Looney Labs Fluxx Mailing list Archive

[Fluxx] Multi-deck Fluxx: rules to make it work!

  • FromBryan Stout <bryan.stout@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • DateFri, 6 Mar 2009 23:13:35 -0500
Many of us Fluxx fans have wanted to play Fluxx with two or more
different decks shuffled together.  But, it weakens the game since
Fluxx depends on the pairing of Goals with the Keepers, and combining
decks dilutes the pool too much, making it much harder to have the
Keepers for the current Goal.

However, I have come up with rules that I think make multi-deck Fluxx
-- or Mega Fluxx as Andy calls it -- just as fun as the single-deck
Fluxx game.  I hope several of you try this out and let us all know
how well it works for you.

The main idea is in two parts: First, allow there to be as many
current Goals as there are decks in the game.  So, if you combine
Fluxx 4.0 with Monty Python Fluxx, you can have two Goals in play at
once.  Throw in Zombie Fluxx as well, and you can have three Goals --
any three Goals, no matter what decks they come from.

The second part is the real clincher: you allow players to win with
two "half-Goals", that is they win if they have two Items (Keepers or
Creepers), each of which is required by one of the Goals.  For
example, if the Goals Chocolate Milk and Time Is Money are on the
table, you could win with Milk and Money in front of you.  Without
this provision, the presence of multiple Goals doesn't un-dilute the
mixed decks enough.

As you know, some Goals allow several different Keepers to count
toward a win, and my impression was that half of those Goals might be
too easy to fulfill.  So, I made the rule that a half-Goal can only
come from a Goal requiring exactly *two* *specific* Items in *front*
of you.  Here are some examples of what I mean:

- Bedtime.  Yes, this can count toward a half-Goal, since it requires
the Sleep and Time Keepers in front of you.

- War=Death.  Yes.  It requires the War and Death Creepers in front of you.

- We're All All Right!  Yes.  It requires both Friend Keepers in front of you.

- All You Need Is Love.  No.  It only specifies one Item, Love.

- Brain (No TV).  No.  The Television Keeper is required to be nowhere
on the table, not in front of you.

- Bears Eat Fish.  No.  The Fish Keeper is not required to be in front
of you, just anywhere on the table.

- Party Snacks; Mammals.  No.  They each specify 3 Keepers, though
only 2 of them count toward the win.

- Knights of the Round Table.  No, because it requires 3 Keepers.
Even if it asked for 2 it can't be used for a half-Goal, because it
doesn't name 2 specific Items.

- 10 Cards in Hand; Cheese Shop.  No; these do not require Items in
front of you at all!

- UnGoals.  No.  UnGoals may not count for a half-win, since they
specify losing conditions, not winning conditions.


For fun, we asked people who won with two half-Goals to make up a Goal
title that used the two Items you win with.  For example, I once won
with "From Tiny Acorns Grow the Oaks from which You Build a Trojan
Rabbit".  (I had the Seeds Keeper for the Goal Mighty Oaks from Tiny
Acorns Grow, and the Trojan Rabbit for the Goal Rabbits of Doom.)


Some other notes, not related to half-Goals.  In Mega Fluxx you can
have multiple Rules on the table (e.g. two Draw Two's), so just
discard the earlier one when the second one is played.  Also, use
common sense to decide which Keepers count toward which Goals: Eco
Fluxx's Rabbits didn't count toward MPF's Rabbits of Doom Goal; Family
Fluxx's Dog and Cat did count towards Eco's Mammals Goal (my daughter
won one game that way, though we didn't notice it for a few turns).

I have Meta Rule cards and others that elaborate on this idea, but
I'll save that for later, this being enough to chew on for now.

I would really like to hear people's experiences playing with these
rules.  I hope you enjoy them (but if not, tell me that too, and
why!).

Regards,
Bryan