Stoner Fluxx
Stoner Fluxx Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Place the Basic Rules card in the center of the table. Shuffle the deck and deal three cards to each player. Place the remainder of the deck face down next to the Basic Rules to form a Draw pile. (At the beginning of the game, there will be no Goal or New Rule cards in play yet.)
Going First
Whoever "calls" it goes first. The best way to call it is to just reach out and draw a card from the deck.
How to Play
Start by following the Basic Rules (draw one card & play one card), and adapt to all additional New Rules as they are played. Players take turns, going clockwise around the table, drawing and playing the indicated number of cards until someone meets the current Goal condition.
On Your Turn
- Draw the number of cards currently required.
- Play the number of cards currently required.
- Discard down to the current Hand Limit (if any).
- Comply with the current Keeper Limit (if any).
Optional actions allowed by New Rules, Creepers, etc. may be performed at any point during this sequence.
When playing a card, you may choose any card in your hand. If you aren't sure how a card works, try reading the full text aloud as you play it.
Card Types
Basic Rules
BASIC RULES: This is the starting point – the foundation on which the rest of the game is built. These initial rules will be superseded by New Rules during the course of play, but this card should remain on the table at all times. The Basic Rules are: Draw 1 card per turn and Play 1 card per turn (with no other restrictions such as Hand or Keeper Limits).
Start by putting the Basic Rules card in the middle of the table. Shuffle the deck.
New Rule
NEW RULE: To play a New Rule, place it face up near the Basic Rules. If it contradicts a New Rule already in play, discard the old rule. New Rules take effect instantly, so all players must immediately follow the New Rule as required. This will often cause the player whose turn it is to draw or play additional cards right away, or it may cause other players to immediately discard some of their cards.
Example: After drawing 1 card, you play the "Draw 4" New Rule. Now the rules require you to Draw 4 cards on each turn, but since you only took 1 card before, you must immediately draw 3 more cards. The next player draws 4 cards. He plays the "Draw 2" which changes the rules again, but he draws no more, having already gotten (at least) 2 cards. Since Draw 2 contradicts Draw 4, the Draw 4 is discarded.
New Rules are played next to the Basic Rules in the middle of the table.
Goal
GOAL: To play a Goal, place it face up in the center of the table, discarding the previous Goal (if any). The game begins with no Goal in play, so no one can win until one is played.
The Goal applies to everyone; as soon as someone meets these conditions, they win! (Even if it's someone else's turn!)
Goals are played to the middle of the table.
Keeper
KEEPER: To play a Keeper, take it out of your hand and place it on the table in front of you, face up. Most Goals require you to have a particular pair of Keepers, so playing a Keeper is always a good thing.
When you play a Keeper, it is placed on the table in front of you.
Action
ACTION: Actions are used once and discarded. Just do whatever the card says, then place it on the Discard Pile.
Actions can sometimes cause major chaos, and yet at other times, have no effect at all. Note that while some Actions may cause additional cards to be played, everything that happens as a result of an Action card is considered part of one "play."
Example: 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'd keep going, drawing three more cards, playing two cards and discarding the third. All of this activity would be counted as the playing of just one card.
Actions are used, then placed in the discard pile.
Creeper
CREEPER: Unlike Keepers, which are things you want because they help you win, Creepers are undesirable cards which often prevent you from winning. Creepers are kept on the table in front of you in the same area as your Keepers.
Whereas Keepers stay in your hand until you decide to play them, Creepers are played automatically. 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.
Example: If you play the Action called "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-Creepers, then you would choose which two of those cards to play.
Creepers go next to your Keepers.
Notes
Before the first turn, all players look at their starting hand, and if they have any Creepers, they must immediately lay them down and draw to replace them until everyone is holding three non-Creepers.
New players may join at any time by being dealt a hand of three cards.
If the Draw pile runs out, shuffle the Discard pile, turn it over to make a new Draw pile, and keep playing.
Regarding Discarding
Discarding a card is not the same as playing it. When a card is played all instructions on that card must be followed, if possible. You cannot simply discard unwanted cards; you can only discard if compelled to by a Hand Limit. (Yes, this means you could be forced to play a card that makes someone else win.)
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!
The game doesn't end until there is a clear winner. If for some reason two or more players meet the winning conditions simultaneously, the game continues until a single winner emerges.
"It's My Turn!" Card
Stoner Fluxx includes an extra card intended to help folks who are, shall we say, distracted, with keeping track of whose turn it is. Using this card is optional, but if you decide to, make sure everyone remembers to slide the card over to the next player at the end of each turn. Also, whoever has the card also automatically goes first!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When discarding cards because of a Limit rule, do you get to choose what to discard, or is it random? A: You get to choose.
Q: Can you use the "Trash Something" action to discard one of your own Keepers (or Creepers)? A: Yes.
Q: If someone plays the Double Agenda rule card, which permits two goals, does the next card played need to be a Goal? A: No. There's no hurry about adding a second Goal just because the rules allow it.
Q: What happens if there are two Goals in play and someone gets rid of the Double Agenda rule? A: The player who caused the Rule to go away gets to choose which Goal to discard and which one to keep in play.
Q: Do I get to play any cards or take any actions when it's not my turn? A: When it's someone else's turn, there's not much you get to do -- there are no cards you can play out of turn. But you will sometimes need to make minor decisions and perform card maintenance during other players' turns. For example, if someone plays a Hand Limit and you have more cards in your hand than are allowed, you'll need to decide what to keep and what to discard.
Q: If I have zero cards at the start of my turn and then I play the No-Hand Bonus rule, do I get 3 extra cards, or is that only for the next player actually starting to play with the No-Hand Bonus rule card already on the table? A: It's that second thing you said. Since the rule only applies at the very beginning of a turn, the person who plays this rule has to wait.
Q: If the Trade Hands card is played and the rest of the players have no cards, is that player required to give away the rest of his cards for nothing in return or is the action optional? A: If you play the card, you have to carry out the action, so yes, you'd have to give away the rest of your hand and get nothing in return if everyone else is empty handed. It says on the card, "This is one of those times when you can get something for nothing." Well, it's also a time when you give something away and get nothing back!
Q: Suppose I play Draw 2 and Use 'em and I draw two Goals, and one of them will cause my opponent to win. Can I play the two Goals in instant succession, with the one that doesn't make them win on top, so that they don't get to win? A: No. Any time a Goal is played, it provides a chance for someone to win with those conditions. No matter how briefly that Goal is in play, it counts, and if someone meets the conditions in that instant, they win.
Q: If you play Use What You Take and pull a Keeper, do you use it on the person you took it from or does it go in your own Keeper collection? A: YOU play the card you stole, so you get to keep the Keeper.
Q: Can you combine this game with other versions of Fluxx? A: Yes, but it can be tricky now that Fluxx is available in so many flavors (like Zombie Fluxx, Martian Fluxx, and Monty Python Fluxx). The cardbacks are always the same, suggesting that different versions can all be combined; but matching backsides doesn't always mean the fronts will play nicely together. Some Rules may contradict each other without saying so, and certain Goal cards may become impossible or nonsensical. Rather than making a deck too big to shuffle, we suggest adding just a few of your favorite cards from one version to another. Also available are Fluxx Blanxx, which you can use to add in your own ideas, including new connections between cards from different editions. So be creative, have fun, and don't forget to playtest!
Q: Can you answer more of my questions on the internet? A: Yes! Please visit Fully-Baked-Ideas.com for the latest FAQ updates!
Q: What happens if I want to play a New Rule but there's already a New Rule in the center on the table? Does it replace the old New Rule, or do they peacefully co-exist? A: It all depends on contradictions. There's no limit on the number of New Rules that can be in play at once, as long as they don't interfere with each other. If the New Rule you are adding has nothing to do with the existing New Rule, both rules remain. However, if both rules are about the same thing, for example how many cards to Draw, then the new card becomes the rule and the old rule is discarded.
Q: What if a New Rule, such as Play 3, contradicts the Basic Rules? A: The New Rule still supersedes the Basic Rule, but the Basic Rules card does not get discarded. To help to avoid confusion, the New Rule can be placed to cover-up the portion of Basic Rules it replaces, as shown.
Q: What if the Rules require me to Play 4 but I only have 2 cards? A: Play as many as you can. Your turn ends when you have no cards left in your hand, even if you are supposed to play more.
Q: Suppose the rule is Play 2 and for my second play I change the rules to Play 3. Do I play one more card or am I done because I played 2? A: All rules take effect immediately, so you would need to play 1 more card because the rules at that point had become Play 3.
Q: How do I interpret the Play All card? If, by playing my cards, I receive more cards in my hand, do those new cards have to be played as well, so that I will always end up with zero cards in my hand at the end of my turn as long as Play All is on the table? A: Yes.
Q: Suppose it's my turn, and the current Goal says you need 2 Keepers to win, and I have one of them, and someone else has the other Keeper on the table. Can I just grab it from him and win? A: That would be cheating, unless you play the Steal Something Action card which allows you to do exactly that.
Q: If I play a Keeper, and I already had a Keeper, do I have to discard the first one to play the new one? Is there a Limit to the number of Keepers I can have in play? A: You can have as many Keepers in front of you as you want, unless a Keeper Limit rule is played. Even then, you can play as many Keepers as you want during your turn and only decide which ones to keep and which ones to throw away (so as to comply with the Keeper Limit) when your turn is over.
Q: Suppose there's a Hand or Keeper Limit rule in play when my turn begins, but, during the course of my turn, the limit card is removed and discarded as a result of another Rule card or Action card. Is it still necessary for me to discard down to the limit that is no longer in play? A: Nope! Just as Rules take effect immediately, their effects also cease the moment the rule disappears.
Q: Is there a Creeper Limit? Do Creepers count towards the Keeper Limit? A: No and No. Creepers aren't limited and do not count as Keepers.
Q: How do you get rid of Creepers? A: In some versions of Fluxx, this can be rather tricky, but the Creepers in Stoner Fluxx are pretty easy to dispose of. Just read the fine print on the cards to find out under what conditions you'll be able to either discard a Creeper or move it to another player.
Q: Does a Hand Limit mean "hold the limit number, unless you already have fewer cards, in which case hold that lower number"? A: Yes. It's not a quota that you must draw up to in order to meet, it's simply a cap on the number of cards you're allowed to hold.