Fluxx is a card game produced by Looney Labs, suitable for all ages, for 2 to 6 players. Describing the rules is difficult, since they are constantly changing¹. Games can be over as quickly as a few minutes, or take half an hour or more.

Card Types

In Fluxx, different cards have different functions, and are played in different ways. To aid recognition, each card is marked with a coloured stripe down one side. In addition, the 'Basic Rules' and 'Meta Rules' cards have white backs, rather than the black backs of the rest of the deck.

Basic Rules

The Basic Rules card is never played, as such. At the start of the game it should be placed in the centre of the table, to serve as a reminder of the default rules. If another card is played to alter the default state, the new card can be placed to cover the portion of the Basic Rules card which is no longer relevant.

Keepers

Keeper cards are the mainstay of Fluxx, denoted by the green stripe along the side. In order to win the game, you need to have the right combination of Keepers in play. When played, Keepers are placed face up in front of the player who played it. There can be a limit to the number of keepers that a player may have in play at a time - at the end of your turn, you may need to discard one or more Keepers to comply with this limit.

Creepers

Creepers, denoted by a black stripe, are usually not a good thing to have, as they tend to prevent you from winning. Any time you have a Creeper card, it must be played in front of you instantly, in the same way as a Keeper. This does not constitute a 'play', and another card must be drawn from the deck to replace it. Clearly, this could result in a player drawing several Creepers in succession...

Goals

As the name suggests, Goal cards show the current set of conditions needed for a player to win the game. Usually this will be a particular pair of Keeper cards, although some Goals require possession of a Creeper. Goal cards have a magenta stripe.

Since the game starts without a Goal card in play, no-one can win until one is played. It often pays to take note of which Keepers other players have before choosing a Goal to play.

Under normal play, only one Goal card may be in play at any time - all players are aiming to meet the same Goal. However, the New Rule card 'Double Agenda' allows two Goals to be in play. A player needs only to meet the conditions of one of them in order to win.

New Rules

Yellow striped New Rule cards are what keeps the game changing. When played, a New Rule card should be placed in the centre of the table, visible to all players. Some rules place a limit on how many Keepers a player may have in play, or how many cards may be in your hand. Others affect the gameplay: how many cards may be drawn; how many cards may be played; allowing bonus cards to be drawn or played if certain conditions are met.

Any number of New Rules may be in play at any one time; however if a New Rule being played contradicts one already in force, the old one is discarded. For example, if 'Draw 3' is in play, and a player plays 'Draw 2', 'Draw 3' gets discarded. New Rules take effect immediately, so careful planning may be required for a player to use their cards to maximum effect. This may mean that the current player has to draw or play extra cards right away, so it is worth keeping count of how many cards have been drawn and played.

Actions

Action cards, with a cyan stripe, are single-use cards. A player simply follows the instructions on the card, and places it on the discard pile. Sometimes Actions will have no effect at all; other Actions may cause mayhem! Anything that happens as the result of an Action card is considered to be part of the same 'play', so does not count towards the limit.

Surprises

Later variants of Fluxx contain Surprise cards (purple stripe). These are the only cards that may be played out of turn, in order to cancel one of the four main card types (Keeper, Goal, New Rule, Action) as it is played. Surprises can be used to prevent a player winning - as the Surprise cards say, their effect is such that it is as if the original card was never played.

Meta Rules

Orange striped Meta Rules cards affect gameplay in a similar way to New Rules. However, they can only be played at the very start of a game, if all players agree. Unlike New Rules, they cannot be removed or discarded until someone wins.

Different variants of Fluxx have different Meta Rule cards - only one per deck. Some do not have a Meta Rule card at all, although there is nothing to prevent you using a Meta Rule from one version of Fluxx in a different version.

Gameplay

Nothing could be simpler² than playing Fluxx, as all of the rules in force are visible on the table. All you have to do is follow the instructions.

To start the game, each player is dealt three cards. There is no set way to decide who goes first - it's down to whoever wants to go first, and says so first!

For each turn, a player will draw the required number of cards, play the required number of cards, then discard keepers/cards from your hand to comply with any limits in force. Note that you must play the required number of cards - so you could be forced to make someone else win.

If you run out of cards to draw, simply shuffle the discard pile to make a new draw pile, and keep playing!

Unusually, Fluxx allows players to join a game at any time, simply by being dealt three cards.

Different Flavours

Versions of Fluxx have been produced with a variety of themes. While mixing different versions of the game is certainly possible, since the gameplay is identical, Goals and Keepers are specific to each version. Mixing them together will only serve to dilute the mix, leading to games (in general) lasting longer.

At the time of writing, the following versions of Fluxx are available:

• Original Fluxx
• EcoFluxx (featuring a 'Nature' theme
• Family Fluxx
• Zombie Fluxx
• Monty Python Fluxx
• Martian Fluxx
• Pirate Fluxx
• Star Fluxx

In addition to these, a version called 'Stoner Fluxx' was produced in 2003, with a marijuana-based theme. A proportion of the profit from this version of the game was donated to group advocating the legalisation of marijuana.