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We're off to see the wizard… having “a wonderful whirlwind of fun!”. OZ FLUXX takes L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s story, The Wizard of Oz, and merges it with the popular card game FLUXX.
OZ FLUXX can be enjoyed by those familiar with the classic story, and those who are not. However, The Wizard of Oz really is not your cup of tea, then FLUXX is available in many other themes.
Provided in a small neatly sized box, are 100 cards and an instruction sheet. Recommended for 2 – 6 players of ages 8 +, a typical game takes between 10 – 40 minutes to complete.
In order to experience OZ FLUXX at its best, more than two players are preferable. Cards that require you to “choose another player”, gives players the opportunity to “choose”, rather than having to always pick their only opponent.
“Learning Is Important” – Wizard of Oz
Each edition of FLUXX, tweaks the set of core rules, to adapt the gameplay of each theme accordingly. Players will therefore need to make themselves familiar with the instruction sheet, which for experienced FLUXX players will take 5 – 10 minutes to read and understand and 10 – 15 minutes for those new to FLUXX.
Each of the 100 cards fall into the following categories: “New Rule”, “Keeper”, “Goal”, “Action”, “Creeper” and “Surprises”.
“Creeper”, “Goal” and “Keeper” cards, are all illustrated in a cartoon style with story favourites such as the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man. Not all is good within OZ FLUZZ however, so expect to find The Wicked Witch of the West and The Flying Monkies!
“Being Weird or Unusual Is a Good Thing” – The Scarecrow
FLUXX is a unique, unusual game, in that the gameplay only ever starts with one “Basic Rule” – Draw 1 Card, Play 1 Card.
To start each game, players are dealt three cards from the shuffled deck. The game then begins with the “Basic Rule”. The cleverness of FLUXX lies in what happens next. The game rules and goal, which must be completed to win the game, adapt, and build as players play through the game.
Players must always follow the revealed rules, if a player possesses a “New Rule” card, they can play this card to add to the “Basic Rule” and rules in play, hence immediately altering the rules of the game, for the next turn.
In order to win the game, players must achieve the goal, however the game starts without a goal! A goal only exists once a player plays a “Goal” card. If a goal already exists this often then replaces the previous goal, meaning the means of winning the game is constantly evolving throughout the gameplay. Clever indeed!
“Never Underestimate Anyone” – The Lion
Besides the aforementioned “New Rule” and “Goal” cards, players can also accumulate “Keepers”, the good guys of the story, or “Creepers”, the bad guys of the story. “Keepers” are needed to achieve goals, whereas “Creepers” prevent players for achieving certain goals.
“Action” and “Surprises” cards, do exactly as they are titled, “Action” cards usually have a single effect. For example drawing more cards, whereas “Surprises” have effects which can be used, out of turn, during your turn, or at any time, such as discarding the current goal.
Gameplay is as simple as players taking it in turn to follow the rules currently in play. It is then up to each player to choose their strategy wisely. Not only further their cause to achieve the goal, but to disrupt other players from achieving the goal also.
An added twist is players must always carry out the rules currently in play, therefore a player may find themselves having to play a card which ultimately ensures their opponent wins the game, therefore it's crucial to not only consider your own game but your opponents too…
Final Thoughts
FLUXX’s biggest selling point is players will never have the same game twice. This is because the gameplay is so cleverly dynamic with each game played. The more players involved in a game, the better the gameplay will be as more twists and turns to the structure of the game will be made during a single round.
The quality of the components is excellent. The cards shuffle and distribute easily and the instruction sheet is easy to understand and read. The Wizard of Oz theme of OZ FLUXX also makes the game appeal to families as well, which is great!
OZ FLUXX will leave you wanting to play over and over again. Dive into the world of FLUXX, and as Dorothy said, “Never Give Up!”.
