Fireball Island is a

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a co ...

first published by

Milton Bradley Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...

in 1986. The tagline is "''The dimensional adventure game of pitfalls and perils!''" It is set on an unexploited (by treasure hunters) tropical

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

, the home of the ancient idol Vul-Kar. Players progress along winding paths around the island, avoiding fireballs and trying to steal Vul-Kar's jewel and carry it to the escape boat. The game concept was originally developed by artist / toy designers Bruce Lund and Chuck Kennedy. The game was licensed to Milton Bradley by Anjar Co., an international toy licensing company and co-licensor of the game.

Rules

The

game mechanics In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-sha ...

in Fireball Island are moderately complex, requiring both skill and luck to win. The object of the game is to escape the island with the jewel, which must first be stolen from the top of the mountain on which Vul-Kar sits. There is only one jewel, so once a player grabs it they become the target of the others. The jewel may change hands many times during the course of a game.

Restoration Games

An updated version of the game has been produced by Restoration Games, a company that has previously produced restored versions of other games including Stop Thief, Downforce, and Indulgence. The game reboot is called Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar and was funded by a Kickstarter campaign which was fully funded in its first hour and raised over $2.5 million in backing. There are significant changes to gameplay, with somewhat less luck and more player agency, a redesigned and expanded board, and optional expansion content.

Expansions

There are five expansions created by Restoration Games for Fireball Island: The Curse of Vulcar. * ''Wreck of the Crimson Cutlass'' - Adds a pirate ship gameboard island. There are additional treasures to collect on this island and cannonballs which can be launched. * ''Crouching Tiger Hidden Bees'' - Adds yellow bee marbles, a launching tiger, and honey pot treasures. * ''The Last Adventurer'' - Adds green snake marbles, a 5th player, and an idol treasure. * ''Treasure Trove'' - Adds a full deck of cards, for up to four mini-expansions. Additional cards include Injury, Hangry, Legendary Artifacts, and Bonus Souvenirs. * ''Spider Springs'' - Adds a new section of the gameboard that attaches to the main island with a spider launcher and submarine escape route.

Goliath Games

In 2021, Restoration Games partnered with Goliath Games to produce a smaller, Target-exclusive version called Fireball Island: Race to Adventure. This version has a smaller game board, smaller marbles, and less treasures to make for quicker gameplay. The expansions released by Restoration Games are not compatible with Race to Adventure, only with The Curse of Vul-Kar.

References

External links

* {{bgg, 1768
X-Entertainment Loves Fireball Island.

BoardGameBuds - Fireball Island Review

Restoration Games - Fireball Island
Board games introduced in 1986 Racing board games Milton Bradley Company games