Nate Rethorn
United States
Toledo
Ohio
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...by admitting this, but I really enjoy Fluxx. I've owned this game for the better part of a decade and still haven't grown tired of the insanity and randomness. People who suggest that there's no strategy are mistaken. There is strategy involved; you want to maximize the odds of your hand winning when a new goal is laid while simultaneously making it more difficult for your opponents to get their desired combos. If you know the deck well, you can plan ahead one or two turns (unless people are drawing and playing large numbers of cards, in which case it's best if you just hang on for the ride). But if you can manage to lay a combo of something like "Draw 4/Play All/Rules Reset," you'll stand a much better chance of winning than the person next to you.
Fluxx isn't deep, and I understand how obsessive gamers can get frustrated with all of the rules changes. But I don't think that leveling a charge of "completely random" at Fluxx is justified. It may seem random to one player, but every person at the table is following an individual strategy. In Fluxx, however, those strategies often end up overturning yours. It's the nature of the game.
I wouldn't recommend it with more than five players because as more people join, the likelihood that someone will win quickly greatly diminishes. Players are more in control of their own fate with fewer opponents around the table, and Fluxx can really wear out its welcome around the half-hour mark. I once played a 10-person game at Origins; an hour and a half later no one had come close to winning. But for light, chaotic fun with small groups, Fluxx is highly recommended. Just be sure to stress the importance of multiple rules with new players; I've found that some people tend to become confused at having the rules changed on them every turn.
And special mention has to be made of the Fluxx Blanxx cards. If you want to make the game less random and more strategic, add your own rules! Or swing in the opposite direction and come up with the craziest, most insane action/rules cards you can think of. One of the best gaming experiences of my life was playing Fluxx at Origins with a group of six people and a Fluxx deck almost entirely made up of Blanxx. Imagine having to beg a kiss from a random stranger, serenade everyone at the table or play a side game of poker to win keepers. Your imagination is the limit, and nearly everyone I know has at least a few Blanxx cards thrown in the deck for extra fun.
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Joe Heaney
United States
Shoreview
MN
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I don't mind Martian Fluxx with two people who really know the deck well. It's a decent tactical game. Pirate Fluxx with 4 is the only other Fluxx I will play.
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Byron Olson
United States
Ramsey
Minnesota
Soiled Short (n): A short film, often a commercial or PSA, that has been riffed MST3K style. See soiledshortz on YouTube for more info.
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I enjoy Fluxx and Munchkin once in a while too. I have a pretty wide taste in games.
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I can top that:
It's thanks to Fluxx, that I found "my" boardgaming club - which I am member of since a decade now.
On a boardgaming fair I was introduced to this game by the girlfriend of the clubs president, loved it, joined them on a trip to a convention a week later and was hooked from there on...
So: I only turned into a BGG due to Fluxx - and love it therefore... 
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Fluxx was the reason I got onto BGG as well. I had a bunch of Fluxx Blanxx, and wanted ideas for what other people had done with theirs.
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William Norris
United States
Southbridge
Massachusetts
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I really like Fluxx as well. It is a great game to pull out and play a quick game. I have all of the versions and play whatever flavor strikes our mood at that time. Sometimes we play a few games of each flavor. I like to play it with the wife while watching TV. It's not the kind of game that requires full on attention. It's also VERY easy to teach someone for the first time, so it can be a great social game. We usually have alot of laughs with people who have never played before (even "non-gamers").
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Seth Owen
United States
Norwich
Connecticut
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I have found Fluxx to be a great break-the-ice game in gaming groups who aren't used to the more sophisticated games popular on BGG. (Yeah, I know that Fluxx isn't all that sophisticated, but if all you've played is Pictionary then ... .)
It is best with around 5 or 6 players. While more can play, like any game with a large number of players there's the problem of too much down time between moves if you push the numbers too far. On the other hand it's one of the few games where a late-comer can just jump right in, so it works well with a group that may have people trickling in.
I have most of the Fluxx versions so I usually rotate through my decks so the experience is fresh for each group.
There is, indeed, strategy, but it's hard to get too strategic, which I consider a feature, not a bug for an ice-breaker game. It's fairly common for a newbie to get lucky and win the game. Usually after the first game everybody wants to play a second game because they believe they now "get" the game and can play more strategically the second time around. The game plays quickly enough that this is usually possible.
While I've had a few games drag on a bit, this hasn't been a big problem, possibly because I play ringmaster and keep the game flowing by reminding new players as they go along what their options are given the current configuration of the rules (which can get pretty hard to follow if there's a lot of New Rule cards in play at the moment.)
I think Fluxx is a great game for what it is, a light multi-player game that's a notch above the usual 'family' fare that many people are used to. It has no player elimination, little direct player conflict and plenty of opportunity to provoke amusing table banter (especially the Monty Python, Pirate and Martian decks).
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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I've had games last 5 minutes and go so long we gave up.
Fluxx suxx
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Russ Williams
Poland
Wrocław
Dolny Śląsk
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Orangemoose wrote: I've had games last 5 minutes and go so long we gave up. Fluxx suxx
If you prefer a game to have low variation in its average length, then indeed Fluxx does not meet that criterion.
Personally I'm not bothered by that. Many diverse games (including light games and serious games) can end quickly or last a long time, depending on what happens in them.
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Daniel W.
United States
Portland
OR
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I tried a simple variant that I believe will help the detractors like the game. The variant is that whenever a new goal is played, it is played alongside any existing goals rather than replace the single goal out there. Then, you have a set number of goals that must be reached to win the game. It seems to address the main complaints, but of course, those already fans will already be fine with the standard gameplay.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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russ wrote: Orangemoose wrote: I've had games last 5 minutes and go so long we gave up. Fluxx suxx If you prefer a game to have low variation in its average length, then indeed Fluxx does not meet that criterion. Personally I'm not bothered by that. Many diverse games (including light games and serious games) can end quickly or last a long time, depending on what happens in them.
I agree with you and I know the Fluxx games are popular. We gave it a good try but it just drove us nuts.
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Chris Wood
United States
Wheaton
Illinois
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To me, Monty Python Fluxx is a perfect marriage between mechanics and theme
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JonnyRotten
United States
Montpelier
Ohio
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Quote: And special mention has to be made of the Fluxx Blanxx cards. If you want to make the game less random and more strategic, add your own rules!
I hope you enjoy the "Play 0" and "Draw 0" cards I slip into your deck the next time I'm at your place.
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King of All Simians — Not a Mere Diplomat
United States
Wilmington
North Carolina
Listen, this is no set of rules. I'm not tellin' you what to do, all I'm saying is I'm bringin' up three things that are, like, so important to the whole world, I don't happen to find much importance in.
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Myoman wrote: To me, Monty Python Fluxx is a perfect marriage between mechanics and theme
Stoner Fluxx is even better. That sounds like a dis, and I'll admit that it could be taken in a backhanded way, but I've only ever played the stoner version of Fluxx, I played it as intended (*ahem*), and I thought it was a perfect marriage of theme, mechanics, and activity. I've since relinquished my glassware and my copy of Stoner Fluxx, and I just can't imagine playing it sober.
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Give Me Gas In My Ford
United States
Elkhart
Indiana
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We hate on Fluxx around here (and that includes me), but I'm pretty sure that anybody who designs any game would be very very very very happy to sell as many copies of his game as Fluxx and all its spinoffs have sold.
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Viranga Ratnaike
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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I like Fluxx as well. It also has the distinction of being the only game that my sister was persuaded to play. She's usually quite clear that she's not interested in playing games. The icing on the cake was that she enjoyed it. So by this measure, Fluxx is the best game in the world
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