Flockers Game Review

INTRODUCTION

 In Lev Grossman’s novel The Magicians, young Quentin Coldwater and his classmates are transformed into geese as part of a final exam. The description of their journey from New England all the way to the South Pole is a fascinating read. At the same time, it reminds us of the efforts that geese make, guided by their instinctive desire to travel thousands of miles through dangerous landscapes, only to turn around and repeat the journey in the opposite direction a few months later.

 But we're talking about board games, right?

 In Mark Swanson's card game Flockers, players take on the role of a flock of geese undertaking a similar journey, although it only lasts 30–45 minutes instead of several months.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GEESE

 Aside from its great graphics and great gameplay, Flockers is a racing game; the goal is to be the first to complete 10 terrain maps laid out in a central board called a flight path. These maps contain one or more terrain types (mountains, forest, field, and lake). Some maps only have one terrain type, while others may include all four types.

 To do this, players play the flock cards from their hand, laying them out in a traditional V-shaped formation. The first card is the main goose, and subsequent cards must be placed in one of the "wings" of the V, up to a maximum of 7 cards.

 Flock cards have several different characteristics: goose type, main action, terrain icons, and a bonus action; although not every card has all of these elements.

 Basic actions include abilities such as

• Fly - allows you to move your pack marker across one or more terrain cards, depending on the icons on your pack cards.
• Navigate - take a terrain map from the general row and add it to the end of the flight route.
• Graze - "Thin out" your flock by removing birds that no longer help you achieve your goals.
• Swap - swap the positions of any two birds in your flock.

 When you send your flock on a flight path using the Fly action, you also need to keep an eye out for encounter icons. These appear on terrain maps and can be both helpful (a north wind will take you to the next terrain map) and dangerous (foxes will eat one of your birds in the flock, eagles can eat multiple birds, and hunters will force you to randomly shuffle your flock, which can ruin several rounds of planning).

"STUPID GOOSE? GEESE ARE NOT STUPID. THEY ARE HOOLIGANS."

 To use a sports metaphor, Mark Swanson really does "shoot from a distance." While this is the first game of his I've played, his previous works have been ambitious (2018's Feudum) or large-scale (2024's Fled). So I approached my review copy of Flockers with some caution. It seemed both more limited in scope and more accessible (there's no fictional fantasy world or prison).

 But during our first game, we decided to end the game halfway through because of a number of questions that didn't seem to be answered in the rules—not a good sign. I wrote a letter with our concerns and received a quick response that alleviated some of my concerns about the game itself, although the rules and some of the cards could have been better organized.

 Armed with this new knowledge, I played a few more games, and they all ran much smoother and more smoothly. My conclusion is this: Flockers is also an ambitious game, but in a more accessible and accessible format. Mark's goal was to create a racing game using the migratory routes of geese as a central idea. From that perspective, I think he achieved his goal. But balancing theme and gameplay is a challenge, and that's where I think the difficulty lies.

 Flockers is a race to the 10th card, and the racing game creates an expectation of a fast pace for players. However, in this game, your flock marker can get stuck for a few turns while you prepare the ground for a dash. Using the Fly action, you start with the lead bird and choose one of the “wings.” Using the terrain icons on each bird card, you can only move to the next terrain card if the icons match. If even one icon is out of order, you are blocked. This means that it may take you a few turns to rearrange your flock, or even remove birds with the Pasture action, to adapt to the landscape in front of you.

 In one game, I didn't move for several turns, but once I did, wow, I flew through 5 maps in one go. It was a really nice feeling, but I didn't really like the time it took to get to that point. As with any shared-card game, you might not get the cards you need. In another game, my opponent needed a mountain icon to get through the very first terrain card, and it took him almost 7 turns before he had a card he could choose.

 Before I wrap up this review, I'd like to give the game a little praise; and a great place to do so is the Flockers design. Matt Emmons' illustrations are incredibly expressive—you can literally see the emotions on the geese' faces: determination and perseverance. Matt's iconography is also easy to read and understand. But the real star is the metal enameled flock tokens—they're just gorgeous. Each bird has a weighted and color-coded base, with a thin but sturdy rod that suspends the bird in flight. It's truly one of the coolest components I've ever seen.

 My initial impressions of the game after the first game were pretty bleak. Were we making a mistake? Or was Mark? But after a few more games, including a solo game where I could focus on movement, I started to look at it with more optimism. I don't think Flockers is a game for everyone: the slow pace and methodical planning may seem at odds with the "easy card game" feel. But for people who enjoy solving puzzles or games where you can take your time and think carefully about your decisions, Flockers could very well take off.