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Players: 2-6 (ages 8+ can play, but older is probably better)
Playing Time: 10-40 minutes
After I fell in love with the ever-changing card game Fluxx, I was pretty sure that no other card game would be able to top it. But then, at this year’s Origins Game Fair, I stopped by the Looney Labs booth and found that they’d taken my favorite card game and given it a Monty Python twist. I was in geek heaven.
Monty Python Fluxx is generally played by the same rules as regular Fluxx (see my review for more details). At the beginning of the game, players are given three cards. On each turn, they draw one card and play one card. But with each new card (Action, Goal, Rule, or Keeper) that’s played, the game changes. The rules change, and even the object of the game changes. And whoever manages to accomplish whatever the current goal requires is named the winner.
With Monty Python Fluxx, however, there are a few changes. The most obvious, of course, is that the cards have a Monty Python theme. If you’ve seen (and memorized) The Holy Grail, you’ll get a laugh out of the Python-themed Goal cards—like “Bring Forth the Holy Hand Grenade,” which requires you to collect the Killer Rabbit Keeper and the Holy Hand Grenade Keeper in order to win. There are also Action cards that require you to speak in an outrageous accent or sing Monty Python songs.
The biggest difference, however, are the Creepers. In the deck, there are a number of black Creeper cards. If you draw one, you immediately place it in front of you. If you have a Creeper card in front of you, you can’t win the game—unless the Goal card says otherwise. There are some Goals that require you to have a certain Creeper—but, for the most part, they’re about as pleasant as the Spanish Inquisition (which, incidentally, is one of the Creepers).
There are a few other differences as well—and you’ll have to read your cards carefully and pay attention to the instructions. For instance, if you have the Excalibur Keeper, you can use it to move one of your Creepers to another player—or, if you have the Catapult Keeper, you can use it to move Keepers around.
The additional rules and conditions definitely add a new twist or five (“Three, Sir!”) to the game. As a result, there’s even more to keep track of than before. And that can be a good thing or a bad thing—because while it makes the game more challenging (and a little crazier), it also makes it less leisurely. It takes more thought—and concentration—than the original Fluxx.
If you’re looking for a nice, relaxing game to play on a lazy afternoon, Monty Python Fluxx might make your brain hurt. But if you’re looking for a new challenge—and you happen to be a big Monty Python fan—you won’t want to miss this wacky new twist on a fun card game favorite.
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