Flamme Rouge BMX is quick dash around the backyard.
Don’t get too tired!
Players race on their BMX-bikes around the local backyard to be the first over the goal line, but it’s not a Sunday stroll! This is a tight race over one round where you jump over ramps, skid over gravel, and press on when thunder strikes.
Flamme Rouge BMX Game Overview
Quick Rules Summary
Players have a bag of tokens with different numbers. They each draw a number of tokens from their bag, keep one face down and put the rest back in the bag. They are then revealed simultaneously.
Starting with the bike at the front of the race and moving back down the line, players move the number of spaces on the token. The token is then removed from the game.
Players then move up to 2 spaces forward to catch up with the bike in front depending on the roll of the weather die. Finally, any bike with no bike in the space directly in front of it gains a grey ‘1’ value token into their bag. This represents bikes drafting those in front with those not able to draft spending energy peddling into dirty air.
There are elements such as corners, gravel, ramps etc that have an effect on the game.
How do you win?
The first player to pass the finish post wins the game.
Main Mechanisms
It’s pretty much just a simple racing game.
USP
Not sure there is one here. Drawing tokens from a bag isn’t unique to a racing game and the rest was already done in the original Flamme Rouge.
Theme
I do like the theme of kids playing in the backyard. It’s better for this weight of game than trying to model it on the Olympics or similar.
Setup
Tokens in the bag, bikes on the board and you’re off!
Components & Artwork
The chunky wooden bikes and tokens are really nice. the dice and dice bags are good quality. The art does a job but could have had more detail.
Ease of Teaching
The game is very easy to teach. New players can be talked through the potential options for the numbers they might draw before choosing one. Apart from that the game is fairly rules light. Drafting at the end of the turn is the only tricky part but after 1 or 2 rounds it’ll make sense.
Similar Games
I’ve already mentioned Flamme Rouge, the deck-building game this is based on which is the most relevant.
Heat: Pedal to the Metal is much heavier by comparison but is based on the Flamme Rouge system
King Frog is a good fun racing game of a similar weight.
Flamme Rouge BMX Review
Positives
A fun and simple game system.
Nice chunky wooden components.
A very good family weight game racing game…
Negatives
…but if you’re an adult Flamme Rouge is much better option.
Summary
A very good racing game to play with younger people.
Jesta ThaRogue