Fluxx
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| Fluxx | |
|---|---|
 The box and typical game cards (Version 3.1 release). |
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| Players | 2–6 |
| Age range | 8 and up |
| Setup time | 1 minute |
| Playing time | 20 minutes on average, varying greatly |
| Rules complexity | low |
| Strategy depth | medium |
| Random chance | high |
| Skills required | none |
| BoardGameGeek entry (more...) | |
Fluxx is a card game, played with a specially-designed 84-card deck. It is different from most other card games, in that the rules and the conditions for winning are altered throughout the game, via cards played by the players.
Contents |
[edit] Rules and Gameplay
The game starts out with one basic rule, saying that each player draws one card, and plays one card during their turn. There are four types of cards in the game, New Rule, Action, Keeper, and Goal cards:
- New Rule cards can be played to change the rules or add other rules. Examples are Draw 2, Play 3, Reverse Order or even Inflation (formerly X=X+1), which increases numerals on other cards played (so Draw 2 becomes Draw 3). In versions 2.0 and 2.1 of the game there is also a card Final Card Random. When this rule is in effect, players must allow an adjacent player to choose the last card played on each turn. Since version 3.0, there is a similar card, First Play Random. (Final Card Random is now one of many orderable "promo cards".)
- Action cards, which allow the player to do one time things like steal cards or eliminate rules. Examples are Draw 2 and use 'em, Jackpot! (Draw three cards instantly), Let's Do That Again, allowing the player to search the trash pile and replay a card, and Rules Reset, which removes all new rules in play.
- Keeper cards, which are used to meet the goals below. Examples are Bread, or War.
- Goal cards, which define what is required to win. Most goals require pairs of keeper cards, for example Appliances requires the Toaster and Television keepers, and Squishy Chocolate requires Chocolate and The Sun. A few goals are different, for example Brain (no TV), All You Need Is Love, and 10 Cards In Hand. In standard play, only one Goal can be in play at a time (though the New Rule Card Double Agenda allows two Goals to be in play at once, with a win being made by satisfying EITHER Goal's requirements).
Blanxx are cards purchasable in packs of 15 semi-blank cards used to create custom cards to change gameplay further. Fluxx Blanxx booster packs are sold for $3, and include one booster card for Chrononauts (titled Beatles Reunion Album), a cover card and an advertisement "microcatalog" card spotlighting other Looney Labs products.
The most recent edition of Fluxx, version 3.1, contains 84 cards, as compared to the promotional deck, which had 81 cards.
[edit] Versions
There have been several versions of the game, including different cards. These versions include:
- Fluxx 0.5 (beta version of Fluxx)
- Fluxx 1.0
- Fluxx 2.0
- Fluxx 2.1
- Fluxx 3.0
- Fluxx 3.1
- Stoner Fluxx (Technically Fluxx 4.20)1
- Flowers and Fluxx (a gift set with a "bouquet" of six plush "Happy Flowers", a Fluxx 3.x deck and an exclusive "Flowers" promo Keeper card)
- EcoFluxx (adapting the game to ecological concerns)
- Family Fluxx (Previously called "Fluxx Jr."; a full-color "family friendly" edition)
- Fluxx Español (Spanish Language edition with some new Hispanic-centric cards)
- German & Japanese Fluxx (Foreign language editions; see below)
- Holy Fluxx Expansion Cards (in both Christian and Jewish editions)
- In Planning: Fluxx Reduxx (a self-contained "expansion"; reintroducing cards "lost" from 2.0 to 3.0 and adding both older promo cards & a few new ones)
Using Fluxx Blanxx, it is also possible to create entirely personalized decks.
Both EcoFluxx and Family Fluxx can be added to one of the 3.x editions of regular Fluxx to make a "Mega-Fluxx" game (as all 3 versions have the same card back style).
Fluxx has also been translated into German and Japanese, in both cases with new art and graphic design (but identical gameplay). The German version has the same card mix as Fluxx 3.0, plus the "Hide Keepers"-related cards from Fluxx 2.0. The Japanese version has the same card mix as Fluxx 3.1.
1The initial run of Stoner Fluxx cards is sold out (save a few decks which periodically show up on eBay). According to Looney Labs official site for the game, a second printing is planned; however, it will be made under either a new imprint or a totally different company so as to fully separate the marketing efforts for Stoner Fluxx from the rest of their product line.
[edit] Promotional & Exclusive Cards
Looney Labs gives away promotional cards related to Fluxx at conventions such as GenCon and Origins. They have given away cards such as Composting and Jackpot which later appeared in different versions of Fluxx; EcoFluxx and FamilyFluxx respectively. They have also given away promo cards for Christmas and in High Times Magazine. Mad Lab Rabbits, voluntary scouts for Looney Labs, give away promo cards to people interested in the game.
In addition, there are certain cards that can only be obtained by purchasing other items, such as the above-mentioned "Flowers" card in the FLUXX & FLOWERS set, or the "Pandora's Box" card availalbe with the PANDORA'S FLUXX BOXX card storage cases.
Recently, Looney Labs has made many of these Promotional & Exclusive Cards available for individual sale (those that aren't out of print). The list of available cards can be found here.
[edit] History
Fluxx was created by Andrew Looney and first published by Looney Labs in 1996. The game was successful and was licensed a year later to Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) for wider distribution. ICE went bankrupt two years later and Looney Labs has resumed publication and distribution. Looney Labs produced a revised version of the original game in 2002. Amigo Spiele, a German game company, licensed a German language version of Fluxx in 2003. Similarly, Hobby Japan licensed a Japanese language version in 2005.
In 2003, Looney Labs produced a new version of the game called Stoner Fluxx, which had the same rules as the original but with a marijuana-based theme. The card backs on the game list it as "Stoner Fluxx" to differentiate it from the rest of the Fluxx variants they market (although functionally, the game could be combined with any of the other variants, see note on "Mega-Fluxx" in Versions above). The company donates a portion of the sales to groups advocating marijuana legalization (almost $15,000 to date). Surprisingly, even though there was no significant controversy over the game, the company has decided on some changes for the release of the game's second printing (see Versions 1 above).
