
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,738
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Red Poppies Campaigns: The Battles for Ypres
- 2 players
- 120–1440 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2016

Rules assistance for In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames is an expansion for In the Trenches: Devil Dogs released in 2016 for 2 players, 90–120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by John Gorkowski and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
Game description from the publisher: Through Fire and Flames is BY FAR the largest battle pack Tiny Battle Publishing has ever released for its popular In the Trenches system. The third battle pack for In the Trenches, Through Fire and Flames brings FIVE new battle maps and SEVEN scenarios to the table, including Whittlesey’s Brave, The Lost Battalion, The Kaiserschlacht, the first tank on tank battle, and more. The seven historical scenarios include the British, French, Germans, Americans and let’s not forget, the Bulgarians! The game’s namesake is born from the German flamethrowers that are added, raising the corrugated lethality of the counter mix. Battle with Schneider, MKIV, and A7V tanks. Bombard enemy positions with mortars and artillery, rake the advancing infantry with machine guns, and infiltrate enemy lines with Stosstruppen. Designed by John Gorkowski, In the Trenches enables players to game historically accurate simulations of tactical operations from the Great War. ITT challenges players to move and fight with company-level formations made of separate platoon-sized units during five minute, impulse-based turns. The historically accurate maps are scaled to 100 yards per hex. This approach recreates WWI command and control problems and inspires historically accurate play without forcing decisions.
In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames is 90–120 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.
The catalogue lists In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames belongs to these categories: Wargame, Expansion for Base-game, and World War I. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid. 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 In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames are: John Gorkowski. 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 In the Trenches: Through Fire and Flames as an expansion for In the Trenches: Devil Dogs. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need In the Trenches: Devil Dogs to use it. Check that your edition of In the Trenches: Devil Dogs is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.