Off the Grid reviews Fluxx
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Apr 19th 2007 at 3:30PM }
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor.
Rules are awesome. If you're a fan of games, this is an inescapable truth for you. Every game you play is comprised of a set of rules, ranging from elementary to near-incomprehensible. If it's a digital game, the rules are there; you just can't see most of them. If it's an analog game, though, it becomes your job as a player to know the rules. How else are you supposed to play?
Certain clever game designers have recognized the sheer importance of rules in game design, and have even recognized design itself as a sort of game. The result is games that are about rules – games that make and break their own rules as they're played. The most well-known of these rule-based games is Richard Garfield's Magic: The Gathering. But we're not dealing with that right now.
The most accessible of these rule-based games, however, is a little family game called Fluxx, designed by self-proclaimed hippy Andy Looney over at Looney Labs.
In Fluxx, the object of the game is to win. How you win, however, is in a constant state of, well, flux. At the start of the game, each player is dealt three cards, and a starter rule for the game placed on the table. This rule is always the same: during a player's turn he/she draws one card, and plays one card.
Players can use the cards in the game to create new objectives - called Goals - and create new rules for drawing and playing cards. The majority of Goal cards in the game involve special cards called Keepers, which players collect and play in front of them. A Goal might state that the player with both the Milk and the Cookie Keeper cards wins, or the player with both the War and Death cards wins. Winning Fluxx is a matter of timing - making sure you have the right Keepers at the right time, and being careful not to play a Goal which helps out one of your opponents.
Because of the game's unpredictability, it's just as likely that a game will take 2 minutes to play as it is that it'll take 30. Having nothing to do with skill, a player dealt the right cards at the right time can win the game in a single turn. That's not to say that the game is without strategy. A clever player can change the rules to his advantage, and hold off playing certain cards until the time is right. Still, the game can end quickly and unexpectedly, making for some pretty anti-climactic experiences.
That's why Fluxx is marketed as a family game. It's fun to play, but sometimes your 8-year-old nephew is going to beat you. When that happens, just smile and let him enjoy it; you can still kick his ass in Magic.
Scott Jon Siegel is a fledgling game designer, and fancies himself a bit of a writer on the topic as well. His words and games can be found at numberless, which is almost always a work in progress.
Rules are awesome. If you're a fan of games, this is an inescapable truth for you. Every game you play is comprised of a set of rules, ranging from elementary to near-incomprehensible. If it's a digital game, the rules are there; you just can't see most of them. If it's an analog game, though, it becomes your job as a player to know the rules. How else are you supposed to play?Certain clever game designers have recognized the sheer importance of rules in game design, and have even recognized design itself as a sort of game. The result is games that are about rules – games that make and break their own rules as they're played. The most well-known of these rule-based games is Richard Garfield's Magic: The Gathering. But we're not dealing with that right now.
The most accessible of these rule-based games, however, is a little family game called Fluxx, designed by self-proclaimed hippy Andy Looney over at Looney Labs.
In Fluxx, the object of the game is to win. How you win, however, is in a constant state of, well, flux. At the start of the game, each player is dealt three cards, and a starter rule for the game placed on the table. This rule is always the same: during a player's turn he/she draws one card, and plays one card.
Players can use the cards in the game to create new objectives - called Goals - and create new rules for drawing and playing cards. The majority of Goal cards in the game involve special cards called Keepers, which players collect and play in front of them. A Goal might state that the player with both the Milk and the Cookie Keeper cards wins, or the player with both the War and Death cards wins. Winning Fluxx is a matter of timing - making sure you have the right Keepers at the right time, and being careful not to play a Goal which helps out one of your opponents.Because of the game's unpredictability, it's just as likely that a game will take 2 minutes to play as it is that it'll take 30. Having nothing to do with skill, a player dealt the right cards at the right time can win the game in a single turn. That's not to say that the game is without strategy. A clever player can change the rules to his advantage, and hold off playing certain cards until the time is right. Still, the game can end quickly and unexpectedly, making for some pretty anti-climactic experiences.
That's why Fluxx is marketed as a family game. It's fun to play, but sometimes your 8-year-old nephew is going to beat you. When that happens, just smile and let him enjoy it; you can still kick his ass in Magic.
Scott Jon Siegel is a fledgling game designer, and fancies himself a bit of a writer on the topic as well. His words and games can be found at numberless, which is almost always a work in progress.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Game Artist @ Apr 19th 2007 3:48PM
Man, I hate that game. Way to much randomness in the game. Almost impossible to plan anything.
Daniel @ Apr 19th 2007 3:54PM
You can actually play this online at ccgworkshop.com
It's pretty fun.
Blazur @ Apr 19th 2007 4:05PM
I absolutely despise this game. I'd like to punch the injut who developed it.
avoid fluxx at all costs @ Apr 19th 2007 4:23PM
This game is dire. Do not listen to anyone who recommends it. If you must play, be sure you're playing with people you like to be with, because that's the only thing that'll save the experience.
Ugh.
Ghede @ Apr 19th 2007 4:16PM
Seems to me, this is a more structured version of 1000 blank cards. Do a search on wikipedia, if you don't know what that is.
Jonathan Tran @ Apr 19th 2007 4:16PM
The best part of the game was that every box came with 2 blank cards. You could make your own goals or keepers or whatever.
We always made ones like "Counterspell" to be ridiculous, or a rule like "Anyone who coughs owes Jon $10"
jesus torres @ Apr 19th 2007 4:19PM
This game is ridiculously fun. I got a pack for Christmas and had a blast with my family. It's incredibly easy to play. If you enjoy simple stuff like Uno, you won't be disappointed.
I don't know what's going on with all the hate. It's fun, inexpensive, and insanely replayable. There are also variants (Stoner Fluxx, anyone?), expansions, and special promo cards available at the company's site.
patrick obrien @ Apr 19th 2007 4:24PM
This game is dire. Do not listen to anyone who
recommends it. If you
must play, be sure you're playing with people you like to be with,
because that's the only thing that'll save the experience. Ugh.
snowy @ Apr 19th 2007 7:08PM
anyone that doesnt like this game is a commie. its fantastic
Nekura @ Apr 19th 2007 4:37PM
Fluxx is actually a great way to teach kids how to "punt" in their daily lives. The rules and your goals have changes, so take stock of what you do have and regroup.
What I love most about this game is how customizable it is. You can buy "Fluxx Blanxx" packs which contain blank cards of each type (Goals, Keepers, etc.) and then make your own cards. Carry a pack and a Sharpie in your game bag and, when you're playing with new people, ask them to make a card for your deck. It will become a reminder of all those whom you've played with and a great conversation piece.
Parabolic @ Apr 19th 2007 4:32PM
I love this game. It's just tons of fun. Stoner Fluxx is a lot of fun too, if you're in to that sort of thing. The best, though, is that you can combine the two decks and play Mega Fluxx!!
hvnlysoldr @ Apr 19th 2007 4:44PM
Buy cards to make it better? Dag nabbit I just want to play the game. Now I got to go buy more cards or I'm not hip anymore. What new expansion? I got to buy new cards and re-strategize my deck and everything. It'll never end with the microtransactions.
HardwareGuy @ Apr 19th 2007 5:41PM
I have many happy highschool memories playing Fluxx and Lunch Money with my friends at lunch time. Great game!
Feral @ Apr 19th 2007 6:01PM
Fluxx has a lot more strategy than people give it credit for. Yeah, lucky breaks can win single hands but it's kind of like poker in that the strategy starts to become apparent when you play multiple games in a row. And there's no reason a single game should last 30 minutes as the review claims assuming you're playing with adults who are relatively familiar with the cards. 10 minutes is a lot more reasonable.
Edge of Blade @ Apr 19th 2007 11:16PM
This game is an amazing party game! This should be placed right next to Uno on XBLA. In fact, I think I might go code this when I have some free time. I'll take recommendations for themes. I already have a stoner version.
Game Artist @ Apr 19th 2007 11:49PM
As a friend of mine put it "Its like rolling dice, only longer." Too true.
StalkerB @ Apr 20th 2007 10:27AM
This might do for a gamble on who has to do the dishes if it's mostly luck based. Not sure I'm keen on games that don't rely a bit more heavily on strategy or at least don't involve a wager on :p Might try gambling on it for my blog.
gamesbook @ May 1st 2007 11:25AM
No, this is NOT the world's most advanced strategy game; but its great to play with non-gamers (kids and adults alike) and especially so in 'casual' gaming situations e.g. camps or at the coffee house.
Lord Alberonn @ May 2nd 2007 9:52PM
I don't know why any of you guys hate it. Have you even played this game?
Tjis is my favorite card game. It simple to get into, very acessable to newbies and a lot of fun. It can also get pretty crazy. This has been fun to play with all sorts of people, from my mother-in-law to my friends.
I have been collecting different variants such as: Stoner Fluxx (temporairly out of print,) Family Fluxx (good when you're too baked for the other versions,) Eco Fluxx, and Fluxx 3.0. The different versions have different card mixes that give each one a different flavor. You can mix the different sets together, but I have found that this can bog the game down. I also have several promo cards as well. These can be fun, but are purely optional. Not having them doesn't hurt the gameplay at all. Having them just adds a little spice to the game.
There is a new version of Fluxx in the works, Zombie Fluxx. Check out Andy Looney's YouTube video sneak peek at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKh09l1LMZs . It look like it's gonna be a blast.