Where Has all the Hobby Gone?

It's been a quiet month for me. I've moved house (across Melbourne- my biggest move yet! Thanks to all who helped)), work started back (hectically) and I'm still kinda preparing for being a dad soon. This leave little time for hobbying or gaming. The new house is pretty small; I'll appreciate that once we have to maintain it and raise a baby, but right now it leave little room to even paint. All my war-gaming stuff is still back at the old house.

However, I did get a chance to try a new game last week: Flash Point: Fire Rescue.

The game was a lot of fun; co-operative in the style of Pandemic, but not nearly as brutal. The premise is that you are a group of 2-6 firemen trying to rescue a certain number of people from a burning building. Spot fires start up, so whilst you search for people, you also have to make sure the building doesn't collapse on you and the potential rescuees.

The game was a lot of fun, and it's pure co-op so no mucking around watching out for backstabbers. The game was pretty easy with 4 players, but we didn't use all of the advanced rules for our play through. The game didn't look as easy with 2 players, but that could have just been unfamiliarity with the rules. We finished quite comfortably, and with most of the house very much in tact.

The mechanics involve random fires and potential victims popping up regularly. This can lead to some interesting scenarios, such as a bed spontaneously combusting despite to nearby source of flame, or victims appearing in a space that was literally empty a second ago. In fact, you can put out all the fires and still have a a new fire break out at random. Not like eradication in Pandemic.

Still, a good game- nice introduction to co-op board game as there are no unseen cards to surprise you. Definitely give it a shot if you can!