Game Tips for Fluxx

4

Nov 25th, 2014| Rule

13 of 13 gamers found this helpful

“Today is Special”

If it’s someone’s first time playing Fluxx and they play the “Today is Special” card, we almost always let them play 2 or even all 3 of the cards drawn.
Anything to make someone first Fluxx experience more enjoyable is worth it!

5

Robert V. Bolton {Avid Gamer}

Nov 25th, 2011| Tip

26 of 28 gamers found this helpful

“Learn the Combos”

This one’s pretty basic. Knowing which Keepers go together and which ones don’t is vital when that Keeper Limit card gets played. For example, a common mistake is thinking that War and Peace go together, and retaining them both, when it would usually be better to toss the War card in hopes of winning with Peace, no War. Of course, if that goal recently hit the discard pile, you might want to discard them both in order to keep more promising Keepers.

7

Decimit {Avid Gamer}

Jan 10th, 2012| Strategy

22 of 25 gamers found this helpful

“Fluxx has strategy?”

Even though Fluxx is a random chaotic mess at times, you can still utilize a little strategy to pull out a win from nowhere sometimes.

Drop rule cards, not goals. Drop them like mad. You have to keep your eye out in case someone is getting close to their goal, but it’s Fluxx. That could happen at any time for any player in a moments notice. If you drop enough rule cards and are able to actually keep up with them throughout all the madness, you might just confuse the other players enough for you to drop that last minute goal and keepers to grab the victory before anyone even realized what was going on.

6

Andrew L {Avid Gamer}

Feb 6th, 2012| Strategy

26 of 30 gamers found this helpful

“Fluxx Power Cards”

The wacky and seemingly random game of Fluxx can frustrate, flummox, frazzle and fricassee the most strategic minded players. Let’s face it its a roller-coaster of a card game where you can hold all the cards (literally) and the next moment, be empty handed. Lots of players ask simply “where is the strategy in a game with ever changing rules and goals?” Ah the answer is in the cards.. 5 cards to be precise.

These five cards are what I call the “Power Cards” that is, they involve the least amount of random activity when played and can forge a quick way to victory (well quicker way to victory). If you draw them, keep them (if you can) and use them at just the right time. Here they are:

#5: ACTION “Take Another Turn”
There is no random factor involved when you play this card. In many card games, cards that reverse play direction or allow a player to play again immediately set that player up for a improved opportunity to accomplish the goal. It’s a rule breaker – and in this game of changing rules it the one that only you get to do.

#4: GOAL “Peace (No War”) and …
#3: GOAL “The Brain (No TV)”
These are the only two Goals in the game that require that a player only have one Keeper in front of them to win. Sure, they have two conditions but (For example – Peace (No War) says: If no one has War on the table, then the player with Peace on the table wins.” The only card you need is Peace. Keep it in hand as best you can then wait for the opportunity to play it when War is trashed) This Goal is much easier than trying to collect two Keepers AND the Goal that matches them.

(Note: the card: All You Need is Love” also only requires that you have only one Keeper ( Love) but it also requires that you have NO other Keepers in front of you. This is a bit tricker to do in a game where you are often forced to play many or all of the cars in your hand.)

#2: ACTION “Exchange Keepers”
Again, no random game play here. You can simply take a Keeper from another player, and give them one of yours. Since the card allows you to choose the Keeper, it quite powerful in that you can get exactly the card you need to meet the Goal. (as long as you have the other Keeper you need – or in the case of numbers 3 and 4 above, it could be the ONLY Keeper you need.

#1: ACTION “Steal a Keeper”
Boom! No questions asked. Need some Chocolate for your Milk? You got it. Need Bread for your Toaster. It’s yours. If you get this card, dont just play it any old time. Form a strategy in your hand with a Goal and a Keeper, utilize the other Goals and Actions above then Ba Da Bing, Ba Da Boom. You win.

PS. There are no “New Rules Cards” that qualify for this category. These cards are the “winds of change” that constantly blow in the game of Fluxx. You have to survive them, or use them to your advantage. Timing is everything. But if you recognize the 5 Power cards listed above and their value, it makes those ever changing winds calm down a bit.

6

Andrew L {Avid Gamer}

Feb 14th, 2012| Strategy

29 of 34 gamers found this helpful

“New Rules that...well... Rule!”

Let’s face it – the New Rule Cards in Fluxx are the ones that really throw the game into a tizzy. Ah, but only if you are not prepared for them. You can’t control when New Rule cards are played by others so…

New Rule Card Strategy #1: If you hold a New Rule Card in hand that would hurt you directly, hold and wait.

This effectively keeps the New Rule Cards that would really hurt you out of the hands of the other players. (Well, most of the time. There are a few action cards that make you lose and switch your hand so this strategy comes with that caveat in mind)

Now, the rule sheet state:

‘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 play additional cards right away, or it may cause other players to immediately discard some of their cards or Keepers.’

I like how Andy Looney wrote this in the first person perspective. It seems he was giving us a strategy clue. So…

New Rule Card Strategy #2: Don’t play a new Rule card unless its effects benefit you more than it benefits other players.

It may sound basic, but weigh the consequences of slapping down a New Rule. Since its effects are immediate, you get to experience the effect first. If the other players will benefit from this more than you.. hold the New Rule Card until you have a better game play situation.

Lastly:

New Rule Card Strategy #3: Because New Rules effects are immediate, and they affect you first there are several cards that are powerful and allow you to gain a significant advantage when played – again IF played at the right time.

These are Draw 5, Draw 4, Draw 3, Play All, Play 4, and Play 3.

The “Draw” cards, when played at the right time, can get you the cards in hand to win the game, and you draw them immediately, minus the number of cards you already drew this turn. (Example: the rules are Draw 2 Play 2. Playing Draw 5 immediately get you 3 more cards.) This is simple hand advantage. But again wait until you are close to meeting a goal, or need only one Keeper to win.

The “Play” cards again allow you to play more cards immediately, so if you are holding any one of a number of wining combinations, you can play them together. (Example the current rules are “Draw 3 Play 2. You just drew 3 cards and played your first card a Play 5. You can play 3 more cards immediately.)

If you can combine these Draw and Play cards, then you really gain the upper hand, getting cards in your hand for a potential win and then playing them all in the same turn.

Now there are lots of winning combinations. (That’s what makes Fluxx so… ok… Fluxx-tastic!) but these are some very basic strategies, that if you keep them in mind will give you a bit of confidence and direction in the game. Just bear in mind with any New Rule Card – Timing is everything!

3

Wookiee {Avid Gamer}

Nov 26th, 2012| Strategy

13 of 15 gamers found this helpful

“Only for me”

There’s a ton of randomness in Fluxx, but there’s still room for a bit of strategy. Remember that rules take effect immediately, and supersede other rules of the same type. Have a Play 2 card? Keep it until you also have a Play 5. Put down a Play 5, play out your hand, and finish with a play 2. Or a rules reset. Or anything else that makes other players sad. You got to do several interesting things, they new get to do very little, which is much better than simply randomly changing the play number as you go.

4

Diggity Jones {Casual Gamer}

Apr 26th, 2013| Tip

13 of 15 gamers found this helpful

“Semantics are everything.”

Pay close attention to the actual language of every card. Sometimes the ‘if/then’ can seem to say one thing, but the meaning will be fundamentally altered by a ‘rule’ in play. If you’re on top of it, you can use this to your advantage. This is particularly true of cards that allow you to play more than one at a time. The order you play the cards is also EQUALLY important. Work it all out in your head before you start throwing down ‘rules’ and ‘actions’.

8

brodie {Avid Gamer}

May 23rd, 2014| Tip

9 of 11 gamers found this helpful

“Travel with it!”

If ever there are 5 minutes to kill, or 20, or an hour, this game is perfect filler. I keep the deck in my glove compartment, and have had the opportunity to bring it out immediately when the dreaded boredom sets in. Whether it’s waiting at a movie theatre or in a line of any kind, the amount of concentration needed for this is almost nil – lovely!

9

Wind Lane {Avid Gamer}

Sep 16th, 2011| Rule

23 of 31 gamers found this helpful

“Get a Little Mixed Up”

One of the things that my friends and I like to do with this game is to mix in cards that were removed from one edition to the next or stuff from other variations. The “X = X + 1” new rule card is a great example of this because it’s a fun card and doesn’t make it any more or less difficult for a game to end.

Obviously, new rule and action cards are the way to go when doing this as keepers and goals become less likely to turn up the more cards you add – best not to add things that slow down how quickly you’ll get through the deck and how likely the goals and keepers will be relevant.

1

srblack1167 {Power Gamer}

Aug 21st, 2012| Tip

15 of 20 gamers found this helpful

“Talk and be friendly when it's not your turn.”

FLUXX is an amazing game, because you can chat
and socialize with your friends when it isn’t
your turn.

The style of game is so easy that you’re not watching
closely for rules clarification or to check to see if
they are cheating. Since the rules are always changing
maybe, sometimes, you’ll have to remind them a new rule
is out. .. But, if you’re cheating at FLUXX, you are
playing the wrong game… Otherwise, the rules usually
only effect you on your turn. So, chat away.

When it is your turn, be quiet and play your game. Let
the conversation go on without you so the game doesn’t
get held up.

This is a great social game, and can easily be more about
the social times around the table than it is about the game.

4

Vee {Casual Gamer}

Apr 26th, 2012| Tip

21 of 29 gamers found this helpful

“Introducing new players”

If you feel like bringing new (those people, adults and children, who don’t normally play games) players into a game, try showing them a sample game instead of trying to explain the rules. I’ve found that teaching by playing it works best for my friends

9

Wind Lane {Avid Gamer}

Aug 15th, 2011| Rule

22 of 31 gamers found this helpful

“Home Brewed Action Card”

My friends and I have played this game a lot and we came up with a card that we feel fit the feeling of the game and was just fun to use. We called the card Socialism, but feel free to rename it whatever you please.

Socialism
Action Card

“When this card is played take all cards in play and all players’ hands and shuffle them together dealing them out evenly between all players. Any extra cards are discarded. Discard this card.”

It’s a fun way to hit the reset button without watching everything get dumped to the discard pile like with Rules Reset. Give it a try.

7

Dolus {Avid Gamer}

Aug 17th, 2011| Strategy

26 of 37 gamers found this helpful

“Save your goal cards”

When players see you going towards a goal, they will try to stop you. And it’s as easy as replacing the goal. So play keepers to meet a goal in your hand, and play your keeper when it will give you the win.

9

Wind Lane {Avid Gamer}

Aug 15th, 2011| Tip

22 of 32 gamers found this helpful

“Winning is a Terrible Goal”

This game absolutely thrives on player interaction. My best games have always been ones where the point is to see how much you can mess with everyone rather than just trying to win. Trying to always win at Fluxx is like trying to be the first one finished at a gourmet dinner – you’re missing the point.

Jun 22nd, 2013| Strategy

10 of 14 gamers found this helpful

“Hold on to Goals”

If the number of plays permited per turn is low, and you have all the cards you need to win, play the keepers first and then play the goal last. It is easier for other players to get rid of your goal than to get rid of your keepers.

1

srblack1167 {Power Gamer}

Aug 21st, 2012| Strategy

13 of 21 gamers found this helpful

“If you can't win this turn, just try to not loose.”

When it is your turn, if you can win then do so.

However, most of the time, you should be playing the
game in a defensive manner.

– When you see goals that have keepers in play, change it.
– If a Goal has at least one keeper in the trash, keep it.
– When you see keepers that are in play that have goals that
. . haven’t been played since the shuffle/deal, steal/trade them.

– Sometimes, changing rules just makes the game longer rather than
. . more fun. So, be sure the change works with what’s on the table if
. . you’re not being forced to play it.

2

Suddenly Susan {Avid Gamer}

Aug 18th, 2011| Tip

5 of 39 gamers found this helpful

“The golden rule”

Go play something else.

Fluxx - Tips & Strategies

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