Farting Frenchies is a game about stinky flat-faced dogs. Since I own such a dog (admittedly a pug, not a Frenchie, but definitely qualifying on the stinky front), I decided to jump in when I saw the game on Kickstarter.
The mechanics of the game are a fairly conventional mix of draw-one play-one and set collection. Each player starts with a three-point Frenchie and must play three “stink cards” to feed the Frenchie gas-inducing food. Once the set is complete, the player draws a new Frenchie, which could have a point value from two to five. Higher value Frenchies require correspondingly higher numbers of stinks. The game plays in about 15-20 minutes with two to four players.
The fun and strategy of the game comes from player interaction and special cards. Opponents can play color-matching “good smell” cards to nullify your stink cards, requiring more actions to complete your set. Action cards provide more dastardly tricks, including the dreaded Dognapper cards which allow an opponent to steal one of your completed Frenchies.
Much of the charm of the game comes from the illustrations and the goofy names for the smells, actions, and Frenchies themselves. “Luke Fartwalker” is an example of a pop-culture centered Frenchie, although my personal favorite is probably the yoga dog. Stinks include “A Year’s Worth of Homework” and “1980s Boston Harbor Fish”, which could be countered by “Atomic Apple” fragrance. An action card costing another player their turn is “Can’t Resist the Hydrant”.
This is not a complex, strategy-heavy game. It’s a goofy small filler game good for bridging the gap between larger games, preferably with players with a juvenile sense of humor and a few adult beverages in them. With that said, it’s a quick, fun play, and expansions would add a bit to the novelty. Replayability is ok, simply because of the high randomness factor, and upcoming expansions will allow new modes of play such as pitting stinky dog breeds against each other. In sum, Farting Frenchies is a simple, fast, fun set collection game with some good player interaction – and, of course, French Bulldogs. If you like Frenchies (or, in the upcoming expansion, pugs), it’s worth a look.
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