TO BOLDLY GO...

#Looneylabs #Startrek #StartrekTNG

Some of you will be very familiar with the Looney Labs Fluxx games. Others might not be. For you FLUXX is the card drawing and laying game that constantly changes. From its rules, to the draw of cards to the goals of the game to win. For some it was the reinvention of the card game. Others the evolution of a thing stuck in time. Either way, it was exceptional. I mean it was the thing that made many people sit up and say ‘this is something’. The game became the definition of the new game world and has birthed multiple franchise versions, as well as Space (the creators worked at NASA). So to that final frontier, we head over to another.

STAR TREK and STAR TREK TNG FLUXX continue the brands quest for world domination via popular cross overs. Keeping the mechanics but also delving into the worlds of cult television (and film). So we have KIRK (with Shatneresqe voice infection), PICARD (with less gravel in voice than the new series) and the Enterprise (in both incarnations she is a beauty and one that lives long in the memory of all). We also get scenarios (BORG, PHASERS and random monstrous beings), episode nods and then the strange goal pair ups that make no sense, instead of course for all of those that know their Trek. Yes, you Trekkies. The sort of person who saw THE SIMPSONS episode with the ‘Set Phasers to fun’, and then laughed.

So does FLUXX do what it has before and more? Yes, certainly it has the same game shifting, bending and contorting grace of previous as other entries. This is essential to getting the game going. Goal shifting, card scattering hilarity. Then it also has a warmth and respect for its collaborative brand. No surprise but the two are a natural fit. You can play the game with knowledge of STAR TREK and like the little textures and notes. You could love the series and feel the satisfaction of goals like linking Scotty and La Forge (the expansion is needed for this). With a large group of player’s it is essentially a party scenario and the game hold up to this. No real strategy can be needed or you can go in with a play book. Then we have more to play with. This leads me to look at the cards. Graphically both sets are drawn as if slightly abstract and minimal were the central component. This worked for me. I really liked the sets for this. The characters look anew. We know them and still get what they are.

So if you really do like a game that can be broad but chaotic, can bring geeky knowledge into a simple card game or has the ability to contort an evening into an encounter with Alien beings and classic TV sci fi, then you really do know where to play. Right Make it so!