Thanks to the evil machinations of Doctor Mindbender, a hole has been ripped in the space/time continuum and both the G.I. Joes and their arch enemies (COBRA) have been sucked into Valhalla. In real life terms, that means that the G.I. Joe IP is now a part of the Heroscape game system. And even though I’m a little too old to have been a G.I. Joe: Real American Hero fan, there’s a lot to love in these new boxes.

A quick reminder for those of you living under a (virtual) rock when it comes to board games: Heroscape is a miniatures skirmish combat game played on a board constructed out of (incredibly cool) plastic terrain pieces. (Seriously: folks who play with other minis systems have used this 3D terrain because it works so well.) Since the theme is a battle for dominance in world where the Valkyrie Generals can recruit warriors from multiple times & dimensions, there is a wild mixture of heroes & squads – aliens & Matrix guys & Braveheart & dragons & robots & kung fu monks & gorillas with guns, to name a few. More recently, the good folks at Renegade have added armored polar bears, alien space pirates, and anthropomorphic woodland creatures wielding high tech weaponry… to name a few more. And it’s one of my favorite games…

A note about the pictures throughout this review: they were all taken by me on maps I created using both newer and older Heroscape terrain. Specifically, a number of the pictures were taken using a combination of the urban landscape terrain available in the Battle Box with the addition of the urban terrain that was part of the Marvel Heroscape set back in 2007. (They match really well.)

My latest review of new Heroscape boxes from Renegade Game Studios will include the four G.I. Joe boxes as well as the new terrain box (Caverns of Valhalla) and a few other extras. Let’s get to it!

G.I. Joe: Rumble at the Rift

Rumble at the Rift is the newest Battle Box in the Heroscape line. Each Battle Box serves as an introduction to the wider system – giving players a smattering of terrain, 6-8 figures, and all of the necessary elements to play the game without needing to own anything else. They work both as a “sampler” of Heroscape as well as a solid way for experienced players to expand their collections.

This is especially true of the G.I. Joe Battle Box – as it has eight really solid unique heroes (4 “Joes” and 4 COBRA operatives) and a couple of really excellent scenarios. It feels a little short on terrain – but the new toxic hexes and toxic water along with the COBRA fortification wall pieces are welcome additions.

Side note: I’ve reached the point in writing this review where typing COBRA in all caps is making me giggle. It’s giving off some pretty serious Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated vibes. (“I call it the Buoyancy Operated Aquatic Transport… or BO-AT for short.”) OK, back to the Heroscape stuff.

The Good Guys

• Duke
  • His “Yo, Joe!” power lets him take turns with two Joe or Soldier Heroes the first time he reveals an order marker… and, yes, one of them can be Duke himself. After he has a revealed order marker on his card, he gives other Joe and Soldier figures within 2 clear sight spaces a +1 buff to the attack.
  • He’s reasonable beefy (5 life, 3 defense) and his ranged combat (range 6, attack 4) makes him a worthy opponent even without the excellent leadership powers. We had success using him to push other heroes forward into solid positions and waiting to exercise his own marksmanship until later in the game.

• Roadblock
  • His one special ability is tied to the giant weapon he’s carrying – a machine gun with a range of 5 and attack of 3. When activating the gun, he can hit three different targets with the same attack.
  • Roadblock has a slightly shorter range than Duke (range 5) but his attack & defense value of 4 means that he’s able to withstand a decent amount of attacks. In general, I tried to push Roadblock to high ground over areas that were likely to be contested and let him keep hosing it down with machine gun fire. (Yes, I know that his machine gun is a special attack – thus doesn’t get a height bonus – but the height does improve his defense that lets him keep making those attacks.)

• Scarlett
  • Scarlett may be one of the most intriguing characters in the new era of Heroscape. Between her very reasonable point cost (80) and her excellent power set, she’s a quick-moving menace to your opponents plans. “Now You Know” lets her look at the unrevealed order markers on a single enemy card at the start of a round… then move an order marker from one Joe or Soldier card to another Joe or Soldier card. “Knowing is Half the Battle” lowers the defense value of whoever she’s shooting by 1 for each revealed order marker on their army card. Finally, “Lethal to the Bone” lets Scarlett move 2 spaces and make a normal adjacent attack AFTER her regular attack.
  • She’s not quite as tough as Roadblock or Duke (attack & defense value of 3) but that suite of powers means she can be incredibly useful in a battle. I like let her go later in the turn order to take advantage of her “Knowing” defense value reduction power. Additionally, confirming the plans an opponent has for a particular figure via “Now You Know” can be a game-changer in deciding targeting choices or how best to use Duke’s “Yo, Joe!” ability.

• Snake Eyes
  • While it was great to see ninjas reappear in Valhalla last year with the Tannuki Tricksters, the G.I. Joe boxes up the ninja quotient in the game system significantly – and it’s no surprise that they made sure that Snake Eyes was in the Battle Box. (He’s a classic Real American Hero character – plus he looks really cool.
  • If he can get opponent figures alone, his “Assassinate” power gives him a +2 bonus on attacks. On the defensive side, he can “Phantom Walk” (move through enemy figures / not take leaving attacks) and is “Evasive” – so he gets a +2 to defense against a non-adjacent attack.
  • The biggest issue with Snake Eyes is his need to close for melee combat which negates his defensive bonus from “Evasion”. We’ve found that he’s most useful nibbling at the edges of enemy formations (ninja skillz!) and making diving runs for important objectives (thanks to the “Phantom Walk” power).

The Bad Guys

• Cobra Commander
  • His “Cutlass of COBRA” gives him an automatic skull when attacking adjacent figures… but he also has a range of 5, meaning he can keep trying to hit enemies while he’s closing to them to deliver a killing blow. He also has a getaway power – “I’ll Get You Next Time” lets him move 2 spaces after taking 1 or more wounds from a normal attack without taking a leaving attack.
  • His 6 life means you can take some chances with him to take out weaker squad figures or heavily wounded heroes. That said, his defense of 3 is not spectacular and could spell trouble if you get him trapped mid-battle. I think he’s worth fielding in a COBRA army – but I’ve tended to let him act as a support in the early rounds and had him move in as the battlefield thins out a bit.

• Doctor Mindbender
  • We kept forgetting Doctor Mindbender’s first power: “A Little Suggestion”. At the start of his turn, he can move all friendly figures adjacent to him up to 3 spaces. We didn’t, however, forget his “Bend Mind” power – which gives him the opportunity to mind control an enemy figure within 3 spaces. (Of course, there’s a die roll involved – and my last game with the Doctor on my team, he failed ALL of those rolls. Sigh.)
  • Despite his flowing cape (“No capes!”) and weird COBRA jewelry, the Doctor boasts some healthy basic stats – his movement, range, and life points are all five. Though we didn’t fully utilize it, his “Suggestion” power means that he’s particularly effective when he travels with a group of heroes and/or a pack of COBRA troopers.

• Storm Shadow
  • Like I noted earlier, it’s cool to have more ninja characters in the game. For those of us with extensive “old skool” collections, these new ninjas work nicely with the Ninjas of the North Wind and/or Shiori, Onotashi, and Isamu.
  • Storm Shadow has “Nanite Smoke Grenades” which can create shadow spaces on the battlefield. He also has a “Whirlwind Assault” that lets him attack any number of times in a turn – but only once per enemy. And, because he’s a ninja, he has “Phantom Walk” as well.
  • Combining his smoke grenades with his Whirlwind Assault and Phantom Walk enables Storm Shadow to snake (get it?! snake? COBRA?) his way into groups of enemy figures and wreak havoc. Unfortunately, his innate defense of 3 and small amount of life (4) makes him vulnerable to focused attacks.

• Destro
  • Destro is actually my favorite character from the COBRA army – and not just because he gets to play Santa Claus with his “Gunrunner” power. (OK, maybe that’s more important to me than I’m letting on.) There’s his cool face mask and the fact that he gets to run around with a briefcase like some well-armed mid-level bureaucrat.
  • The aforementioned “Gunrunner” power lets Destro give two unique heroes on his side (which could include himself) Tech Glyphs at the start of the battle. The Tech Glyphs are once per round buffs that include:
    • Jump Pack – a small or medium hero gains Flying for one turn.
    • Nanite Shielding – a small or medium hero can add one automatic shield before they roll defense dice
    • Nanotoxin Coating – after inflicting a wound with a normal attack against an adjacent figure, you can add 1 additional wound
  • Destro’s “Beryllium Steel Mask” gives him an automatic shield against non-adjacent attacks… and his “Personal Arsenal” lets him make a second attack at -2.
  • His real weakness is his pitiful defense dice (2), which is somewhat mitigated by his steel mask. His attack is robust (4) and his range of 6 means he can stay out of the fray when he’s vulnerable. Best use of his Gunrunner power so far was giving Roadblock the Jump Pac

Terrain

The concrete and asphalt terrain in the Battle Box is just the first time that newer Heroscape players have seen urban terrain – and there’s more urban terrain coming later this spring in a terrain set. For those of us who’ve been around the block with Heroscape, we’ve got urban terrain from the Marvel set – which works nicely with the new stuff.

The terrain also includes shadow tiles – both as part of the basic mix of the box as well as part of Storm Shadow’s powers. Shadow tiles originally appeared in the D&D sets back in 2009-2010 and is reappearing here as well as (spoiler alert for a later part of this review) the Caverns of Valhalla terrain box. Shadow tiles grant any small, medium, or large figure standing on them +1 to their Defense Value.

The obstacles in this box are COBRA Fortification Walls… which are large enough to hide small & medium figures as well as screw up easy pathways across maps. 

Finally, there is a completely new type of terrain in the box – the glow-in-the-dark Toxic terrain, which comes in both a water tile and terrain format. A figure on a toxic land space subtracts 1 from their Defense Value. I pity the fool who stands on toxic water – they subtract 2 from their Defense Value.

Scenarios

There are three maps and three scenarios included in the Battle Box. Each of the scenarios has three difficulty settings: Rookie, Seasoned, and Veteran – allowing new players to get up to speed and experienced players to tackle some interesting variations on the normal Heroscape theme of “beat the other guy to a pulp”.

While I didn’t find the first scenario particularly interesting, the other two scenarios are excellent. (Yes, I played them on “Veteran” difficulty.)

Greenshirts & Battle Copter Common Army Expansion

Just a reminder for those who less steeped in Heroscape nomenclature: unique heroes and squads mean you can only field one of them in your army. You can have any number of the same common heroes or common squads in your army. Both the Greenshirts and the Battle Copter are commons.

• Greenshirts
  • The Greenshirts are a four figure squad with decent range (5) but sub-standard attack and defense values (both are 2). Their saving grace is their power – “Whenever There’s Trouble” lets you move two unengaged G.I. Joe or Solider Heroes up to two spaces before taking a turn with the Greenshirts. This allows some extra mobility as well as their pop-gun firepower. Best place for these guys is on a ridgeline overlooking the battlefield in order to take advantage of the height bonus for attack and defense.

• Battle Copter
  • With my fear of heights, the thought of a single-man non-enclosed helicopter gives me the heebie-jeebies… but it does score high on style points. It also has a couple of powers that make it especially useful in an army that is facing a large force. The “Strafe Special Attack” allows it to lay down a line of fire (5 spaces long) and hit every enemy character in the line with an attack of 3. (Strafe does not affect friendly figures!) “Battle Ready” lets you give the Copter an X order marker that you can reveal to move a different order marker to the whirlybird.
  • The Copter actually has two life and a decent defense (4)… but it’s easy to see & target, so it’s best used against portions of the battlefield crowded with enemy figures. With smaller opposing armies, it may not be worth fielding due to the anemic regular attack value (2).

COBRA Troopers & COBRA Flight Pod Common Army Expansion

Well, if the Joes get a copter and some “red shirts”, it follows that the COBRA side gets something similar. This squad and hero (aka “Flight Pod”) are both commons.

• COBRA Troopers
  • In the time-honored fashion of most bad guy minions, these guys are pretty much lost without someone to lead them. They have an abysmal attack value (1) that is augmented by their “Coils of Cobra” power. That gives them +1 attack value for each adjacent Unique COBRA figure you control. To make the whole “follow the leader” things work out, they also have “Villainous Bonding” which gives them a turn with a Warlord or Profiteer hero you control prior to their turn.
    • Figures in this wave who qualify: Cobra Commander, Destro, Serpentor
  • The Troopers have a slightly longer range (6) than the Greenshirts – but unless they’ve got a close personal Villain friend and are on higher ground, their firepower is pretty limited. We discovered that the bonding alone was worth it to push COBRA heroes into position where they could do real damage – and cross your fingers about the Troopers themselves doing much damage.

• COBRA Flight Pod
  • It seems odd to say this, but the COBRA Flight Pod seems like a better design when it comes to operator safety as opposed to the whirlygig that some poor sap flies for the G.I. Joes.
  • Much like the Battle Copter, the Flight Pod is also “Battle Ready” (able to trade a X marker on its card for the current order marker) as well as having a nifty special attack. The pod actually has an “Air-to-Ground Missile Special Attack” which has a range of 4, followed by an attack of 3 that explodes 1 space, individually attacking all adjacent figures. (Why am I not surprised that COBRA is totally willing to have the Flight Pod do splash damage to its own side?)
  • The Flight Pod has similar stats to the Battle Copter – meaning our experience suggests the same advice. “t’s easy to see & target, so it’s best used against portions of the battlefield crowded with enemy figures. With smaller opposing armies, it may not be worth fielding due to the anemic regular attack value (2).”

Strike Forces Army Expansion

The final box of this G.I. Joe wave is a collection of unique heroes and squads that fill out a number of the key players from the beloved cartoon/comic book series. (Yes, I know there were three live-action G.I. Joe films… but I’ve only seen one of them. Sue me.)

The Good Guys

• Lady Jaye
  • With her low recruiting cost (60 points), Lady Jaye’s powers make her an excellent addition to any Joe army. She has access to a “Motorized Zipline” – the ability to lay out 1 of 3 Zipline glyphs at the end of her move. Small & medium figures can end their move on a Zipline glyph and move up to 6 spaces to the next Zipline glyph. (There are some limits – but I’ll let you discover those for yourself when you pick up the Strike Forces box.)
  • She is also a “Master of Disguise” – when attacked by a Squad figure, she rolls d20. On a roll of 14 or better, she is prevented from being targeted for the rest of the turn.
  • These robust powers are augmented by her quick movement (6) and her decent attack/defense stats (both 3). I have trouble coming up with a reason NOT to include her on my team. She is especially effective (as I found out the hard way) when the Joe army has to traverse a large open area, courtesy of the Zipline.

• Jinx & Kamakura
  • This unique squad has two figures, each with 3 life points… but their real strength is seen when they are on a team with other ninjas. (Obviously, in terms of G.I. Joe, that means buddying up with Snake Eyes.) Two of their powers are specific ninja interactions. “Learn From the Master” is a bonding power that activates another Ninja hero, and “Coordinated Takedown” bonuses their attacks by +1 for every other friendly Ninja adjacent to the target. And, yes, they’re ninjas, so they’ve got “Phantom Walk”.
  • Their attack number is low (2) but buffed by the Takedown power – which can include the other member of the squad. I haven’t had a chance yet, but I really want to pair this team with the Tannuki Tricksters and/or the Ninjas of the North Wind.

The Bad Guys

• Baroness
  • Armed with a long-range weapon (range 7) and a solid attack value (4), the Baroness also has a set of powers that can be quite useful. As an “Intelligence Chief”, she can forego her turn to give two different COBRA or Agent heroes a turn – which can include herself. She can use “False Orders” to attempt to switch order markers from one enemy to another… and she can “Disengage” freely without taking leaving attacks.
  • She’s fast (6) which pairs nicely with her sniper-like skills to get her onto a high ground position and harass the enemy. I chose not to put her in the midst of the fray as her Intelligence Chief power is too valuable to waste when she can hit someone at a distance.

• Crimson Twins
  • “One Twin Feels What the Other Twin Feels” means that this squad shares a single life pool of 6… and both figures are eliminated when that they take that many wounds. Evidently, the twins are rolling in dough, as their “Bankroll” power lets them give any Unique Hero the COBRA affiliation. They also conduct “Business Operations” – after either twin attacks, they can move another unengaged COBRA figure 2 spaces.
  • Even though we didn’t have a good first outing with the twins, I can see how they might be used in a productive manner. They have good mobility (6) and range (5) for squad figures – and their attack/defense of 3 is solid. Height advantage (and shadow tiles) will be their friends… as will the ability to pump the other twins movement using “Business Operations”.

The Caverns of Valhalla

The shadow tiles are here in full force – along with four rock outcroppings. This is a terrain type we didn’t see nearly enough of prior to the “demise” of OG Heroscape – so it’s really nice to have it back.

BTW, it works perfectly with ‘old skool’ dungeon terrain from the D&D master set (Battle for the Underdark). Bigger dungeons make me happy.

Another note: the Renegade folks designed a really cool scenario (Midnight Raid) using the Caverns terrain… the following picture (and my hard-worn advice about watching out for Lady Jaye and those dadgum ziplines) came from this battle.

Extra Credit

I’ve got three other items to highlight as part of this release

• Serpentor
  • Every COBRA army needs a promo figure who can (a) make 2 attacks per turn, (b), use the order markers on other cards once per round, and (c) negatively affect the defense value of everyone adjacent to the, friend or foe. Right? (This is my coy way of saying Serpentor has a lot of powers and one of them could be problematic for people on his side.)
  • He’s got good speed (6) and a respectable attack/defense value (both 4)… plus he just looks ridiculously cool on the battlefield. His 6 life value means he works well as a charging figure – able to attack twice once he’s in position.
  • As noted above, Serpentor is a pre-release promo… but he’ll be available for purchase through Renegade at some later point.

• Army Paint Set
  • The new paint set include 10 paints, a brush, and an unpainted Decker the Burrowbreaker figure & army card. We haven’t got Decker to the table yet, but his drill attack and ability to burrow underground are pretty dang cool. Additionally, he’s giving off serious “I escaped from the old Ravensburger ‘Mole in the Hole’ game and I’m righteously ticked off about it” vibes.

• Premium Wound Markers
  • Heavy poker chip markers are now available to slide underneath squad characters with multiple life points – which is much easier to deal with than moving figures with regular wound markers on them. They come in one wound and two wound variations.

Closing Thoughts

This was the second time I’ve seen the unpainted heroes & squads IRL (“in real life”)… since the quality of the sculpts is excellent (painted or unpainted), the wash makes the details stand out nicely. For those who are trying to save some precious gaming cash, the unpainted figures are a great idea.

Alternately, those with a steadier hand than I can paint these figures – and can do so to match the army cards (thanks to the paint guides provided on the Renegade Game Studios site) or be wildly creative.

For those of you who (like me) are acquiring the painted figures, I have some suggestions about which box(es) to grab if cash is short:

• The Battle Box is actually a good deal – all eight unique heroes in the set work well together as Joe & COBRA teams… but they also have solid power designs that make them an asset in any army.
• I’d save the the Greenshirts and COBRA Troopers boxes for those who want to do some serious “Real American Hero” action – and for that purpose, they work like a charm.
• I think the Strike Force expansion has another set of highly usable unique heroes that will slot nicely into various Valkyrie armies.

Like I said above, I’m glad to see the Caverns terrain back – especially with the new era opening up the bowels of Valhalla this summer (see my last preview for more details!).

Normally, I’d tell you not to start with these new boxes if you’re just getting into Heroscape – but for those of you who are G.I. Joe fans, this is actually a really solid entry point into the much wider world of Heroscape. For those of us with lots of ‘Scape under our belts, I doff my hat/helmet to the Renegade team for making IP-connected characters that work with the already developed lore and design of the previous releases – thank you!

Want to read more Heroscape coverage from the OG?

• Heroscape in New Hands: The Renegade Con Panel (October 2023) preview
• The Gates of Valhalla Swing Open… Again: The Return of Heroscape (March 2024) preview
• Heroscape – Wave 2: The Story Continues to Unfold (June 2024) preview
• 10 Questions About The New Era of Heroscape (August 2024) review
• Heroscape – Wave 3: The Rising Tide Raises All Boats (October 2024) preview
• Another Wave of Heroscape (And Questions!) (October 2024) review
• Heroscape: Another Love Letter (February 2024) review
• Heroscape: Boiling Tension (February 2024) preview
• Heroscape: Heavily Armed Woodland Creatures and the Stuff of Nightmares (March 2025) review
• Heroscape News: Zed Nesbitt Soars into View Whilst The Good Folks At Renegade Deal With Tariffs (April 2025) review
• Heroscape: Embers of War (June 2025) preview
• Heroscape: Well-Armed Crabs and a Serious Boost to Revna’s Army (July 2025) review
• Heroscape: “Knowing is half the battle” (October 2025) preview
• Heroscape: Here Be Dragons… And Pirates… And Some Very Creepy Forest Dwellers (November 2025) review
• Heroscape: A New Age Begins (March 2026) preview
• Heroscape: Designers Talking (March 2026) preview

How about some stuff I wrote back in the day about Heroscape for my personal blog?

• Heroscape for Beginners (and Robo) (November 2009)
• I’ve chronicled a number of our massive battles – complete with pictures!
  • Defeating the Marro Invaders + Heroscape Update (October 2007)
  • Battle Royale + Battle Royale: National Heroscape Day + The Battle is Over (October 2008)
  • Marvel vs. the Citizens of Valhalla (April 2009)
  • Arena of Doom (December 2010)
• In November 2010, I wrote a goodbye letter to Heroscape when Hasbro ended the line…

I received review copies of the new Heroscape material from Renegade Game Studios. Back in the day, I did receive some promo figures, a couple of Volcarren Wasteland boxes, and a wave of figures as a “thank you” for my work as a playtester for Hasbro. (I also received a very cool Heroscape T-shirt which fit 42 year old Mark but isn’t as kind to 61 year old Mark. But I still have it hanging in my closet.)