Pyramid Review
Zombie Fluxx: The Ever-Changing Zombie Card Game
Published by Looney Labs
Designed by Andrew Looney
Illustrated by Derek Ring
100 full-color cards & rules leaflet; $16
Fluxx is unlike any other game. Its mechanics fits its theme of constant change, of a chaos that cannot be beaten but rather adapted to if a player is to win. A game starts simply with two rules: draw one card, play one card, and winning achieved by playing Keeper cards that match those on varying Goal card. All this changes as new Rule cards alter the number of cards that can be drawn, played, held, and so forth, not only from turn to turn, but also within a turn itself. The result is that Fluxx cannot be played to win, but is best played to make the best of the current situation. Or not, as the game's fluid nature means that it can even be won when it is not your turn. This nature also divides players, with some (like my sisters) loathing it for its chaotic rules, while others (like my teenage daughter) loving it for the same reason.
Since its original publication in 1997, Fluxx has been modified and adapted to several flavors, including ecological, family-orientated, and religious themes. At its heart, though, Fluxx has always remained true to the designer's hippie beliefs and is a friendly, peaceful game. This makes Zombie Fluxx unlike any Fluxx game that has gone before, because it gives you weapons and lets you kill things, which is as deeply, incredibly un-hippie as . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: October 26, 2007
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