C Paget
Canada
Toronto
ON
...
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Fluxx is a game that I’ve had for a while, and although I’m not too fond of it – I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of my well-worn copy.
I also have this odd memory from high school playing Fluxx with card called “stealth mode” where everyone had to speak in whispers and pull their heads into their shirts like a turtle. But I can’t find any evidence of a Fluxx version that includes this feature, so my memory and the truth may not be aligned...
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Value: Is it worth the price?
7
Fluxx is a cheap game, in Canada it’s less than $15 including tax. But it isn’t a great game...
I think about it in terms of the gimmick: Fluxx is a card game where the rules are constantly changing, and that is what you’re buying. If you’re interested in such a novelty game, then it’s worth the money; if you’re interested in quality game play, then you will be disappointed.
Variety: Is each play different?
5
Technically there is a lot of variation because the game is premised on constantly having the rules change. But in practice, games always feel the same: the rules change and change and change, but without really affecting your gameplay.
The most variable element, in my experience, is the game length: some games will last less than five minutes, while others will go on for an interminable amount of time.
Replayability: Can you play again & again?
3
All true gamers will get sick of Fluxx fast, while casual gamers enamoured with the gimmick will take longer to get sick of the game: but everyone will get sick of it.
I consider Fluxx to be a “small dose” game, it’s good in short bursts that don’t happen too often.
Slow to Master: Experience to move beyond rules?
1
All player should grasp all possible strategies after a single play (at most).
Strategic Depth: Opportunity for decision-making?
2
Not a lot of room for strategy, although there are a few strategies available to increase your odds of winning. However, the “strategy” is highly weighted towards short-term tactics as the constant rule and goal changes make long-term planning pretty much useless.
Fluxx is really a brainless filler, more about going through the motions and “experiencing” the game than about planning and executing strategies.
Player Interaction: Contact between players?
8
Almost all cards affect the other players: goals change the winning conditions, rules change the rules of the game, actions usually involve interaction, and keepers indirectly affect other players because they relate to the winning conditions. Many of the cards are also direct conflict cards, with stealing keepers or playing your first card randomly etc.
But the game still isn’t cutthroat: it often has a tiny multiplayer-solitaire feel to it, which is odd.
Fun: An enjoyable experience?
6
Overall, I would say that Fluxx is a fun little game. The exception is when the game drags on with no end in sight.
At the same time, you have to be in the right mood to enjoy a game of Fluxx: ready to just go with the flow and not stress over the game. Maybe even the right mood to chat while playing, so that you aren’t spending all your brain energy on the game...
Luck-Free: Is winning independent of luck?
2
Luck is the most important element for winning. Most games are won accidentally: when the right goal is played just before your turn and you can just put down a single keeper to win. It’s also not uncommon for winning to happen completely out of turn, when someone is forced to play a goal card which causes someone else to win. Oops!
As I mentioned before, you can strategize a little to increase your odds of winning, but it still comes down to luck.
Theme Fit: Does it match the theme?
7
At first I was tempted to call this an abstract game, but after some deeper thought I decided that it’s theme is change itself (hence the name “Fluxx”). And in that regard, the theme and the mechanic are fit very well together. But at the same time, it still is a little abstracted which is why it’s easy for Looney Labs to continually republish the game with new themes. Change around the Goals and Keepers, and maybe some of the other cards and you can have: EcoFluxx, Family Fluxx, Martian Fluxx, Monty Python Fluxx, Pirate Fluxx, Zombie Fluxx, etc...
Gateway: Is it good with non-gamers?
3
Fluxx seems like it should be an excellent gateway game: it has a strong luck element (allowing newbies to win), is light, is short, and has a gimmick.
But I’ve found that it falls flat with most non-gamers because it’s too complicated for what it is. Most non-gamers get confused by all the rule changing, and the randomness, and they don’t get the “point” of the game. To be a gateway game, Fluxx needs to have an easily grasped mechanism so that you can explain how to win, which it lacks.
Rules A-OK: Confirming it isn’t broken?
10
The rules are fine, no changes needed to make the game work.
It just isn’t a very good game.
Teachable : Is it easy to teach?
8
Not bad for teaching, as long as your group in comfortable with reading each card to see what it does. But part of the explanation must be the fact that Fluxx is very random, so that players aren’t expecting something else.
Least Text etc: Minimal Reading/Symbology?
2
Fluxx is very reading heavy. For starters, you need to be reading each card that comes into your hand and each card that is played. But more importantly, you have to keep track of what the current rules are, and this can get complicated fast.
Short Set-Up: Does it set-up quickly?
9
Set-up is very fast: pull out the starting card, shuffle, deal and play.
Components: Are the bits high quality?
6
The Fluxx cards are of average quality. They do show wear, but after a reasonable amount of play. The text is clear for reading. The art is simplistic, but it fits the game’s feel, so no complaints.
Bottom Line
I mildly recommend Fluxx, but only for a very specific niche.
Fluxx is very wacky. It’s good for a group of casual players looking for a random experience to fill time, and it also lends itself well to adding new players mid-game. It’s also good if you want to play a game, but don’t mind having the game ignored if the conversation gets good.
If you’re playing with non-gamers, play something else. If you’re playing with true gamers, play something else. In general, you’ll probably want to play something else.
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Russ Williams
Poland
Wrocław
Dolny Śląsk
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The rational part of my mind agrees with most of the conventional wisdom on Fluxx as expressed in your review, and yet on some goofy strange whim I bought Fluxx in a game store a week or so ago despite it not being the kind of game I normally play (pure abstract strategy, euros, wargames, ...), plus my wife is my primary playing partner and she normally says she hates card games and hates games with lots of randomness.
So oddly, we've been having great fun with Fluxx, playing 21 times already (about 3 a day)!
So much so that she immediately proposed it be our July tournament game (we've been doing monthly tournaments for several years), so for July we're playing a "tournament" game of Fluxx each day... so we'll see whether we really get sick of it or not after a month... 
(And somehow Anna has won all 5 days of the month so far...)
We also taught Fluxx to her mom last night (our first multiplayer session); she liked it and wanted to play 3 games (and we each won once).
A silly game indeed, but I guess Fluxx has some kind of changing magic about it: it changed my assumptions about Fluxx.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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My wife and I have only played a couple of times but enjoy it. I also bought copies for my sons. You are certainly correct - it is whacky. Thanks for your take on this game.
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Steve Duff
Canada
Ottawa
Ontario
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Gateway, Luck, Slow to Master, and Replayability scores are all too low.
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Jim McMahon
United States
West Springfield
Massachusetts
Lookee what he can do! He wants a job!
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tathta wrote: All true gamers will get sick of Fluxx fast, while casual gamers enamoured with the gimmick will take longer to get sick of the game: but everyone will get sick of it.
I've had, and have played, Fluxx since the first printing was released. While it is certainly not my favorite game, I'll never turn it down if someone wants to play, and I'll often suggest it with the right group of people. So I'll have to disagree with your blanket statement that "everyone will get sick of it," not even taking into consideration your other (IMO false) statement that "all true gamers" (which I consider myself to be) "will get sick of Fluxx fast."
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Rick Teverbaugh
United States
Anderson
Indiana
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Much of this review is OK because it is opinion and everyon is entitled....
But statements about true gamers getting sick of it and everyone will eventually get sick of it are just ridiculous because of how blatantly false they are. first of all does the OP get to label those of us who have never gotten tired of Fluxx as "not true gamers?" I don't think he does. Also, how can the statement about everyone will will eventually get sick of it when the game continues to be so popular in new variations? Does he think only people who have never played but the new versions? It would seem so because everyone else would have already gotten sick of Fluxx by playing it and wouldn't want to buy the next one.
Fluxx is for particular tastes but I have about an 75 [percent success rate of having people to which I teach the game buy it and continue to want to play it through repeated playings.
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C Paget
Canada
Toronto
ON
...
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Based on the comments so far, it seems that my assessment of replayability isn't matching some others' experiences.
As I mentioned in my introduction, I've owned Fluxx for a while now. What I didn't say is that I've played it with a wide variety of people and in a wide variety of settings. Based on my past experiences, the replay value of Fluxx is very low because people get sick of it. "Getting sick of it" may take a few games, as long as it takes for the novelty to wear off the rule-changing gimmick. And now that I have other games to offer, there are never any requests to play Fluxx.
So my assessment was based on my experience.
However, I can recognize that Fluxx scratches a specific type of gaming itch, and that it can be a successful gaming experience based on what Russ called:
russ wrote: and yet on some goofy strange whim...
I agree with Russ' comment, which is why my review included a positive assessment of the game's Fun-ness, and also a mild recommendation for it in a casual setting.
Finally, I'm wary of responding to the comments made by jimmcmahon and rickert because it seems like they're looking to stir the pot a bit by focusing in on a blanket statement to the exclusion of the rest of the review.
Maybe I shouldn't have said something in an absolute manner (as it tends to be dangerous to express strong opinions in online communities), but also - I think it's very possible to enjoy a game while recognizing that it's a game best played in small doses.
So no, I did not intend that my words be turned around - I was never suggesting that people who like Fluxx are not "true gamers". Instead, I was trying to identify the groups of people that Fluxx is better or worse with. And I stand by my conclusion: Fluxx is best in a casual setting, when you're looking for something wacky and random.
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Rick Teverbaugh
United States
Anderson
Indiana
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If it was your conclusion that "true gamers" would be more likely to tire of it more quickly, I would have disagreed but probably not have commented. But when you wrote that everyone would get "sick" of it, that's the line you shouldn't have crossed and moved me to comment. You could have written that everyone in your gaming group got sick of it, but you didn't. My group is about 40 players and have only five of those who really have no desire to play and three or four who "always" suggest it and have for years. So there goes you're "everyone" statement out the window.
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Justin Jeffers
United States
Santa Rosa
California
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After never thinking I would buy or play Fluxx I got a copy of Martian Fluxx at deep discount and ended up really enjoying it.
My main complaint is actually with the price: $20 at my FLGS not including tax. Isn't that a bit steep for a game with basically two decks of bridge cards? It can be had for cheaper online, and that's where I plan to get future versions from.
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Seth Owen
United States
Norwich
Connecticut
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I agree with the gist of the review, except for the Gateway, Re playability and Fun ratings.
I've had a lot of success using it to break the ice with non gamers and inexperienced gamers. Everybody's naturally at sea for the first game, but by the second game everybody seems to "get it" and everybody's usually ready for a couple of more games before we move onto the evening's main course. I will agree that the game isn't meaty enough for the main evening's entertainment. but it's a great game to play while you're waiting for the latecomers. People can join in midgame and it doesn't last so long that you can't wrap it up quickly when the last person shows up.
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Jim McMahon
United States
West Springfield
Massachusetts
Lookee what he can do! He wants a job!
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tathta wrote: Finally, I'm wary of responding to the comments made by jimmcmahon and rickert because it seems like they're looking to stir the pot a bit by focusing in on a blanket statement to the exclusion of the rest of the review. I'm not looking to stir the pot, simply commenting on a portion of your review that I took exception to.
tathta wrote: Maybe I shouldn't have said something in an absolute manner (as it tends to be dangerous to express strong opinions in online communities), but also - I think it's very possible to enjoy a game while recognizing that it's a game best played in small doses.
So no, I did not intend that my words be turned around - I was never suggesting that people who like Fluxx are not "true gamers". Instead, I was trying to identify the groups of people that Fluxx is better or worse with. And I stand by my conclusion: Fluxx is best in a casual setting, when you're looking for something wacky and random. I agree with most of your review, but most strongly disagree with the words that you wrote. I didn't turn them around, I simply quoted them and responded to them.
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Jason Weed
United States
Memphis
Tennessee
how sweet the sound...
Fear The Hat !!!
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Personally, I was ok with the couple of games I've played, but agreed I wouldn't want to play very often, even for a filler. My last game was zombie fluxx and we got into the "someone win already" mode after it drug on a while.
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Catman SGA
United States
West Virginia
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I've found that Fluxx is a decent gateway game into the less mainstream board/card games. (Back to the Future got my usual group into it, and when I told them Fluxx was made by the same company, they tried it and loved it.) Also, I do disagree with the strategy rating. While yes, a lot of luck is involved, (just like ANY card game) how you play the cards you have, and the order you play them in can often be the difference between winning and losing.
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Ah, the boat has been missed here.
If you think there is no strategy to Fluxx, your brain needs more lateral space. Fluxx is all about probability management with a dose of humour.
Most players will absolutely NOT get all the strategies after one play.
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