By Rick Teverbaugh, Herald Bulletin Sports Editor
ANDERSON -- It only takes a look at the meaning of the word from which the game of "Fluxx" takes its name to find out what this non-collectible card game is all about. One dictionary defines flux as: “continuous change, passage, or movement.”
That’s what this game is about. "Fluxx" is all about change. The rules change as you play. Included in those changes are things like the number of cards drawn, the number of cards in a player's hand, how many cards a player can play and even the goal that will lead to victory.
But if this sounds confusing, actually nothing could be farther from the truth. That’s the beauty of this design from creator Andrew Looney, who is also the founder and owner of the company that produces "Fluxx," Looney Labs. The entire rulebook for "Fluxx" could be printed on a couple of index cards, were the company inclined to produce it that way.
The basic rules in force when the game begins are to draw one card off the top of a community deck and then play one card from a hand of cards. But in the deck there are cards that when drawn and played change those rules.
Those cards are played in the middle of the table, making it easy at a glance to see which rules are current.
Then there are Keeper cards. These are the cards played from the hand that the players put in front of them. For instance, two of the Keepers in the 4.0 version of the game are the Rocket and the Brain. There is no limit to the number of Keepers a player can have in front of them.
There are also Goal cards. There is just one of these in play at a time.
So when a player puts one down out of his or her hand, the old Goal card is discarded. Going back to the above example of Keepers, there is a Goal card called Rocket Science. Any time that Goal is active, a player who has both the Rocket and the Brain Keepers in front of them that player would immediately win the game.
Another type of card is Creepers. "Fluxx" was originally published in 1997.
At that time, Creepers weren’t a part of the game. It was an innovation developed later for a different version of the game and eventually was included in the current version of "Fluxx." Creepers are bad for the person who played them. They usually prevent the person who has the card from winning unless a specific Goal card permits it.
Finally there are Action cards. They will do something specific. For instance, one Action card says to draw three cards and play two of them.
This can be a good thing and will be most of the time. But if a player has one Keeper that matches one of the cards needed for the current Goal and draws two new Goal cards with that Action, then he must play one of those Goal cards. That move could hamper his chances of winning and help someone else.
"Fluxx" can be played by as few as two players and by as many as six. All of those configurations are enjoyable. The lower number is more strategic because there is less that happens in the game between the opportunities for each player to play cards. The higher number of players creates a more chaotic and unpredictable game. For most of the "Fluxx" versions, the recommended starting age is 8. Game time can be as little as five minutes but games can also run as long as 40 minutes.
Over the years there have many different theme versions of the game published.
The most current version of the basic game is "Fluxx 4.0." This is probably the best place for new players to start. There are 100 cards in the box and it sells for $16.
Also being offered in this game line are: "Martian Fluxx," "Zombie Fluxx," "Monty Python Fluxx" and "Eco Fluxx." There’s even a "Family Fluxx." This edition sells for $8, contains 56 cards and can probably be played by kids as young as 6 years old. Some of the more complex rule cards have been removed from the game. It is the perfect way to get young players into the game.
Looney Labs has recently started a more adult branch of their game company called Fully Baked Ideas. The first offering of that line is "Stoner Fluxx," which takes a bit of a whimsical look at the marijuana culture while keeping true to the spirit and most of the rules of the original game.
This is quite an enjoyable game that the entire family can enjoy without investing a lot of money or a lot of time. Looney Labs has also produced several other innovative games that will be covered in future articles here.
"Fluxx" is carried in most hobby gaming stores. It is also available directly from Looney Labs. The website is: www.looneylabs.com. The other website is: www.fully-baked-ideas.com.
