Nobody’s a grandparent, so that’s OK

Fluxx is an odd game in so many ways.  Some people love it, some hate it, some love it but then have a hand that goes on for ever with no sign of ever ending, so go off it.  If you don’t know it, you start the game with rules that say “draw 1 card, play 1 card” and say nothing about how to win, then all this changes as new rules and goals are introduced, plus other cards have odd effects or give you an item to keep on the table in front of you.  The missus and I love it (but not all the time!) and were pleased to find that “Family Fluxx” is available (actually, it’s been out for several years, we just hadn’t spotted it) with supposedly prettier art and more family friendly cards.

Miss B a little suspicious due to me choosing to take a photo right after winning.

Actually, I don’t think the presentation is much of an improvement (there’s a little more colour) than the original, some of the cards are a bit USAian (“recess”, “stickball”, etc.), and there is still quite a lot of text to read on some cards, which may be off-putting for some little’uns, particularly given the stated age range of 6 years upwards.  Still, Miss B is getting increasingly confident with reading, so she gave it a really good go and just needed some clarification on a few things (“what does trash mean?”).

The game went well, with all three of us playing, though sometimes took a while for B to read cards and decide what to do next.  After the game finished, Miss B was keen to play again, which is always a good sign, though after that she was ready for something else.  I’m pretty sure this one will come out on a fairly regular basis on the future.

The verdict from Miss B (aged nearly 5½): “Good. But I didn’t win. Can we play snap now?”

The game: Family Fluxx (Looney Labs), 2 to 6 players, aged 6+.