Fire Tower is a competitive board game where players must fight fire with fire. The forest is ablaze, and you protect your fire tower while taking down your opponents. You will use wind power to spread the fire towards your opponents, create clearings around your tower to build fortifications and use water to slow down your opponents’ plans.
Use your arsenal of fire cards to unleash a variety of tactical advantages. Each card has a unique pattern that requires strategic planning to be used effectively. The game plays 2-4 players, ages 12+, and takes 15+ minutes.
Board Game Fire Tower Rules
Components
The game includes the following components:
- A game board depicting a forest with four fire towers at the corners
- 64 fire gems in four colours (red, orange, yellow, and green)
- Four wind direction tiles
- Four fire tower tokens
- Four firebreak tokens
- Four water tokens
- 4 bucket tokens
- 4 firestorm cards
- 52 action cards
- A rulebook
- You can buy it from Amazon.com
Setup
To set up the game, follow these steps:
- Place the game board in the centre of the table
- Place one fire gem of each color on the center space of the board
- Place one wind direction tile on each side of the board, facing the center
- Each player chooses a fire tower and places the corresponding token on the corner space of the board
- Each player takes a firebreak token, a water token, and a bucket token and puts them in front of them
- Shuffle the action cards and deal four cards to each player
- Shuffle the firestorm cards and place them face down on the side of the board
- The youngest player goes first
Fire Tower Board Game Rules
The game is played in rounds, with each player taking a turn clockwise. On your turn, you must do the following rules of fire tower game in order:
- Draw a card from the action deck or the firestorm deck
- Play a card from your hand and resolve its effects
- Discard a card from your hand
Drawing a Card
At the beginning of your turn, you must draw a card from either the action or firestorm deck. You can choose which deck to draw from, but you need help to look at the cards before drawing. Add the card to your hand if you draw from the action deck. If you draw from the firestorm deck, you must reveal the card and follow its instructions.
–>The firestorm cards are potent events that affect the whole board, such as changing the wind direction, adding more fire gems, or removing firebreaks. After resolving the firestorm card, discard it and draw another card from the action deck.
Playing a Card
After drawing a card, you must play it from your hand and resolve its effects. There are three types of action cards: fire cards, water cards, and wind cards. Each card has a grid that shows the pattern of spaces that it affects relative to the wind direction. The wind direction is indicated by the arrow on the wind direction tile facing the board’s centre.
You must orient the card so that it matches the wind direction and then choose a space on the board to apply the card’s effects. You can only play a card if it affects at least one space on the board.
Fire Cards
Fire cards allow you to add fire gems to the board according to the pattern on the card. You can choose any colour of fire gems to add if they match the colour of the spaces on the board. You can also add fire gems of different colors as long as they are adjacent to each other on the card.
For example, you can play a card that has a pattern of three spaces in a row and add one red, one orange, and one yellow fire gem to the board, as long as they are adjacent to each other on the card and match the color of the spaces on the board.
You cannot add fire gems to spaces with fire gems, fire towers, firebreaks, or water tokens. You can count fire gems to spaces with bucket tokens, but you must remove the bucket token first. Playing fire cards aims to spread the fire towards your opponents’ fire towers and threaten them.
Water Cards
Water cards allow you to remove fire gems from the board according to the pattern on the card. You can remove any color of fire gems from the board if they match the pattern on the card. You can also remove fire gems of different colors as long as they are adjacent to each other on the card.
For example, you can play a card with a pattern of three spaces in a row and remove one red, one orange, and one yellow fire gem from the board, as long as they are adjacent to each other on the card. You cannot remove fire gems from spaces with fire towers, firebreaks, or water tokens.
You can remove fire gems from spaces with bucket tokens, but you must remove the bucket token first. Playing water cards aims to protect your fire tower and slow down your opponent’s opponent’s plans.
Wind Cards
Wind cards allow you to change the wind direction according to the arrow on the card. You can rotate the wind direction tile on any side of the board to match the arrow on the card. You can also flip the wind direction tile to point in the opposite direction. The wind direction affects the way you play fire and water cards and the movement of the fire gems on the board. Playing wind cards aims to create favourable conditions for yourself and unfavourable conditions for your opponents.
Discarding a Card
After playing a card, you must discard a card from your hand. You can discard any card from your hand except the card you just played. You can have up to four cards at the end of your turn.
How to Play Fire Tower
The game is played until only one fire tower remains standing. A fire tower is destroyed when it has four fire gems of the same color. When a fire tower is destroyed, the player who owns it is eliminated from the game, and their fire tower token, firebreak token, water token, and bucket token are removed from the board.
The player who destroys a fire tower gets to keep one of the fire gems on it as a trophy. The game continues with the remaining players until only one fire tower remains. The player who owns the last fire tower is the winner of the game.
Fire Movement
After all players have taken turns at the end of each round, the fire gems on the board move according to the direction of the wind. The fire gems move one space in the direction of the arrow on the wind direction tile facing the center of the board. If there are multiple fire gems in the same space, they all move together as a group. If the fire gems move to a space with a different colour, they change to match that colour. If the fire gems move to a space with a fire tower, they are placed on it.
If the fire gems move to a space with a firebreak, they stop and do not move further. If the fire gems move to a space that has a water token, they are removed from the board. If the fire gems move to a space with a bucket token, they are removed from the board, and the bucket token is returned to the player who owns it. The fire gems are removed from the game if they move off the board.
Firebreaks
Each player has a firebreak token that they can use to create a clearing around their fire tower. A firebreak is a space with no colour, preventing the fire gems from moving through it. To create a firebreak, you must play a fire card that affects a space adjacent to your fire tower and then place your firebreak token on that space.
You can only have one firebreak at a time and create it on your turn. You can also move your firebreak to a different space adjacent to your fire tower by playing another fire card that affects that space. You cannot create or move your firebreak to a space with fire gems, fire towers, water tokens, or bucket tokens. You can also lose your firebreak if a firestorm card removes it from the board.
Water Tokens
Each player has a water token that they can use to protect their fire tower or attack their opponents. A water token is a blue disc that removes any fire gems that move to its space. To use your water token, you must play a water card that affects a space on the board and then place your water token on that space.
You can only have one water token at a time and use it on your turn. You can also move your water token to a different space on the board by playing another water card that affects that space. You cannot place or transfer your water token to a space with fire gems, fire towers, firebreaks, or bucket tokens. You can also lose your water token if a Firestorm card removes it from the board.
Bucket Tokens
Each player has a bucket token that they can use to collect water from the river. A bucket token is a wooden disc that can be placed on any space along the river, which is the outer edge of the board. To set your bucket token, you must play a water card that affects a space along the river and then place your bucket token on that space. You can only have one bucket token at a time and place it on your turn.
Fire Tower Reviews
Fire Tower is a thrilling board game that challenges you to fight fire with fire. You will use your cards, tokens, and wind power to spread the fire toward your opponents and protect your tower. The game is easy to learn but hard to master, as you must deal with the firestorm cards and the ever-shifting direction of the wind. I suggest you try it because of its thrilings and fireworks. You can buy it from Amazon.com.
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FAQs
How many players can play Fire Tower?
Fire Tower can be played by 2 to 4 players. Each player controls a fire tower at one of the corners of the board.
How long does a game of Fire Tower take?
A game of Fire Tower takes about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of players and the level of strategy involved.
What is the age range for Fire Tower?
Fire Tower is suitable for ages 12 and up. The game involves hand management, tactical pattern laying, and spatial planning, which may be challenging for younger players.
What are the main components of Fire Tower?
Fire Tower includes a game board, 64 fire gems, four wind direction tiles, 4 fire tower tokens, 4 firebreak tokens, 4 water tokens, 4 bucket tokens, 4 firestorm cards, and 52 action cards.
How do you set up Fire Tower?
To set up Fire Tower, you place the game board in the center of the table, place one fire gem of each color on the center space of the board, place one wind direction tile on each side of the board, choose a fire tower and place the corresponding token on the corner space of the board, take a firebreak token, a water token, and a bucket token and place them in front of you, shuffle the action cards and deal four cards to each player, and shuffle the firestorm cards and place them face down on the side of the board.
How do you play Fire Tower?
Fire Tower is played in rounds, with each player taking a turn in clockwise order. On your turn, you must draw a card from the action deck or the firestorm deck, play a card from your hand and resolve its effects, and discard a card from your hand. There are three types of action cards: fire cards, water cards, and wind cards.
Each card has a grid showing the pattern of spaces it affects relative to the wind direction. You must orient the card to match the wind direction and then choose a space on the board to apply the card’s effects. Fire cards allow you to add fire gems to the board, water cards enable you to remove fire gems from the board, and wind cards allow you to change the wind direction.
You can also use your firebreak, water, and bucket token to create clearings, remove fire gems, and collect water from the river. At the end of each round, the fire gems on the board move according to the direction of the wind.
How do you win Fire Tower?
The player who owns the last fire tower standing wins the game. A fire tower is destroyed when it has four fire gems of the same color. When a fire tower is destroyed, the player who owns it is eliminated from the game, and their fire tower token, firebreak token, water token, and bucket token are removed from the board.
The player who destroys a fire tower gets to keep one of the fire gems on it as a trophy. The game continues with the remaining players until only one fire tower remains. The player who owns the last fire tower is the winner of the game.
