Making a Castle Feel Like Home with Flip Pick Towers
Build a castle complete with elements like banners, beanstalks, and bridges to house a trio of picky royals in Flip Pick Towers.
My desire to draw literally drew me to Flip Pick Towers, which proved to be wonderful when I first played it a few months ago! It lasts a little longer than other flip-and-write solo games, yet the little stories and decisions make it a lot of fun. Such great art, too, that encourages a little bit of creativity in filling up the sheet. Into a magical world to build my next castle!
Game Overview
Game Name: Flip Pick Towers
Publication Year: 2026
Designers: Rob Fisher & Adam Porter
Artist: Beatrix Papp
Publisher: Osprey Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Each turn features a choice between 3 cards. Many involve adding floors to a castle, while magical creatures offer special abilities and the royals simply must be housed! Various objectives change the way the towers take shape, and there is a surprising depth to the many decisions.
First Play
July 12, 2026
Complexity
2
Latest Play
November 8, 2026
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
4
Play Time
1 Hour
High Score
219
Game Area
20" x 18"
Low Score
191
Picked and Flipped
Funnily enough, I chose this Calico Critters family before I figured out what game to pair them with. Can you guess how I settled on this one? Yeah… Orange. It’s all orange! Ha!
This was a nicely coordinated group, although I wasn’t ready for what happened after the picking. Oh: Flipping!
I think this little dog had the time of his life showcasing his agility and ability to match the game name. Too cute!
The included pencils were a nightmare when I played with a group, so I brought out my trusty Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens. Clever map name… Beanbridges. Ha ha!
Royal Objectives
This castle must house the royal family, and each member has a random requirement. With 3 of 33 objectives used each play, there are a lot of possibilities and combinations!
Some choices are obvious early on with the way floors need to be built according to their stability values. Royals also can’t be added when there isn’t anywhere to put them!
But there are 2 full rounds of going through the deck, and there isn’t a single way to play for a high score.
Resources are also gathered from cards, so it sometimes makes sense to add a low-stability card just for some fabric!
Dragonview Castle
Owing to Queen Blodwen’s desire for handing over gold to the dragons, that was exactly what happened! She made sure to advertise the coins on her spotted banners.
But Princess Dillie had a fair share of her own magical copies near windows, so this was very much her castle! A few of her banners stood out closer to the top.
King Llew was far too busy with his parties to offer much more, and the beanstalks proved to be a defining trait.
I made a small mistake with the window scoring, which made my score just shy of a proper victory. But so much fun!
Imps and Dragons
Maybe the most common type of card in the game is the floor, but the coolest ones are easy to spot. This pair of Calico Critters showed off some of the fantastic artwork!
Magical creatures offer bonus abilities that can be used whenever, along with a wild resource. Dragons are fierce, either perching on top of a tower or stealing a bag of gold!
And I missed a pun here. I saw Window Watchers, which reminded me of window washers… But look again!
I read the bottom card as Beneath. Oh, wait! “Beaneath!” For the beanstalks. This game continues to deliver surprises!
Setting Aside Time For Nothing Else Than Fun
I went a little wild with the different colors and designs I used for these plays. Nothing is particularly artistic, yet it’s all distinctly my own. More importantly, this session was really just about having fun. I narrated the turns to myself a little bit, lamented the dragons, and chuckled over some of my designs. See the gold on fire? It also features dragon claw marks!
There’s something important about the act of play. Hobbies give us the chance to spend time without any deadlines or major expectations. “I want to have fun!” is a very nice motto to have when playing solo. Glad I followed it this time!
Session Overview
Play Number: 3 & 4
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 206, 197 (2 Losses)
So close to victory! I’m comparing my score against the sum of the tricky rosettes values, which appear on the objectives. I still feel like gameplay goes on a bit long, although this doesn’t detract from the experience… Just means I can’t play as many times in a row as I might expect to! I’m starting to see the nuances in choosing the magical creatures, too, as some are even better than the perfect floor at times. So glad I picked this game out, instead of flipping out. Ha ha!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
10
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- Decisions are often interesting with the combination of the main feature and resource on every card.
- Sketching and drawing are encouraged with the guide, although no skills are needed to have a great time playing.
- Random objectives create tons of variety, as the combination of this trio makes a major difference in how to build.
- A castle might always end up with similar towers and features, yet each play feels unique with its own little story.
- Magical creatures are a rarity in the deck, but provide some important and nuanced abilities that can be used later on.
- The rules are pretty straightforward and only a few very small outliers need clarification once or twice.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Play time doesn’t necessarily overstay its welcome, but it can feel rather lengthy once the final score is tallied up.
- Gameplay can be a little repetitive, and it’s a shame the promo cards aren’t available, as a little variety would be great.
- Some turns come down to the luck of the draw, and even with decent planning, a good choice isn’t always possible.
- Surprise dragon visits are excellent and suspenseful, yet these always happen and feel less awesome with more plays.
Victory Conditions
Meet the Tricky Rosettes Score Threshold
- Overall Goal Progress 33%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 200 points.
Score at least 220 points.
Win at least 1 game at the tricky rosettes difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
Do you have a favorite play of Flip Pick Towers? Are there any objectives you enjoy working towards? I continue to have a lot of fun building up a castle, which might seem repetitive, yet each one tells a little story! From dragons stealing gold to royals demanding perfect alignments, this one offers a lot of joy. Just need to keep working out the best ways to score!
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