Zombie Fluxx
Zombie 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!
Overview
Fluxx games are all about change. The game begins with just a couple of simple rules, then becomes more complex little by little as additional rule cards are played. At first there will be no way to win – that's what Goal cards are for. Each Goal has a different victory condition, but they all require you to collect special cards called Keepers. As soon as someone's collection of Keepers matches the current Goal, they 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.
When a New Rule contradicts a card already in play, the old rule is discarded.
To play one, place it face up in the center of the table.
Keeper
Keepers are what you need in order to win. Keep them in front of you after playing.
To play a Keeper, place it face up on the table in front of you.
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. Follow the instructions on the card, then discard it.
To play an Action card, do whatever it says, then place it on 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.
Sample Game (in progress)
The rules sheet illustrates a sample game in progress, with these callouts:
- The Basic Rules card stays in the middle for the entire game. It reads: Start with 3 cards. Draw 1. Play 1.
- New Rules that override the Basic Rules are placed overlapping the part they supersede. Other New Rules are placed in the center.
- Goals also go in the middle. They are shared by all players.
- Keepers are placed in front of their owners.
- After following an Action card's instructions, place it onto the discard pile.
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.)
Playing Without Zombies
A good way to begin, particularly if you're new to Fluxx, is by leaving out the Zombies. Starting with this simplified version, then shuffling in the Zombies when everyone's ready, not only allows players to learn new concepts gradually, it also provides a game experience that starts with the tension of preparing for the Zombie uprising, then moving onto the actual arrival of the undead. Listed below are the cards to leave out at first. (For easier sorting, look for the drippy markings in the upper right corner.) During the game, ignore any text on Goal cards about requiring a Zombie (or not) to win.
Set Aside:
Actions: Eaten by Zombies!, Return of the Dead, Hey, Over Here!, Let's Shamble!, No Zombies, ...and Stay Dead!, Out of Ammo, Zombie Jamboree.
New Rules: Weapon Bonus, Eradication Bonus, Adrenaline Bonus, Zombie Season, Look, Over There!, It's Not Working!, Groaning Required, Dead Friends, Zombies Ain't So Bad.
Keepers: Sonic Tranquilizer, Zombie Repellent.
Goals: Four, Three, Two, One; I Alone Survived; "I'll Hold 'em Off!"; Zombie Baseball Team; Zombie Victory.
All Creepers.
Other Types of Cards
Creeper
When you draw this, you must immediately place it in front of you, and draw another card.
Creepers: These are like Keepers you do not want. Usually Creepers prevent you from winning, but sometimes you actually need them to win. Creepers are kept on the table in front of you in the same area as your Keepers.
Creepers cannot be held in your hand. Instead, they automatically go into play. As soon as you draw a Creeper, you must place it face up in front of you and draw another card. This does NOT count as a "play."
You might have to accept several Creepers at once as you draw cards, until you've drawn the required number of non-Creepers and added them to your hand. Note that this is true any time you draw a card, such as during an Action.
Ungoal
Ungoals: These are the opposite of regular Goals, but they are treated interchangeably. Ungoals replace Goals when played, and vice versa. Nobody wins when an Ungoal is met!
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 you play Draw 3, Play 2 of Them. You will start by drawing three cards. If any of those cards are Creepers, you would place them in front of you and redraw immediately until you have three non-Creeper cards, then you would choose which two of those to play.
Other Notes
First Round Creepers: At the start of the game, any player whose initial hand of cards contains a Creeper must immediately play all of the Creepers they have, and draw again, as needed, until they have three non-Creeper cards in hand.
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.
Special Icons
This version of Fluxx also uses the following themed icons:
Zombie required: Sometimes you actually need a Zombie. This icon indicates that a Zombie is required, or it may refer to a Zombie that's being targeted in some way.
No Zombies: Usually Zombies are a problem. This symbol indicates that a Zombie prevents you from doing something, most notably winning the game.
Weapon: This icon refers to something which has the potential to be used as a weapon. When the "Weapon Bonus" New Rule is in play, Keepers with this icon can be used to kill Zombies.
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
Credits
Original Fluxx was invented on July 24, 1996.
- Game Designer: Andrew Looney
- Illustrator: Derek Ring
- Package Designers: Tim Kenney and Erick Pfleiderer
- Playtesters: Kristin Looney, Alison Frane, Robin Vinopal, Carol Townsend, Laura Marsh, Jean Frane, various gamers at MarCon, Origins, GenCon, and the Wunderland Toast Society.
- Zombie Advisors: Russell Grieshop, Skip Soneson, and "Spanky" Bob Mabry
Fluxx® is a registered trademark of Looney Labs. Printed in China by LongPack.
Copyright © 1997-2007 by Looney Labs, Inc. SKU: LOO-033. ISBN: 1-929780-66-4.
Card List
This makes a total of 100 cards in the box. A rulesheet is also included.
Keepers (15 cards)
Zombie Repellent, Sonic Tranquilizer, The Shotgun, The Chainsaw, The Shovel, The Car, Lumber, Can of Gasoline, The Baseball Bat, A Friend (male), A Friend (female), Coffee, Donuts, Sandwiches, Brains.
Creepers (15 cards)
Zombie (8): Woman in evening gown, Postman, Scientist, Little girl, Waitress, Soldier, Football player, Ballerina.
Pair of Zombies (3): Dudes, Scouts, Nurse with wheelchair lady.
Larry the Zombie, Zombie Trio, Trio of Zombies, Zombie Quartet.
New Rules (25 cards)
Basic Rules, Draw 2, Draw 3, Draw 4, Draw 5, Play 2, Play 3, Play 4, Play All, Hand Limit 0, Hand Limit 1, Hand Limit 2, Hand Limit 3, Double Agenda, No-Hand Bonus, Groaning Required, Zombie Season, Eradication Bonus, Adrenaline Bonus, Weapon Bonus, It's Not Working!, Dead Friends, Look, Over There!, Zombie Ain't So Bad, Zombie Boss.
Actions (23 cards)
Draw 3, play 2 of them; Draw 2 and Use 'em; Everybody gets 1; Trash a Keeper; Exchange Keepers; Steal a Keeper; Trade Hands; Use what you take; Rules Reset; Taxation; Trash a New Rule; Discard & Draw; Let's Do That Again!; Let's Simplify; Take Another Turn; Zombie Jamboree; No Zombies; ...and Stay Dead!; Return of the Dead; Hey, Over Here!; Let's Shamble!; Eaten by Zombies!; Out of Ammo.
Goals (21 cards)
- They Fear Fire — Gasoline & Lumber
- Hit the Gas! — Gasoline & The Car
- Arsenal — The Shotgun & at least 2 other potential weapons
- "Shotgun!" — The Shotgun & The Car
- We're All All Right! — 2 Friends & No Zombies
- Breakfast and Lunch — Donuts & Sandwiches & No Zombies
- Zombie Food — Brains & a Friend & No Zombies
- What's in the Toolshed? — The Shovel & The Chainsaw & No Zombies
- Food & Gas — Gasoline & Sandwiches & No Zombies
- Barricade the Windows — Lumber & a Friend & No Zombies
- I Alone Survived — The Car & no Friends and everyone has Zombies except you
- We Need Firewood — Lumber & The Chainsaw & No Zombies
- Food for Thought — Brains & Coffee & No Zombies
- Provisions — Sandwiches & Coffee & No Zombies
- Donuts with Coffee — Donuts & Coffee & No Zombies
- Getaway Driver — The Car & a Friend & No Zombies
- Four, Three, Two, One — A Zombie, A Pair of Zombies, either Trio, and the Quartet
- Zombie Baseball Team — The Baseball Bat & at least 9 Zombies
- Brain Baseball — The Baseball Bat & Brains & at least one Zombie
- Brain Sandwiches — Brains & Sandwiches & at least one Zombie
- "I'll Hold 'em Off!" — You alone have a Zombie & you have something you can use as a weapon
Ungoal (1 card)
Zombie Victory — everybody loses when its conditions are met.