Critters at War: Flies, Lies & Supplies is a standalone expansion for Air, Land, & Sea: Critters at War, and is part of the re-theming of the original game/expansion combo, Air, Land, & Sea and Spies, Lies, & Supplies… Not confusing at all, right? All joking aside, this is a duo of games I’ve long been curious about, so I was happy to have the opportunity to look at both recently and share my thoughts with you.
Flies, Lies, & Supplies is a head-to-head two-player card game, with a team variant for playing with up to 4. It can be played on its own or combined with the original game for a more dynamic experience. Playtime is 15-30 minutes.
Gameplay Overview:
The different theaters of war are represented by three cards placed on the table between the players/ teams. In this version, those are Intelligence, Diplomacy, and Economics. The deck contains 18 standard-sized cards matching these three theaters. Players have a hand of six cards and take turns playing to matching theaters, or playing facedown as a “wild card” with a power of 2, to any theater.
Cards have a value of 1-6, and the goal is to have the greater sum on your side of a theater in order to win that battle. Cards also have special powers, which will affect the game and allow players to bend the rules. Whoever controls the most theaters at the end of the round wins victory points. The game is played over multiple rounds until one player reaches 12 VPs.
Players also have the opportunity to surrender early in a round, so that their opponent receives fewer VPs for winning the battle, depending on how many cards are left in the surrendering player’s hand.
Differences to this version from Critters at War are the addition of Supply tokens, which can be added to a theater to boost its strength; and the card abilities differ from those in the original. This version can also be combined with Critters at War when you use a mix of theaters from both sets. And there is an Epic Mode in which you place a total of five theaters, combining the two sets.
Game Experience:
For those who played the original, this one will feel very similar, with a slight step up in complexity related to the card abilities. It will also add some nice variety for those who play frequently and want to change things up.
If you haven’t played the original game, I think you could start with either set, depending on which appeals most to you. This one, as I mentioned, is slightly more complex and it adds supply tokens, which don’t really alter the atmosphere of the game, but are an interesting twist because, unlike cards, they can’t be flipped or destroyed.
You can sometimes get an unlucky hand, but then you never know exactly which cards your opponent has, so it might be worth playing the hand instead of surrendering early. And if you play your cards right, you might just pull off a win! This is a “play, react, play” sort of game, with a constant back-and-forth tactical battle feel. Players who don’t like being caught off guard and those who want to plan every move ahead, might find themselves frustrated with the fluidity and potential chaos of the experience. On the other hand, the more you play and become familiar with the cards, the better you’ll be able to guess what your opponent has in their hand.
The game does reward those familiar with the card abilities, so experienced players will likely outplay inexperienced ones. The good news is it doesn’t take long to become familiar with the cards and references are available on the backs of each theater card.
The ability to back out of the fight early is a nice option that serves as a balancing mechanism, but I personally dislike making the choice to intentionally extend the game. While games aren’t long, I do feel that it can last a little longer than I want. But I do enjoy the tactical decision space and the potential for surprising your opponent with thoughtful card play. This game does a lot with a few cards- an experience that could have felt very bare-bones is instead robust and dynamic.
Final Thoughts:
For fans of Critters at War, this is an easy decision. If you enjoy that game, you’ll almost certainly enjoy Flies, Lies, & Supplies. For newcomers, this is a style of game some will like and some won’t. It’s an on-your-toes game with lots of back-and-forth reactions. You can plan ahead, but things won’t always go according to plan, and the right players for this game are the ones who find that exciting. I personally fall in the middle. Sometimes I enjoyed the experience, other times I grew tired of the direct confrontation and wanted the game to end (regardless of whether I was winning or losing). My favorite way to play was probably the epic five theater mode because it felt like it opened the game up a little and let in just a touch more chaos, which I like. But overall, I can’t deny that it’s a clever and well-designed game.
Final Rating: 3.5 stars – A small game with a bite bigger than its bark.
Hits:
• Love the artwork!
• Big decision space in small package
Misses:
• I grew tired of the constant confrontation
• May frustrate players who plan ahead
