Flash Flood Just a Bit Too Simple

Having reviewed several games from prolific designer David McCord and others published through NewVenture Games (www.newventuregames.com), The Meeple Guild has come to expect solid, dependable designs. Several titles—Causeway, The Lychgates, Breakthru, and GeeHaw—have genuinely impressed us.

But no designer hits a home run every time.

With this week’s game, Flash Flood!, McCord doesn’t land a triple, double, or even a single. This one feels more like a soft pop-out to the pitcher—surprising, given that it’s a cooperative game, a style The Meeple Guild generally enjoys.

Flash Flood! is a one-to-four–player card game that at least plays quickly. The premise is straightforward: the river is rising, and each player is responsible for a section of the riverbank and a wagon full of sandbags. Work together to build a levee before the rising water floods the road.

Communication is limited—your voices drowned out by the roaring river, which fits thematically. On your turn, you typically place a sandbag card. The artwork suits the theme but doesn’t particularly stand out. Mixed into the deck are levee leak cards (which must be repaired later) and rest cards (which make you skip a turn), slowing your progress.

On paper, it sounds like a fine little co-op puzzle. In practice, it plays smoothly but without any real tension. It becomes a mechanical sequence of card plays that never fully engages.

River Rising cards are seeded into the deck, and when drawn, they take effect immediately. If the water level surpasses the portion of the levee you’ve completed, everyone loses—and it can happen very quickly.

Unfortunately, out of all the McCord/NewVenture titles we’ve tried so far, Flash Flood! is the one we’ve enjoyed least—a reminder that even strong designers occasionally fall short of expectations.