Fluxx Rules

OVERVIEW

Fluxx is an easy game to learn because it starts out simple—Draw 1, Play 1—and becomes more complicated little by little. Many folks find that the best way to learn is by jumping right into a game, but that usually works best if at least one player in the group has played a Fluxx game before. So, if this is the first time for everyone, someone in the group needs to read these rules. But don’t worry, after you’ve played the game a few times, everyone will understand!

SETUP

Place the Basic Rules card in the center of the table. Shuffle the deck and deal three cards to each player. Place the remainder of the deck face down next to the Basic Rules to form a Draw pile. At the beginning of the game, there will be no Goal or New Rule cards in play yet.

GOING FIRST

There is no rule for who gets to go first. You decide!

HOW TO PLAY

Fluxx is a game about change, so it’s a game that changes as you play it. It begins with just a couple of very simple rules, and becomes more complex as additional rules are added via special cards called New Rules. Start by following the Basic Rules (draw one card & play one card), and adapt to all additional New Rules as they are played. Players take turns, going clockwise around the table, drawing and playing the indicated number of cards until someone meets the current Goal condition.

On your turn

1) Draw the number of cards currently required.

2) Play the number of cards currently required.

3) Discard down to the current Hand Limit (if any).

4) Comply with the current Keeper Limit (if any).

Optional actions, allowed by New Rules, Keepers, etc., may be performed at any point during this sequence.

When playing a card, you may choose any card in your hand. If you aren’t sure how a card works, try reading the full text aloud as you play it.

CARD TYPES

BASIC RULES: This is the starting point – the foundation on which the rest of the game is built. These initial rules will be superseded by New Rules during the course of play, but this card should remain on the table at all times. The Basic Rules are: Draw 1 card per turn and Play 1 card per turn (with no other restrictions such as Hand or Keeper Limits).

NEW RULE: To play a New Rule place it face up near the Basic Rules. If it contradicts a New Rule already in play, discard the old rule. New Rules take effect instantly, so all players must immediately follow the New Rule as required. This will often cause the player whose turn it is to draw or play additional cards right away, or it may cause other players to immediately discard some of their cards

Examples: After drawing 1 card, you play the Draw 4 New Rule. Now the rules require you to Draw 4 cards on each turn, but since you only took 1 card before, you must immediately draw 3 more cards. The next player draws 4 cards. He plays the Draw 2 which changes the rules again, but he draws no more, having already gotten (at least) 2 cards. Since Draw 2 contradicts Draw 4, the Draw 4 is discarded.

GOAL: To play a Goal place it face up in the center of the table, discarding the previous Goal (if any). The game begins with no Goal in play, so no one can win until one is played. The Goal applies to everyone; as soon as someone meets these conditions, they win! (Even if it’s someone else’s turn!)

KEEPER: To play a Keeper take it out of your hand and place it on the table in front of you, face up. Most Goals require you to have a particular pair of Keepers, so playing a Keeper is always a good thing.

ACTION: Actions are used once and discarded. Just do whatever the card says, then place it on the Discard Pile. Actions can sometimes cause major chaos, and yet at other times, have no effect at all. Note that while some Actions may cause additional cards to be played, everything that happens as a result of an Action card is considered part of one “play.”

Examples: If you play the Action called Draw 2 and Use ‘em you will immediately draw two cards and play them both. If one of those cards is Draw 3, Play 2 of them you’d keep going, drawing three more cards, playing two cards and discarding the third. All of this activity would be counted as the playing of just one card.

WINNING

The game continues until someone meets the conditions of the current Goal. That player wins instantly, no matter whose turn it is!

NOTES

If the Draw pile runs out, shuffle the Discard pile, turn it over to make a new Draw pile, and keep playing. Whenever something mentions a card “in play”, this refers to a card that is face up on the table, but not in the discard pile

Regarding Discarding: Discarding a card is not the same as playing it. When a card is played all instructions on that card must be followed, if possible. You cannot simply discard unwanted cards; you can only discard if compelled to by a Hand Limit. (Yes, this means you could be forced to play a card that makes someone else win.

The game doesn’t end until there is a clear winner. If for some reason two or more players meet the winning conditions simultaneously, the game continues until a single winner emerges. New players may join at any time by being dealt a hand of three cards.

Regarding Creepers: Version 4.0 of this game included a new type of card called Creepers, but we took those cards back out because we decided the original game is better without them. But you’ll find plenty of Creepers in Zombie Fluxx, Cthulhu Fluxx, Oz Fluxx, Monty Python Fluxx, etc.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What happens if I want to play a New Rule but there’s already a New Rule in the center on the table? Does it replace the old New Rule, or do they peacefully co-exist?

A: It all depends on contradictions. There’s no limit on the number of New Rules that can be in play at once, as long as they don’t interfere with each other. If the New Rule you are adding has nothing to do with the existing New Rule, both rules remain. However, if both rules are about the same thing, for example how many cards to Draw, then the new card becomes the rule and the old rule is discarded.

Q: What if a New Rule, such as Play 3, contradicts the Basic Rules?

A: The New Rule still supersedes the Basic Rules, but the Basic Rules card does not get discarded. To help to avoid confusion, the New Rule can be placed to cover-up the portion of Basic Rules it replaces, as shown. Q: What if the Rules require me to Play 4 but I only have 2 cards? A: Play as many as you can. Your turn ends when you have no cards left in your hand, even if you are supposed to play more.

Q: Suppose the rule is Play 2 and for my second play I change the rules to Play 3. Do I play one more card or am I done because I played two?

A: All rules take effect immediately, so you would need to play one more card because the rules at that point had become Play 3.

Q: How do I interpret the Play All card? If, by playing my cards, I receive more cards in my hand, do those new cards have to be played as well, so that I will always end up with zero cards in my hand at the end of my turn as long as Play All is on the table?

A: Yes.

Q: If I play a Keeper, and I already had a Keeper, do I have to discard the first one to play the new one? Is there a Limit to the number of Keepers I can have in play?

A: You can have as many Keepers in front of you as you want, unless a Keeper Limit New Rule card is played. Even then, you can play as many Keepers as the current rules will allow during your turn and only decide which ones to keep and which to throw away (so as to comply with the Keeper Limit) when your turn is over.

Q: Suppose there’s a Hand or Keeper Limit rule in play when my turn begins, but, during the course of my turn, the limit card is removed and discarded as a result of another Rule card or Action card. Is it still necessary for me to discard down to the limit that is no longer in play?

A: Nope! Just as Rules take effect immediately, their effects also cease the moment the rule disappears.

Q: Does a Hand Limit mean “hold the limit number, unless you already have fewer cards, in which case hold that lower number”? A: Yes. It’s not a quota that you must draw up to in order to meet, it’s simply a cap on the number of cards you’re allowed to hold.

Q: When discarding cards because of a Limit rule, do you get to choose what to discard, or is it random?

A: You get to choose.

Q: Suppose it’s my turn, and the current Goal says you need two Keepers to win, and I have one of them, and someone else has the other Keeper on the table. Can I just grab it from him and win? A: That would be cheating, unless you play the Steal a Keeper Action card which allows you to do exactly that.

Q: Can I look at the cards in the discard pile? A: Yes, anyone can look through the discard pile at any time

Q: If the Trade Hands card is played and the rest of the players have no cards, is that player required to give away the rest of his cards for nothing in return or is the action optional?

A: If you play the card, you have to carry out the action, so yes, you’d have to give away the rest of your hand and get nothing in return if everyone else is empty handed. It says on the card, “This is one of those times when you can get something for nothing.” Well, it’s also a time when you might give something away and get nothing back!

Q: Do I get to play any cards or take any actions when it’s not my turn? A: When it’s someone else’s turn, there’s not much you get to do – there are no cards you can play out of turn. But you will sometimes need to make minor decisions and perform card maintenance during other players’ turns. For example, if someone plays a Hand Limit and you have more cards in your hand than are allowed, you’ll need to decide what to keep and what to discard.

Q: Suppose I play Draw 2 and Use ‘Em and I draw two Goals, and one of them will cause my opponent to win. Can I play the two Goals in instant succession, with the one that doesn’t make them win on top, so that they don’t get to win?

A: No. Any time a Goal is played, it provides a chance for someone to win with those conditions. No matter how briefly that Goal is in play, it counts, and if someone meets the conditions in that instant, they win.

Q: If you play Use What You Take and pull a Keeper, do you use it on the person you took it from or does it go in your own Keeper collection?

A: YOU play the card you stole, so you get to keep the Keeper.

Q: If a card played as a result of Draw 3, Play 2, or Draw 2 and Use ‘Em causes me to draw extra cards, do they go into my set aside hand, or are they added to my “temporary hand”?

A: Any additional cards drawn to your hand should go to your set-aside hand.

Q: Can I use a “free action” at any time during my turn, or do I have to do it at the beginning?

A: You can take any of the “free actions” at any time during your turn: before you draw, in the middle of your plays, or after all your plays are done. In fact, your turn is not technically over until you have used, or declined to use those options. If you simply forget, however, and let the next person take their turn, your opponents are not required to point it out to you, and once the next person starts their turn, you’ve lost the option.

Q: Do the cards you draw as part of the No Hand Bonus count towards the current Draw Rule?

A: No, they are drawn as a “pre-turn” action, as though those three cards were your pre-existing hand. You observe the current Draw rule after having drawn those cards.

Q: Can you answer more of my questions on the internet?

A: Yes! Please visit us at LooneyLabs.com for more FAQs

Credits

GAME DESIGN: Andrew Looney

ORIGINAL DRAWINGS: Andrew Looney

COLOR ADDED BY: Todd Hamilton and Jacoby O’Connor PACKAGE DESIGN: Eileen Tjan

PLAYTESTERS: Everyone at Looney Labs, the Wunderland Toast Society, the Council of Nine, and countless other gamers everywhere.

Fluxx v5.0 is based on Fluxx, invented on July 24, 1996. Fluxx® is a registered trademark of Looney Labs®