Overview

A Column of Fire is a strategy game set in 16th-century Europe during the religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants. Players compete to gain influence by allying with characters across England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. They set up trading houses to sell goods, manipulate religious conflicts for victory points, and advance on the action track. The first player to reach 50 victory points triggers the end of the game.

Components

• 1 game board (Europe with 4 countries)
• 80 playing cards: 52 character cards, 16 event cards, 4 summary cards, 4 religion cards, 4 Loch Leven cards
• 56 goods tiles (14 each: Book, Ore, Cloth, Wine)
• 24 dice (4 per player in 6 colors: black, white, blue, brown, orange, purple)
• 30 religion stones (10 each: purple/Catholic, gray/Protestant, natural/Neutral)
• 16 trading houses (4 per player)
• 4 action disks, 4 victory point disks
• 16 protection tiles, 28 advantage tiles
• 4 cross tokens, 2 torches, 1 starting player marker

Setup

1. Place board centrally. Separate goods tiles by type.
2. Separate religion stones by color (purple=Catholic, gray=Protestant, natural=Neutral).
3. Each player takes: 4 trading houses, VP disk (on space 2), action disk, religion card, summary card, and 6 dice.
4. Each player receives a random Loch Leven card (determines starting religion, goods tile, protection tile, action track position).
5. Separate cards by country (backside color), shuffle each deck. Reveal top card of each. Place matching religion stone on each character card.
6. Place advantage tiles and protection tiles on designated board spaces.

Die colors by country: White=England, Blue=France, Orange=Netherlands, Brown=Spain, Purple=Wild (any country), Black=Religion die (numbers 1-5 plus extra 3).

Turn Structure

The game is played in years, each consisting of two half-years:

1st Half of the Year

Each player (starting player first, then clockwise):

1. Rotate dice down by 1 on religion card and all character cards (left to right).
2. Execute character actions as each die is rotated.
3. If a die shows 1: religion die = re-roll and choose religion; character die = remove card, free the die.

2nd Half of the Year

Each player completes both parts before the next player goes:

Part 1: Select a Character

1. Roll all free dice.
2. Select one die and draw the character card from the matching country’s deck (purple die = any country).
3. Place the character’s religion stone on a free religion space in that country.
4. Place a trading house on the site number matching the die roll (pushing existing houses down by 1; houses pushed below site 1 are returned to owner).
5. Take the character card, place the die on it, execute the card’s action once.
6. Flip the next card on the deck.

Part 2: Action Track

1. Select one free die.
2. Advance your action disk to the next unoccupied space matching the die’s color on the action track.
3. Execute the action of that space (sell goods, gain goods, gain protection, etc.).

Actions

Character Card Actions

Each character provides a specific benefit (goods, protection, advantage tiles, VP, etc.) that can be used once per year for as many years as the die shows.

Selling Goods (Action Track)

• You can sell goods in countries where you have a trading house.
• Each country accepts 2 types of goods.
• VP earned equals the trading house site number.

Religious Conflicts

• When all 4 religion spaces in a country are filled, a religious conflict erupts at end of the 2nd half-year.
• Count religion stones: the majority religion wins.
• Players with trading houses in that country who follow the majority religion earn VP equal to their site number.
• Players following the minority religion lose their trading house.
• After conflict, remove all religion stones from that country.

Protection Tiles

• Can be used to avoid placing a religion stone when drawing a character.
• Can protect your trading house during religious conflicts.

Advantage Tiles

• Provide various one-time or ongoing benefits.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• End trigger: Any player reaches 50+ VP during a round.
• Complete the current year (through the 2nd half-year of the last player).
• The player furthest ahead on the VP track wins.

VP sources:

• Selling goods (site number of trading house)
• Religious conflicts (majority religion, site number)
• Character card effects
• Some advantage tiles

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Starting player does not change during the game.
• All players play equal numbers of turns (game ends after last player finishes the year).
• Purple die is a wild that can be used for any country.
• Black religion die has numbers 1-5 and a second 3 (no 6).
• Trading house pushed below site 1 is removed but returned to owner for future use.
• If you already have a trading house in a country and roll higher, upgrade its position.
• Event cards (when drawn from deck) trigger special effects affecting all players.
• 2-3 player game variants modify setup and available dice.

Player Reference

Country	Color	Goods Sold
England (Kingsbridge)	White	Book, Ore
France (Paris)	Blue	Cloth, Wine
Netherlands (Antwerp)	Orange	Book, Cloth
Spain (Seville)	Brown	Ore, Wine

Half-Year	Actions
1st	Rotate dice, use character cards, handle expiring alliances
2nd Part 1	Roll free dice, select character, place religion stone, place trading house
2nd Part 2	Move on action track, execute action

Religion Stones
Purple	Catholic
Gray	Protestant
Natural	Neutral