What are the differences between the Fluxx games?

Question

I currently have Fluxx and Zombie Fluxx, and I've noticed there are some differences:

• obviously, Zombie Fluxx is more centered around creepers.
• Zombie Fluxx is considerably less random. Less crazy things like X=X+1 and less weird rule cards.
• Since it's less random, Zombie Fluxx tends to have slighty more strategy.
• Zombie Fluxx can seem to have more of a 'point' to new players. With regular Fluxx I often find new players getting bored because the goals are so random, and there's little to no choices they can make that will affect the game. In Zombie Fluxx you can at least focus on getting rid of your zombies and improve your chances of winning most of the time.
• For some reason, Zombie Fluxx works a little better with large numbers of players.

Fluxx also seems to be one of the few games where all the sequels are 'better' than the original, at least with BGG rankings and my personal preference. As I said above, the expansions seems to have just a little more strategy and just a little less randomness.

---

Have you noticed any other general differences between the other Fluxx games that would be good to know before buying?

Answer 1

Ecofluxx has a much bigger emphasis on "X eats Y" goals; where if you have X and anyone has Y, you win. It theoretically makes it a little easier to win the game. It also has a card named Extinction (I think?), to permanently remove any one keeper from the game.

Monty Python Fluxx has a lot of cards that say "Do this on your turn to earn extra rewards", e.g. Speak in a funny accent to pick up another card. It makes the game more... Interactive. It also has a number of the 'knight of the round table' keepers - they are often interchangable for goals. In the same way as "Food", sometimes it is one specific knight, but often it is "X plus any knight".

Stoner Fluxx has a number of cards that are meaningless unless you have marijuana available (e.g. "Everybody Toke!"); I suppose you could either remove them from the deck or have a house rule you can play them as cards when you really don't want to do anything else.

The upcoming Pirate Fluxx sounds like it will be awesome and different, with an emphasis on an incredibly strong keeper "The Captain's Hat", that provides the player with a number of bonuses, along with everyone else receiving +1 Draw / +1 Play.

Answer 2

The only Fluxx variant I have played that has not yet been mentioned is Family Fluxx. It's a greatly simplified version of the game that can easily be grasped by small children. Ideally you do want to play it at a family gathering, as there are various cards that, e.g., give you a bonus if you're a grandparent.

I actually think it may be my favourite of all the Fluxxes. In general I find Fluxx a bit too silly and random to hold my interest for long; while at the same time having the potential to get so complicated it makes your head hurt (notably when that X = X + 1 card, whatever it's called, comes into play). Family Fluxx is for children so you can forgive it its lack of true strategic depth, and obviously it doesn't have any of the real brain-melting card combinations.

But it's a sweet and charming game that you'd actual be happy to bring out when there are kids around - it certainly beats the Dora the Explorer boardgame into a cocked hat, plus it is clearly a gateway drug to ensure that your small relatives are likely to become proper gamers when they're a bit older! Get 'em while they're young...

Answer 3

In my experience (I own Martian, Star, Oz and Batman Fluxx), the Creepers are one of the biggest sources of variation between versions. Zombie Fluxx and Martian Fluxx both have lots of Creepers, whereas Star Fluxx and Anatomy Fluxx only have 3 Creepers each, but they attach to your Keepers! In Batman Fluxx, the Creepers (Villains) prevent anyone at the table from winning, not just the player they're in front of -- but on the other hand, any Goal that requires a Villain ignores this restriction, even if there are Villains in play other than the ones required by that Goal.

Answer 4

The later Fluxx games brought in new card types. The basic sets were:

• New Rule
  • Allowed a person to add a new rule to the game; there can be more than one New Rule
• Goal
  • Allows the player to change the current objective of the game
• Keeper
  • Generally used to win the game
• Action
  • Other cards that do many things, e.g. clear all New Rules

Later versions bought in:

• Creepers
  • First introduced in Zombie Fluxx
  • If a player has a Creeper in front of them, they generally can't win unless the Goal says otherwise
• Surprises
  • First introduced in Pirate Fluxx
  • Allows out of turn actions to disrupt another player's turn, including preventing them from winning. They can also be played during your turn for a slightly different effect
• Ungoal
  • First introduced in Zombie Fluxx
  • Allows all players to lose the game; the game wins instead!

So it's often good to check how old the Fluxx game is and whether it would contain the new card subtypes as well! Not all new games contain all of the new sub-card types; the context of the universe matters. (E.g. Firefly Fluxx doesn't have any Ungoals, but does have Surprises and Creepers.)