M.A.S.S IMPACT is a tactical level game of man-to-man combat in a dystopian future. Players manage a squad or full platoon of heavily armed and armored soldiers as they navigate through blasted terrain to accomplish their mission. This could be to capture or hold a position, break through the enemy lines, or simply destroy enemy soldiers.
Players advance their soldiers across a grid of map points that indicate the type of terrain at that spot of the map. This grid allows for much more maneuver within a much smaller space. Ten different 11x17 inch geomorphic maps, allowing for hundreds of different battlefield configurations.
Each soldier is tracked with his or her own data card, using dry-erase markers, allowing the capabilities of each soldier to remain hidden until engaged. Ten different soldier types, each with its own abilities can be selected as part of a squad, through twelve different scenarios. An included “design-your-own” system makes it easy to create custom scenarios.
The game's action is managed through the use of a deck of "action cards" that provide quick, dice-less combat results as well as random events.
In addition to a straight-forward set of movement and combat rules, the game includes several optional rules including “bouncing” to target enemy soldiers over blocking terrain, stealth movement, drones, mines, squad command and morale, and even guidelines on how to play the game with miniatures.