Drinking Fluxx

The Drinking Game with Ever-Changing Rules.
fluxx
Author

Keiran Suchak

Published

March 3, 2024

Theming: What’s the point?

Drinking Fluxx is an adult Fluxx variant in which the changing cards also create responsible-adult drinking and party-game effects. The card text always decides the effect.

Play responsibly

Every drinking instruction can use water, a soft drink, or a non-drinking substitute. Agree before play that anyone may decline or replace an instruction without explanation. Never make driving, medication, or personal limits part of a game effect.

Setting up: How to get started?

Deal the game

  1. Shuffle all cards and deal three to each player.
  2. Put the rest face-down as a draw pile, with space for discards.
  3. Choose a first player.
  4. Start with no Goal, no Keepers, and the Basic Rule Draw 1, Play 1.

If the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile into a new draw pile. Cards in play are never shuffled back in.

Rounds and Phases

Take a turn

  1. Draw the number required by the active Draw rule.
  2. Play the number required by the active Play rule.
  3. Resolve every card as it is played.
  4. Discard down to active Hand and Keeper Limits after playing.
  5. Check the current Goal before play passes clockwise.

Card effects

  • Keepers stay in front of their owner and can satisfy Goals.
  • A Goal or New Rule replaces the previous card of that type.
  • An Action resolves once, then is discarded.
  • A Creeper stays in play and normally prevents its owner from winning unless a Goal says otherwise.
  • A Surprise can be played only at the timing printed on it, sometimes outside your turn.

New Rules can change draw, play, hand, or Keeper limits immediately. Do as much of an impossible instruction as you can. Specific card text overrides the general rules.

Scoring

End of the game

There is no points total. A player wins immediately on meeting the active Goal with their Keepers and any other stated conditions. If a Creeper prevents that win, it still prevents it even when the player has the listed Keepers. Simultaneous winners share the victory.

Terminology

Key terms

  • Keeper: a persistent card in front of a player.
  • Goal: the current win condition.
  • New Rule: changes the rules in force.
  • Action: a one-off effect.
  • Creeper: a card with an ongoing drawback.
  • Surprise: a card playable at the timing stated on it.
  • Drink instruction: use the group’s agreed substitute when appropriate.

Official rules

Drinking Fluxx rules (PDF)