Flick ’em Up! was published in 2015 by Pretzel Games. It was designed by Gaëtan Beaujannot and Jean Yves Monpertuis. Illustrations in the game were done by Marie-Elaine Bérubé, Philippe Guérin, and Chris Quilliams.
Game Components
- 1 rulebook
- 1 scenario booklet
- 12 figures
- 5 black cowboys (outlaws)
- 5 natural wood cowboys (lawmen)
- 2 neutral figures (a man and a woman)
- 12 removable/reversible hats
- 10 hats numbered 1 to 5
- 2 hats without numbers
- 2 boxes
- A natural wood-colored box (for lawmen)
- A black box (for outlaws)
- 10 cowboy tiles
- 5 for lawmen
- 5 for outlaws
- 6 buildings
- Sheriff
- Saloon
- Bank
- General Store
- Undertaker
- Town Hall
- A gallows
- 72 tokens
- 11 sacks of gold
- 38 hit points
- 5 Colt pistols
- 6 “not allowed”
- 2 Winchester rifles
- 2 dynamites
- 1 initiative (Pretzel)
- 4 clean/poisoned waters
- 1 hostage
- 2 documents
- 38 other pieces
- 5 barrels
- 13 support blocks
- 4 fences
- 3 cactuses
- 1 town hall clock (4 parts)
- 1 dynamite (red wooden octagon)
- 1 Winchester barrel
- 4 bullets (gray wooden discs)
- 1 movement disc (plain wooden disc)
- 5 tumbleweeds
Gameplay
Two to ten players can set out on a journey to the Wild West. Beautiful components will transform your gaming table into a lawless town run by ruthless outlaws. Walk into a saloon, rob a bank, attack an innocent bystander, enjoy a fight with the local sheriff – this will be a night to remember! More peace-loving players can try on the role of a sheriff of the Wild West and protect the civilians.
The game includes scenarios that you can play out or you can create your own
.
Setup
Before you start playing, choose a playing surface. It could be your kitchen table or just floor – you will need enough space to place all the pieces.
Choose a scenario. The rule book includes 10 playing scenarios. Each introduces you to a new adventure in an unexplored town of the Wild West. Scenarios have specific rules that are also explained in the rule book.
Players should divide into two equal teams: the lawmen team and the outlaws team. Each team has a box with 5 numbered spaces that correspond to numbers on players’ hats (cowboys’ hats).
Rules
The game consists of successive rounds of two different colors: red and blue. The round color is determined by the Town Hall clock. Every round, the clock hand moves one hour forward. The game starts at six – it is a red hour. So, all cowboys’ hats should be turned the red side up. After a cowboy has played, his hat is flipped to the other side. When all hats are blue, the round is over.
During a turn, each player plays one cowboy. A cowboy can perform up to two actions out of the following three: move, shoot, or take/leave/exchange. A player may choose to perform the same action twice. If you don’t need it, you can perform just one action or none at all.
Most actions involve flicking. A flick has to be done without using the resistance of your thumb.
Move
When you move a cowboy, you replace the cowboy with the movement disc. Then you flick the disc in the desired direction. After that, the cowboy takes the place of the disc again and may choose to face any direction he wants.
If your disc falls off the table, leaves the playing area, or touches any object, the movement is considered lost and the cowboy goes back to where he started. If anything was displaced by the failed movement, it has to be put back the way it was.
To enter a building, you need to flick your disc towards the building support blocks.
Shoot
Cowboys have guns that can be fired at other team’s cowboys to make them lose hit points. When you want to shoot, put a bullet (a gray disc) by your cowboy and flick it towards your enemy. If a cowboy is knocked over, he is hit. If a bullet knocks over more than one cowboy, only the first one is considered hit.
To stand up, a hit cowboy needs to be activated by another player.
If a cowboy loses his last hit point, he is placed in the box and all his belongings go to the Undertaker.
Take / Drop off / Exchange (must be inside a building)
A cowboy can take a token and place it in his inventory. If he drops it off, it is removed.
A cowboy may have up to two tokens at the same time. If he takes another one, he has to exchange it with one of the tokens he has. It will cost him just one action.
The game ends when the victory conditions of the scenario are met or when the clock strikes twelve.
Download the rule book in PDF here.
Similar Games
Flick ’em Up! vs Rampage (Terror in Meeple City)
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Flick ’em Up! vs Sorry! Sliders
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Flick em Up! Stallion Canyon Expansion
This expansion introduces cowgirls and horses to the game. Also, many new game elements and scenarios are included.
FAQ
Q: Can I play Flickem Up! on my PC or smartphone?
A: No. The most fun about the game is flicking discs. A digital version would have to miss this bit.
Q: Is there going to be a reprint of Flick ’em Up!? I can’t find it anywhere.
A: Flick ’em Up! has sold out quickly and the new reprint is on its way. For now, you can get it on Amazon, for example.
Q: Is Flick ’em Up! in a wooden box a deluxe edition? Where can I get a regular one?
A: It is not a deluxe edition, it is the only edition for now. There are plans to make a plastic box edition to reduce costs. Wood suits the Wild West theme perfectly, though.
Q: Will serious gamers enjoy Flick ’em Up!?
A: Depending on your approach, Flick ’em Up can be played as a mindless flicking game where you want to kill as many enemies as possible or as a tactical dexterity game. You can come up with ideas of manoeuvring, hiding behind objects, taking risks, and still have a lot of fun with the game. You certainly can’t turn it into a Euro, but you can make it more thought-demanding if you want to.
YouTube
Watch this video on YouTube to get a feeling of what’s going on in the game
Conclusion
Flick ’em Up! is a gorgeous deeply-themed dexterity game. For the most gaming time, you will be flicking discs. Flicking is involved when you are moving or shooting. The rules are fairly simple, you don’t need to come up with a twisted strategy, the point of the game is more about having a good time in the spirit of the Wild West.
Even if you are not much of a flicker, you won’t fail to notice how awesome your table will look when the game is in swing. Buildings and characters of the Wild West will illuminate your gaming night, the artwork is outstanding.
If you have a large company playing, you might not quite enjoy the downtime that each player will have to tolerate while others are taking their actions. Another drawback (especially for the kids) is that if someone’s cowboy gets killed, they will be eliminated from the game.
Anyway, you can’t help but admire the theme in this game. Whether you play for the sheriff or for one of the bad guys, Flick ’em Up! will grant you a glorious time.
You can buy Flick ’em Up! on Amazon.
A correction for your conclusion. Cowboys are eliminated from the game. but players are not. Player are not assigned cowboys – a player can activate any of their team’s unassigned cowboys when it is his or her turn (except the cowboy with the initiative token, which must be activated first). Players rotate through their turn order over successive turns. For example, if a team has 5 players and is down to 3 cowboys, on one turn players 1, 2, & then 3 will activate cowboys, then on the following turn, players 4, 5, and then 1 will activate cowboys. This keeps all players in the game; however, as the number of cowboys gets reduced, the downtime for each player gets longer.
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Thanks for your help! Feel free to propose any corrections on our content!