Pirate Fluxx Review
Arrre you ready for a different type of card game?
When it comes to most card games, there are a simple set of rules that must be followed for each and every game. These rules cannot be ignored nor can they be altered (at least if you are gambling or playing in a tournament). However, there is one game where the rules are constantly in flux. Oddly enough, that game is called “Fluxx.”
As you may or may not know, “Fluxx” is a card game created by Looney Labs. There are different themes to the game (which I will get to later), but they all play the same with some additions or subtractions here and there from set to set. Overall, however, the game starts with the same basic rules of starting with 3 cards, drawing 1 card, and playing 1 card. The particular edition I will be talking about here is “Pirate Fluxx” (thankfully not based on “Pirates of the Caribbean”).
“Pirate Fluxx” is a 2-6 player game which contains a 100 card deck (and a rulebook naturally). There are a total of 6 card types in the deck which are as follows: 1. Action Cards- These cards allow you to do “actions” like drawing additional cards, discarding cards, taking your opponent’s cards, trashing current rules, etc. 2. Creeper Cards- The two creepers (Scurvy and Shackles) are BAD obstacles that can prevent you from winning. 3. Keeper Cards- Keepers are pirate themed items (a treasure map and cannon to name a few), ships (such as a frigate or a schooner) or a location (tropical island). 4. Goal Cards- In order to win the game, you’re going to have to play a specific goal card. The goal cards state that you have to have a combination of Keepers in order to win. For example, one goal card states that if you have a keg and rum on the table, you win. Keep in mind that you can only have 1 goal at a time unless a new rule says otherwise. If you want to play a new goal, you will be forced to discard the one currently in play (again, unless a rule states otherwise). 5. Surprise Cards- These 4 cards allow a player to mess with their opponent by canceling actions, stealing keepers, and so on (I don’t want to spoil EVERYTHING). 6. New Rule Cards- The thing that sets Fluxx apart from other games is the new rule cards which cause you throw out the old rule and bring in new rules that enable players to draw additional cards, have a certain hand limit, allow more than 1 goal card, and so on.
As you can imagine from the above description, “Pirate Fluxx” (and the other “Fluxx” titles for that matter) are rather fast paced and chaotic thanks to the abundance of new rule and action cards that are constantly being played on the table. While this type of gameplay may infuriate or annoy some, I welcome the chaos and find it to be a refreshing new game mechanic. I like not knowing what is around the corner or that you can win at any moment. A game may last 5 minutes or it could go up to 45 minutes or even longer! Now, some card and board enthusiasts have criticized “Fluxx” as being a light, luck based game that lacks any strategic element, but I think that criticism is unfair. Not every game has to be deep or involved award winner. Sometimes people just want to play quick, fun party games like “Uno” or “Pirate Fluxx.”
If the pirate theme doesn’t strike your fancy, there are more Fluxx games to choose from. At the time of this review, Looney Labs has released the original “Fluxx,” “Cthulhu Fluxx,” “Stoner Fluxx,” “Star Fluxx,” “Zombie Fluxx,” “Oz Fluxx,” “EcoFluxx,” and “Monty Python Fluxx.”
Summary: Having played “Monty Python Fluxx” and now “Pirate Fluxx,” I can honestly say that “Fluxx” is one of my favorite card games around. It’s just simply a fun, easy game that anyone can play and I admire the fact that no 2 games are alike. I know that “Fluxx” may not be for everyone, but if you’re up for a wacky, outside the box card game, I whole heartedly recommending picking a set up.
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