Tails On Fire Game Review

The Basics:

• For ages 10 and up
• For 2 to 6 players
• Approximately 20 minutes to complete

Geek Skills:

• Active Listening & Communication
• Counting & Math
• Logical & Critical Decision Making
• Hand/Resource Management

Learning Curve:

• Child – Easy
• Adult – Easy

Theme & Narrative:

• Steal back the power of fire to keep your opossum den alive and well!

Endorsements:

• Child Geek approved!
• Parent Geek approved!
• Gamer Geek rejected!

Overview

Jeremy Taylor, a cleric in the Church of England in the 1600s, said, “Love is friendship set on fire.” This is not a bad way to suggest that passion can introduce new levels of energy and activity, both physically and emotionally, if a friendship takes a dramatic turn. This game aims to create as much fire as possible through clever card plays and sneaky thefts with you and your friends. The game ends when all the fire is out and only one player has captured all the heat!

Tails On Fire, designed by Thomas Sellner and published by HeidelBÄR Games, is comprised of nine Fire cards and 72 Player cards (12 cards per set). The cards are as thick and as durable as your standard playing card. The illustrations on the cards are bright and colorful, depicting opposums on fire that are intended to provide a theme, but there is none to be found in this game. Which is perfectly fine.

Preparing Your Opposum Den

To set up the game, complete the following steps.

First, use the backs of the player cards to separate them into six different sets. Have each player select a set using the color of their choice or randomly given. All the cards are the same. Return the sets not selected back to the game box.

Second, have each player look through their set of cards and place the “Bonfire” Player card in front of them. This card is easy to spot as it is devoid of a number value and depicts a raging bonfire. Then have all the players shuffle their remaining Player cards and deal one to the top of their “Bonefire” Player card, face-up. If the “Trickster” Player card (the Player card with a “+1” number value) is dealt, shuffle it back into the player’s set and deal a new card. Continue until a Player card with a number value of “1” through “9” is visible. The player must also continue to randomly select a new card if a Player card of the same value as that played by an opponent is already placed on the “Bonefire” Player card. The end result will be each player having two cards in front of them. This pile of cards is referred to as the player’s “fire stack.”

Third, have each player take a “Den” Player card of the matching color and place it with their remaining cards. This is the player’s hand.

Fourth, shuffle the Fire cards and place them face up in a pile in the middle of the playing area. This is the “iguana pile” for the duration of the game.

That completes the game setup. It’s time to get this party burning! Determine who will be the first player for the first round and begin.

Release the Opposums!

Tails On Fire is played in rounds and turns, with a set number of rounds per game determined by the number of iguana cards still in play. A game round is summarized here.

Step One: Set Your Den and Choose Your Cards

Each player takes their “Den” Player cards and places them at the back of their hand. Then each player selects three “Opposum” Player cards and places those behind the “Den” Player card. This separates the three cards the player selects from the rest of their hand.

All the remaining cards in front of the player’s “Den” are placed face-down in front of the player. They will not be used at this time. Instead, the three cards the player selected will be used this round.

Step Two: Hunt for Fire

Starting with the winner of the previous round or the designated first player if you are starting the game, each player plays one of their cards that matches the visible Iguana card’s starting number value or passes. When it is the first player’s turn again, the number needed to play will always increase by one.

When all the players pass, the player who played the last card wins the round. This player takes the top-most card from the Iguana pile and places it face-down in front of them, placing their Opposum card that won the hand on top of it. This is the player’s “fire stack.” If an opponent has a fire stack that shows the same Possume card value, the player may steal that opponent’s fire stack.

Step Three: Prepare for Next Round

Any cards not in a fire stack and not in the current round’s discard pile are returned to the player’s hand. The player’s hand should consist of any cards not selected for the current round, stolen fire stack cards, the Den pile, and previously exhausted opossums from other rounds of gameplay. The cards in the discard pile for this round are placed face-up near the player’s fire stack. These cards will remain here until the end of the next round, when they can then return to the player’s hand.

Ending the Game and Declaring the Winner

The game ends when the last card in the Iguana deck is used. Players now count the flame icons on the cards contained in the fire stack. The player with the highest number of fire icons wins the game.

Game Variant

With a few rule changes, the game can also be played with two to three players. A “rogue” is introduced to act as a missing player.

To learn more about Tails On Fire, visit the game’s webpage.

Final Word

The Child Geeks enjoyed the game, finding it easy to learn and easy to play. They spent more time focused on winning each round rather than attempting to steal their opponent’s cards for additional victory points. In addition, they didn’t spend any time considering the fire icon values, focusing fully on just “getting a card.” This approach worked only because all the other players were doing the same. According to one Child Geek, “I like the game. I think the artwork is pretty neat, too. But I really hate it when players take my cards.” Another Child Geek reported, “The game is fun, but it can hurt your feelings if someone takes your card. You don’t have to feel bad, though, because just a stolen card doesn’t make you lose.” When the last fire was set, the Child Geeks took a vote and decided that Tails On Fire was a pretty hot card game.

The Parent Geeks enjoyed the game for its casual and quick play. The ability to steal cards from opponents was seen as an interesting addition to the rules, but was never much thought of as a strategic approach to winning the game. According to one Parent Geek, “The game can feel random despite having the ability to select your cards. I still found stealing an opponent’s cards difficult but entertaining when you could. Not once did I ever feel like I was out of luck, even though luck plays a big part in the game.” Another Parent Geek said, “I enjoyed the game with my kids and friends. I found it to be very quick and engaging. Lots of laughs, too, when players could outbid you out of the blue. Good game.” When all the fires were out, the Parent Geeks took a vote and decided they would fire up this game again if given the choice.

The Gamer Geeks played the game a few times, but never felt like they were playing a game they should enjoy. According to one Gamer Geek, “A random card game with some player influence, but by and large luck-driven. If it weren’t for the fact that it was so short, I would give this game a complete and total pass. But only clocking in on an average of about 15 minutes, I’d play this game if it were on the table. I wouldn’t ask for it, though.” Another Gamer Geek said, “Not a bad card game, but it lacked the kind of depth of play and player control to influence outcomes that I gravitate towards. Not worth it, in my opinion, although I do acknowledge it was a pretty fast game to play.” When all the opposums were put back in their den, the Gamer Geeks took a vote and all decided that the opposums were best left in the dark.

I rather enjoyed Tails On Fire. It was a carefree, casual game in which I attempted to outbid and outplay my opponents. The subtle “take that” component of the gameplay almost feels like an afterthought, as it was never much of a determining factor in who would win. Still, it was nice to have for those who wanted to put more effort into their card plays.

The game is solid and will be a hit at your family gaming table for its ease of play and quick game completion. You can play several games with your family and friends in less than an hour. Try it to determine if their game gets you fired up or leaves you cold.

This game was given to Father Geek as a review copy. Father Geek was not paid, bribed, wined, dined, or threatened in vain hopes of influencing this review. Such is the statuesque and legendary integrity of Father Geek.