Flash Point: Fire Rescue – Your Definitive Guide to Saving Lives!

Welcome, future heroes! Ever dreamt of battling blazes, rescuing civilians, and being the ultimate fire-fighting legend? Well, grab your gear, because Flash Point: Fire Rescue is calling! This guide, brought to you by the expert SEO scribes at BoardGameBot, will get you ready to face the inferno. We'll walk you through the chaos, the strategy, and the sheer thrill of saving lives. Let's dive in!

Objective of the Game

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to be a hero! In Flash Point: Fire Rescue, you and your fellow firefighters are battling a raging inferno, desperately trying to save victims trapped inside a collapsing building. Your ultimate goal? To rescue enough Victims before the situation spirals out of control. This means getting at least 7 Victims Rescued before either 4 Victims are Lost or the Building Collapses due to too much damage. Think you can handle the heat? Let's find out!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, team, let's get this firehouse ready! Setting up Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a crucial first step. Follow these instructions to get your game board prepped for action:

1. Choose Your Difficulty: First things first, decide if you're playing the Family game or the more intense Experienced game. If you go Experienced, you'll also pick a challenge level: Recruit, Veteran, or Heroic. Plus, you can add exciting features like Specialists, HazMat, Vehicles (Ambulances & Engines), and Hotspots. We recommend introducing them in that order!
2. Setup the Board:
   • Unfold the game board and pick a side (the front is generally easier). Take note of the Grid Coordinates inside the building, the Walls, and Doorways. Outside, you'll see Quadrant Boundaries (red-dotted-lines) and Parking Spots for your Ambulances and Engines. Also, locate the designated areas for Rescued, Lost, and Hotspot markers.
   • Grab all 8 Door Markers (Closed/Open) and place one on each Doorway, with the Closed side facing up. Box any extras.
   • Collect your trusty dice (red d6, black d8) and create a general supply of tokens: 33 Threat Markers (Smoke/Fire), 24 Damage Cubes, and 21 Saved AP Markers.
3. Setup the Fire: This is where the danger begins!
   • Family Difficulty:
     • Either statically place 10 Threat Markers.
     • Or, for a more random start, resolve 3x Randomly Place Explosions, or set up the fire as if playing Experienced, or Randomly Place 10 Threat Markers.
   • Experienced Difficulty (Any Level):
     • If playing with HazMat/Hotspot features, take 6 HazMat Markers and 24 Hotspot Markers.
     • Based on Recruit / Veteran / Heroic, you'll set up 3/3/4 Explosions. This involves rolling dice for target spaces, placing Threat Markers, and resolving Explosions. Pay close attention to reroll conditions if a space is already occupied! (Heroic gets a 4th explosion!)
     • Then, based on Recruit / Veteran / Heroic, place 3/4/5 additional Threat Markers by Randomly Placing them (rerolling if the space is already occupied).
     • Finally, place additional Threat Markers: 3 more if Veteran/Heroic, and 2/3 more if you have 3 / 4+ Firefighters. For Recruit/Veteran/Heroic, place 6 / 6 / 12 Threat Markers on the designated spot for later use, boxing any leftovers.
   • Setup POI Markers: Take 18 POI Markers (12 Victim, 6 False Alarm). Box 2 Victim and 1 False Alarm. Shuffle the rest facedown (Victim side up) as a supply. Then, take 3 facedown and place them:
     • Family: If the fire was statically placed, then statically place the POIs. Otherwise, follow the Experienced setup.
     • Experienced: Randomly Place them (rerolling if the space is already occupied).
   • Setup Players and Firefighters:
     • Players share the 4 Player Aids.
     • If playing Experienced with Vehicles, each player takes 1 Ambulance and 1 Engine and places them in any matching Parking Spot.
     • For each Firefighter, pick a color and take the matching Firefighter mini (Veteran is beige, Rescue Dog is, well, a dog!). Place them in any space Outside the Building, including in a Parking Spot.
     • Take one of the 6 Player cards for each Firefighter.
     • If playing Experienced with Specialists, choose 1 of the 8+2 Specialist cards. If you pick the Paramedic, take all 3 Heal Markers. If you're a Veteran or Rescue Dog, take their 2-sided Rules card.
     • Finally, players choose the 1st Player (youngest breaks ties). Turn order proceeds clockwise from the 1st Player.

The Turn of Play

Alright, team, it's go time! Turns happen in clockwise order, with each Firefighter taking a turn. Here's how it breaks down:

1. Take Actions

   This is where you make your moves and save lives!

   • Gain Action Points (AP): You get 4 AP if playing Family. If you're playing Experienced with Specialists, your Specialist card indicates your AP.
   • Spend AP on Actions: Use your AP to perform various actions. If playing Experienced, additional actions might be available depending on the features chosen. You can also PASS to save unused AP for later!

   Available Actions:

   • MOVE: Move your Firefighter to an adjacent space.
     • Blocked by Smoke and intact/Damaged Walls, but you CAN move through other Firefighters. You CAN end your move with other Firefighters.
     • If Carrying a Victim or HazMat (max 1!), it costs 2 AP to enter an empty space or a space with Smoke, and you CANNOT enter a space with Fire. Otherwise, it's 1 AP to enter an empty space or Smoke, and 2 AP to enter Fire (but you CANNOT end your move in Fire).
     • If you carry a Victim to a space Outside the Building (Family) or to an Ambulance Parking Spot (Experienced with Vehicles), they are Rescued! Place them on the Rescued spot. If 7 Victims are Rescued, it's endgame and you win!
     • If you carry a HazMat to a space Outside the Building, it's Disposed.
     • If you enter a space with a POI Marker, flip it faceup for free. If it's a Victim, place them on your Firefighter. If it's HazMat, you may Carry them on your next Move.
   • DOOR: 1 AP to Open/Close a Door. Simply flip the Door Marker.
   • EXTINGUISH: Pick your space or an adjacent space, then choose one:
     • 1 AP to discard a Smoke Marker.
     • 1 AP to flip a Fire Marker to Smoke.
     • 2 AP to discard a Fire Marker.
     • You CANNOT discard or downgrade HazMat Markers or Hotspot Markers.
   • CHOP: Pick a Wall in your space and Damage it. 1 AP to place 1 Damage Cube, 2 AP to place 2 Damage Cubes. A Wall can have a maximum of 2 Damage Cubes.
   • PASS: Stop taking actions and Save unused AP up to a cumulative maximum of 4 (track with Saved AP Markers). Any AP beyond that is forfeited.
   • CREW CHANGE: (Experienced with Specialists & Vehicles only; must be in the same space as a Vehicle; must be your very 1st Action!)
     • 2 AP to swap your Specialist card with any other one not currently in play (the new Specialist enters your turn with 2 less AP).
   • DRIVE: (Experienced with Vehicles only)
     • Pick a Vehicle: either an Ambulance (you do NOT have to be in it, optional to Ride with it) or an Engine (you MUST be in one of its spaces, & MUST Ride with it).
     • Unlimited other Firefighters already in the Vehicle and not DRIVE-ing may Exit now for free, or Ride for free (including Exiting afterwards for free). Exiting means moving to either adjacent space.
     • Move the Vehicle to the next matching Parking Spot in either direction.
     • If the Vehicle goes to a Parking Spot with a Victim, they are auto-Rescued (as in MOVE) for free.
   • FIRE DECK GUN: (Experienced with Vehicles only, MUST be in an Engine)
     • 4 AP to spray water into the Engine's Quadrant (only if no Fire there). Randomly Place a Target Space. Flip any "out of range" dice to the opposite side to keep them in the target Quadrant. For free, Extinguish any Smoke/Fire there and Splashover to 4 adjacent spaces (which may extend beyond the Quadrant boundary; no impact to Walls).

2. Advance Fire

   The fire doesn't rest, and neither can you! After a Firefighter's actions, the fire spreads:

   • Take 1 Threat Marker. If you run out, "pretend" to place it as you must still resolve effects from Explosions.
   • Randomly Place the Threat Marker and check the Target Space.
     • If the space has Smoke, you will resolve a Flare-up after finishing this Target Space.
     • If the space is empty (with or without a POI Marker), just put the Smoke Marker there.
     • Else if the space has Fire, flip it to Explosion and discard the Threat Marker you took.
     • Else if the space is adjacent to Fire, place a Smoke Marker and flip the adjacent Fire Marker to Explosion.
     • Else if the space has an Explosion, resolve an Explosion!
   • Resolve Secondary Effects:
     • Flashover: As many times as you can, any Smoke Marker adjacent to Fire, flip to Fire.
     • HazMat Explosions: For each HazMat Marker in a space with Fire (Players choose order), replace the HazMat Marker with an Explosion Marker and resolve an Explosion!
     • Resolve Flare-up: If one was called for, resolve another Target Space, then (max 1/Turn) take a Threat Marker from the supply to the very last Target Space you resolved.
     • Check Firefighters: Any Firefighter now in a space with Fire is Knocked Down.
       1. Teleport their mini to the nearest (as the crow flies, tiebreaker = choose) Ambulance Parking Spot (Family) or Ambulance (Experienced).
       2. Any Carried Victim is Lost.
     • Check Victims: Any Victim in a space with Fire is Lost.

3. Replenish

   Keep those POI Markers coming!

   • If there are less than 3 POI Markers on the board, draw enough from the supply to get back to 3.
   • For each new POI Marker, Randomly Place it. If a Firefighter is already there, immediately reveal it as you would with a MOVE action. If the Target Space has Smoke or Fire:
     • Family: Discard the Smoke/Fire before placing the POI Marker.
     • Experienced: Try to relocate the POI Marker (follow arrows), else reroll for a new Target Space.

Throughout the Game: Key Concepts

• Adjacent: Orthogonal only, NOT diagonal. Adjacent spaces have NO intermediate Closed Door, Wall, or Damaged Wall (Destroyed Wall is okay).
• Damage: If the 24th Damage Cube gets placed, the Building Collapses! Immediately move all Firefighters and Victims on the Board (both Inside & Outside Bldg!) to the Lost area, then the game ends. In a space, a Wall with 1 Damage Cube is Damaged, 2 is Destroyed. Max 2 Damage Cubes per Wall.
• Explosion: Check each NSEW direction… what do you "hit" first? Will either place Smoke, place Fire, or destroy a Door/Wall.
  • If an Open Space (no Wall, even if Outside Bldg), place Smoke.
  • Else a Closed Door, discard it (it's Destroyed!). The Doorway art on the Board reminds you the Destroyed Door acts like a Destroyed Wall.
  • Else an Open Door, same as above but also check the space beyond it.
  • Else Smoke or a Destroyed Wall, check the space beyond it.
  • Else a Wall, damage it with 1 Damage Cube.
  • Else a space with Fire, flip to Explosion.
  • Else a space with an Explosion, Shockwave = check the space beyond it (this can get recursive with long lines of Explosions).
• Lost: Place the Victim on the Lost spot (if faceup, flip it). If 4 or more Victims are Lost, the endgame is triggered, and all players lose the game.
• Randomly Place: To find a Target Space, roll the Grid Coordinates (d6+d8).

End of Game and Scoring

The game of Flash Point: Fire Rescue can end in a few ways, and your success hinges on the outcome:

• Victory Condition: You win the game if you successfully Rescue 7 Victims! You can even keep playing to try and Rescue all 10 Victims for a perfect game, if you're feeling extra heroic!
• Loss Conditions: The game ends immediately, and all players lose if:
  • 4 or more Victims are Lost.
  • The Building Collapses (which happens when the 24th Damage Cube is placed on the board).

There's no individual scoring in Flash Point: Fire Rescue; it's all about teamwork and whether you, as a collective, can overcome the odds and save those lives!

Tips for Victory

Being a firefighter isn't just about rushing in; it's about smart strategy! Here are a few tips to help you become a true hero: