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You like Flamme Rouge otherwise you wouldn’t be looking at this review for the expansion Peloton. Let me save you some time and tell you that I rate this as an essential addition to the base game so go now and order it then come back and read the rest of this review.
History Of The Race
Flamme Rouge is one of the best and easiest race games ever made that is enjoyed by serious gamers and families alike. The brilliant mechanic of your riders becoming more and more exhausted as the race continues combined with the slipstreaming, all with just a deck of cards, elevates this game to the top of my racing game list.
The original game only included rules and components for 2 to 4 players which was a shame as whenever a race was in progress it would attract many people to the table all wanting a go.
What’s In The Box
This is a very generous expansion as it provides the ability to now play with up to 6 players therefore there are two more player boards, 4 more riders, and all of the cards required. In addition, there are 9 new track tiles and special cards that let you play with two different types of Dummy teams (AI riders).
New rules are included and they are very easy to understand and implement. I should also mention that with the clever AI riders (they are not dumb and will often beat me) you can now play this game solo. Finally, there is a variant that allows up to 12 players by everyone just controlling one rider each without teams.
Getting On Track
The new track pieces shake the game up perfectly. Firstly, there is a new 5 to 6 player start tile which is three spaces wide. In addition, you can use the new breakaway tiles which add a variant to the game that allows for 2 riders, in a 5 to 6 player game, or 1 rider, in a 1 to 4 player game, to get a head start by bidding for a better starting position 1 tile further up the track.
The only problem being is that riders will start the race without the cards used to win the bid and they will also receive two exhaustion cards before the race begins.
There are supply zone tiles and a bonus tile which provide a minimum speed of 4 and still allow for slipstreaming. These tiles are also 3 spaces wide.
Finally, there are cobblestone tiles. These are an excellent addition to the game as they narrow down the track to either one or two spaces wide and they do not allow any slipstreaming from or to any rider on the cobblestones.
I’m No Dummy
The best part of this expansion is the Dummy teams. With this addition, you can now play with one Peloton team and multiple Muscle teams in either multiplayer or on your own. I would recommend playing with just one of these teams for your first race and then trying the other one next time as it may surprise you how ruthless and fast the AI riders are.
The setup and race maintenance for either team is incredibly easy and doesn’t interrupt the excitement of the race. If anything, I would say the addition of these AI riders greatly increases my enjoyment of this game.
Final Thoughts
This is one of the best expansions I have ever played. It adds so much to the game without confusing the core enjoyment. The game at six players is just as fast as it was with four, and with lower player counts I always add in the AI riders for extra excitement. The new tiles are brilliant, especially the cobblestones and it makes the track look even better on the table.
Like I said at the beginning of this review, if you own Flamme Rouge this is a must have expansion.
