Speaking to Geek Native on the floor of the UK Games Expo, the team at Medusa Games showcased the final pre-production build of The Great Fire of Chicago, 1871. While earlier playtest iterations have been spotted at previous conventions like Essen Spiel, the build available to demo in Birmingham this weekend represents the absolute final version of the board game before it enters manufacturing.
Despite this finalised state, eager players will need to be patient. Conversations at the Medusa Games booth indicate that a retail release is not expected before the end of the year. The publisher currently estimates the game’s full launch will likely align with next year’s convention season, potentially debuting at the UK Games Expo in 2027.
The Great Fire of Chicago, 1871 serves as a mechanical successor to Medusa Games’ previously acclaimed title, The Great Fire of London 1666. The new instalment retains much of the core ruleset from its predecessor but introduces several chilling historical innovations specific to the 1871 disaster in Illinois.
Historically, the catastrophic spread of the Chicago fire was exacerbated by a tragic human error. The city had an alarm system intended to prevent an inferno from sweeping through the streets, but on the night of the fire, the system malfunctioned and sounded in the wrong location. Consequently, Chicago’s brave firefighters were lured away from where they were needed most.
Medusa Games has translated this real-world disaster directly into the game’s mechanics. As the fire tokens spread rapidly across the city grid, players must contend with hidden “false alarm tokens.” These hazards can flip at the worst possible moments, going off and diverting firefighter resources from the true blaze.
Alongside The Great Fire of Chicago, 1871, Medusa Games is also using their UKGE presence to run demonstrations of Stone Circles, a two-to-five-player Neolithic board game focused on the dawn of hunter-gatherer settlements. Given the independent publisher’s deep ties to the UK Games Expo and its close connection to one of the convention’s founders, their booth is a prime destination for attendees looking to experience high-quality, historically driven tabletop titles long before they hit retail shelves.
