Oz Fluxx is a game by Andrew Looney, published by Looney Labs. It is for 2-6 players. In this game, players will journey to the magical land of Oz where they will be playing cards to gain new items and allies known as Keepers, while playing actions and new rules that will change up different aspects of the game. Of course they’ll need to collect the right Keepers if they hope to complete the ever changing Goal card. They’ll also need to be on guard for the dreaded Creepers which hope to do them harm. In the end, the player that can best navigate their way to completing the current goal will be declared the winner.
To begin, the Basic Rules card is placed in the middle of the play area. The deck of cards is shuffled and each player is dealt three cards each. The remaining cards are placed face down in a draw pile beside the Basic Rules card in the middle of the play area. If a player is dealt a Creeper card, then they must place it face up in front of themself and draw another card until they have three non-Creeper cards in their hand. The first player is chosen and play now begins.
The game is played over several rounds. Each round a player will take their turn which will consist of drawing a number of cards based on the current requirements, playing a number of cards, which is also based on the current requirements and then discarding cards from their hand to comply with the current limit rules that may be in play.
There are several different types of cards that a player may have in their hand to play. New Rules change the way the game is played and take effect as soon as they are played. These are placed beside any previous rules unless they override the basic rules of draw 1 and play 1. If this is the case, the new rule cards is placed so that it overlaps the part of the Basic Rule that it is replacing. Goal cards are placed in the middle of the play area and establish the requirements for a play to win the game. If there is another Goal card already face up on the table, it is discarded and replaced by the new card. Keepers are placed face up in front of the player that played it. These are the cards needed for a player to win. Action cards are one time use cards. To play one of these, the player reads it aloud and then does whatever the card says. The card is then placed in the discard pile. Creeper cards are immediately placed face up in front of the player that drew it. These ususally will keep a player from winning the game. However there are a few Goal cards that will actually use them. Once placed, the player will then draw another card. This does not count as a draw or a play. Surprise cards are able to be played at any time during the game. During the player’s turn, it works like an Action card. These cards can even be used to cancel out another Surprise card.
One last thing of note, once a player has played the corresponding number of cards as noted by the rules, they will then be forced to discard a number of cards if their hand has more than the current hand limit rule in play. At the beginning of the game, there is no hand limit. Only when a new rule is played that limits the number of cards in a player’s hand will this come into play. Once a player has completed these actions, play passes to the next player in turn order.
The game continues until one of the players has met the conditions of the current Goal. The player that does this is the winner, even if this happens on another player’s turn.
COMPONENTS
As with any game of Fluxx, this game comes with 100 artistically designed cards. Each one is made of great quality and is just the right size to fit in your hand. The cards each have a very nice finish to them which makes them very easy to shuffle and draw. The artwork on the cards is very fun and quirky, much like the land of Oz. Each one gives you that whimsy and fun that I remember as a child, when I first watched the Wizard of Oz. My daughter was very much engrossed with the different designs and she especially liked Dorothy. One thing to note is that not every card has that artwork on it. Some cards like the New Rules cards have large icons on them to show you what changes, while others like the Action and Surprise cards just have text on them. While it’s not necessary for everything to have artwork, I think it would have made it a little more thematic and fun. Still for the artwork that is there, I’m very pleased with it. The cards in this one are very nice and I’m a fan of the overall charm of the artwork. This is definitely a great looking card game full of cute and fun artwork.
8 out of 10
RULEBOOK
For this game, the rulebook consists of a large double sided sheet of colored paper that is multi-folded. While large, it fits nicely into the box when folded. There’s a couple of pictures on both sides of the page. On the front there are pictures of a sample game in progress. On the back of the page, there are pictures of Dorothy, Toto and her farm in Kansas. It’s basically the artwork from the card’s themselves. The rules are actually quite simple to follow. I don’t think anyone should have any trouble understanding them. The back of the page also has a few examples of gameplay to help players understand a few things a bit better. There are also some notes that clarify a few things, such as discarding cards, reshuffling, cards in play and free actions, as well as notes on jumping in and dropping out of the game. Overall the rulebook is pretty nice looking. I’m with how great it looks.
8 out of 10
GAMEPLAY
Fluxx has always been a game that my family and I have enjoyed. Ever since we bought that first copy of Zombie Fluxx many years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s been a staple of our gaming table. With our love for the Wizard of Ozl, it’s no surprise that this version would appeal to us. My daughter has always enjoyed the movie, as have I. I remember as a twenty something, watching it along with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album, something I recommend trying if you’ve never done it. I think our love for the movie comes from the magicalness and fantastic world that was created. That same spark comes out just a little bit in the cards of this game. While it still has that same Fluxx feel, you do get a little taste of Oz in your cards as well. With cards showing everything from the Wicked Witch to the Scarecrow to Dorothy and beyond. Needless to say, this version has quickly become one of my daughter’s favorite versions of all time. This is one for the whole family, especially if you like the Wizard of Oz like we do. This is a great intro to the Fluxx universe and offers a great sampling of cards that aren’t available in some of the other decks. Some cards like the Creepers have been left out of certain games, so it was definitely nice to see them used in this version. I will say that I’ve been considering playing a mash up combining both this and the zombie deck. Thought it’d be interesting to see Oz covered in zombies, but maybe that’s just me. In any event, there’s a lot of chaos and fun to be had in this game. If you enjoy games like Munchkin or are a fan of the Wizard of Oz, then this would be a nice fun little card game that you will enjoy. This is definitely one that I would highly recommend.
9 out of 10
OVERALL
Oz Fluxx is a family friendly card game of ever changing rules and goals set in the wonderful world of Oz. It’s a great little card game that doesn’t take a long time to play. Most game sessions last around 15-20 minutes. The cards are great quality and the artwork is cute and fun. The rulebook is well designed and very easy to read through and understand. The game itself is family friendly and is one that can be played with both kids and adults alike. Fans of Munchkin or any of the other Fluxx games should enjoy this one as well, especially if they like the Wizard of Oz. My daughter and I both really like the look and feel of this version and will be playing it for awhile. This is one that I would highly recommend. No need to click your heels together Dorothy, this one’s a keeper.
9 out of 10
For more information about Fluxx and other great games, please check out Looney Labs at their site.
For more information about Fluxx and other great games, please check out Looney Labs at their site.
GAMING BITS 