Word Fluxx
Word 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.
Overview
Fluxx games are all about change. Beginning with just a couple of simple rules, the game gradually becomes more complex as new rules are added.
At first there will be no way to win — that's what Goal cards are for. Each Goal is different, but they all require you to collect cards called Keepers. As soon as your Keepers match the current Goal, you win!
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.
Keeper. Keepers are what you need in order to win. To play a Keeper, place it face up on the table in front of you. Keep them in front of you after playing.
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.
Action. Actions are single-use cards. To play an Action card, do whatever it says, then place it on the discard pile. After following an Action card's instructions, place it onto the discard pile.
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.)
Goals also go in the middle. They are shared by all players.
Keepers are placed in front of their owners.
Sample Game
The rules sheet includes a diagram of a sample game in progress, labelled with the Basic Rules card, New Rules overlapping the part they supersede, other New Rules placed in the center, Keepers in front of each player, Goal, Discard Pile (face up), and the Draw 1 / Play 2 turn sequence. The diagram is not transcribed here.
Other Types of Cards
Meta Rule. Whereas New Rules may be added and removed many times during the game, Meta Rules stay in force until the game is over. The Basic Rules are a Meta Rule. A Meta Rule is an extra rule that stays in play for the entire game.
Note that some Meta Rules are always meant to be used, while others are added only when all players agree. Players may decide to add an optional Meta Rule at the beginning, or at a later stage in the game.
Keep Going (Meta Rule). If all players agree, keep this card with the Basic Rules during the entire game. 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!
- 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.
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, either keep playing until a clear winner emerges or just let it be a tie.
What Is Considered a Word or Not
Unless the Goal states otherwise, a word must be commonly found in an English dictionary. Proper nouns (those usually capitalized like names and places) and slang do not count (unless you choose to allow them as a house rule).
Examples
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.
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.
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 definitley 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.
Solo Fluxx
Here's an overview of the solitaire rules:
- Set aside all of the cards listed here.
- Divide the deck into New Rules (Rules Deck) and non-Rules (Main Deck).
- Shuffle both decks and arrange the play space as shown in the diagram below.
- Draw 3 cards and take the first turn.
- Toggle between taking a turn and drawing a card from the Rules deck.
- Each New Rule replaces any card already in its spot.
- Comply with any new Limit rule before taking your next turn.
- Any time you meet the conditions of the current Goal, move that Goal to the Scored Goals pile, and discard all Keepers and/or Creepers required by the Goal.
- The game ends as soon as either deck runs out.
- Your score is the total number of Goals you collected.
The solo layout diagram shows the Rules Deck, Discard Pile, Main Deck, Main Discard Pile, Current Goal(s), Scored Goals, Keepers, and the Basic Rules, Draw Rule, Play Rule and Draw 1 cards placed around the play space. It is not transcribed here.
For a longer version of the solitaire rules, please visit looneylabs.com/solo-fluxx.
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 our extensive online database of Frequently Asked Questions: faq.looneylabs.com
If you can't find the answer you need there, please email us and we'll get back to you with a ruling as soon as we can.
Another great way to learn is with our many tutorial videos: looneylabs.com/Video-Fluxx