Lautapelit | Flamme Rouge | Board Game | Ages 8+ | 2-4 Players | 30-45 Minute Playing Time

Product Information

The corners in Heat are similar to the hills in Flamme Rouge, and it also has rules for slipstreaming.

Flamme Rouge is a hand management, racing game designed by Asger Harding Granerud and publish by Lautapelit. However the track pieces are double sided and the inclusion of hills restrict your movement on particular sections adding an extra layer of tactical card play to the game.All of this means that, on your turn, you’ll be considering what your opponents are going to do and then choosing a card to help you either get in position for the hill or allow you to slipstream. One thing I did struggle with was that all the cards are very difficult to differentiate as they all look so similar. Flamme Rouge is a game I hope to get to the table often as its very fun and easy to teach with added depth that can be included if needed. When cards are used they are out the game for good so tactical use of higher number cards is essential. If you are leading the pack or not close enough to be slip-streaming, each turn that player receives a fatigue card to that team member.

Finally, any rider who has an empty square in front of them gets a bit tired and takes an exhaustion card, essentially a card with a value of 2. There’s little more to this game than drawing some cards and moving two plastic riders along a track, but the fact it’s so simple—and ties so elegantly into the actual strategies of competitive bike racing—makes Flamme Rouge one of the best racing board games I’ve ever played.It’s a literal experience, with each player taking control of two racers, a Rouleur and a Sprinteur. The sprinter has lots of long and short distance cards, the rouleur as lots of medium distance cards. That’s it, a quick set up and easy to follow rules makes this game easy to learn and it’s one that I enjoyed playing. So in this review, I’ll tell you what I think of Flamme Rouge in its own right, and also, compare it to Heat.

The Rouler is overall slower than the Sprinteur who excels with a couple of high numbered cards for pushing away from the competition. Once everyone has chosen their two cards, they are revealed and the player leading the race goes first, moving their cyclist the number of spaces their card shows. The small rule set and the amount of luck make it fun for families, but as I said earlier, make sure you have 4 players for the best experience.Mountain Descents – If you start on a descent square (marked in blue) then the rider will move a minimum of five, even if you play a lower number.

So when I came to pick up my cards to shuffle them, I would invariably try to pick up the ‘extra’ card too. Also any rider that has space in front of them at the end of this phase you draw an exhaustion card and place it in that riders deck.The playtime is quick enough to keep you interested and even though the player interaction is minimal the slipstream mechanic does add some to the game. Flamme Rouge is a game all about timing, working out what your opponents are going to do, and dealing with a large dose of luck. This card will be placed into your deck and with its low movement value will limit your movement later in the game.