Tussie Mussie: Saying What You Mean with Flower Bouquets
Create floral arrangements filled with meaning through the language of different flowers in Tussie Mussie.
I have always loved the theme behind Tussie Mussie, although it’s been a long time since I last played! With expansions to add in, this looked like it was a good time to explore all of the content. The solo mode didn’t quite resonate with me before, yet I was ready to give it another chance! Or at least let these flowers bloom, rather than wilt on the shelf. Ha!
Game Overview
Game Name: Tussie Mussie
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Elizabeth Hargrave
Artists: Loïc Billiau, Karolina Jędrzejak, and Beth Sobel
Publisher: Button Shy
Solo Mode: Included in Tussie Mussie: Flower Shoppe
The goal is to create the best arrangements with a variety of flowers. Meanings all differ, yet the focus is on making the most of the available scoring opportunities. A solo opponent creates some tension and lots of choices as these flowers come together to tell little stories!
First Play
November 25, 2020
Complexity
1
Latest Play
March 9, 2024
Expansions
5
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
36
Game Area
22" x 18"
Low Score
18
Wonderful Card Art
So pretty! All of the flowers incorporate beautiful, bright colors and really pretty designs. The base game feels a bit limited, but adding greenery and orange flowers helps!
I got myself reacquainted with the rules, and floundered. The layout and descriptions were rather confusing, and without visual examples, I found myself a bit muddled.
The fact that the floral meanings were there just for flavor text was also a little bit of a letdown. I wanted to do more!
Still, I was glad to return to the base game before I added in the expansions to see if things would improve for me.
A Wallet Abacus
This is one of the only games I have that requires scoring at the end of each round, but doesn’t include any way to keep track of that within the game itself. No worries…
I brought along my trusty abacus! My set of these comes from Arcana Rising, and I use them more than I show.
After a couple of plays of just the base game, it was clear I was ready to add more variety. But I was still checking the rulebook a lot more than I should have for a light game.
My issue is when there’s a disconnect. This is designed to be pretty straightforward, yet there are a lot of edge cases.
Sharing a Message
I almost wish the scoring conditions were less of the focus than the flavor text! These different meanings make each bouquet say something unique, and even tell a story.
During this round, it looked like I crafted a bouquet for someone who wanted to share their love, only she was too shy to express that meaning most of the time. Lovely!
The solo mode is very focused on taking chances and earning the most victory points, which feels mechanical.
To utilize the language of flowers would have made this theme more interesting. Alas, you have been cruel. Ha ha!
Enjoying Expansions
Adding in all of the expansions didn’t increase the rules by that much, and I enjoyed the added variety quite a lot.
Ribbons created a goal that guided my decisions some more, although this felt like a lost opportunity… Those goals could have tied into the floral meanings a bit.
Although I enjoyed some of the decisions, it became quite clear that this wasn’t the sort of solo game for me.
That’s OK! I spent a little more time trying to articulate my feelings and understanding what wasn’t working. In the end, that provided me with another valuable lesson.
Finding the Right Words to Understand More
With this session, I started a handwritten gaming journal that’s not really there for anything more than to make sure I slow down to gather my thoughts here and there. The biggest lesson I’ve been picking up lately has to do with stating what I don’t like, and why. In the end, that’s how I ensure I have a good chance of enjoying any new game arrivals.
There’s a big difference between just saying I don’t like a game and using descriptive words or phrases. Hard to learn, nothing memorable, too many edge cases, tedious, doesn’t flow well, and repetitive scoring all tell me something. In an even more important light, those are helpful to share. You might disagree, and that can be the start of a discussion.
This also ties into how diverse this hobby is and how we all won’t love the same games. But if you say to me, “This is the best game ever!” I have no way to disagree. That statement is true for you! Yet if you express why it works so well for you, I can get a better understanding of your opinion and possibly even decide if the game is for me or not.
I also want to end this little ramble by saying that disagreeing about board games often leads to excellent discussions. It’s just the way we go about it because as a hobby that brings us joy, there are emotions involved. Some of our favorites might even tie into things unrelated to the games. At the end of the day, let’s celebrate different opinions and be kind!
Session Overview
Play Number: 5-8
Main Expansion: Tussie Mussie: Flower Shoppe
Other Expansions: Many (4)
Solo Mode: Included in Tussie Mussie: Flower Shoppe
Play Details: Easy Difficulty Level
Outcome: 22-21, 29-26, 27-28, 36-30 (3 Wins & 1 Loss)
Most plays were very close, although luck played a major role. I wasn’t a big fan of the customers expansion, though, as these felt like random events with complicated text… Why didn’t they give me bouquet requirements?! Still, I’m glad I tried this out one last time to enjoy the art!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
4
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
5
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the floral artwork is beautiful and provides a bright, colorful play area filled with all sorts of blooms.
- Many decisions are interesting in terms of taking a chance on face-down cards or crafting an arrangement.
- The flavor text and meaning of each type of flower make the theme rather enjoyable, almost telling a quick story.
- Expansions add on a lot of variety that may feel like it’s missing from the base game with a small card assortment.
- Gameplay moves along relatively quickly with the way each round progresses at a decent pace with simple choices.
- There are some very interesting ways to have cards interact for bonus scoring conditions that may not be obvious.
– Cons (Negatives)
- It isn’t easy to learn or re-learn the rules, as they aren’t very clear and are missing important visual examples.
- For such a lightweight game, there are a lot of edge cases in the solo mode to constantly reference or remember.
- Luck seems like the most important factor against the solo opponent, as the choices don’t feel very compelling.
- Adding more to the solo mode with customers creates tedious gameplay with unnecessary complications.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Score 25 points.
Score 30 points.
Win at least 1 game at the easy difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game with all of the expansions.
Continue the Conversation
What are some of your favorite things about Tussie Mussie? Do you have an expansion you love including each time? I had hoped this would be a solo game that worked for me, but alas, not this time. I need to make an arrangement that will break the news to the game gently. Ha! Hopefully, though, there is a delightful game here for those who love it!
I never was fond of Tussie Mussie solo. The constant reshuffling, the different decks to set up and the number of rules to remember made for some tedious experience.
However, this game shines at two players with my Significant Other. A little bit of bluff, a lot of fluff and surprises. Pretty good, and the expansions add to the enjoyment!
That’s awesome to hear it works so nicely for your partner and you! I can definitely see the appeal. Hope you have a great time playing together and making some lovely floral arrangements!