Publisher: Write Stuff Games
Player Count: 1-4 Players
Game Length: 30-40 Minutes
Complexity 2.25/5

Saddle up your band of ruffians and explore the Wild West in one of my favorite flip and write games ever!

In Fliptown, players resolve their problems (and life choices) with a simple deck of cards. It’s the value and suit of the card drawn that’s going to open a gateway into a sandbox-style world where you’ll choose to seek your fortune mining gold, rustling up trouble in the badlands, seeking adventure on the trail or exploring all that the frontier towns have to offer. The sheriff’s hot on your trail, so be quick to earn your fortune while avoiding the law.

Breathing new life into the flip and write genre, Fliptown pushes boundaries with interesting turns and rich rewards. Designer, Steven Aramini had previously found success with micro games such as Sprawlopolis and Circle the Wagons – games full of tough choices and tight turns. It’s exciting to see him branch out with a Fliptown, a grand celebration of the art and spirit of Western America… all tied beautifully together in a box that will fit on any size shelf.

ON YOUR TURN

Everything Fliptown has to offer literally stems from a simple deck of cards (albeit, a thematic and beautifully illustrated one). On your turn, you’ll draw 3 cards, using the results to make your choices. The suit will determine the area of your player board you tackle while the numerical value determines the strength or area you pursue. The third card is placed toward your ongoing poker hand that resolves after a single round of 5 turns.

Each player has a reusable dry erase board presenting all the actions you have available. At first glance, it can be a bit overwhelming since it appears there is a lot going on. But I promise you, it all comes together logically and quickly without hardly any struggle.

Representing each of the 4 card suits, players can visit 1 of 4 areas per turn. Each of these areas are thematically highlighted by different mini-games to conquer. The value of the 2nd card chosen will determine what you can accomplish in the area. For example, mining gold presents a tech-tree puzzle where you’ll use your card value to mine further down earning bonuses along the way.

Yes, Fliptown is all about the combos and bonuses along the way. There are definitely ways to extend your turn, and give you that big gun feeling while earning you additional actions and resources.

One of the highlights of Fliptown is in its ability to tell a story throughout the game without diving into an unnecessary narrative. Seeking to rob a stagecoach in the badlands can lead to big rewards or huge legal trouble with the law. The actions come to life, and while the decision is resolved in a matter of moments, your choices begin to shape your adventure in unique and exciting ways.

Traveling to the town provides the opportunity to invest in a ridiculous number of Wild West activities. Visit the undertaker, the church, saloon, general store, land office, gunsmith, bail bonds and plenty more. Each sub location provides fun ways to modify your abilities, benefits and pursuits.

In the end, the player with the most points (or Wild West fame) is the winner. You can play it safe, seeking to avoid the law and go on your merry way… or you can push your luck with hopes of greater victory. Higher reward always comes with a cost and in Fliptown, it’s the sheriff you’ll want to avoid. Each round, players face increasing heat from the law. As you take actions, you’ll accumulate wanted icons that put you in conflict with the local sheriff. Of course there are ways to mitigate these dangers and in the Wild West, even sherifs aren’t above a bribe or two.

Players choose 1 of the game’s 14 personas giving you unique, asymmetrical actions to help you along your trail. Community goals give players additional pursuits to garner game changing points.

Riding Solo

Fliptown also features a simple yet engaging solo mode that creates new challenges as you face off against 4 different bots. Fliptown is a bit of a multi-player solitaire experience, so it isn’t much of a reach to transition to a solo game. I’d even recommend Fliptown just for the solo gamer.

ARTWORK & COMPONENTS

Fliptown is beautifully illustrated with decorative, turn-of-the-century stylings, a rusty, orange hue and mesas adorned with cactus set amongst endless vistas. I love the vibe of the artwork and it immediately draws me in each time I pull this one off the shelf.

This is a big game in a small box with somewhat minimal components. The deck of cards, goals, player personas and dry erase markers round out the package.

If I’m going to be critical, the type on the player board can be a challenge. The design team did a great job working within the boundaries of the board size and box, but it would have been nicer if some of the type wasn’t so small. It obviously hasn’t ruined my enjoyment of the game, but it is worth noting.

The rulebook does an amazing job navigating you comfortably through the game’s actions, areas and rule variants.

PROS & CONS

Exciting choices

Simple, yet deep actions

Activate areas full of personality

Beautifully thematic production

Easy setup and teardown

Tons of replay ability

Great solo and multiplayer

Quick play time

Some of the text is challenging to read on the boards

That’s really it – this is one of my favorites of the year!

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

Fans of games like Hadrian’s Wall and Fleet: The Dice Game are going to find the most to enjoy here. This is a think-y, sandbox-style flip and write that rewards players looking to venture down multiple paths. While it certainly isn’t heavy, it will take a moment to familiarize yourself with the game’s choices, icons and functions. That’s all a necessary and worthwhile pursuit to grant passage into the richness, depth and enjoyment the game offers.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

I’ve talked about the execution of the theme, the cool turn choices and the ingenious use of a playing deck… so I’ll give props to the combos. So many games fail to provide the right amount of combos. Too many and the game feels cheap… too few and there isn’t enough excitement. Fliptown brings a great level of bonus actions where you feel satisfied, but not overwhelmed. There’s really a nice balance to it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Are you looking for a meaty, flip and write style game? Check out Fliptown. Maybe you’re looking for an engaging western-themed game? Fliptown works for that. Or perhaps you’re looking for a fun experience with satisfying choices? Yep… Fliptown.

Despite the complex player interface, this is a highly accessible game that’s quick to learn, easy to set up, plays smooth and fast and works for any of the 1-4 player counts.

The beautiful production immediately draws you in and from there it’s guns blazing. I love the huge variety of choices that provide a near infinite number of paths to pursue. Turns feel powerful without cheapening the game and Fliptown gives you the sensation of accomplishment despite the player’s skill level (or lack of).

Of course your enjoyment of the theme can certainly affect your overall experience. I love the romanticized vision we have of a nearly civilized western society coming to terms with an untamed world around them. Fliptown does a fine job of embracing this vision, but being “in to” western themed games isn’t necessary to enjoy this one.

Fliptown doesn’t quite dethrone Hadrian’s Wall as the flip and write boss for me, but it’s in the neighborhood. ‘X’ and write games have always leaned on the lighter side and quality, heavier games in this space are few and far between. Fans of games like Hadrian’s Wall are going to want to get in on this.

After nearly a dozen plays, Flip is easily on the shortlist for game of the year (2024) for me. After wading through dozens of lackluster games, it’s experiences like Fliptown that remind me why I love board games. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

Publisher: Second Gate Games
Player Count: 2-4 Players
Solo mode: No
Game Length: 20-60 Minutes
Complexity 2/5

Cactus Town sits on the frontier of the Old West ripe for sheriffs, outlaws, bounty hunters and entertainers to make a name for themselves.

In this light-hearted, fast-paced, programming game, players will take on the role of one of 4 parties all with their own unique agendas and goals. Moving across a grid of town buildings, players will discover resources, risk jail time, seek personal glory and enact revenge… with a few duels thrown in for good measure. Achieve your objectives before anyone else to win the game.

ON YOUR TURN

In Cactus Town, players receive a deck specific to their chosen group. Each group has a certain number of character standees, unique objects and cards they’ll use to help them achieve their objectives.

Primarily a planning game, players will determine the order they’ll play their cards each turn before the round begins, coming into contact and conflict as they interact across the play area.

The fun of the game stems from the different characters and their own goals. The Outlaws must rob 3 hidden buildings and escape into the wilderness. Bounty Hunters must capture the outlaws and secure a horse to deliver them to the sheriff’s office. The Can-Can dancer is out for revenge for those who did her wrong by paying off debts and winning duels and the Sheriff has the job of dispensing justice by capturing the Outlaws.

Made up of a series of tiles, Cactus Town is revealed as players move their characters adjacently around the play area. The town is made up of banks, blacksmiths and stores you might see in any typical western town. As tiles are discovered, they may provide an immediate bonus for the player who discoveree or an ongoing benefit for players landing there on future turns.

Each player has a hand of 4 unique cards, each with their own unique combination of actions. In player turn order, cards will be revealed one at a time in order and choose one of the available actions. These actions allow you to move and interact such as running to a new location, sneaking around or starting a duel. Each character’s set has their own unique abilities that play into that character’s objectives. For example Outlaws can plunder a location while Bounty Hunters can steal a horse or capture an outlaw.

Throughout the game, players will engage in duals for a variety of reasons. One might be to detain another player or perhaps they want to move a player off a specific location. Duals take place when 2 characters are in the same location and one plays a dual card. Duals are carried out by rolling a die and adding any additional dual resource bonuses gained. Additional resources such as traps or peace pipes can influence players or deny specific actions.

The game provides 2 separate town decks that adjust the game’s difficulty level based on preference.

The game continues until one player has achieved all their character’s objectives.

ARTWORK

The artwork in Cactus Tow is light, cartoony, simple and fun and fits the flow of the game perfectly. The building location cards are ok, but they still seem in line with the overall art direction and theme. The iconography in the game is pretty clear and intuitive and the graphic design flows well with the whimsical, western look.

PROS & CONS

 The silly vibe of the game is a lot of fun

Once you get the rules down, this is a quick and easy game that even younger kids (7+) can grasp.

A nice introduction to planning games

The separate town decks adjust the difficulty with the easy option creating a more streamlined game for youngsters

The rulebook feels disjointed and can be difficult to understand

 While there is variability in the way a town is set up, I found the way those town cards are revealed can greatly affect the game’s fun factor leading to some games that were more or less duds.

 The direct conflict in the game can be frustrating instead of challenging

Neutral The game’s simplicity may be a deal maker or deal breaker

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

I like Cactus Town for families looking for a quick game who may not be familiar with the programming mechanic. It also doesn’t hurt if you’re a fan of western-themed games.

THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME

The different fun characters, their art and their unique goals are what separates Cactus Town from similar games.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

I’m a big fan of programming games. They requires careful planning, but also incorporates a hint of bluffing that makes for fun interaction. There are a few games out there that really make good use of this idea, but I still feel it’s underutilized in the gaming world. It’s nice to see it in play here in a simple, clean and straightforward way. If you haven’t played a programming game (though you might have without knowing it) – I would encourage you to seek one out. I think it’s great for younger gamers since it forces them to plan ahead and strategize.

Once I got the hang of the gameplay in Cactus Town, it was super easy to execute and games played fast. The rulebook is really a challenge and I’d encourage you to watch one of the how-to video’s online to get a good understanding. The game isn’t super complicated, it just took me a minute to get going. Setup isn’t bad, but there is a decedent amount of stuff in this small box game.

We need more western-themed games and Cactus Town has a nice production with some very commercial artwork. Unfortunately, the ideas and pieces never quite came together for me. I definitely think there is an audience for Cactus Town, but for me, the overall satisfaction was really inconsistent from game to game. I loved the stories the characters tell and their unique goals, but I never felt like I was doing anything clever and there wasn’t quite enough meat when it came to the choices.

There is a fair amount of strategy to wrestle with for younger players and dueling can be both exciting and frustrating (as any roll of the dice can be).

Definitely give Cactus Town a try if it’s available because it might be a nice fit for your family, but the age group and niche I’d recommend this for doesn’t quite fit where my game group or family are right now. For me it was a bit of a miss.

Designed by Dwight Cenac  |  Published by White Label Game System
2-4 Players  |  60-120 Minutes

It’s been a long time coming and the posse’s have gathered for a final showdown in the town of Sweetwater Gulch. The meeting is to prove their mettle, establish dominance and settle scores. When the dust finally settles and bullets stop flying, one group will be left standing… and it all starts at High Noon.

In the game High Noon, you’ll take on the roll of one of a number of posses converging on the town of Saratoga. Each posse possesses a different number of members, each with their own strengths. High Noon implores deck building, resource management and tactical movement. You’ll move your troops around the board, gaining the advantage on your opponents by gathering resources, using obstacles for your protection and determining angles to take the best shot. The player who’s gained the most gold by inflicting damage in victory after 12 rounds or remains as the last posse standing is declared the winner.