What it is: A new board game from Briarpatch Games for kids aged five and up, supporting two to four players.
Object of the game: To transform Fancy Nancy’s boring bedroom from plain to posh. Fancy Nancy being the newest kid book sensation, I am sure she will be getting her own movie soon.
Game Play: Each player gets a plain bedroom playing card. There are color-coded flip strips that you flip down with a matching dice roll. Playing cards consist of "Let's Get Fancy" cards, "Accessories" cards and the popular "Oops" cards. The youngest starts the game. To flip over your strips, you have to build up your card pile while using the "Oops" card to take down your opponents' pile. Of course, they can and will return the favor so you have to rebuild your own pile again. Play moves quickly as each time you have a turn you can only do one thing.
Testing: Initially this consisted of my seven-year-old daughter, my 15-year-old daughter, my wife and myself as we worked through the rules and setup. The first couple of games were over quickly as we raced to be first to finish. Once we got the hang of zapping each other’s piles with the "Oops" card, the next few games went for an average of 10 minutes. My seven-year-old has since taken the game to Grandma’s house and played it with friends that have visited.
Verdict: An awesome game for kids and parents. It moves quickly and is over in about 10 minutes. The rules are simple, there aren’t a lot of pieces to lose and although there isn’t a ton of strategy to the game, it is fun planning the "Oops"ing of your opponents. All of my daughter's friends have enjoyed it and it remains a play date favorite.
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