Math Fluxx
Math Fluxx Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Exec Summary
- Fluxx is a game about constant change.
- Begin by following the Basic Rules.
- Each player starts with a hand of 3 cards.
- On your turn, draw 1 card, play 1 card.
- New Rules take effect as soon as you play them.
- Collect Keepers to match the Goal and you win!
Setup
Place the Basic Rules card in the center of the table.
Shuffle the deck and deal three cards to each player.
Establish the draw pile by placing the remainder of the deck face down where everyone can reach it.
Going First
The dealer goes first. Or choose a player at random.
Play proceeds clockwise.
Types of Cards
Each turn, you will Draw at least one card, add it to your hand, and Play at least one card. Here's how each type of card is used in the game:
New Rule
New Rules change the way the game works. When a New Rule is played, you must adapt to it right away. To play one, place it face up in the center of the table.
New Rules take effect immediately.
When a New Rule contradicts a card already in play, the old rule is discarded.
New Rules that override the Basic Rules are placed overlapping the part they supersede. Other New Rules are placed in the center.
Keeper
To play a Keeper, place it face up on the table in front of you.
Keepers are what you need in order to win. Keep them in front of you after playing. Keepers are placed in front of their owners.
Goal
Goals indicate which Keepers you currently need in order to win.
Goals are played face up in the center of the table. Discard the previous Goal, if any.
Goals also go in the middle. They are shared by all players.
Action
To play an Action card, do whatever it says, then place it on the discard pile.
Actions are single-use cards. Follow the instructions on the card, then discard it. After following an Action card's instructions, place it onto the discard pile.
The Basic Rules Card
The Basic Rules card stays in the middle for the entire game. It reads:
- Start with 3 cards.
- Draw 1.
- Play 1.
Turn Sequence
- Draw the number of cards currently required.
- Play the number of cards currently required.
- Discard to comply with any Limit rules in play.
Optional actions allowed by New Rules, Keepers, etc., may be performed at any point during this sequence.
All cards are always playable, even if they have no effect. If you aren't sure how a card works, try reading the full text aloud as you play it.
Limits
At first there will be no limitations on the number of cards you can hold in your hand or Keepers you have in play. But Hand and Keeper Limit cards will create such restrictions. These rules only affect you when it's NOT your turn, so you can ignore them until your turn ends. When someone plays a new Limit rule, the other players must immediately comply with the new restriction, discarding cards of their choice as needed.
How to Win
The game continues until someone meets the conditions of the current Goal. That player wins instantly, no matter whose turn it is! (If a tie, the game continues until one winner emerges.)
Numbers and Math
Math Fluxx is really all about the numbers. Keepers are numbered Zero through Ten, and each Goal names a target number. In the usual manner, you win by putting together Keepers whose digits, read together, form the Goal's number. For example, Keeper Two and Keeper Five together form 25, meeting the Goal Silver Jubilee.
Meta Rule: Math Rules
Players do not win by matching the Goal in the usual manner. If that happens, the player who would have won draws 3 cards, the Goal is discarded, and the game continues.
To win, you must be able, during your turn, to compute the number on the Goal using at least one mathematical operation on two or more numbers represented by Keepers you have in play.
For example, Keeper Two, Keeper Three, and Keeper Five can be combined as (2 + 3) x 5 to equal 25, meeting the Goal Silver Jubilee.
Meta Rule: Keep Going
This Meta Rule changes the game's victory conditions. No longer do you win simply by meeting the current Goal — instead, you must complete more Goals than anyone else! So when does the game end? The Meta Rule is intentionally vague on that point.
Players must agree on how the game will end when the Keep Going rule is added. Here are some possibilities:
- The game ends when one player has completed two Goals.
- The game ends at a specific time.
- The game ends when an expected but unpredictable event occurs, such as the arrival of another player or the delivery of food when playing in a restaurant.
In the event of a tie, the first player to gain the game-winning number of Goals shall be the winner.
If all players agree, keep the Keep Going card with the Basic Rules during the entire game. The game doesn't end when someone achieves the Goal. Instead, they claim the Goal card and place it in front of them. That player must also discard all of the Keepers they used to meet the Goal, and their turn ends immediately. All other cards remain in play, and the game continues. When it's time to stop playing, the player who has collected the most Goals wins.
Examples
Here are a few examples to show how various cards interact:
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After drawing one card, you play the Draw 3 New Rule. Now the rules require you to draw three cards on each turn, but since you only took one card before, you must immediately draw two more cards. The next player draws three cards for their turn. They play Draw 2 which changes the rules again, but they draw no more cards, having already gotten (at least) two cards this turn. Since Draw 2 contradicts Draw 3, the Draw 3 rule is discarded.
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If you play the Action called Draw 2 and Use 'Em, you will immediately draw two cards and play them both. If one of those cards is Draw 3, Play 2 of Them you would keep going, drawing three more cards, playing two cards, and discarding the third. All of this activity would be considered the playing of just one card when counting the number of plays on your turn.
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Suppose your hand contains a Keeper and a Goal that requires it. Which should you play? You might think it's a toss-up, since you don't have the other Keeper you need. However, you should definitely play the Keeper first. If you play the Goal, it will very likely be replaced by another long before you find the second Keeper.
Other Notes
Regarding Discarding: You cannot simply discard unwanted cards. You can only discard if compelled to by a Hand Limit or similar compulsion. (Yes, this means you could end up being forced to play a card that makes someone else win.)
Reshuffling: If the Draw pile runs out, shuffle the Discard pile, turn it over to make a new Draw pile, and keep playing.
Cards in Play: Whenever something mentions a card "in play," this refers to a card that is face up on the table, but not in the discard pile. Keepers must be in play for you to meet a Goal that requires them. If a Keeper has a special power, you must have it in play in order to make use of its bonus ability.
Free Actions: Some cards allow for bonus actions which can be taken at any time during your turn. Since they don't count as plays, they are called Free Actions.
Jumping In: New players may join at any time by being dealt a hand of three cards.
Dropping Out: Players can exit the game at any time. Just discard your hand and all of the cards you have in play.
Card List
This makes a total of 100 cards in the box. An update rulesheet is also included.
Keepers (27 cards)
Zero (4), One (4), Two (3), Three (2), Four (2), Five (2), Six (2), Seven (2), Eight (2), Nine (2), Ten (1).
New Rules (22 cards)
Goal Mill, Draw One For Each, Draw 2, Draw 3, Draw 4, Draw 5, Get On With It!, Hand Limit 1, Hand Limit 2, Hand Limit 3, Hand Limit 4, Keeper Limit 3, Keeper Limit 4, Unknown Variable, No-Hand Bonus, Play 2, Play 3, Play 4, Play All, Play All But 1, Increment All, Combine Digits.
Actions (16 cards)
Discard and Draw, Draw 2 And Use 'Em, Draw 3, Play 2 Of Them, Everybody Gets 1, Everybody Pass 1, Exchange Keepers, Half Time, Jackpot!, Let's Simplify, Rules Reset, Steal A Keeper, Random Tax, Trade Hands, Trash A Keeper, Trash A New Rule, Zap A Card, Sequence, Highest Score, Lowest Score, Binary Numbers, Biggest Number.
Meta Rules (3 cards)
Basic Rules, Math Rules, Keep Going.
Goals (28 cards)
Today's Date, Your Own Age, 24 Hours, 99 Percent, 101 Spotted Dogs, Century, Dozen, Golden Anniversary, Numbers Be Hungry, Route Sixty-Six, Four Squared, Yin Yang, One Hundred Pi, The Least Random Number, Silver Jubilee, The Speed Of A Long Playing Record, The Speed Of Time Travel, The Ultimate Answer, Three Cubed, Three Quarters, Unlucky?, When I'm 64, How Many Trombones? (76), Minutes or Seconds (60), The 33rd Prime (137), The 2nd Perfect Number (28), Skidoo (23), Sum of the Factorials from 1 to 5 (153).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: So, in Math Fluxx, does it have to be my turn in order to win with the Goal? A: If you're winning using Math, then yes. When playing with the Math Rules Meta Rule, it must be your turn to claim victory. If you have to use math to get your Keepers to make the number on the Goal, then it's mentally taxing to have to be watching and constantly recalculating to know whether you can jump in and declare a win. Instead, you only have to assess the Goal on your turn, to see whether you can win with math.
Q: In Math Fluxx you can obviously use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division along with as many brackets as you like, but can you use "to the power of"? A: Yes, exponentiation (or roots) are also allowed.
Q: Can we use a 1 and a 0 to substitute for 10 for the Goal? A: Yes, if you're not using math to meet a Goal, a 1 and a 0 can always be substituted for a 10. If you're using Math Rules, however, Combine Digits would have to be in play to make your 1 and 0 count as 10.
Q: Can we use math to create one of the digits needed for the Goal? What if Combine Digits is also in play? A: The normal way to win is to take two number Keepers and essentially "graft" them together (combining the digits). If Math Rules is in play, you use math instead of this normal way. The Combine Digits Rule is meant to make it possible to create two-digit numbers for the specific purpose of subsequently using them in an equation to reach the Goal number via calculation. You can only use numbers you can see. Having Combine Digits in play just lets you take two numbers you can see and make them into a two-digit number you can see to write out your equation. For example, here is the equation to win with the Goal Silver Jubilee (25) with Keepers One, Five, and Ten by combining One and Five into Fifteen, and then adding it to Ten: 1 5 + 10 = 25.
Q: Are we allowed to make more than one number via Combine Digits? A: You may only create ONE two-digit number to use in your calculations. Of course, you can rearrange your cards to experiment to see how they can best be used.
Q: Does the order of your Keepers on the table matter? A: Keeper arrangement on the table doesn't matter in Math Fluxx any more than in any other Fluxx. You can rearrange your Keepers at will, any time you want.
Questions?
When playing Fluxx, there are many interesting situations that can arise. If you get stuck on how a particular card works and need an official answer, the fastest solution is to check the extensive online database of Frequently Asked Questions at faq.looneylabs.com.
If you can't find the answer you need there, please email Looney Labs and they'll get back to you with a ruling as soon as they can.
Another great way to learn is with the many tutorial videos at looneylabs.com/Video-Fluxx.