Flash Point: Fire Rescue

2011

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a gripping cooperative board game. Players work as a team of firefighters, battling blazing infernos, rescuing victims, and saving the day!

45
minutes

2 - 6
player(s)

10+

Medium

About the game

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is an exhilarating and thrilling cooperative board game where players assume the roles of brave firefighters in a desperate race against time to extinguish a blazing inferno and rescue helpless victims. This captivating game masterfully combines strategy, teamwork, and a healthy dose of luck, providing an intense and immersive gaming experience.

The setting of the game is a burning building where fires break out and spread unpredictably. Each room in the building presents its own unique challenges. The unpredictable nature of the fire, smoke, and potential explosions adds a layer of suspense to the game, making each turn a nail-biting experience.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a thrilling cooperative board game that puts players in the shoes of firefighters trying to save victims from a burning building. Here are the main components included in the game and their roles:

1. Game Board: The game board depicts the layout of the burning building. It contains spaces representing rooms, doors, and walls. During the game, players move their firefighters around the board, extinguishing fires and rescuing victims.

2. Firefighter Figures: Each player receives a firefighter figure, which represents their character in the game. The figures move around the board, performing actions such as extinguishing fires, chopping down walls, and carrying victims to safety.

3. Fire Markers: These markers represent individual fires within the building. When a space on the board has a fire marker, it is considered to be on fire and can cause damage to firefighters and victims in that space.

4. Smoke Markers: These markers represent smoke, which can turn into fire if not dealt with quickly. Smoke markers can be placed on any space within the building and can change into fire markers if a fire spreads to that space.

5. Door Markers: Door markers indicate the location of doors in the building. Doors can be opened or destroyed by firefighters to access different parts of the building.

6. Victim Markers: These markers represent the people trapped within the burning building. The main objective of the game is to rescue these victims by carrying them outside of the building.

7. POI (Point of Interest) Markers: These markers are placed face down on the board and represent potential victims. When a firefighter reaches a POI marker, it is flipped over to reveal whether it is a victim (which needs to be rescued) or a false alarm.

8. Damage Markers: These markers indicate structural damage to the building. If a space receives too much damage, it collapses and becomes impassable.

9. Hot Spot Markers: These markers indicate areas where fire is more likely to spread. If a fire or smoke marker is placed in a hot spot, additional fire or smoke markers may be added to adjacent spaces.

10. Dice: The game includes two dice: a six-sided die and an eight-sided die. These dice are used to determine where smoke and fire markers are added to the board, where POI markers are placed, and where explosions occur.

11. Player Cards: Each player receives a player card, which provides a summary of the actions they can take during their turn and the cost in action points for each action.

12. Action Point Tokens: These tokens are used to track how many action points a player has left on their turn. Action points are spent to perform actions such as moving, fighting fires, and rescuing victims.

13. Specialist Cards: These cards provide players with unique abilities that can be used during the game. Each player selects a specialist card at the start of the game.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a thrilling board game that requires strategic planning and team collaboration. The steps to set up the game are as follows:

Step 1: Board Placement

Place the two-sided game board in the middle of the table. The side you choose to play on will depend on the level of difficulty you want. The ‘family’ side is less complex while the ‘experienced’ side offers more challenge.

Step 2: Placement of Firefighter Figures

Each player should choose a firefighter figure and place it in the fire engine space on the board. The maximum number of players is six.

Step 3: Player Roles

In the ‘experienced’ game mode, each player chooses a specialist role. These roles include:

Fire Captain
Paramedic
Firefighter
Rescue Specialist
Imaging Technician
Generalist

Each role comes with unique abilities that can help in dealing with the fire.

Step 4: Initial Resources

Place the following resources on the board:

Poison markers: These are randomly placed in rooms with a door symbol.
Fire markers: Place these on any red squares on the board.
Smoke markers: Place these on any orange squares on the board.
Hot Spot markers: In the ‘experienced’ game mode, place these on any spots marked with a flame icon.
Hazmat markers: In the ‘experienced’ game mode, randomly place these in any rooms.
Victim markers: Place these facedown next to the board.

Step 5: Random Elements

Roll the dice to determine the placement of the initial three victims on the board. The dice will correspond to the grid references on the board.

Now the game is set up and ready to play. Good luck, and may the best team win!

Game flow Round and round we go

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a thrilling cooperative game where players take on the roles of firefighters working as a team to rescue victims and extinguish fires. The game progresses through a series of rounds, each divided into phases. Each player’s turn consists of four phases: Spend Action Points, Advance Fire, Replenish POI Markers, and End Turn.

Spend Action Points: At the start of each player’s turn, they receive Action Points (AP) based on their chosen firefighter’s AP allowance. During this phase, players can use their AP to perform various actions such as moving, extinguishing fires, chopping through walls, and rescuing victims. The cost of each action varies:

Move: The player can move their firefighter through the fire station. This action costs 1 AP for moving into a space without smoke or fire, 2 AP for moving into a space with smoke, and 4 AP for moving into a space with fire.
Extinguish Fires or Smoke: The player can attempt to extinguish fires or smoke in their current space or an adjacent space. It costs 1 AP to convert fire to smoke, 1 additional AP to completely extinguish smoke, and 2 AP to completely extinguish fire.
Chop Walls: The player can chop through walls to open new paths. Each chop costs 2 AP and it takes two chops to break through a wall.
Rescue Victims: The player can carry victims to safety. It costs 2 AP to pick up a victim and 2 AP per space to move while carrying a victim.

Advance Fire: After spending AP, the player must roll the dice to advance the fire. Depending on the roll, smoke may be added to a space, smoke may turn into fire, or an explosion might occur, spreading fire and damaging walls.

Replenish POI Markers: If there are fewer than 3 Point of Interest (POI) markers on the board, the player must roll the dice to place new POI markers. These markers may represent victims to be rescued or false alarms.

End Turn: After these steps, the player’s turn ends. The next player clockwise then takes their turn, beginning with the Spend Action Points phase. The game continues in this manner until the players either rescue 7 victims, thus winning the game, or the building collapses or 4 victims are lost, in which case the players lose.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a co-operative game where players take on the role of firefighters attempting to extinguish a fire and rescue victims. Each player’s turn is composed of several steps and possible actions, which can significantly affect the gameplay.

1. Spending Action Points

At the start of their turn, each player receives 4 Action Points (AP) to spend on various activities. These include:

Moving: Players can move their firefighter to adjacent squares for 1 AP per square. If the square is filled with smoke or fire, the cost is 2 AP.
Extinguishing Fires: Players can spend AP to extinguish smoke or fire in their firefighter’s square or an adjacent one. It costs 1 AP to remove smoke and 2 AP to reduce fire to smoke.
Opening/Closing Doors: Players can spend 1 AP to open or close a door in their firefighter’s square or an adjacent one.
Chopping Walls: For 2 AP, players can damage a wall in their firefighter’s square or an adjacent one. Walls require two hits to be completely destroyed.
Carrying Victims: Players can carry victims or hazardous materials. It costs 2 AP to pick up and 2 AP per square to move while carrying.

2. Replenishing Action Points

Unspent AP can be saved for future turns, up to a maximum of 4 saved AP. This allows players to strategically save points for later, more complex actions.

3. Spreading Fire

After a player has finished their turn, they must roll the dice to spread the fire. The result could lead to smoke appearing, existing smoke turning into fire, or an explosion if fire hits an already fiery square. This element introduces randomness and uncertainty to the game, forcing players to adapt their strategies.

4. Placing POIs (Points of Interest)

Then, the player places new Points of Interest on the board, which could be either victims to be rescued or false alarms. The placement of POIs can affect player strategies, as rescuing victims is a primary objective.

The choices a player makes on their turn, from how they spend their AP to their specific role’s abilities, can greatly affect the outcome of the game. Working together, strategizing effectively, and adapting to the unpredictable spread of fire are key to winning Flash Point: Fire Rescue.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a thrilling cooperative game where players work together as a team of firefighters with the objective to rescue victims from a burning building. The game ends under two conditions, either leading to a victory or a loss.

Victory Conditions:

Players achieve victory in Flash Point: Fire Rescue when they have successfully rescued 7 victims from the burning building. Rescuing a victim involves locating a Point of Interest (POI), reaching it, and then carrying it back to one of the ambulance spaces on the outside edge of the game board.

Loss Conditions:

The game ends in a loss if 4 victims are lost in the fire. A victim is considered lost if a fire marker is placed on their space. This could happen if a player fails to reach a victim in time, or if an explosion occurs in the victim’s location.
The game also ends in a loss if the building collapses. The building is considered to have collapsed if the damage markers run out. Damage markers are placed on the game board whenever an explosion occurs or a wall collapses.

Before the final scoring, players must ensure that all the final actions have been completed. These actions include:

Removing the victim token from the board after a successful rescue and placing it on the rescued victims’ space on the side of the game board.
Adding a lost victim token to the lost victims’ space on the side of the game board whenever a victim is lost.
Adding damage markers to the game board whenever an explosion occurs or a wall collapses.

After these actions have been taken, players can proceed to final scoring. If players have successfully rescued 7 victims, they achieve a heroic victory. If the building collapses or 4 victims are lost before the rescue of 7 victims, the game ends in defeat. In both cases, the game ends immediately, and there is no need for further scoring.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In Flash Point: Fire Rescue, the game is not so much about accumulating points but rather about saving victims and preventing the fire from consuming the building. The players, acting as a team of firefighters, win or lose together based on their collective performance. However, there are still ways to evaluate how well the players have performed.

The primary measure of success in Flash Point: Fire Rescue is the number of victims rescued. A victim is considered rescued when they are removed from the building and taken to the ambulance. Each rescued victim grants the team 1 point. The game ends in victory if the team manages to rescue 7 victims.

On the other hand, the game can end in defeat if either of the following conditions is met:

4 victims are lost: A victim is lost if they are consumed by the fire. Each lost victim subtracts 1 point from the team’s score.
The building collapses: The building is considered collapsed if a total of 24 damage counters are placed on the building. If this happens, the game ends immediately and the team loses, regardless of how many victims were rescued.

In the rare case that there’s a need to break a tie, the following rules apply:

Firstly, the player who rescued the most victims wins.
If there’s still a tie, the player who caused the least damage to the building wins.
If there’s still a tie, the player who used the least water to extinguish the fire wins.

Remember, Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a cooperative game, so while these scoring and tie-breaking rules can help gauge individual performance, the ultimate goal is to work together to save as many victims as possible.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

In the board game Flash Point: Fire Rescue, players work as a team of firefighters, striving to rescue victims from a burning building. Though the game’s rules are relatively straightforward, there are a few rare or special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that players should be aware of:

Ambulance and Fire Engine Placement:

At the start of the game, players can place the ambulance and fire engine in any of the 12 spaces around the edge of the board. However, these vehicles cannot move once the game commences, so consider their placement carefully.

Fire Spreading:

Fire spreads at the end of each player’s turn. If a Hot Spot is added to a space with fire, an additional explosion occurs immediately. Furthermore, if a Hot Spot is added to an empty space, fire is added to that space.

Rescuing Victims:

Players can only carry one victim at a time.
Victims are only considered rescued once they’ve been moved to the ambulance, not just outside the building.
Victims that are left in a space with fire or smoke are lost and removed from the game.

Smoke and Fire:

Smoke turns into fire if it’s adjacent to a fire. This doesn’t happen immediately, but at the end of the player’s turn.
If a space with a firefighter ever gets fire, the firefighter is immediately moved to the ambulance and loses any saved action points.

Explosions and Shockwaves:

If fire spreads into a space that already contains fire, an explosion occurs. This explosion can cause a chain reaction of additional explosions.
Shockwaves move in a straight line in all four directions from the explosion until they hit a wall. If a wall is already damaged, it is destroyed. If there is a door, it is permanently opened.

Doors:

Doors in the game can be in one of three states: closed, open, or destroyed. Players must spend action points to open or close doors. An opened or destroyed door allows smoke to pass through, but not fire or explosions.

Specialist Roles:

Each player can choose a specialist role at the beginning of the game, each with its own abilities. For example, the Imaging Technician can reveal victims or false alarms anywhere on the board, while the Rescue Specialist can move quickly and chop through walls, but has a harder time putting out fires.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a thrilling cooperative game that requires players to work together to extinguish a burning building and save the occupants. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, and common mistakes to avoid in order to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Analyze the board and plan your moves: Always take the time to evaluate the current state of the board before making a decision. Identify the most critical areas that need immediate attention and plan your moves accordingly.
Optimize actions: Each firefighter has a limited number of action points. Use these points wisely by focusing on the most important tasks like extinguishing fires, saving victims, or clearing paths.
Specialize your roles: Each player in the game has a unique role with special abilities. Make sure to utilize these abilities to the fullest to maximize your team’s effectiveness.

Beginner Tips:

Understand the rules: It’s essential to understand the game mechanics, such as how to extinguish fires, rescue victims, and how the fire spreads. This will help you make better decisions during gameplay.
Communicate with your team: As a cooperative game, communication is key in Flash Point. Always discuss your plans with your team and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Start with the basic game: The game comes with a basic and advanced version. If you’re new to the game, it’s recommended to start with the basic game to familiarize yourself with the mechanics.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring the fire: It can be tempting to focus solely on rescuing victims, but ignoring the fire can lead to a quick loss. Always make sure to keep the fire under control.
Not utilizing special abilities: Each role has a unique special ability. Failing to utilize these abilities can make the game more challenging.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Plan ahead: Always think a few steps ahead. Planning your moves in advance can help you deal with unexpected situations and make the most out of your action points.
Balance your priorities: It’s important to balance between extinguishing fires, rescuing victims, and clearing paths. Focusing too much on one aspect can leave you vulnerable in other areas.
Choose the right roles: Depending on the layout of the board and the current situation, certain roles may be more beneficial than others. Choose your roles wisely to adapt to the specific needs of each game.