to disrupt their attacks. Each minion card the rangers defeat removes one minion figure from that location. Monsters are much deadlier foes with a variety of special attacks that you’ll need to deal with and defeat before you send them packing! A Ranger’s combat deck represents their health, with each card played and blow sustained slowly whittling away at their options. They’ll need to find time to rest or power-up at the Command Center if they want to stay fresh for the next fight!

As the Rangers defeat enemies and progress through the game, they’ll unlock Zord cards which provide them unique abilities and special actions they can perform. Eventually they’ll be able to unleash the full power of the mighty Megazord!

Each game reaches its climax with a confrontation with the enemy Master, a devastatingly powerful foe who must be thwarted if the Rangers wish to save the city!”

Comparisons:  Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid is essentially a cooperative miniatures skirmish game, featuring a lot of area control. There’s also a developing campaign, with Renegade providing free additional scenarios monthly via their website. There’s certainly the easy comparison to a lot of other miniatures-heavy dungeon crawlers and storytelling/exploration games, but again, this is more of an area control and skirmish game. Your best comparison may be another game designer Jonathan Ying worked on, Star Wars: Imperial Assault.

What Should I Pledge?:
$40 Backers’ Choice Vote! – Zeo Rangers: includes the Zeo Ranger Pack & Zeo Gold Character Pack.
$40 Legendary Ranger: Tommy Oliver: includes the Legendary Ranger: Tommy Oliver Pack and the Zeo Gold Character Pack.
$40 Mega Goldar: includes the Mega Goldar Deluxe Figure and the Zeo Gold Character Pack
$110 Zeo Master! – Just the New Stuff: includes all of the new items from the above three pledges combined; the Zeo Ranger Pack, Legendary Ranger: Tommy Oliver Pack, Mega Goldar Deluxe Figure, and Zeo Gold Character Pack.
$399 Morphin Master!: everything from the first Kickstarter, including Heroes of the Grid Base Game, Shattered Grid Expansion, Green with Evil Expansion, White Light Expansions, all KS Exclusive stretch goals from Phase 1, Megazord Deluxe Figure, Cyclopsis Deluxe Figure, Villain Pack #1, Foot Soldier Pack, Ranger Dice Set, and the Zeo Gold Character Pack.
$499 Mega Morphin Master! – All-In!: combines the Zeo Master! pledge & the Morphin Master! pledge.

Add-Ons:
$20 Bulk & Skull Character Pack
$125 Kickstarter Exclusive Deluxe Box: all of the KS Exclusive stretch goals from Phase 1.

KS Exclusives:
The KS Exclusive Deluxe Box and the Zeo Gold Character Pack.

All-In Total: In the continental U.S. you’re looking at $499 for the Mega Morphin Master! – All-In! pledge, $20 for the Bulk & Skull Character Pack, and $37 in shipping for a total of $556.

If you already have the stuff from the first campaign, then you’re looking at $110 for the Zeo Master! pledge, $20 for the Bulk & Skull Character Pack, and $17 in shipping for a total of $147.

Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid Phase 2 – Back to the Grid completes its Kickstarter on Tuesday, October 1st and tentatively ships in March 2020.