I really like Flip 7. I've bought it as a gift more than once, and it's one of those games I can put in front of almost anyone and know we're going to have a good time. So when I saw Flip 7: With a Vengeance, I bought it. Then I played...
My thoughts? This is for someone else. That's not to say I don't like it. I just don't know if I need Flip 7 to be meaner. The meanest I can get is telling you to flip 3. I found my copy at Walmart while I was looking for Tally Up for a friend's birthday. I bought both, and she ended up keeping both.
I've since gifted Flip 7 a few more times, but With a Vengeance has gone to the people I know will enjoy messing with each other. Because that's who this game is for. If your group likes stealing cards, forcing someone to draw again, and generally making your friends question why they invited you over, this version is for you!
How to Play
If you've played Flip 7, you already know the basics. You're trying to collect different numbered cards without getting two of the same number and busting. Each round, you decide whether to hit and take another card or stay with what you've got. If you make it to seven different number cards, you get the Flip 7 bonus (or subtract 15 points from a foe nearby). The big difference here is that With a Vengeance gives you a lot more ways to mess with everyone else.
There are action cards like Just One More, which makes someone take another card, Steal, which lets you take a card from another player, and Swap, which lets you trade cards around. And these aren't just ways to be annoying. You can swap cards to make someone bust while giving yourself a better score in the process. Then there's Flip Four, which makes someone take four cards. Because apparently one more card wasn't enough.
There are also new modifier cards, including a ÷2 that can take a very nice score and make it considerably less nice. And finally there are the special number cards. Lucky 13 lets you have two 13s without busting.
There is also Brutal Mode, which takes all of this and turns the dial up even further. You can end up with negative points, and if you Flip 7, you can choose between taking the 15 point bonus or making another player lose 15 points. My wife would probably choose the latter. I would not.
How to Win
The goal is still to reach 200 points first. The basic strategy hasn't really changed. You are still trying to figure out how greedy you want to be before the deck decides you've had enough. And that is actually where my problem with With a Vengeance comes in. Because I already think Flip 7 is mean. Not because the game is attacking you. The game is asking you to make a decision between getting more points and potentially losing everything you've built in that round. My greediness, that's enough meanness for me.
What I Like
- Made for groups that like messing with each other
- Easy to learn
- Still quick to play
- Small and portable
- My wife loves having more ways to pick on me
Considerations
- A lot more take that than the original
- Can feel less like pushing your own luck and more like messing with someone else's
- If your group loves picking on each other, you'll probably get more out of this than I did.
Final Thoughts
I don't think Flip 7: With a Vengeance is bad. I think it does exactly what it sets out to do. It takes the simple push your luck of Flip 7 and gives you more ways to interfere with everyone else. It's just not for me. And that's coming from someone who owns multiple versions of multiple games. For Instance, I have all five versions of The Game, so clearly I have no problem with unnecessary alternates. But Flip 7 already gives me everything I want from it. It's quick. It's easy to teach. It's fun to play with a big group. And it gives me that perfect little moment where I have to decide whether I am brave, stupid, or both.
If You Like the Sound of Flip 7: With a Vengeance
One of my favorite things about reviewing games is figuring out where they fit. If what you like about With a Vengeance is the idea of pushing your friends around a little, I'd look in a few different directions:
- Mess with your friends: 6 nimmt! - everyone secretly chooses a card, then you find out who gets stuck taking a row. It's simple, quick, and watching someone realize they're about to get screwed is half the fun
- Push your luck but with more control: The Quacks of Quedlinburg - pull ingredients from your bag, push your luck, and decide when to stop before your potion explodes
- Share the consequences: Deep Sea Adventure - dive for treasure while everyone shares the same dwindling oxygen supply. The greedier everyone gets, the harder it is for anyone to make it back
