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In Constant Flux
In 1997 Andrew and Kristin Looney brought a game of ever changing rules to the world that quickly became the marmite of card games. Presented as a deck of cards of very simple design, Fluxx threw out the rules, or to be more specific, took all the rules, shuffled them up, and threw them all together in a mad game of random chance.
To start, each players receives three random cards and each turn consists of a draw one, play one mechanism. From then on there are a number of different types of cards to play. First there are Keepers. These green cards are placed in your own personal play area, some coming with unique powers. Then there are pink Goals. Goals are how you in. Each goal card will show a collection of keepers and if that goal is in play when you have the matching keepers in your play area, you win. This forms the basis of the game.
Get keepers, find the matching goal and win. However, there are other types of cards that will mess with this system. There are action cards that perform instantly, enabling you to steal keepers or draw extra cards. And the cards that give the game it’s name, the rule cards. New rules can be added at any point and change gameplay considerably. Some of the classic rules might be that you draw or play more cards each turn, or that you have a hand size of one. It is these cards that build up into a crazy haze of chaos that will either make you love or hate this game.
And Now For Something Completely Different…
After a few reimplementation's, themed around generic subjects like nature or science, Looney Labs expanded into the world of intellectual property. In 2008 came Monty Python Fluxx. It has to be said that for a first foray into the world of popular culture, the crazy and chaotic world of Monty Python feels like the perfect match for Fluxx. The deck itself comes in the same size box as the predecessors. You will still get to take the action allowing you to draw three extra cards, or play the rule that allows you to trash any goals in your hand for new cards. You will recognise all of the keepers, with characters from Flying Circus to all of the films. From King Arthur and the knights of the round table, to the deceased parrot. However, where this version comes alive is in the new rules.
My Brain Hurts
Any fan of the Pythons will not be surprised to hear that the rules in this particular edition are very silly. One of the highlights is “one, two, five” which changes any “3” printed on any card, to a “5”. Considering how many cards have numbers on, such as draw or play cards, or hand limits, this rule becomes incredibly powerful. “I want to sing” gives you the ability to draw extra cards, one if you sing a Python song on your turn and an extra one if it hasn’t been sung by anyone else during that game.
So if you know you “knights of the round table” from you “every sperm is sacred” then you can be drawing much more than anyone else. On the other side of things “fake accent” will let you do a similar thing with playing cards if you speak with a silly fake accent. you can also get a bonus play if you continued to use said accent even when it wasn’t your go. All of these rules tap into Python gags you love and make for a really fun experience. Even if you don’t get all the gags, the opportunity to talk a silly accent and be rewarded for it, always makes for a good time.
You Never Expect The Spanish Inquisition
The biggest edition is the Creepers. This new type of card was only introduced in the previous Zombie Fluxx the year before but it is a brilliant mechanism that completely and utterly messes with your game. If a Creeper is drawn it must be played straight away into your personal play area. You may then draw a new card to replace it. Creepers will stop you from winning the game unless the goal calls for that particular Creeper.
As you can imagine, this brings in lots of new rules and actions that allow you to get rid of them or pass them to other plays. If you are feeling particular nice you can play the ‘always look on the bright side of life’ rule which will take away the Creepers’ negative powers for all players. This mechanism is a great edition to the original base game and adds a lot more tactics to your gameplay.
Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge, Know What I Mean
Now with dozens of version still on sale, not counting the dozen now out of print, Fluxx continues to grow from strength to strength. How you chose a version will highly depend on your fandom. However, for anyone who has a fondness for the Python’s back catalogue, Monty Python Fluxx is a must have for the collection.
That concludes our thoughts on Monty Python Fluxx. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy Monty Python Fluxx today click here!
