Have you gotten the impression that I really like Fluxx? Not yet? Maybe you should check out my other five Fluxx posts! I’ve written about Firefly Fluxx, Chemistry Fluxx, Doctor Who Fluxx, Jumanji Fluxx and Eco Fluxx.
Oh, and one more! The basic, core mechanics of Fluxx, which you can find here. Like I outlined in that post, there are four types of cards that all Fluxx decks have in common: New Rules (yellow), which are fairly self-explanatory, Keepers (green), which you (shocker) get to keep in front of you, Actions (blue), which are discarded upon being played, and Goals (pink), which go in the middle like New Rules and list the Keepers (or occasionally Creepers) you need to win the game. Creepers are black cards, and they’re like Keepers, but bad – if you draw one, you immediately have to play it and redraw, and you can’t win with one in front of you unless the Goal says otherwise. Not every Fluxx deck has these, nor do they all have Surprise cards (purple), which can be played any time, even when it’s not your turn.
Cthulhu Fluxx has all of the above, but also Ungoals (red) — if the criteria is met while the Ungoal is in play, the game ends and nobody wins. That is, unless you’re playing with the Meta Rule, Cult Clash, in which case the player with the greatest number of Doom points on the table wins… unless someone has the Secret Cultist, in which case they win, and if there’s a tie the player with the most Keepers or Creepers mentioned in the Ungoal claims the victory.
“Hold up. What are Doom points?” You see, aside from the Ungoals and the Eldritch Horror-themed cards, Doom points are what make Cthulhu Fluxx unique. They’re little upright hourglass symbols on certain Keepers and Creepers, including Cthulhu himself, who actually has three. These are important, not just for Cult Clash, but for cards like the Ungoal The Dunwich Horror, which ends the game if, 1) the total Doom count for the table is 6 or more, and 2) someone has Yog-Sothoth in play. “Six?!” you might be asking, “Cthulhu puts you halfway to that all by himself!” True, true, but there are also Anti-Doom cards like the Cat, which have a sideways hourglass and subtract Doom from your total. The other special classes of cards are Investigator Keepers, identified by a magnifying glass, and Attachable Creepers, which attach themselves to Keepers in play like the parasites they are. (I.e. Nightmares, which attach to an Investigator and stay with it until both are discarded… unless you have the Dreamer in front of you, in which case you can detach and discard those.)
I’ve yet to play a Fluxx I didn’t love, but this one I especially enjoy because of the additional mechanics that set it apart. Well, and the Cat. So what are you waiting for? Come investigate Secrets Man Was Not Meant To Know and lose your sanity over a game of Cthulhu Fluxx!
