Looney Labs Fluxx Mailing list Archive

["Bryan Stout" <bryan.stout@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Regarding the new entry in the Zombie Fluxx FAQ page:

 

Q: Why are Brain Baseball and Brain Sandwiches on the list of cards to use when playing Zombie Fluxx without Zombies when these goals both require that you have a zombie to win?

 

A: It might seem like these Goals become impossible if you play Zombie Fluxx without Zombies, but a close reading of the special rules for Playing Without Zombies uncovers this phrase: "Ignore any text on Goals about requiring a Zombie (or not) to win." Thus, those two Goals become just like most others, simply requiring a specific pair of Keepers. But it's easy to miss this point. We should probably make a Meta Rule card for this, now that we have that concept...

 

I was one of those who missed that --  funny how a phrase can sometimes be right in front of you but you don't draw all the implications.  I understood the part about ignoring the requirements for *not* having zombies, but I forgot that it meant to ignore *having* zombies as well. 

 

I think that there were/are/will be many players who try Zombie Fluxx without the zombies, but then when Brain Baseball or Brain Sandwiches come up, will be confused or panic -- they will have missed that quoted phrase as well.  So I have a suggestion for the next printing of Zombie Fluxx:

 

A)  In the paragraph just before the "Set Aside" list, explicitly mention Brain Baseball and Brain Sandwiches as not needing zombies for their win condition. 

 

or,

 

B)  Just add Brain Baseball and Brain Sandwiches to the "Set Aside" list anyway.  Sure, you can play it with those cards, but Zombie Fluxx without the zombies is mainly for beginners, who are not prone to catch the subtleties of rule interactions.  It really won't hurt to leave those two Goals out: if we do, it would be setting aside 7 out of 22 Goals (including the Ungoal).  This is very similar to the 9 out of 23 New Rules and 8 out of 23 Actions that are set aside; and a shortage of Goal cards is not a complaint usually made about Fluxx. 

 

 

I'm not sure how many Meta Rules are being planned for production, but I think that having one to cover this situation would be down on my list of priorities.  I bet I'd much rather see most of the other ideas being considered than one for this. 

 

 

Regards,

Bryan