Here at Card Gamer, we’re always looking to try and bend, if not outright break, the rules on the types of games we can cover. As Captain Barbossa memorably said of the Pirate Code, in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, it’s “…more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules”. We’re quite fond of quoting the great Captain Barbossa, and very keen on that particular ethos, so we’re quite happy to cover the dexterity-based, very tactile board game, Fire in the Hole! After all, players do use cards to carry out the game’s cannonball throwing action. So let’s check it out!
What is Fire in the Hole?
A pop-up board game with entirely recyclable components and packaging, Fire in the Hole! sees players surrounding a pirate ship that’s come under attack from a sea monster. Instead of helping to save it, players are instead trying to sink it and claim the ship’s booty for themselves. They’re all pirates after all! It’d be weirder if they didn’t keep trying to double cross each other, right?
Getting Started With Fire in the Hole!
Each player gets the cannonballs in their chosen color, a hand of four cards and an eyepatch. The pop-up ship is opened up, the mast slotted in, and then the board (and board!) is rotated to face towards the youngest player. The first player is the person who most recently travelled on a boat.
How to Play Fire in the Hole!
Though not a card game in the traditional sense, at the heart of Fire in the Hole! are the different cards you can play, and the actions you take as a result.
Players have a hand of cards, and they draw a card at the start of their turn. They then play a card, with actions that’ll generally let them fire a cannonball at the ship. Be warned though; some cards will allow players to rotate the ship, or even swap their color cannonballs for those belonging to another player, amongst other devious, dastardly piratical options.
When taking a “fire” action, players first roll the die to see if they alone get to fire a cannonball, or if all players do. If all players throw, they must throw simultaneously; the active player counts down and everyone throws on “Fire!”.
Firing a cannonball means physically throwing one of your colored cannonballs at the ship. The main rule with throwing a cannonball is that your elbow must touch your side as you throw, and you mustn’t lean over the ship as you do.
If your cannonball lands in a square, it can remain there. If it bounces out, or lands on an occupied square, it’s removed to be used on a later turn. If a player doesn’t have enough cannonballs in their reserve to throw on their turn, they can remove one (or two, if a double throw is required and they have none left) and throw that instead.
To win, a player must have four of their colored cannonballs touching each other orthogonally (not diagonally!). You can see a win for the green player above, with their four cannonballs arranged in a T-shaped formation (of course, other shape formations of four cannonballs are allowed too, such as a square or even a straight line). As soon as a player achieves this, they sink the pirate ship and claim its treasure for themselves. Arrrr!
Is Fire in the Hole! Fun to Play?
In short, Fire in the Hole! is, pun not intended, an absolute blast to play. It’s a raucous, chaotic and hilarious dexterity game, which players of any age or experience level can have an awful lot of fun with. The various card effects add so much humor and fun to the game, such as having to throw with eyes closed, with an eyepatch on, or even with your non-dominant hand.
The physical aspect of Fire in the Hole! is fantastic, with a brilliantly tactile quality, and a design aesthetic that gives the game an incredibly thematic feel, across its packaging and every one of its components. It’s incredibly satisfying to unfold the pop-up ship, every single time you play. To add to this, the ship itself, along with the board, have little secrets and visual gags that are really fun to discover, such as the “Carrrd Pile” and “Discarrrd Pile” spaces.
It’s also genuinely impressive how much thought has gone into every aspect of the components, from the viewpoint of the materials used. Everything is recyclable, and it’s truly admirable that publisher McMiller Games have gone the extra mile in this regard.
Imagine Connect 4 being played by rowdy, one-eyed (sometimes blind) pirates, and you’re halfway to picturing what it’s like to play Fire in the Hole!
The Card Gamer Verdict
Fire in the Hole! is a perfect game for parents to play with their kids, but even older players will get plenty of fun from throwing colorful cannonballs at the adorable cardboard pirate ship.
The chaotic piratical theme can be felt even before opening the box of Fire in the Hole!, with every element of its components and packaging feeling brilliantly well-designed. It’s also thoughtfully produced to be entirely recyclable.
As an inclusive, chaotic and physical party game, Fire in the Hole! is brilliantly raucous fun, and it has genuinely impressive table presence too. Even setting the game up is enough to put a smile on the faces of even the most hardened pirates, and playing the game inevitably results in plenty of laughter.
You can buy Fire in the Hole! from Amazon. Check out our reviews of other family friendly games, such as Super Meow and Ninjan.
