Monsterpocalypse, collectible miniatures, games, giant monsters, godzilla, kaiju, there goes tokyo

Giant Monsters Destroy All Cities

Giant monsters stomping across your gaming table, thrashing each other and destroying an entire city in the process: Is this heaven? Nope, just Monsterpocalypse, a forthcoming collectible miniatures game of kaiju combat by Privateer Press. The pre-painted collectible minis and the buildings they will stomp will come in random booster packs starting this fall. Privateer is ramping up for a grand roll-out, with a comic book series and promo monsters to get the kaiju fans drooling.

While the rules for Monsterpocalypse haven't been completed yet, a few things are known. Monsters come in factions, such as alien invaders, cybernetically enhanced giant humans, dinosaurs or robotic military units (plus a monster that looks suspiciously like Cthulhu). Players will control smaller monsters or tanks along with their main monsters. Trashing a building will generate a power-up for your monster, and monsters will have "Alpha," "HyperMega," and "UltraMega" forms.

Anyone who collects all three issues of the comic book series will be able to get a limited edition monster. You can learn more at the official site, or read game designer Erik Yaple's blog about the Monsterpocalypse design process. I'm already saving my pennies to buy a case of this when it comes out, but if Privateer could get the license from Toho to make minis of the classic Godzilla monsters, this would officially be the Greatest Game In the Universe. Images by: Privateer Press.

Thanks to Seth L for the tip.

7:00 AM on Thu May 1 2008
By Ed Grabianowski
1,571 views
33 comments

Comments

Gann at 07:06 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

This reminds me, If you get a chance go see 'Big Man Japan':
[www.imdb.com]
ggodo at 07:07 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

It's like The King of Monsters in Miniatures form!
Miranda Kali at 07:07 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 150

Looks pretty neat.
What I'd really like to see, though, is a MMO based on "Rampage" (the arcade game from the 80's).
Now THAT would be fun.
Gyrus at 07:09 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

D'oh! (crumples up notes for a kickass kaiju board game)

So, this looks pretty neat.
Josimba at 07:13 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

Wow I haven't actually been excited about any board games in a long time. And I'm not particulaly a fan of giant monsters, but its almost like Rampage the board game.
MadJackDeacon at 07:14 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

I'm wondering if they'll have a "Cloverfield" monster that sheds little monsterlets that cause you to asplode when they bite you.
Log1c at 07:23 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

They forgot the 4th form "ULTRA MEGA TURBO HYPER FLASHLY LIGHTS OF DOOOM" ...
russdanger at 07:27 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

WOW this is so amazingly awesome!!!!

Oh wait, I'm not 9 years old...

Nevermind.
jbq at 07:41 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@Miranda Kali: I loved Rampage! They should totally do a Rampage movie adaptation.

Or maybe not; I can only imagine how much awesomeness Michael Bay could fit into something like that.

Or JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves could do it completely from the monster POV, so they could "reinvent" perspective again. Maybe that's actually true, and it's Cloverfield 2.
DocGratis at 07:43 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@russdanger: Why are you on a Sci-fi site if some part of you isn't still 9-14 years old?

Personally, that is how I use my appendix.. it hold my childhood wonder and imagination...

This board game looks like it could be pretty fun...

Reminds me of a board game I had as a kid where you build giant radioactive mutant monsters and attached weapons to them... wish I could remember what that was called...
DocGratis at 07:46 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@DocGratis: Found it.. (man that was easy)

Gammarauders

[www.boardgamegeek.com]
Ed Grabianowski at 07:52 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 55

There's always Monsters Menace America if you're not into the collectible aspect: [www.boardgamegeek.com]
DSTRYA at 07:59 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

this does look pretty cool. hopefully, the rules aren't equipment-specific (a-la heroclix) and gameplay could easily adapt to existing toys in your collection (e.g. PVC stuff that doesn't "move", Ultra- heroes/monsters, etc) -- as long as the scale was right. and think how easy to customize some of the toys you do have to make up more characters--

whoops. geeking out a bit there

@Miranda Kali: i agree that they should try to get some licensed characters-- the Rampage characters would definitely be awesome, and prolly not too pricey (that was a ways back)
DSTRYA at 08:03 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

some cool images on their downloads page:

[www.privateerpress.com]
Gyrus at 08:05 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@Ed Grabianowski: I have that game! It's not bad until there are only two monsters left, then it's just repetitive dice rolling to see who gets highest. With a little tweaking though,it could be fun.
zerofritz at 08:47 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

I think I might be jaded; I saw the first picture, and all I could think of was Joe Quesada finding yet another way to make a cash grab off of Wolverine.

"From the people who brought you Marvel Mangaverse and Marvel Zombies comes Marvel Kaiju!"
Seth L at 09:36 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@Gyrus:

But you get to eat the Corn palace!
moose_knuckle at 09:46 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

can you say Evagelion?
Klebert L. Hall at 09:46 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

"Collectible" games are the sleaziest marketing model ever (note: likely exaggeration). It should have some entertaining minis, though.

-Kle.
Castle1914 at 10:17 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

A collectible monster game kinda goes against my grain. Godzilla doesn't need to be "Collected" you buy him once and you're done. No more collecting.

I'm not saying it has to be Godzilla, I'm saying that Voltron was the ultimate robot in the story, Godzilla was the ultimate monster in his/it's story. Instead of collecting a bunch of monsters and fighting them like an army, the focus should be on one monster per player.

Am I missing the point of the "collecting" thing?
DSTRYA at 10:56 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@Castle1914: "Am I missing the point of the "collecting" thing?"

you collect different characters so you can play different characters one-at-a-time. for instance, you cant play as Giant Ape until you have "collected" him via booster pack. it's just a way for the players to buy more character options-- you wouldn't _always_ want to play as Voltron, after all. kind of like "collecting" all the different GI Joe figures, except there's also a game to be played once you buy them.
DocGratis at 11:08 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@Klebert L. Hall: Ooops I missed the "Collectible" nature of the game.. I retract all prior enthusiasm...

Boooo crappy collectible crap!
Castle1914 at 11:11 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@DSTRYA: "you wouldn't _always_ want to play as Voltron"

Speak for yourself! I am Voltron!
DocGratis at 11:12 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@DSTRYA: Except that you could always play with what what you had because there weren't "rules" to GI Joe... but yes...

@Castle1914: The point to make money for the company that releases the game, because they can always release newer cooler guys...

Magic the gathering card game lit the path to hell on this one...
russdanger at 11:37 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@DocGratis:

I heard somebody say:
"You can't avoid getting older, but you can stay immature FOREVER!..."

Words that I try to live by (as my girlfriend would be happy to confirm)...
Castle1914 at 11:48 AM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@DocGratis: Are you saying I can't be Voltron?

Form! Blazing! Sword!

Form Blazing Sword!

comon, form blazing sword.

*sniff* You broke my fantasy.

I don't like Magic The Gartering anyway.
urukhaifive at 12:47 PM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@moose_knuckle: I can Evangelion. I can also say overrated anime that Americans read way too much into, despite Gainax admitting that all the "imagery" in it means jack shit and was only included because it looks cool.
/weeaboo

Holy crap this looks like an awesome game. Will the different monsters be to scale I wonder?
DSTRYA at 01:11 PM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@DocGratis: when i was a lad, my friends and i made up a GI Joe role-playing game wherein you could "customize" a figure with one weapon, one backpack-thing, one helmet-thing (if applicable) and one other item that could fit in the other hand. Figures were then scored on armor type (including if the figure showed any "skin" or if it was heavily armored), dexterity, weapon dexterity, weapon damge, etc. Then we would role the day away w/ a bunch of 10- and 20-siders. We called it "battle royale" and you could control as many figures as you wanted.

it was simple and dumb and fun. Life was good and the pleasures were many-- and of course my fellow tribesmen scattered across the earth and disappeared. God speed you, Little Mill Woods geek-crew, wherever you all are!
DSTRYA at 01:14 PM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@Castle1914: "Speak for yourself! I am Voltron!"

whatever you say, bro-- it's all right if it feels good.
Castle1914 at 02:32 PM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

@DSTRYA: Nah DocGratis ruined it for me.

I do tend to focus on a single character for long periods of time. Collecting isn't really my thing.
jrghoull at 08:21 PM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

i just realized something...the guy who did that movie hostel or w/e it was called that is now doing what he has only said to be a combo between transformers and cloverfield...lol that could possibly turn out to be a kick ass ultra man movie :-P
Silver_Back at 08:56 PM on 05/01/08
Reply by Email
*

You know what we need? We need giant kittens. No one would attack them because they'd be big, fluffy, and mew us to death with utter cuteness.
DSTRYA at 05:45 AM on 05/02/08
Reply by Email
*

@Miranda Kali: some rampage-inspired tees at digitalgravel.com, e.g.

[store01.prostores.com]

please notice the overpriced-ness