'This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.'
You are bound to say this to an opponent as you try to knock his figures flying with a flicked wooden bullet. This town though is pretty big. There are a lot of structures in the core game box, with still more added by the two expansions. It all contributes to the atmosphere of this simple yet beautifully designed game.
In Flick’ em Up!, players control a posse of lawmen or a gang of outlaws. With the Red Rock Tomahawk expansion, a player can also control a tribe of what for generations were known as ‘red indians’ but what, in a more politically era, are now termed ‘native Americans’. Players flick a puck to move a figure, and they flick another smaller piece to fire at an opponent. The Stallion Canyon expansion introduced horses. These have to be successfully ‘lassoed’ and can then be ridden. To shoot a mounted cowboy, opponents need to use a special ramp that raises the ‘bullet’ to rider height. It sounds like simple amusement but, as your competitive instincts take hold, you'll go to increasing lengths to make just the right shot. Like a snooker player, you’ll find yourself leaning and crouching to get the best shooting angle… Just remember the sage advice of the old-timers: “Don’t squat with your spurs on!"
If that was all there was to Flick’ em Up!, it would still be great and a popular choice to break out and set up on any large smooth flat surface. There is more, however. Much more. Flick ‘em Up! and its expansions come with scenario books that set out missions for the two sides to complete. The game can be varied too by giving members of each team a special ability. And the indians don’t just offer more of the same: they throw tomahawks and fire arrows rather than bullets. And then there’s the rifle and the gatling gun...
You’ll have no end of fun with Flick ‘em Up! The game comes now in two versions: the original version with wooden components and a less expensive version with plastic components. If you can afford it, it’s worth paying extra to go for the wooden components. They all have a satisfyingly chunky feel to them.
Once you get wrapped up in the Western theme and have added both the expansions, your appetite will be whetted and you will be left wanting more. Come on Pretzel Games, we need a Flick ‘em Up! band of Mexican desperadoes and some Magnificent Seven scenarios...