How to Play Sorry Fire and Ice with Expert Player Tips

Hasbro is known for creating some of the most beloved board games – like Monopoly and all its variations. Another great game is called “Sorry!” which is perfect for a game night with the kids. “Sorry, Fire and Ice” makes the game even more fun than the original.

Sorry! Fire and Ice is great for a fun, family board game. This game is a twist on the classic Sorry! game, with the addition of fire and ice power-ups that give your pawns extra abilities. The game suits up to four players, ages six and up.

Here’s an expert tip to get you started: When playing with the fire token, use it strategically to get your pawns to the home space quickly. Meanwhile, the ice token can be used to freeze your opponents’ pawns in place, giving you an advantage in the game. With these tips and some luck, you’ll be on your way to winning Sorry! Fire and Ice in no time.

An image of Sorry board game.

Setting up SORRY! Fire and Ice

Before starting the game, setting up the board and gathering all the necessary materials is important. Here are the steps to follow:

Materials Needed

  • Sorry Fire and Ice board game
  • 16 pawns (4 of each color: blue, green, red, yellow)
  • Fire Diamonds (4 of each color: blue, green, red, yellow)
  • Fire and Ice Power-up Tokens
  • Deck of Sorry Fire and Ice Cards

Board Setup

Place the board on a flat surface and ensure all players can access it easily. Each player should choose a color and place their four pawns on the Start square of their corresponding color.

Card Setup

Shuffle the Sorry Fire and Ice Cards deck and place it on the designated spot on the board. Draw the top card and place it face-up on the discard pile. The youngest player goes first and then play moves in a clockwise direction around the board.

Expert Playing Tips:

  • Try to get your pawns out of the Start square as quickly as possible. To do this, draw a 1 or 2 card on your turn.
  • Use the Fire and Ice Power-up Tokens strategically to gain an advantage over your opponents.
  • Be aware of your opponent’s pawns and try to block their moves whenever possible.
  • Remember that you can jump over other pawns, including your own, as long as you land on a space that counts as a normal space.

Gameplay

The objective of Sorry! Fire and Ice is to be the first player to collect three Gems of each type (Fire, Ice, and Lightning) from the board. Players move their four pieces strategically around the board using traditional Sorry dice rolls.

Starting the Game

The game begins with each player choosing a color and placing their four pawns on their corresponding starting spaces. The youngest player goes first, and the play proceeds clockwise.

Moving Your Pieces

On each turn, the player rolls the dice and moves one of their pawns to the number of spaces indicated. If a pawn lands on a space occupied by an opponent’s pawn, the opponent’s pawn is sent back to its corresponding starting space, and the player gets to say “Sorry!” as a taunt.

Special Spaces

Several special spaces on the board affect gameplay:

  • Slide Spaces: If a pawn lands on a slide space, the player can move their pawn to the end of the slide.
  • Home: Once a pawn reaches its corresponding home space, it cannot be moved again for the rest of the game.
  • Start: If a pawn lands on its corresponding start space, the player can move it out onto the board.

Sorry! Cards

Players draw Sorry! cards throughout the game, which allow them to move their pawns in special ways. Some cards allow players to move their pawns backward, while others let players switch places with an opponent’s pawn. Sorry! cards can also be used to move pawns out of the starting area.

Fire and Ice Cards

Sorry! Fire and Ice introduce two new types of cards: Fire and Ice. Fire cards allow players to move their pawns much more quickly around the board, while Ice cards freeze an opponent’s pawn in place and prevent them from moving until the ice token is moved to another player’s pawn.

Winning the Game

The first player to collect three Gems of each type (Fire, Ice, and Lightning) from the board wins the game. If multiple players collect all the Gems simultaneously, the player with the most total Gems wins. If there is a tie, the tied players play a sudden death round to determine the winner.

Expert Playing Tips

  • Try to get your pawns out of the starting area as quickly as possible to gain an advantage over your opponents.
  • Use Sorry! cards strategically to move your pawns into positions to collect Gems.
  • Please pay close attention to the board and your opponent’s moves to anticipate their next moves and plan accordingly.
  • Don’t be afraid to use your Fire and Ice cards to gain an advantage over your opponents.
  • Remember that luck plays a big role in Sorry! Fire and Ice, so don’t get discouraged if things don’t go your way.

Variations

There are a few variations to the Sorry Fire and Ice game that can make it even more exciting to play. Here are two variations that can be played:

Team Play

Playing Sorry Fire and Ice with teams can be a fun way to add more players. Divide players into two teams and have them sit across from each other. Each team will have two pawns on the board, taking turns playing as a team. The first team to get their pawns to the home space wins.

Expert Tip: Communication is key in team play. Discuss strategy and work together to block the other team’s pawns.

Advanced Rules

If you want to add more challenge to the game, try playing with these advanced rules:

  • Players can only move their pawns clockwise around the board.
  • When players draw a 4 card, they can move one of their pawns backward instead of forwards.
  • Players who draw a Sorry card can swap places with any pawn, not just their opponent’s. This is not how the rule works in vanilla SORRY! games.

Expert Tip: Use the advanced rules to your advantage. Moving backward can be strategic, and swapping places with another player’s pawn can help you get closer to the home space.

An image of a Sorry board game, with dice and pieces of pawns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

We’re here to help! Check out our FAQs section below for answers to common questions. If we missed yours, let us know, and we’ll update the article. Contact us through our website, and we’ll respond directly to your question.

What is the difference between SORRY! and Sorry! Fire and Ice?

In the original Sorry game, players can use the “Sorry” card to move four paces ahead if no pawns are in the way. However, in this variant, this particular rule has been omitted.

We recommend playing the original Sorry game first because being familiar with the game goes a long way. Then, we’ll discuss both games’ key differences and give new players some helpful tips.

While there are a lot of similarities between the base game and the Fire and Ice variant, there are differences players will notice as they play the game. Here are some examples of the differences players will see below:

The first difference is that players need a board to play Sorry Fire and Ice. Also, each player will receive three pawns instead of the standard four. Another change is including the Ice and Fire token, which I’ll discuss in further detail later.

A bunch of new rules were added to make things more fun. For example, players can finally leave home using any card except the number four card. We could only leave home in the old game when we used number one or two cards.

Speaking of the number four card, players are expected to move backward four spaces in the scenario they draw the card—in the Fire and Ice variant of Sorry. For every rule added to benefit players, changes were made to keep the game balanced for everyone to enjoy.

But don’t worry—most of the original elements are still intact, so old players will feel right at home when playing this game.

How do you play the Fire and Ice SORRY! Game?

The players’ objective in Sorry Fire and Ice is to be the first to get all three pawns home. If they manage to achieve that, they win. Each player will put three pawns of their color at their starting point.

The deck is then shuffled and placed at the center of the board. The Fire and Ice tokens are also placed at the center of the board.

The youngest players usually get to start the game. To start, the first player needs to draw a card. There are usually instructions on the cards and the required number of spaces the player needs to move either forward or back.

Once the conditions are fulfilled, the player puts the card in the discard pile.

Players can Jump, Bump, and do other movements using their pawns. For example, we can jump over pawns and even bump them back if they are in our way. However, the rules changed thanks to including the Fire and Ice tokens, which I will cover briefly.

How do Fire and Ice work in Sorry!?

The Fire and Ice tokens are amazing power-ups in Sorry Fire and Ice. They let players move several spaces and give the pawns a little extra boost to win the game.

To use these power-ups, players must be able to draw their cards, specifically Card One for the Ice token and Card Two for the Fire Token.

With Card One, the player will move the Ice Token and one space forward. They can even move its position to a different player’s pawn if it’s available. A pawn is only considered unavailable if it’s in the Safety Zone.

However, if no pawn is available for a token to take, the token is sent back to the middle of the board. So, what exactly does this token do? The Ice Token can stop any pawn from moving. The affected pawn cannot be sent back, swapped, or bumped in the process.

Meanwhile, Card Two is the Fire Token’s card. The player moves the Fire Token, and their pawn can move two spaces forward. Instead of affecting an opponent’s pawns, players can move the Fire Token to their pawn on the board.

The Fire Token is a pretty nifty power-up. It allows the pawn to move fast around the board. The board has four fire spaces, and a player can move to the next fire space before drawing a card on his turn.

Can you put Ice on Fire in Sorry! Fire and Ice?

The Ice Token overrules most of the abilities of the Fire Token.

We can only remove the Ice Token if we draw a card that allows us to remove it.

A pawn is only considered unavailable for an Ice Token if it is in the safe zone. So, players may afflict the Ice Token on a Pawn already afflicted with the Fire Token, forcing the Fire Token to return to the middle of the board. However, it is not possible to do it the other way around.

How does Ice work in Sorry! Fire and Ice?

Ice is annoying but can be a ticket to stopping an opponent from winning. The Ice Card lets players put the Ice Token on their opponent’s pawn.

A pawn afflicted with the Ice Token cannot be moved, bumped, or swapped, making it hard for an opponent to move the pawn.

Unlike the Fire Token, the Ice Token conditions are mandatory. We can also use the Ice Token to potentially stop a pawn with the Fire Token from progressing.

It can effectively stop an afflicted Fire Token Pawn by putting the Ice Token on top, or we can prevent it from bringing a pawn home by giving it to another pawn.

Many people prefer the Fire Token because they feel it will help them win the game faster, but the fact that the Ice Token can easily prevent opponents from using the Fire Token power-up brings the player a huge advantage. 

Should I get Sorry first? Or can I play Sorry Fire and Ice right away?

People can get Sorry Fire and Ice right away and still play the game without the rules of the power-ups to familiarize themselves with the game. Once everyone at the table is ready to add the rules, they can start playing the game with the power-ups.

We’ll also appreciate the game more if we know how the original one works.

Conclusion

Playing Sorry Fire and Ice can be a fun and exciting experience for players of all ages. This game adds a new level of strategy and excitement to the classic Sorry game we all know and love.

One expert tip for playing Sorry Fire and Ice is strategically using your power-up tokens. The ice token can be used to freeze an opponent’s pawn in place, making it unable to move until the ice token is moved to another player’s pawn. The fire token can move your pawn more quickly around the board, allowing you to catch up to opponents or avoid getting bumped back to start.

Another expert tip is to pay attention to the board and plan your moves accordingly. Try to anticipate your opponent’s moves and plan your moves to block them or get ahead. Don’t be afraid to take risks and make bold moves, but also be prepared to adapt your strategy as the game progresses.

Sorry Fire and Ice is a great game for friends and family. With a little strategy and much luck, anyone can come out on top in this exciting revenge game.

Resources

Learning from your own experience is important, but learning from others is also smart. These are the sources used in this article and our research to be more informed as gamers.

  • Sorry! Fire and Ice Instructions. (2013). Hasbro. Retrieved February 11, 2023, from https://instructions.hasbro.com/en-ca/instruction/sorry
  • “Sorry” Fire and Ice Power-Up Clarifications. (2014, December 27). Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/2qk4vk/sorry_fire_and_ice_powerup_clarifications/


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