We’ve focused a lot of attention on the starter boxes for Monsterpocalypse, and naturally the monsters take center stage on the tabletop. But the unsung heroes of any Monsterpocalypse force, whether Protectors of the planet or Destroyers of mankind, are the hard-working little units that follow in your monsters’ earth-shaking footsteps.

Units come in all shapes and sizes, from G-Tanks to Explodohawks, from Shinobi to flying saucers. Each unit has its own suite of abilities that supports your monsters’ efforts to crush buildings and smash enemy-monster face. With sufficient numbers, some units can even be very effective at causing damage to opposing monsters with their combined attacks. But two of the biggest reasons to love your units are that they can secure buildings and hold objective spaces on the map.

Buildings, another essential part of your force, offer a range of beneficial abilities that can improve your chances to claim victory. Without your units, however, buildings are just obstacles waiting to be crushed by rampaging monsters. When you surround a building with three of your units, you can secure it to gain its benefits. Best of all, when you power up, every building you have secured nets you a Power Die. And the more Power Dice you rack up, the more damage you’re going to deal out.

Objective spaces include power zones, negative zones, and spawn points, and only units have the ability to hold them. Like securing a building, having a unit on top of a power zone when you power up gets you a Power Die. Holding a negative zone, on the other hand, forces your opponent to lose a Power Die. And while each player has their own proprietary spawn points in the game, there are neutral spawn points in strategic locations that can help you get your units to their objectives quickly if you hold the activator space that corresponds to that spawn point.

In a single monster-vs.-monster game, you can have up to 15 units in your force. With five units in your starter, that means grabbing one of each of your Agenda’s two unit packs from your local game store will give you a full complement of units. (Basically, if you buy a Protectors Starter, you’ll also want to buy one [PIP 51003] Strike Fighters and Rocket Chopper and one [PIP 51004] G-Tank and Repair Truck. Same with the Destroyers. If you buy a Destroyers Starter, you’ll want a [PIP 51005] Chompers, Destructomite and Explodohawk and a PIP [51006] Belchers and Crawlers to flesh out your forces!)

When you’re ready to step up to two-monster games, you can add another five units for a total of 20, and five more for 25 units in an all-out battle royale with three monsters on each side.

No Monsterpocalypse battle is won without making good use of your units. They might look small, but they’re the key to making sure your monsters are flush with power and capable of dealing out the maximum damage possible. They’re also quick and easy to paint, and they make your monsters look super big when they stand next to them!

Don’t miss out! Preorder at your local game store today!