Pirate Fluxx Review

Ahoy Matey! This is the game for all rum loving pirates and their little scallywags! Pirate Fluxx is another addition the Fluxx Franchise bought to you by Looney Labs. Don’t forget to look at the full range here.

You’ve got everything from the Scurvy Creeper to the Captain’s Hat as your most wanted Keeper. But don’t forget to mutiny and send your opponents to walk the plank sending them to Davy Jones Locker.

Our Initial Thoughts

We love all things Fluxx and Pirate Fluxx is no exception! The cards are always great quality giving you hope that this game will survive the test of time. All Fluxx games have amazing theming across their games, of which this is no except, with all the pirate bounty and booty as well as other essential pirate items. You’ll spend hours looking at and reading the cards when you first get them, as they all have amazing artwork and are hilarious when you find one of the writers themed quips. The rules although long are pretty simple once you dive in, the game will bring lots of laughter and competition to be the new pirate lord.

Game Setup

Set up is the easiest part, find the basic rules card putting it in reach of all pirates. Then shuffle all the cards and deal three cards per pirate, leaving the rest as your draw pile. If you are unlucky enough to find creepers in your initial hand these will be played in front of you and you will need to redraw to three starting cards. And now you’re ready to set off and sail the high seas of Pirate Fluxx.

Game Play

Start – In this version the dealer goes first, and you take turns in a clockwise fashion. To play use the basic rules draw one play one, until a new ruled is played, all new rules take effect immediately. Any contradicting rules or new goals are discarded unless there is a card in play such as Double Agenda allowing for two goals to be in play.

Let’s go through the card categories:

Keeper Cards – (GREEN CARDS)

Keepers are cards that go in front of you and how you win! Keepers are useless unless on the table, but be sure to keep your cards close, if you have a goal and matching keeper until you’re ready to win. Make sure to keep an eye out for special icons on your Keepers you’re looking for a Ships Wheel or Booty Pouch. Thoroughly read through all cards and make full use of any special actions or bonuses you get.

Creeper Cards – (BLACK CARDS)

Sadly, these cannot hide you must play them to the table as soon as they appear. With most Creepers you cannot win, however be sure to read them through as you can sometimes palm them off on your fellow pirates. Such as Scurvy you can either cure this with oranges or limes or on your next turn infect another pirate by passing this on.

Rule Cards – (YELLOW CARDS)

The two basic rules draw and play can be increased or decreased by playing new rule cards, you will play these onto the basic rule card by covering the slots. You’ll find that there are many different rules that can come into play, not all of them will necessarily be of use, i.e., hand or keeper limits. These are good for blowing holes in your fellow pirates’ plans, but they can leave you high and dry as well. Additional rules you’ll find in Pirate Fluxx are as follows:

• Long Live the Captain!
• Plunder!
• Talk Like a Pirate
• Swap Plays for Draws
• No-Hand Bonus

Surprise Cards – (PURPLE CARDS)

There are four surprise cards you could find in this game; they can come in very handy at opportune moments to stop yourself walking the plank! These cards are pretty self-explanatory from their names, That Be Mine!, Canceled Plans, Avast! Halt! and Veto!

When playing surprise cards be sure to look at the different ways in which to use them, they can be used either, In your turn or Out of turn, with slightly different actions.

Action Cards – (BLUE CARDS)

Single time use cards to give you an upper hand, these could let you draw more cards, steal keepers, or search the discard pile. Once used these are discarded and wont come around again unless the deck is shuffled or can be found again using another action card.

Goal Cards – (PINK CARDS)

This is the gateway to your booty and being crown pirate lord! To win the game you must have the matching keepers to the goal currently in play. For example, if the goal card Sword and Pistol was in play you would need to have both the Flintlock Pistol and the Cutlass in play in front of you. However, if you have a creeper you will need to discard this first, in which another pirate may scuttle your plans by changing the Goal. Some goals may require more than two keepers such as Armada which requires any three ships to win.

We know that’s a lot, but trust us it’s all you’ll need to know and get a lot easier after a few rounds😊

Winning the Game – Can take seconds if the seas be kind but don’t always expect it will come easy. The game can be very much luck of the draw and depending on how many people are playing the goal can be ever changing. Just as you feel on the brink of winning, it can be stolen away in one foul swoop, so be sure to keep your surprise cards up your sleeve and always have a backup plan.

Once you have won you will have pirate bragging rights all day!

Final Thoughts

Pirate Fluxx will quickly become one of your pieces of eight! This game is a treasure to take to any gaming table and a firm favourite in our house. We would suggest for this game that playing with 3 to 4 players would be the ideal. This is definitely a competitive family game for all ages to enjoy, however there is a lot of reading involved so the younger buccaneers may need the rum drinkers help at times. All in all a great low cost game that will keep you entertained for hours.