From: Berney Pellett
One of the elements most valuable to me about Fluxx is the fact that anyone can play just by reading the cards. Everything is spelled out on the cards; except perhaps for someone who doesn't know what "draw" and "discard" mean, no explanation is necessary for anything in the game. Terms like "cache cards" or "dynamic cards" would require explanation for their meanings. This is something I do not want in my own game; Fluxx is one of the few games I have where anyone can play without spending time explaining the rules.
This is a persuasive argument for me. Indeed, that is why Andy's recent answer to the question "Can you smite with The Animator?" seemed counterintuitive (see http://rabbits.continuation.org/wiki/Monty_Python_Fluxx_FAQ). It relied on knowledge of the special abilities of The Finger of God without that card being on the table. (When playing with people unfamiliar with the game, I'll probably use a house rule that The Animator is only used for Goals requiring The Finger of God.)
I still think it's useful to have terms for those categories I described, but it would be best if those terms were in the rules and/or cards. I really wish I thought of the question a few months ago before Fluxx 4.0 went to press :-(.
But this also sharpened my thinking on what possible terms could be, by referring to the text already available:
C) I now like "foundation cards" best for Basic Rules and Meta Rules, since the rules state that the Basic Rules are "the foundation on which the rest of the game is built".
B) I like "center cards" for the Goals and New Rules since the instructions say to place them "in the center of the table". The Basic Rules are also placed there, so it is potentially ambiguous, but it's perhaps the best term using language already present.
A) Keepers and Creepers could be called "front cards" since their instructions say to place them "in front of you". That does sound odd, but it uses language on the card. They could be called something like "personal cards" or "owner cards" or "possession cards", more obviously stating the personal ownership, but those are words not on the cards.
sigh<. I'll guess for the text on new cards I make up I'll have to stick with "Keepers or Creepers" and "the Goal or New Rules cards", for the forseeable future. But it's something to think about for the future.
Regards, Bryan