Who in the world thought it was a smart idea to place an eternal flame in a very dry and highly combustible forest? This is a pure disaster game and the blazing fires are inevitable. There is no stopping them. You as the player merely have to try your best to be the last one standing on top of your fire tower, not watching it burn down to dust and ash.
Raise the Alarm!
My introduction to Fire Tower was actually here on the Zatu Blog. The team were collaborating on a feature and another blogger wrote about Fire Tower as part of it. I was convinced by that and with good cause. To then rock up at the Expo and meet the creators themselves on their own stand and have the opportunity to play a game was too good to pass up. My Tower burnt down but I was sold. What a game.
To have that rare opportunity to meet the creator also was a real treat. Sam and Gwen were so kind and welcoming and were thrilled to show us the game. I could see their passion for their creation, it was infectious. The story behind the development, how family members had created the art work for the game and how Runaway Parade Games came about. It was a pleasure to learn and listen to
The Flames are Rising!
A game for 2-4 players that, as already highlighted, is a disaster game and you need to be the last player (or team) with your fire tower still standing.
You will utilize 4 types of card, wind, fire, water and fire break to protect yourself and spread/send the fire towards your opponents. Oh, and on each and every turn you will place a fire game down on the board in the direction of the prevailing wind as the forest progressively burns.
The game is really fast paced and the fire spreads horrendously quickly. So you as a player need to be aware of the risks ahead of time and try to prevent/anticipate what could happen before the fire burns through your tower.
There are a few game variations within the set as well for if you just have 2 players, you can have team games or introduce the shadow of the wood. Where players who burned can still participate in the game.
Great Balls of Fire!
Fire Tower has been hugely enjoyable to learn and play. I love the simplicity of the game from a rules perspective but the rapid action and constant fluctuating situation. You play your turn, and by the time your next turn comes around the board can look significantly different. Horribly so if the prevailing wind is coming your way. The game has a brilliant balance of strategy with random chance. You draw the cards to take your actions, where the chance kicks in, but decide what to play and at what moment. As well as the decisions to where to place those fire gems each and every turn.
There’s no getting away from the fact this is a fast game. The fire spreads quickly and the game has been engineered to ensure it will burn sooner or later. It would be frustrating if it didn’t when the idea is to be the last person standing, yet you struggle to ignite the game. There is something about the fire that is also just intense, coupled with the pace of the game it makes for an exhilarating experience.
The roughest element is that you can quickly be ganged up on and there is nothing you can really do about that. Your opponents want to survive as much as you and if they choose to go on the attack and send plenty of fire cards your way, you will be in trouble. This is one of those games that can have plenty of banter, but if you are that player that enjoys stitching the other gamers up in your circle, you could easily find yourself burning up incredibly quickly. Keeping your head down in this one and not starting the offensive elements off at the beginning could well be a key part of your strategy.
If you are caught down wind you are in big trouble and need to change that prevailing wind ASAP. It’s bad enough your opponents throw fire cards your way but you do not need the regular turn gems on top of that. However my issues all too often in the games I’ve had is I haven’t been able to change the wind, or it has been changed again straight away. That’s just the way it goes sometimes. That’s gaming right? It doesn’t always come off and that is why we love it. It’s certainly an entertaining feature in this game.
There is no getting away from how beautiful the game looks either. I’ve already referenced but they really have done a lovely job with this one. The plastic gems look incredibly for the fire representation. Wooden components for the fire breaks and some really high quality playing cards. Then the board art work is right on point. Well done with this.
If you look between the lines there is an important message in fire safety in this game. The fire spreads quicker than you think. Whilst amusing in a game when your opponents are burning down it really isn’t funny in real life and we all need to be careful in the real world. With many forest fires regularly being reported this game highlights the serious consequences in a highly enjoyable way. That is such an odd sentence!
The game has also been easy to teach friends and get them so involved so quickly. It’s a testament to the creators in the simple rules created that people new to the game (and gaming in general) have had a hugely positive gaming experience and sought to pick Fire Tower up for themselves after. A truly great game that has that positive effect on the players around the table.
Final thought
Despite burning down, I fell instantly in love with this game. Great game mechanics, intense action and quite simply a lot of fun. It is going to be a regular on our table tops. Definitely check this one out.
