Player count is an issue for me, I don’t think this game works at 3 players. The board design with each person having a corner tower means that at 3 players. One person is flanked on both sides and starts playing against 2 opponents. Therefore, my preferred player count is either 2 or 4. Card Sleeves Players take turns playing cards to spread the flames, douse the ones closest to them, or cut down parts of the forest with firebreak cards to help protect their own tower. At the same time, the wind is always a factor. It spreads fire every round, but that too can be changed with the power of a card. Gideons Bias

Let’s start with the artwork as I will say it’s very striking and will be hard to miss. Kevin Ruelle has made it almost impossible to simply walk past this game as the watercolour design makes the box stand out amongst a crowd and will be sure to pique the interest of all gamers. Inside the box itself you will find a fabulously coloured forest board, 52 Action and Event Cards, a wind dice, various wooden tokens for Firebreaks and Wind Markers, but most stunningly of all, 135 Fire Gems. All these pieces have been lovingly made to a high quality, with the theme of the game carrying right through to each of the components and there are plenty of Fire Gem tokens to last the whole game. Expansions?The goal is to spread the flames to the inner square of the other player’s towers, but there’s also a catch. Every player must place a fire gem in the direction that the wind blows at the start of their turn. There are a few firefighting games out there, usually co-operative affairs where you are trying to put the fire out. Fire Tower is a game where you are actively trying to drive the fire towards your opponents while keeping it away from you. Fire Tower

Smoke rises on the horizon. A fire rages somewhere in the heart of the forest. From the height of a fire tower, you command the efforts to defend your tower and take down your opponents. With each turn, the inferno grows. Harness the power of the wind to push the blaze towards the other towers, clear tracts of land to fortify your tower, hinder the plans of your opponents with torrents of water, and unleash an arsenal of fire cards upon your foes. Each card has a unique pattern with its own tactical advantage. You must effectively direct the resources in your hand and use sound spatial planning to deploy them. The event cards add a further twist and activate the moment someone draws them. A firestorm causes a sudden surge of flames to burst forward. While Mutual Aid allows you to choose an action that every player performs. In a 4 player game, the Shadow of The Woods card allows a defeated player to exact some revenge and still engage with the game a little bit, which is nice. Is it time to sound the alarms and ring the bells? Absolutely not. It’s not a watchtower, it’s a Fire Tower, and you’re going to make certain yours is the last one standing. The game comes with a nice cloth bag to store the fire tokens. The fire gems themselves are small orange crystals that represent fire, although they look more like amber than flames. Even though I suspect some dude with a cane might break down my door at any time to mug me and spare some expense for a new dinosaur amusement park, they still look really nice. In four-player games, none of that is an issue as the board state is always changing between the chaos of four players so you have more wiggle room. At the same time, if two players team up against another, that player is powerless to stop it and will lose fast. The rule book has a 2 vs 2 team variant, however, which can bandage the problem if it’s an issue. Verdict on Fire TowerFlames are predominantly placed, sometimes removed. There is some hand management that has an effect on the card action phase. The cards are split into 4 main groups, wind, fire, firebreak, and water. They are relatively self-explanatory, wind affects wind direction, fire spreads fire, firebreaks put barriers to the slow the spread of the fire, and water removes fire tokens. You play a card and carry out the action. There is an end game change when the flames get to the corner 9 squares. In each corner. Taking action is what card you place. This will affect how you might get burnt or burn others. About The Players Other cards that may be given to players or drawn whilst playing include Wind Cards which allow for a change in wind direction. Water Cards that provide help in clearing some of the flames that are daring to get a little too close for comfort. Fire Cards that let gamers spread the fire towards their opponents, and finally there are Firebreak Cards. These are used to build defences around your quadrant and ease some of the pressure if you are feeling the heat. Players have to protect their lookout tower from a raging forest fire. By using action cards to dispatch smoke jumpers and fire engines to combat the fire, construct firebreaks to protect your tower. Take on the role of nature and use the wind to push the blaze towards your opponents and unleash fire cards to take down their towers before they can reach yours. Beware though, burned towers can return as the vengeful Shadow of the Wood – the last tower standing wins. It’s an interesting battle of wits to control the chaos of the continually spreading fire. The wind makes sure that the inferno never stops growing, and the cards are simply used to direct its wrath. Player Counts

Cards can have a variety of effects, such as spreading the fire in a specific pattern, dousing the flames, creating fire breaks, or even changing the wind. Fire Tower is an abstract game, but holding the power of wind, fire, and water in your hands might make it feel like you’re on a Wizards Tower instead. Well, whatever you are, with the pyromania you’re exhibiting, you can be sure you aren’t a planeteer. Captain Planet would not be a fan of your shenanigans! Fire Tower is an abstract game where rival players battle it out by literally fighting fire with fire, by influencing the raging inferno into the direction of the other towers and away from their own. Smokey Bear’s worst nightmare made real.

Fire Tower invites 2-4 players to take on the roles of fire lookouts overseeing the forest from their watchtowers in this classically competitive game. As a fire breaks out in the centre of the forest, players will manipulate both wind direction and therefore the fire itself to defend their watchtowers and force the inferno towards their opponents. Gameplay Aside from the fire break tokens. Most of Fire Tower’s components are pretty unique when compared to other board games. They bring a relative sense of perception to what the game is, despite its abstract nature. A bystander could look at a game in progress and accurately guess what was happening, and that’s pretty cool. Gameplay When it comes to the UK Games Expo, it’s quite easy for hidden gems to get lost in a sea of choice as you peruse the halls. To stand out, you must deliver something unique and memorable. This year I stumbled across such a gem in Runaway Parade Games headliner: Fire Tower. I had the pleasure of playing Fire Tower and it's a blast. The board blows up in an orange gem explosion of danger. While this is in no way a strategic game you do have to tactically react to the fire and your opponents. Every time we played it we had a lot of fun trying to smoke each other out. Fire Tower comes with a lot of interesting, and rather unique components. To start with, you get a large and sturdy board depicting the four different towers, forest, and the eternal flame in the center. It’s bright, crisp, and looks great, especially once you start putting all the bits onto the board.

Use your cards as valuable resources to force the fire towards your opponent’s towers, it won’t be long until your board is consumed by a blazing inferno! The last tower standing is the winner! Components I played Fire Tower at two and four players, and both were different experiences with highs and lows. A two-player game is a tight duel as each player struggles to keep the flames and wind under their thumb. It’s a game full of counter plays, and the wind is an extremely important factor. You can’t ignore it if it’s blowing toward you, but you also have to choose a good moment to change it, or your opponent will gain the upper hand.Ultimately, this game reminds me so much of other simple yet enjoyable player versus player games such as Survive! Escape From Atlantis. The goal is to beat the other players, it’s that simple. Fire Tower really feels fast-paced thanks to the short turns and the wind constantly pressuring anyone in its path. It all makes for a very interesting duel where you’re trying to guide the destruction rather than create it. It’s an interesting, unpredictable, and competitive puzzle of a raging wildfire. Wielding The Red Flower