- BGG rating
- 8.0
Fire in the Lake: Tru'ng Bot Update Pack
- 1 player
- Complexity 4.1/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #572
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Fire in the Lake
2014
Rules assistance for Fire in the Lake
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 4.2/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Fire in the Lake
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Fire in the Lake is a board game released in 2014 for 1–4 players and 180 minutes per game. It was designed by Mark Herman and Volko Ruhnke and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence.
Expansions
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,446
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Andean Abyss
- 1–4 players
- 360 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #660
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001 – ?
- 1–2 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2010
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,403
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Falling Sky: The Gallic Revolt Against Caesar
- 1–4 players
- 180–360 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,397
- BGG rating
- 7.8
A Distant Plain
- 1–4 players
- 180–300 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #752
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Cuba Libre
- 1–4 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,659
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Hearts and Minds: Vietnam 1965-1975 (Third Edition)
- 1–2 players
- 45–360 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,714
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Pericles: The Peloponnesian Wars
- 1–4 players
- 45–360 min
- Complexity 4.3/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,565
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection
- 1–4 players
- 180–360 min
- Complexity 4.1/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,367
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Fort Sumter: The Secession Crisis, 1860-61
- 2 players
- 20–40 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,116
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Washington's War
- 2 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2010
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,846
- BGG rating
- 7.3
We the People
- 2 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 1993
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,696
- BGG rating
- 7.5
All Bridges Burning: Red Revolt and White Guard in Finland, 1917-1918
- 1–3 players
- 180–360 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2020
About the game
Volume IV in the Series: COIN (GMT) dives headlong into the momentous and complex battle for South Vietnam. A unique multi-faction treatment of the Vietnam War, Fire in the Lake will take players on US heliborne sweeps of the jungle and Communist infiltration of the South, and into inter-allied conferences, Saigon politics, interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, air defense of Northern infrastructure, graduated escalation, and media war. Fire in the Lake features the same card-assisted counterinsurgency game system as GMT's Andean Abyss, Cuba Libre, and A Distant Plain, with twists that take the Series to another level, including: Pivotal events that trump initiative (Tet Offensive, Vietnamization, Easter Offensive, and Linebacker II) Inter-coup campaign effects that vary by RVN leader Counterinsurgent guerrillas (US-led Irregulars and ARVN Rangers) Insurgent troops (NVA) for direct force-on-force engagements Tunneled VC and NVA bases Trail construction and degradation A larger-than-ever event deck for even greater play variety Short and medium-length scenarios with either random or period-event options -- description from publisher
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Devir
- GMT Games
Questions and answers
Fire in the Lake supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Fire in the Lake is 180 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Fire in the Lake has a complexity rating of 4.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Fire in the Lake belongs to these categories: Wargame, Political, and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Fire in the Lake are: Mark Herman and Volko Ruhnke. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Fire in the Lake as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.