Flash Point: Fire Rescue – 2nd Story

The '2nd Story' expansion introduces two new double-sided game boards, which are placed adjacent to each other to represent a two-story house. Each board side (A1, A2, B1, B2) features a unique floor plan, including staircases that connect corresponding spaces on different floors. Additionally, the expansion includes portable ladder pieces (bottom and top halves) that can be placed by firefighters, window tokens to mark open windows, and optional action tokens for tracking player actions. Players will choose which two floor plans to use for their game, creating a multi-level challenge.

The primary objective of 'Flash Point: Fire Rescue' with the '2nd Story' expansion remains consistent with the base game: players must cooperatively rescue a total of seven victims from the burning house. This must be achieved before the structural integrity of the building is completely compromised (indicated by the damage track reaching its end) or before four victims are tragically lost to the fire. The added verticality of the two-story house introduces new strategic considerations for victim rescue and fire containment.

During a player's turn, firefighters can move and perform actions as in the base game. However, with the addition of a second story, movement now includes using staircases to ascend or descend between floors. Staircases are marked with coordinates, allowing players to identify their corresponding entry/exit points on the other floor. Firefighters can also deploy portable ladders from the ground level to specific window spaces on the upper floor, creating additional access points. Fire and smoke can spread between floors via staircases and open windows, adding a new dimension to fire propagation and requiring players to manage threats on both levels simultaneously.

As 'Flash Point: Fire Rescue' is a fully cooperative game, there is no individual or team scoring system. The game is either won or lost by all players collectively. Success is measured by the team's ability to meet the victory condition of rescuing seven victims, while failure occurs if the building's structure collapses or too many victims are lost. The expansion simply adds complexity and new tactical options to achieving this shared goal.

The game concludes in one of three ways. The players achieve victory if they successfully rescue seven victims from the house. Conversely, the players lose if the building's structural integrity track reaches its maximum damage point, signifying a complete collapse of the house. A loss also occurs if four victims are lost to the fire, either by being trapped in an explosion or by being unable to be rescued before the fire consumes them. The two-story layout can accelerate these loss conditions if not managed effectively.