Flash Point: Urban Structures - Reviews

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2.4.2013

The first true expansion to Flash Point: Fire Rescue, Urban Structures increased the difficulty level in the game, introduced ladders for the first time (they are re-implemented in the 2nd Story Expansion), and added a new specialist, the Structural Engineer.Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a fascinating game on many levels. Aside from the ingenuity of the gameplay, the mechanisms and processes by which it has become available, and lauded, have been unconventional, modern, and forward-thinking. In 2010, Kevin Lanzing, a nascent game-designer, got noticed with his clever cooperative firefighting board-game, Flash Point. The game was available through the self-publishing website "Game Crafter".The buzz around the game was noted by the small publishing company, Indie Boards and Cards. A successful kickstarter campaign brought Flash Point to a much larger audience, and the popularity grew from there. Further kickstarter campaigns have brought us four new expansions (two are upcoming), and many extras.I picked up the base game almost a year ago, and have played it frequently. I was not drawn to cooperative games before picking up this title, and since playing it, I have picked up several other popular coops (D-Day Dice, Robinson Crusoe) only to sell or trade them later. Flash Point, on the other hand, I have kept, backed every expansion, and treasured. It's one of those annoying games that you take to a gaming meet-up and everyone wants to play... every time. As a result, I often leave it at home, because if I bring along the latest, most exciting, new Euro-game - and Flash Point is also in the bag - you can be sure I'll be talked into playing that instead. Fortunately, it's a great game, so I shouldn't really complain!Flash Point is highly thematic, accessible, endlessly expandible, and attractive. I am conflicted on the unpredictable difficulty levels: I love the peril of the random dice rolls, but I find the massive swings in difficulty between games frustrating. It's a minor criticism; this is a game for everyone - it encourages teamwork and responsibility; and it's downright fun.So what does Urban Structures add to the game?Light Walls: This expansion introduced "Light Walls", which were used again in the later 2nd Story expansion. These pale blue walls are completely destroyed after placing only one cube on them, and therefore can be moved through freely. They represent light internal walls, and are only used on the office building side of the board.Elevator: Accessing the high-rise office block is done by using an internal elevator, or by climbing in through a destroyed wall using the Fire Engine's ladder. The internal elevator is a slightly unintuitive mechanism, whereby closing and opening the doors indicates whether the elevator is at ground level (firefighters are moved directly to an engine parking spot), or on the upper floor, respectively. The Elevator can be knocked out of action if the door is blown off by an explosion.Ladder: Using the fire-engine's ladder simply involves moving from the engine spot directly into the building, at any point on the Engine's side of the board. This costs 2AP. The wall must be destroyed in order that you can pass through it. (The ladder rules are further developed in the 2nd Story expansion, along with the addition of windows to enter through, which makes things a little easier than they are in the Urban Structures expansion).New Specialist: The Structural Engineer is not an exciting role, but he is a very useful team player, especially in the high-rise office block, where there are many internal walls. With a series of explosions, you can find that the board is littered with black "damage" cubes, and the building is likely to collapse. The Structural Engineer can remove damage cubes only if the wall has not been completely destroyed - no point trying to prop up all the internal light walls! This specialist is also useful on maps from other expansions and the base game. His main limitation is the fact that he can't repair walls which are adjacent to fire, so he often has to double up with an extingushing partner to have maximum effect. The engineer himself cannot extinguish at all. The new Extreme Danger expansion includes a miniature for the Structural Engineer, along with the roles from the base game and other expansions.New Scenarios: Urban Structures describes rules for 8 new scenarios to add variety to your games, including more realistic rules for retrieving knocked down firefighters. The original rules had them teleport back to the ambulance space, when knocked over by fire - the only jarring suspension of disbelief required in an otherwise pretty realistic game.New boards: Urban Structures has a double sided board the same size as that in the base game. One side has the high-rise building, with elevators and light walls. The second side has a simpler duplex apartment, with limited access between two adjacent flats. This layout is challenging, and adds to the variety of the original maps nicely.COMPONENTSThe Urban Structures expansion is not boxed (it is wrapped in cellophane). It will fit in the original box, if you remove the cardboard insert, but not if you intend to also keep 2nd Story expansion in there too. The new Extreme Danger expansion has a box the same size as the base game, so between the two, all expansions should fit.The board is of exactly the same quality as the base game board. The graphics are identical in style, and the Specialist card is also nicely illustrated in keeping with the base game specialists.The game features a folded A3 rule-sheet, with clear simple additions to the base-game rules.COMPLEXITYThe added rules are not complex, but the ladder and elevator rules are not entirely intuitive. They add a slight level of abstraction, not present in the base game, due to the nature of adding a third dimension to the two-dimensional layout of the basic maps. It doesn't take long to get to grips with this though. Both maps in the Urban Structures expansion are more difficult to succeed at than the basic maps. The high-rise office map is the most difficult map so far - there are so many internal walls, and access into and out of the building is not easy! (I wonder how this will compare to accessing a ship or submarine in the upcoming Dangerous Waters expansion.)POSITIVES- Adds more variety to an excellent game- The new specialist can be used on every map- New scenarios are appreciated- It's good to have a really challenging board for experienced playersNEGATIVES- No box, so it can be hard to store if you also have 2nd Story.- Elevator and ladder rules are a little tricky to graspOVERALLIt's a great expansion for a great game. If you enjoy the base game, this will soon become an essential purchase. Aside from anything else, you will want the structural engineer on your team!