The Inside Scoop on Gaming

A friend of mine got me interested in Fluxx with the words "It doesn't have any rules. It's unlike any other game you've ever seen." While he exaggerated a bit on the former, he was right on the latter.

Fluxx is a card game published by Looney Labs. Its 84 cards are printed on matte cardstock that is quite sturdy. The layout is very sober yet highly effective. With one look on a card I can see what type it is and what is does. It certainly helps here that each of the four types of cards has its own colour associated with it. To see examples of the cards, or learn more about the game in general, you can visit Fluxx' own website. One more thing: the game comes in a box of heavy paper, of about the same weight as the cards themselves, perhaps a bit more. This doesn't hold up to normal tear-and-wear as well as I'd like and you'll have to replace the package after a while.

The game

As my friend said, Fluxx is unlike any other game. The game begins with one card in play. It's the first and Basic Rule: "Draw One, Play One". This indicates that per turn, a player must draw a card and play a card. Cards are drawn from the draw pile, and the cards played must come from the player's hand. So far, it's pretty boring. What are you to do? There's only one rule, but no goal. No victory condition. That's right, there is, as of yet, no way to win the game.
For in Fluxx, Goals are a type of card; cards that must be played to become effective. As the game continues, Goals will be played. There can only be one Goal in play a time. Goals often refer to Keepers: cards that you play and stay on the table. Some Keepers are "The Eye", "The Brain", "Chocolate" and "Cookies". These give rise to Goals like "The Mind's Eye" ("The player who has both the Eye and Brain on the table wins") and "Chocolate Cookies" ("The player who has both Chocolate and Cookies on the table wins").
The third type of card Actions which are cards that have an immediate effect. "Trash a Keeper", for example, reads "Take a Keeper from any player and put it on the discard pile".
The real twist in Fluxx, however, are the Rules. That's right — Rules are just another type of card that can be played. There is a "Play Two" (you guessed it: you now must play two cards in a turn), a "Play Three", etc. On the other side, there is "Draw Two", "Draw Three" etc. You also have "Hand Limit" and "Keeper Limit" (each player can only have a certain number of cards in hand or Keepers in play), and some other rules. If a new Rule contradicts an "older" rule, the former will replace the latter which will be discarded. I.e. if I play "Hand Limit 4" while "Hand Limit 2" is in play, "Hand Limit 2" will be discarded.

Playtest

Fluxx is very easy to explain. All there is to do is saying: "Hey, this is the Basic Rule. Do as it says and let's all draw three cards. Now play and do as the cards tell you." You can jump right in. If you forgot what a type of card did, it's explained on the card itself. The layout helps a lot here.
Fluxx takes some getting used to, but plays rather quick. There is little strategy. There are some tricks that work okay, but that's about it. This is mostly because long-term planning is not feasible, as the goal (and Goal) of the game can change instantly. Occasionally you are forced to play cards that let other players win. The luck of the draw is, as in Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond..., very important. This, combined with the fact that you can do very little to direct the game in your favour, and there's nothing to do in another person's turn, leads to a feeling of non-involvement. Many are the games that end in an anti-climax. "Oh, you win when I play this Goal? Well, I have to, see? 'Play All' is on the table." Despite all my whining, the game is certainly fun, mostly because of the unique changing nature.
The game is best played with two to four players, as you have to wait rather long in five-or-six player games. A session lasts anywhere from 1 to 60 minutes, with most games over in 15 minutes.

Conclusion

Fluxx is a truly innovative game. It's absurdly easy to learn, and if you forget something, all the rules are on the cards. Cards that have a very efficient lay-out but that are crudely illustrated. The game play does little to involve you in the very random nature of the game and victory is often the result of dumb luck, not strategy. On the other hand, it's exactly the randomness that makes the game fun. Which is a good thing, for there's little the cards themselves add in the way of humour, unlike Chez Dork's or Munchkin's cards.
At 10 bucks, this game is not expensive, but it's not cheap either. If you like new designs and aren't bothered by "lucky" games, Fluxx is something for you. Otherwise, you'd better let this one slide. For the unique design, and the ease of learning, Fluxx gets a 4 out of 5 for Style. The actual Substance is a somewhat slim 3 out of 5.

Fluxx
Fluxx Playtest Review by Jake de Oude on 09/09/02 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average) Innovative game with effective layout that is quick to learn. The game play is very random however, and does little to involve the players. Product: Fluxx Author: Andrew Looney Category: Card Game Company/Publisher: Looney Labs Line: Cost: US$ 10.00 Page count: n/a Year published: 2000 ISBN: 1-929780-01-X SKU: LOO-001 Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by Jake de Oude on 09/09/02 Genre tags: Modern day	A friend of mine got me interested in Fluxx with the words "It doesn't have any rules. It's unlike any other game you've ever seen." While he exaggerated a bit on the former, he was right on the latter. Fluxx is a card game published by Looney Labs. Its 84 cards are printed on matte cardstock that is quite sturdy. The layout is very sober yet highly effective. With one look on a card I can see what type it is and what is does. It certainly helps here that each of the four types of cards has its own colour associated with it. To see examples of the cards, or learn more about the game in general, you can visit Fluxx' own website. One more thing: the game comes in a box of heavy paper, of about the same weight as the cards themselves, perhaps a bit more. This doesn't hold up to normal tear-and-wear as well as I'd like and you'll have to replace the package after a while. The game As my friend said, Fluxx is unlike any other game. The game begins with one card in play. It's the first and Basic Rule: "Draw One, Play One". This indicates that per turn, a player must draw a card and play a card. Cards are drawn from the draw pile, and the cards played must come from the player's hand. So far, it's pretty boring. What are you to do? There's only one rule, but no goal. No victory condition. That's right, there is, as of yet, no way to win the game. For in Fluxx, Goals are a type of card; cards that must be played to become effective. As the game continues, Goals will be played. There can only be one Goal in play a time. Goals often refer to Keepers: cards that you play and stay on the table. Some Keepers are "The Eye", "The Brain", "Chocolate" and "Cookies". These give rise to Goals like "The Mind's Eye" ("The player who has both the Eye and Brain on the table wins") and "Chocolate Cookies" ("The player who has both Chocolate and Cookies on the table wins"). The third type of card Actions which are cards that have an immediate effect. "Trash a Keeper", for example, reads "Take a Keeper from any player and put it on the discard pile". The real twist in Fluxx, however, are the Rules. That's right — Rules are just another type of card that can be played. There is a "Play Two" (you guessed it: you now must play two cards in a turn), a "Play Three", etc. On the other side, there is "Draw Two", "Draw Three" etc. You also have "Hand Limit" and "Keeper Limit" (each player can only have a certain number of cards in hand or Keepers in play), and some other rules. If a new Rule contradicts an "older" rule, the former will replace the latter which will be discarded. I.e. if I play "Hand Limit 4" while "Hand Limit 2" is in play, "Hand Limit 2" will be discarded. Playtest Fluxx is very easy to explain. All there is to do is saying: "Hey, this is the Basic Rule. Do as it says and let's all draw three cards. Now play and do as the cards tell you." You can jump right in. If you forgot what a type of card did, it's explained on the card itself. The layout helps a lot here. Fluxx takes some getting used to, but plays rather quick. There is little strategy. There are some tricks that work okay, but that's about it. This is mostly because long-term planning is not feasible, as the goal (and Goal) of the game can change instantly. Occasionally you are forced to play cards that let other players win. The luck of the draw is, as in Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond..., very important. This, combined with the fact that you can do very little to direct the game in your favour, and there's nothing to do in another person's turn, leads to a feeling of non-involvement. Many are the games that end in an anti-climax. "Oh, you win when I play this Goal? Well, I have to, see? 'Play All' is on the table." Despite all my whining, the game is certainly fun, mostly because of the unique changing nature. The game is best played with two to four players, as you have to wait rather long in five-or-six player games. A session lasts anywhere from 1 to 60 minutes, with most games over in 15 minutes. Conclusion Fluxx is a truly innovative game. It's absurdly easy to learn, and if you forget something, all the rules are on the cards. Cards that have a very efficient lay-out but that are crudely illustrated. The game play does little to involve you in the very random nature of the game and victory is often the result of dumb luck, not strategy. On the other hand, it's exactly the randomness that makes the game fun. Which is a good thing, for there's little the cards themselves add in the way of humour, unlike Chez Dork's or Munchkin's cards. At 10 bucks, this game is not expensive, but it's not cheap either. If you like new designs and aren't bothered by "lucky" games, Fluxx is something for you. Otherwise, you'd better let this one slide. For the unique design, and the ease of learning, Fluxx gets a 4 out of 5 for Style. The actual Substance is a somewhat slim 3 out of 5.