Fuego
Fuego Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 37 Fuego Cards — 32 Color (4 suits, numbered 1-8), 5 Wildfire (Black, numbered 1-5)
- 4 Fireline Markers
- 12 Strike Tokens
- 12 Flame Tokens (1 White Flame)
- 4 Reference Cards
- 1 Heat Token
- 10 Caliente Cards
Game Setup
Every Game
- Arrange the Fireline Markers from 1 to 4 in the center of the table, creating the Fireline.
- Give each player 3 Flame Tokens. Have one player randomly start with the White Flame Token. They will be the Lead Player.
- Place all the Strike Tokens face down and mix them up to create a draw pile. Then each player draws a Strike Token, keeping it face up on the table in front of them.
Four Players (Team vs. Team)
- Divide into two teams, and sit across from your teammate at the table.
- Shuffle all the Fuego Cards to form a facedown deck. Deal each player a hand of 8 cards.
Two Players (Solo vs Solo)
- Shuffle all the Fuego Cards to form a facedown deck. Deal each player a hand of 9 cards.
- Deal each player a Torch (see Torch Setup).
Three Players (Team vs Solo)
- Two players form a team and the third player plays solo.
- Choose a team player to start with the Heat Token.
- Shuffle all the Fuego Cards to form a face-down deck. Deal each player in the team a hand of 8 cards.
- Deal the solo player a hand of 9 cards and a Torch (see Torch Setup).
Torch Setup
Solo vs Solo and Team vs Solo
Deal seven Fuego Cards in the arrangement shown with the bottom card face-up. Place three Flame Tokens and a random Strike Token face-up on the indicated cards.
Gameplay Overview
Fuego is played in rounds, consisting of tricks. Each trick, players take turns, starting with the Lead Player, playing cards from their hand to the Fireline. Turns alternate between players or teams until the Fireline is full. Whoever plays the highest value card in the Lead Color wins the trick and takes Flame Tokens from their opponent. Play tricks until either a player runs out of Flame Tokens, or all players have played all cards from their hands.
Playing a Trick
Leading a Trick
A trick starts with the Lead Player (the player with the White Flame Token at the start of the game) playing a card from their hand to the 1st Fireline Marker. The color of the card played becomes the trick's Lead Color.
Following the Trick
Play continues clockwise around the table. Players play one card from their hand to the next open Fireline Marker until the Fireline is full. Solo players will play 2 cards per trick.
What card you can play is dependent on the following conditions:
- You have a card in the Lead Color, and must follow the Lead Color.
- You do not have a card in the Lead Color, and may play off color.
Following the Lead Color
If you have a card in your hand in the Lead Color, you may do one of the following options:
- Play a card that follows the trick's Lead Color.
- Play a Wildfire Card. They always become the Lead Color and may be played even when you have a card in the Lead Color.
You may play a Strike Token with an off-color card, changing it to follow the Lead Color.
Example:
- Lead Player played a Green 5. Green is now the Lead Color.
- Player 2 plays a Green 2.
- Player 3 has no Green, so they play their Blue 3, thinking it will not be useful in future tricks.
Playing Off Color
If you do not have a card in your hand in the Lead Color, you can play any card from your hand to the Fireline.
While Wildfire Cards always become the Lead Color, you are not required to play a Wildfire Card to a trick where you cannot follow the Lead Color.
If you have a Strike Token in the Lead Color, you may play it on your card, but you are not required to.
Example:
- Player 4 plays a Green 6.
- Because this is the highest value card in the Lead Color, they win the trick! Their Green 6 has one Flame Icon on it so they take one Flame Token from the player on their left.
Winning a Trick
Once the fourth card is played to the Fireline, the highest value card in the Lead Color wins the trick! The player who played the winning card takes Flame Tokens equal to the Flame Icons on their card from the opponent on their left. (3 players, see Heat Token, p. 12).
If there are multiple cards that are tied for winning, the tied card played later in the Fireline wins the trick.
Starting the Next Trick
- Discard all cards and tokens from the Fireline into a face-down pile.
- Discard any Strike Tokens played during the trick.
- The winner of the trick just played becomes the new Lead Player for the next trick.
Example:
- Player 1 plays a Blue 4.
- Player 2 plays a Green 2.
- Player 3 plays a Wildfire 3.
- Player 4 plays a Blue 6 and wins the trick. They take 2 Flame Tokens from the player on their left (1 Flame from the Blue 6 + 1 Flame from the Wildfire Card).
Wildfire Cards
Wildfire Cards heat up tricks!
Any face-up Wildfire Cards add one Flame Token to the number of Flame Tokens taken by the winning player, no matter who played them! Wildfire Cards always become the Lead Color of the current trick. Players are never required to play them.
Strike Tokens
You may play a Strike Token on your card on your turn. Strike Tokens change a card's value, color, or add extra Flame Tokens to the trick:
- +2 OR +3 — Increase the card by the indicated amount.
- COLOR/COLOR — Change the card's color to one of the indicated colors. Announce your choice when you play the token.
- +1/COLOR — Either increase card value by 1 or change its color. Announce your choice when you play the token.
- +1/+FLAME — Increase this card's value by 1 or increase the Flame Tokens taken this round by 1 (as if this was a Wildfire Card). Announce your choice when you play the token.
You can only hold one Strike Token at a time. If you gain a second Strike Token, choose one of them to discard.
Spent or discarded Strike Tokens are discarded face-up and cannot be used for the remainder of the round.
Example:
- Player 1 plays a Purple 4.
- Player 2 plays a Purple 6.
- Player 3 plays a Purple 5, adding a +2 Strike Token to make it a 7.
- Player 3 now has the highest card in the Lead Color. Good luck Player 4.
Striking a Match
When you play a card of the same value as the face-up card to its immediate left in the Fireline, they strike a match! Wildfire Cards, Strike Token-modified cards, and off-color cards can cause matches!
When you Strike a Match:
- Flip the matching cards face-down. Those cards, and their Strike Tokens, are no longer part of the trick.
- Gain a random Strike Token from the draw pile, if there are any remaining. Place it face-up in front of you.
If all played cards in the trick are face down, the next card played becomes the new Lead Color.
If the 2nd and 3rd cards in the Fireline are flipped face-down, then the 4th card can strike a match with the 1st.
If all the cards in the Fireline are flipped face down and the Fireline is full, nobody wins the trick. Whoever played the 4th card becomes the Lead Player for the next trick.
Example:
- Player 1 plays a Green 5.
- Player 2 has no Green cards and plays a Blue 5, striking a match!
- Player 2 flips both cards face-down and gains a Strike Token.
Winning the Round
The round ends in one of two ways:
- When all cards have been played, then the player/team with the most Flame Tokens wins the round! If there is a tie, the player/team with the White Flame Token wins the round.
- A player runs out of Flame Tokens. The round ends immediately and the opposing player/team wins.
Follow the setup instructions to get ready for the next round. The Lead Player for the new round is the player/team that won the previous round. When a team wins the round, they choose who gets the White Flame Token and plays first.
Winning the Game
The first player or team that wins two rounds burns the brightest, smokes the competition, and wins Fuego!
2-3 Player Rules
The Torch (2-3 Players) for Solo Players
Face-up cards in your Torch are considered part of your hand. If you have no cards in your hand in the Lead Color, but a face-up card in your Torch is, you must play that card. Whenever you play a card from your Torch, immediately flip the newly exposed cards face up and gain any tokens that are on those cards.
The solo player will play two cards per trick (also playing to either Fireline positions 1 and 3 or 2 and 4).
The Heat Token (3 Players)
In a 3-player game, play alternates between the team and the solo player. Each team player will play one card per trick (playing to either Fireline positions 1 and 3 or 2 and 4).
Whenever it is the team's turn to play, the player with the Heat Token plays their card before their teammate. When a player on the team wins a trick, they gain the Heat Token (taking it from their teammate when necessary) and take Flame Tokens from the solo player. When the solo player wins a trick, they take Flame Tokens from the team player that holds the Heat Token.
Caliente Cards
(Advanced Play Only)
If you want to fan the flames of Fuego a bit, you can choose to play with Caliente Cards! These spicy little beauties change the rules in unpredictable ways.
Here are two ways to use Caliente Cards:
- Choose one card to spice up the whole game.
- Shuffle the cards to create a Caliente deck. Draw a new card at the start of each round, giving each round it's one unique flavor.
Example Caliente Cards:
- Char — If a player/team ever has 9 or more total Flame Tokens, they immediately lose the round (this includes taking all the Flame Tokens).
- Hearth — Place 3 Strike Tokens face-up here. Players that strike a match may take one of these tokens or a random token.