Fire in the Lake (3rd Printing, 2022)

Fire in the Lake is one of the standout titles in GMT’s acclaimed COIN (Counterinsurgency) series, offering a deep and multi-layered look at the Vietnam War from 1964 onward.

Rather than a traditional two-sided wargame, this design places up to four players in asymmetrical roles: the United States, North Vietnam (NVA), the Viet Cong (VC), and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Each faction has its own objectives, capabilities, and internal tensions—creating a dynamic mix of cooperation, competition, and outright conflict.

Gameplay blends military operations with political maneuvering, economic pressure, and public opinion. You’ll conduct jungle sweeps, build and disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail, manage coups in Saigon, launch major offensives, and navigate the delicate balance between escalation and sustainability. Every decision carries weight—not just on the battlefield, but in the broader strategic picture.

The COIN system’s card-driven structure ensures constant tension. Each event presents difficult choices: act now, wait for a better opportunity, or risk handing momentum to your opponents. The inclusion of pivotal events like the Tet Offensive and Vietnamization can dramatically reshape the course of a campaign.

This 3rd printing includes refined components and remains fully compatible with expansions like Fall of Saigon. It also supports solo play through built-in flowcharts, making it flexible for any player count from 1 to 4.

Contents include: mounted map board, wooden pieces, event card deck, counters, rulebook, playbook, and player aids.

This is an excellent choice for players who enjoy historically grounded strategy games where politics, military action, and long-term planning are tightly intertwined—and where winning the war doesn’t always mean winning the peace.