Fluxx Review by cdwalkley
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Fluxx is a crazy card game by Looney Labs in which the rules change as the game progesses and players attempt to get the right cards to meet the current goal (which also changes!) and secure victory.
If this sounds in the least bit complicated, well, it isn't! Things start of easilly enough, with the only rule at the beginning of the game being that players must draw a card, then play a card. Card play involves either putting a card into play on the table or playing it for a one off effect then discarding it. The cards themselves come in four 'flavours': New rules augment the current ones, for example by allowing players to draw or play more cards in a turn, or limiting the number of cards which may be held. Action cards are used once for an effect and then discarded. Effects include stealing or removing cards from play, drawing and playing additional cards, changing the order of play, or redistributing cartain cards. Goal and Keeper cards are what determine victory. Each goal has two keepers associated with it e.g 'Rocket Science' needs the Keepers 'Rocket' and 'Brain'. If a player manages to play both those keepers in front of them while the right goal is on the table, they win.
Because of the constant play and discard of cards from the game, it is often next to useless to plan any kind of strategy. Even if you try to hoard winning cards until they can be all played together a single action which makes you discard or swap your hand will ruin the plan. This is a problem coumpounded by the fact that it is often not possible to guess at what a player may do next. But, that said, it is a fun light game, not a competetor for the Spiel Des Jahres award.
Although the box suggests it can be played by 2-6 players, in reality the game can handle as many players as can be resonably dealt into a round. Of course, this does accentuate the randomness of play as, once you have had your turn, you have to wait for everyone else before you can go again. This is not a problem in games where the rules don't change from turn to turn, but in Fluxx it makes trying to plan ahead a fruitless exercise.
So strangely, it is one of the few games which is much better with less players. When two or three are playing the game moves at a brisk pace and is often over in minutes. With a greater number of players, victory becomes more luck dependent and the game can last over half an hour, which is far too long for something not relying on strategy.
Essentially as a game you can take it or leave it, but the charm of Fluxx lies in its sillyness and novelty of the rules always changing. As such it makes for a nice diversion from more serious games and a perfectly good way to kill a bit of spare time
Summary
Presentation: 84 cards in a tuck box. The cards are fairly durable with clear colour coding and instructions on them. 7.4/10
Clarity of Rules: The core rules really could not be much simpler and the tiny rules sheet is very easy to follow. 9.6/10
Game Length: Varies depending on the number of players, but generally a round will last no more than 15 mins, which is fine. Any longer and the game will drag. 8.7/10
Value: Price may seem a bit steep for a box of cards, but it is one of those games which is perfect for filling a spare moment, and great for introducing unusual games to non-gamers. 8.3/10
Overall: A fun, light game which should not be taken too seriously. Amost perfect as a filler, but look elsewhere for depth and strategy. 7.6/10 (not an average)
Review by Chris Walkley
Fluxx is a crazy card game by Looney Labs in which the rules change as the game progesses and players attempt to get the right cards to meet the current goal (which also changes!) and secure victory.
If this sounds in the least bit complicated, well, it isn't! Things start of easilly enough, with the only rule at the beginning of the game being that players must draw a card, then play a card. Card play involves either putting a card into play on the table or playing it for a one off effect then discarding it. The cards themselves come in four 'flavours': New rules augment the current ones, for example by allowing players to draw or play more cards in a turn, or limiting the number of cards which may be held. Action cards are used once for an effect and then discarded. Effects include stealing or removing cards from play, drawing and playing additional cards, changing the order of play, or redistributing cartain cards. Goal and Keeper cards are what determine victory. Each goal has two keepers associated with it e.g 'Rocket Science' needs the Keepers 'Rocket' and 'Brain'. If a player manages to play both those keepers in front of them while the right goal is on the table, they win.
Because of the constant play and discard of cards from the game, it is often next to useless to plan any kind of strategy. Even if you try to hoard winning cards until they can be all played together a single action which makes you discard or swap your hand will ruin the plan. This is a problem coumpounded by the fact that it is often not possible to guess at what a player may do next. But, that said, it is a fun light game, not a competetor for the Spiel Des Jahres award.
Although the box suggests it can be played by 2-6 players, in reality the game can handle as many players as can be resonably dealt into a round. Of course, this does accentuate the randomness of play as, once you have had your turn, you have to wait for everyone else before you can go again. This is not a problem in games where the rules don't change from turn to turn, but in Fluxx it makes trying to plan ahead a fruitless exercise.
So strangely, it is one of the few games which is much better with less players. When two or three are playing the game moves at a brisk pace and is often over in minutes. With a greater number of players, victory becomes more luck dependent and the game can last over half an hour, which is far too long for something not relying on strategy.
Essentially as a game you can take it or leave it, but the charm of Fluxx lies in its sillyness and novelty of the rules always changing. As such it makes for a nice diversion from more serious games and a perfectly good way to kill a bit of spare time
Summary
Presentation: 84 cards in a tuck box. The cards are fairly durable with clear colour coding and instructions on them. 7.4/10
Clarity of Rules: The core rules really could not be much simpler and the tiny rules sheet is very easy to follow. 9.6/10
Game Length: Varies depending on the number of players, but generally a round will last no more than 15 mins, which is fine. Any longer and the game will drag. 8.7/10
Value: Price may seem a bit steep for a box of cards, but it is one of those games which is perfect for filling a spare moment, and great for introducing unusual games to non-gamers. 8.3/10
Overall: A fun, light game which should not be taken too seriously. Amost perfect as a filler, but look elsewhere for depth and strategy. 7.6/10 (not an average)
Review by Chris Walkley
posted by Chris Walkley at 1:05 PM
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