Fluxx

Theme: Fluxx is a card game, unlike anything you have played before. While there is no central theme to tie things together I like to believe the theme of Fluxx is light-hearted fun. Each version has its own theme.

How to Win: There are several ‘Goal’ cards in Fluxx. The winner is whoever can complete the active goal.

Components: Nice quality cards with great artwork.

How to Play: Fluxx starts simple enough – Draw 1 card, Play 1 card. After that, it’s hard to say. The game of Fluxx can fluctuate depending on what cards are played. There are four types of cards:

Rule Cards – These can add or change the rules.

Goal Cards – When played, these change the goal of the game.  

Action Cards – When played, immediately take the action on the card.

Keepers – These cards are kept in front of the player and are typically needed to achieve the goals. 

If you were to play a ‘Rule’ card that allowed you to draw more cards or play extra cards, you would immediately do so. Play continues until one player can achieve the current goal. 

Thoughts: Fluxx is a riot to play. It is even more fun when you play with people who are very orderly and rules oriented. It’s great to watch their faces contort in confusion when they ask ‘how do I win?’ and I have to answer with ‘we don’t know that yet’. Games with two to three people can last anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes depending on how the cards fall. Beware, because the more people you add, the more time and potential burnout you are going to experience from other players, especially those not interested in the game to begin with. There is little strategy to Fluxx and only if you count trying to figure out what order to play your cards in as strategic thinking. 

Fluxx is not the penultimate card game, nor is the card game to end all card games. It is, however, it is a great icebreaker game that anyone can play, so long as you understand Draw 1 Card, then Play 1 Card. Of course, Fluxx can go off the rails quickly and if you know how to press your opponent’s buttons by playing every Rule card you get your hand on, you are in for a wild ride. There is one card that I love the most – Inflation – that increases the numerical value of every ‘number’ by one. For example, if you were playing with the basic rules (Draw 1/Play 1) it would become Draw 2/Play 2, except this applies to any other card played that contains a number. 

Overall, Fluxx is a game you pull out when you don’t have time to pull out a heavy, time-consuming game, but you still want to play something more enticing than Uno or Old Maid. It is best suited for those who can handle a little zaniness in their lives. While I don’t own any of the other editions of Fluxx, there are a ton of different varieties and I am sure they play the same basic way as mentioned above. Themes run from Batman Fluxx, Wizard of Oz Fluxx, Drinking Fluxx, Math Fluxx, Stoned Fluxx, and so on. My assumption is they have a Fluxx for everything and I hope I have a chance to try, at least, the Batman one if at all possible. So, go on and live a little. You make the rules and every time you play it will be a completely different game. 

[This post contains affiliate links, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I wouldn’t recommend a game I didn’t like or think you wouldn’t enjoy. Any games linked have been recommended to friends and family long before this blog.]