Sometimes, simple really is best. I love a gigantic epic board game adventure like any seasoned tabletop gamer, but when you want to kick off the night with something to get your brain tingling or slot in a quick-yet-satisfying play at the end, simple is king. Captain Flip – a 2024 Spiel des Jahres (Germany’s “Game of the Year” award) nominee – is incredibly easy to learn and has just the right combo of luck and strategy to make for a gratifying experience. Once we played a round, we couldn’t help but play several back-to-back, which is an indication of just how much fun it really is.
In Captain Flip, players pull character tiles out of a bag at random and then place them on their ship board to earn coins based on their position, with the player earning the most coins at the end of the game declared the winner. Each of the 9 characters does something slightly different; for example, the Cook lets you gain 1 coin for each character present in the same row, including the Cook itself. The Cartographer lets you take the Treasure Map, which gives you a bonus coin each turn you hold onto it. The Swabby lets you gain more coins as an accrued bonus at the end of the game if they feature in multiple columns at once.
You may not be thrilled about the tile you pull out of the bag, and that’s where the flip of it all comes into play. Without knowing what’s on the other side of your selected tile, you can flip it to push your luck; but then you must place that flipped tile on your player board.
“… it’s fast, thrilling fun, with a bit of luck – and adaptability when the tiles aren’t falling your way – needed for the eventual winner.”
It’s amazing how quickly luck can become a factor in Captain Flip, and crucially, you’ll have to adapt as best you can to make the most out of the tiles you pull or flip. It feels like a simplified version of other push-your-luck games, such as Quacks of Quedlinburg, except in Captain Flip the luck of the draw is entirely from the same bag, instead of the added layer of complexity that comes with refining your personal one. Each character’s ability is relatively basic, too; it’s easy to use the included quick reference guide to make a snap decision as to where they should be placed while crossing your fingers that other tiles will come into your possession to bolster your coin count.
Tiles also interact with one another in interesting ways; a basic example, the Navigator, gives you 2 coins for each Cartographer on your board. The Monkey lets you gain a coin and then flip any orthogonally adjacent tile, activating the effect on the other side straight away. The Parrot means you’ll lose a coin at the final tally, but you can play another tile from the bag instantly, which is helpful when rushing to trigger endgame by being the first to fill 4 columns. More strategy comes into effect as you think about tile placement and consider the long-term effects. A Gunner, for example, lets you collect 5 coins instantly, but if you end up with three on your board at the end of the game, you’re disqualified from scoring. Risky business, when any flip could cause disaster.
There are also four different boards in the Captain Flip box to play on; the basic ones simply reward you with coins for completing a column, while others only give benefits to players who race to the top first. Some also give bonuses based on the type of tiles featured in that column, which can completely change your strategy as well. Do you build up coins the traditional way, or risk it all with some cheeky flips in the hopes of really maximising your score? It adds to the replayability, with different tactics needed for each board; at 15-20 minutes per game, it’s fast, thrilling fun, with a bit of luck – and adaptability when the tiles aren’t falling your way – needed for the eventual winner.
It all comes together in a light and breezy pirate-themed package. The visuals are of a simple, cartoon-like quality, but they work well, with bright colours and clear iconography on each tile making it easy to identify which is which at a quick glance. Popping out the centres of all the cardboard coins is a bit of a pain, and the boards themselves could stand to be a little bit thicker, but for an incredibly entertaining game that can be picked up on a budget, those are minor quibbles at best.
Fast-paced, easy-to-learn, super amusing and with a sprinkling of strategy, Captain Flip is worthy of its accolades and will make for a great addition to any board game night.
Captain Flip is available now in all good board game stores. Thanks to VR Distribution for providing a copy for this review.
About the Author
Luke Mitchell
he/him
Luke spends his time making radio, playing video games, binge-watching TV, getting unreasonably invested in wrestling, hosting bear events and hanging out with his beautiful pets.
