Fluxx

The card game with ever-changing rules!

Fluxx is an interesting little card game from Looney Labs (or Fully Baked Ideas for the Stoner version). While the basic idea of it is simple (draw one card, play one card), the rules can quickly get complicated.

As you play, different cards come into play and the rules can change. There are 5 main types of cards: New Rule, Action, Keeper, Creeper, and Goal. Each of these cards changes things one way or another.

A New Rule card is just that. They are the main cards that change the rules. As stated above, the default rules are draw one, play one, but New Rules can make them as varied as having to draw 5, play 2, with a hand limit of 1 all while talking like a pirate (in the Pirate Fluxx edition). Action cards allow you to do things that the rules don't normally allow, like taking cards from your opponents hands or even searching through the discard pile for an Action that's already been used so you can use it again.

Keepers and Creepers are similar in the fact that they both get put on the table in front of you, and they both deal with winning. Keepers are cards that are beneficial to you and help you to win. Creepers on the other hand prevent you from being able to win. Although, in some rare instances a Goal (more about them soon) will say that you can win with certain Creeper cards. It just all depends on what each card says on it.

And now about the Goals. That's it. That's exactly it. A Goal card is just that, a card outlining the goals to win. The Goal can change at any time, so while you may be close to winning with the current goal, it could change and leave you no closer to winning than when you started the game. Normally, only one Goal can be in play at a time, but the New Rule card Double Agenda allows two Goals to be on the table at once, which can make for some really crazy play.

So that is the basics of Fluxx. There are also Surprise cards (in the Pirate and Star versions) that can be played at any time, even if it isn't your turn. This makes for a surprisingly (ironic, right?) varied game, because one application of them is to prevent a person from winning.

Before we get to the rating, take a look at the 10 currently released iterations of the game.

Now that you've seen all the eye candy, time for the verdict.

Fluxx gets 9.5 stars

So, you may be wondering why I only gave Fluxx 9.5 stars. Well, my dear readers, I'll tell you. Although there are many different variations (there are 2 more versions and a board game in the works as well), the game is essentially the same throughout, just themed differently. If that was the only thing about it, I do believe Fluxx would have gotten a 10 star rating.

The real kicker, however, is the fact that there is no good way to play with only 2 players. Most games will have an alternative set of rules for 2-player games, but not Fluxx. That's not to say that it's impossible. Much to the contrary, it is possible, but the game loses some of it's fun value with only two players, hence the loss of a full star.

All that being said, it is still really fun. My fiancée and I own the Pirate and Zombie versions and they are both really fun (I'm still in the lead for wins between us). So check it out, because it is a game that would be great for a family (Stoner version excluded) to play together. Below is a link to the standard version of the game from Amazon.

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