Once upon a time, Iguana stole fire from the village and fled

to the sky. To restore fire to the world, Opossum found Iguana‘s

hiding place, lulled him to sleep, and stole the fire with her tail
—or so the story goes.

GAME COMPONENTS
9 Fire Cards

1+
6 Player Sets (12 cards)
4.
6 5
7 86. 97. +81 9.
53 +1
13 42
2
1

5 4
8 +1 7 9. 6. 8 7 6. 3 5 2 1 9.
4 +1
3
2
Opossums Bonfire Den
1

Scan to read the Does reading rules

full story and set your brain on
learn more about fire? Check out our
the traditional how-to-play
Huichol fairy tale. video instead!

1
 SETUP
1 Each player chooses a color and takes the matching set of
12 cards. Return unused sets to the box.
2 All players place their bonfire faceup in front of them.
3 Each player places a random opossum card faceup on
their bonfire card so the flame icon is visible. (This random
opossum must be 1–9, not the +1 "trickster".) Make sure
all players have a different number—if necessary, replace
cards until everyone has a different number. These are the
starting fire stacks.
Take all remaining opossum cards and your den as your
starting hand.
4 Shuffle the fire cards and place them in a faceup pile in the
middle of the table as the Iguana pile.
5

1 Example: 5
1 4-Player Setup
5

1
5
1

Iguana
discard 5+
89++ pile
pile

9.

9.
3

2
3

9.
GAMEPLAY
At the start of a round, players choose only 3 cards to use this
round. On their turn they can either play a card or pass.
If your card is on top of the discard pile when your turn comes
around again, then you win the round and take a fire card.
At the end of the game, the player with the most flames wins!

HOW TO PLAY
A ROUND
Each round has 3 steps:
2
1. CHOOSE OPOSSUMS 2 2 8
5
8
1 5

All players simultaneously

1 4
+1 4

execute these actions:

+1
8 5
2 2
8

1 Place your den at the back

5

1
1
1 4
+1 4

of your hand, behind your

+1

opossums. full hand before 3

2 Choose 3 opossums for 4 choosing
this round by moving
85
them behind your den
28
5
2

card (thus separating your

hand between chosen and 2
8
2
5 8
5

unchosen cards).
chosen unchosen
3 Place your unchosen opossums opossums opposums
facedown next to your fire in hand in den
stack(s) with the den card on top.
4 Keep your 3 chosen opossums for this round in your hand,
hidden from other players.
When all players have their 3 chosen opossums, then the
Hunt begins!
3
 2. THE HUNT
Iguana pile
THE FIRST OPOSSUM
Starting with the winner of the previous flames
round (or the oldest player in the first
round), play proceeds clockwise with starting
players taking turns: either playing 55++ number
a card matching the iguana pile's
starting number or passing. Each time
it becomes the first player's turn again,
they increase the starting number by 1, stating it aloud
(after 9, go back down to 1). Once the starting number has
been played to the discard pile, continue to "Bring the fire home".
Note: Even if a card in hand matches the starting number, you
are not required to play it!
+1
+1
BRING FIRE HOME
THE TRICKSTER
From the player who played
A +1 opossum
the starting number, play
can be played on
proceeds clockwise with
top of any 1– 9.
players taking turns (playing, +1
+1
Its number is the
passing, or winning).
previously played number
• Play an opossum: To plus one (if played on 9, it
play a card, it must be becomes 1).
exactly 1 higher than the top You cannot play a Trickster
card of the discard pile. as the starting number or
Exception: If a 9 is the top on top of another player's
card, a 1 must be played. trickster.
• Pass: A player passes, and
the next player in turn order takes their turn. Players who
pass are not out of the round; they can play on future turns.

4
 Example: 4-Player Round
The Iguana pile shows a 4. Pass
Green is the first player this 4
round, and they happen to Pass Pass
have a "4," so they play the
4

starting number. Yellow passes. 4

5
5

Red plays "5." Despite holding 444++

+
4

a "6" in hand, Pink opts to pass, 4

gambling that someone else

5
5

will play a "6," but both Green Pass My

and Yellow pass. It has come fire.
5
around to Red's turn, and since
Red's card is on top of the discard pile, Red wins the round!
• Win fire & steal fire: Opossums are solitary creatures
and loyal only to family. They will steal fire from others to
enlarge their own fire.
If your turn comes around and the top card
of the discard pile is yours, you win the 5 5

round and create a new fire stack:

1 Take the top card from the
Iguana pile and place it
5 5

4
facedown in front of you. 4

2 Place your winning opossum 5

5

card faceup on top of it.

4

4+
3
4

3 Also, if another player has

1
5
5

a fire stack showing the same

opossum number, you steal all
fire cards from this fire stack 2 3
3

and place them under your

5
5

new fire stack along with New

the fire card you just won. fire stack 5
5 3
3

5
 3. PREPARE FOR NEXT ROUND
1 All of your cards fire stack previously
not in a fire stack with no fire fire den exhausted
and not in the (stolen) stack pile opossums
discard pile return 5 5
8 8 7 1 7 1

to your hand.
Right now, your
hand consists of:
B
5 5
8 8
C 7 1

D
7 1

A Leftover opossums
chosen for this round,
B a card from a stolen 4
2 4
fire stack, C all cards 2

from your den pile, your hand

and D exhausted cards
A
2 4 4

from the previous round. 2

1

+11

discard 2 Take your cards from the

+1

pile discard pile and place

1

+1
1
+1

fire them faceup near your fire

stack stacks (numbers visible!).
3
8 8
3
These cards are exhausted
exhausted and not in hand (and thus,
3
Opossums cannot be chosen for the
next round).
3
8 8

GAME END
When the Iguana pile is depleted,
the game ends. Players add up all
flame icons in their fire stacks. The
player with the most flames wins!
If players are tied, all tied players
share the win.

6
THE ROGUE
ADDITIONAL RULES FOR 2-3 PLAYERS
A Rogue player is added to the game. It follows a simple script
that any player can run.
ADDITIONAL SETUP
Take the black opossum set of cards and return its trickster,
bonfire, and den to the box. Shuffle the remaining cards
and place them facedown to the right of the first round's first
player. This is the rogue deck.
THE ROGUE`S TURN 9.
6.
9.
6.

The Rogue goes in turn order. reserve

1 Check the top card of the reserve to see
1
6. 6.
9. 9.

if it can be played to the discard pile.

If so, play it.
2 If no card was played, draw a card from rogue
the rogue deck. If it can be played to the deck
discard pile, play it. If not, place it faceup
in the reserve, and then the Rogue passes. 2
THE ROGUE WINS THE ROUND
If the Rogue wins the round, return the top fire card from the
Iguana pile and any fire cards stolen by the Rogue back to the
box. The winner of the previous round begins the next round.
PREPARE THE ROGUE FOR NEXT ROUND
Shuffle all rogue cards and place them facedown to the right
of last round's winner as the new rogue deck. Rogue cards
cannot be exhausted.

7
 STRATEGY TIPS
WHICH OPOSSUMS TO CHOOSE?
Before choosing opossums, consider these suggestions
to make the wisest choice.
• Starting Number: Choose this number (or slightly
higher, depending on your position)
• Your Fire Stacks: Choose 1 higher to ensure the
round doesn't end at your number (preventing
opponents from stealing your fire cards).
• Opponents' Fire Stacks: Choose the exact number
shown to try to steal fire from them.
• Opponents' Exhausted Opossums: Choose 1 lower
so they can't play the next higher number against
your card.
• Your Right Neighbor: Anticipate which opossums
you think they'll choose, and then choose 1 higher
for yourself.

CREDITS
Game Design: Thomas Sellner Rules Editing: Sabine Machaczek
Development: Roland Goslar Producer: Heiko Eller-Bilz
Artwork: Mayra Guadalupe Thanks to: Steve Kimball, Michael
Ornelas Ramos Kränzle, Anne Wisser, and all our
Graphic Design: Marina Fahrenbach friends and playtesters.

We love our planet!

We donate per sold game to
www.trees.org
www.heidelbear.com
© 2022 HeidelBÄR Games GmbH. Tails on Fire, the HeidelBÄR Games logo and HeidelBÄR Games are TMs of HeidelBÄR Games GmbH. Producer: HeidelBÄR
Games, Hauptstr. 107, 63897 Miltenberg, GERMANY. Made in Germany. NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY PERSONS AGE 9 OR YOUNGER. Actual components may
vary from those shown! Retain this information for your records.