A Column of Fire is a board game adaptation of the third novel in Ken Follett’s “Kingsbridge” series following The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. (The novel is caleld A Column of Fire in English, and Das Fundament der Ewigkeit (“The Foundation of Eternity”) in German.)

In the game, set in Europe during the time of Elizabeth I, Catholics and Protestants vie for power and influence in England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. In this politically unstable environment, resourceful operatives and courageous secret agents plot to gain power for their rulers. The balance of power shifts back and forth amidst foiled assassinations, successful rebellions, and futile invasions and not uncommon, those who sympathize with the weak are expelled from the country.

The real enemies, then as it is now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pits those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else no matter the cost. Who will best exploit the changing power conditions in Europe to win?