Fire in the Lake Review

[@phd_angel]

This is the smartest review *about* the game (not so much a review *of* the game). I appreciate your high-level intellectual analysis in relation to history and politics. I just wished you had elaborated a bit more on the game experience itself, its playability and fun factor; its pros and cons. Well done anyways. I'm subscribing your channel.

[@leshtricity]

this is becoming one of my favorite channels! i see a game i'm interested in, search it on YT, and there's always a DTG video that gives a comprehensive look and answers all my questions. thanks!

[@DriveThruReview]

Thank you! Hope you enjoy Fire in the Lake.

[@thepenskyfile]

Such a good game. In the endless board game debate about theme, I think games like this are the best example of narrative meets mechanics. The downside is that I find it impossible to get a play in, since it's a bit heavy for my friends and I don't enjoy using AI flowcharts.

[@DriveThruReview]

Three of my four plays were over VASSAL. I've played all of the COIN games over 30 times over VASSAL, and less than five times in person. This one is a doozy too :)

[@DriveThruReview]

Fire in the Lake Review kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqDKe4mjecZ-iqs

[@eirikuthus]

Is it me or is the sound a bit buggy at 7:55?

[@DriveThruReview]

Not just you. The sound got out of whack for a few seconds there. I actually cleaned it up a bit. It was unlistenable :)

[@tommantek3632]

This is my first video of yours that I've viewed and I must say I like it! The B&W where you're talking versus the color video of map views is a good call and works well for me. Overall this review interests me and makes me want to get this game. :) Good work!

[@DriveThruReview]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@nielison]

So, this is the longest of all four in the COIN series? How long?

[@DriveThruReview]

Depends on the mode you play and how many players. 4-8 hours really. I could see under 4 with two VERY experienced players playing a short or medium game.

[@smoothcriminal28]

J... I have had my eye on COIN games for a minute. Question, which is your personal favorite? Second question... For someone thats jumping into this series for the first time.. Should i start with Cuba Libre ?

[@DriveThruReview]

Cuba Libre or this one are my favorites. Definitely start with CL.

[@timg7954]

Love cubra libre.....this one is staring at me from the shelf- Soon......

[@RaduGaston1]

Great review and analysis of the coin series as a whole. Looks like this one took a lot out of you to make. I do appreciate you doing it though. You need a get some more shelves so you can keep A Distant Plain.

[@DriveThruReview]

I'll need a bigger house then! :)

[@1313qwertyqwerty]

Great review. I am hoping that you review 'Navajo Wars' by GMT games.

[@DriveThruReview]

Thanks! Actually played Navajo Wars a few years ago. I liked it but it was just a BIT too scripted feeling for me.

[@1313qwertyqwerty]

i have it on order --P500-. Some have said it is a deep game with a rich unfolding story. True?

[@DriveThruReview]

Robert dePaulis Ya id say so. There’s a lot going on for sure and it treats the subject matter in an interesting way.

[@timggoodchild]

Thanks for this review - I really enjoy your reviews and your personal perspective on the games you explore. This is one I have been looking toward for a while, but not being a 'full on' wargamer I have tended to shy away. I think you have given me the nudge to buy it, which I think I will be grateful for (eventually!).

[@jeffrhind175]

Joel, well articulated and thought out opinion and review.

[@DriveThruReview]

Thank you Jeff. I struggled with this one.

[@TyphoidBryan]

Liberty or Death! I should start with Cuba Libre, but the American Revolution interests me more.

[@DriveThruReview]

From my understanding Liberty or Death will be the heavier of the two new ones and Gallic War is more like Cuba Libre? I may have that flipped.

[@TyphoidBryan]

I am not sure, but I am willing to forego some ease-of-learning for the sake of a theme that I can get behind. The COIN series is new to me and it's time I give them a shot. Going to wait for LoD despite what's available now and likely better suited for someone like myself.

[@DriveThruReview]

TyphoidBryan Theme definitely conquers all if the interest is high enough :)

[@sarthakmishra1415]

Amazing review

[@DriveThruReview]

Thank you :)

[@zeroisnine]

0_0 so want your a distant plain. Great review. I wish I knew about this series when it started. I love the modern conflict stuff, even though I probably wasn't into board games back then, I might pick it up. You ever play Labyrinth?

[@DriveThruReview]

I have. I enjoyed it fine enough, but was never getting it to the table (or doing reviews) back then, so I got rid of it. Crazy game, but I do like A Distant Plain much better. I think Labyrinth is due for a revisit given the Arab Spring, ISIL, and the like. It's an extremely tricky conflict that I have difficulty understanding and locking down, and I think the game struggled to as well. Things are so fluid.

[@zeroisnine]

Drive Thru Review Yeah, I can see that. I have difficulty getting it on the table as well. The thing about the trickiness of it all though, to me that makes it (and the more modern leaning games) far more interesting, being more thought-experiments than historical-analysis.

[@DriveThruReview]

zeroisnine Yep! That's a great way to look at it actually. In some ways that hearkens back to what (war) games were initially created for. Interesting.

[@thepenskyfile]

Drive Thru Review zeroisnine The Labyrinth mechanic of using a Twilight Struggle-esque hand of cards for each player feels like a weakness at this point. It works in TS because of the "scripted" deck, but I thought it always felt a little lackluster in Labyrinth. The COIN series fixes this quite well, IMO.

[@DriveThruReview]

The Pensky File I don't remember having too much issue with that. I do wish the COIN deck would get a tweak in one of these games though.

[@PMMagro]

I find it rather absurd to call the enemies of USA in Viennam looking to "colonize" South Vietnam. My relatives fought in Vientnam to keep it a French colony. Then USA decided Vienam could not fall to the communists when the French gave up their colony. US Interest in Vientanm was very similar to Soviet ones, to hurt the cold war enemy anywhere possible (with marginal interest in Vietnam itself). For the Vietnamese probably it was bad regime backed by US or another bad regime backed by Soviet...

[@DriveThruReview]

Peter Magro I was speaking strictly "mechanically" from the perspective of their win condition. They desire control of territory.

[@leighfoulkes7297]

+Peter Magro I've heard some rumors that US wanted to mess up the whole rice trade with China, as one of many reasons for the war. In the hope of destabilizing China so a revolution would start to get rid of communism. I think it was at the time Mao's whole social experiment that need tons of out side food sources to push his program through.