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Across America Fluxx from Looney Labs takes players on a cross-country road trip without their ever having to leave the gaming table. Fluxx continues to be the ever-changing card game with new versions released each year. While Fluxx games in the past have played with literary genres and intellectual properties, Across America Fluxx embodies the great American road trip with sites throughout the Lower 48 states. Players will have to be quick to match the right hotspots and win the game.
Getting Around in the Game
As in previous editions of Fluxx, Across America Fluxx starts with just two simple rules: Players take turns drawing a card and playing a card. Some of the cards are New Rules to change the game, like drawing or playing more cards or establishing a hand limit. Other cards bring in special Actions a player may take, such as getting rid of a rule or swiping cards from another player’s hand. The key cards are Keepers, each with an icon that can be matched in a set to meet the requirements of a Goal card. The first player to have the right Keepers in play to match a Goal wins.
Across America Fluxx features several New Rules and Actions unique to the game for bigger and faster play. Players may draw more cards for having been to a place mentioned on a Keeper; describing visiting a place; or singing a song about a destination, since music is a key component to any good road trip.
The “Bucket List” New Rule is particularly dynamic, allowing players to make a Goal personal so that only they may complete it, making for clever blocks when someone else has a needed card. An Action card gives a player the chance to draw as many cards as the states represented on Keepers in play, which may be a huge draw late in the game. In “Four Directions,” players even get to choose from four different ways to play, whether stealing, drawing, or discarding cards in play, giving them the optimal choice as the game progresses.
Learning Along the Way
Like Around the World Fluxx, Across America Fluxx is geography-based, making it a great educational game. Keepers are loaded with famous destinations like Yellowstone National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Independence Hall. Each card is labeled with its location, letting players know where they can visit it themselves. Many of the Keepers also include historical information, such as when Las Vegas was established or the Statue of Liberty dedicated. The Goals show connections players may not have thought of, such as the Space Needle originally being part of a World’s Fair.
Across America Fluxx is a card game for two to six players aged eight and up. Games usually last about a quarter of an hour, but like all great road trips, the length is unpredictable thanks to the adventures along the way. Things could wrap up quickly with a lucky draw, or a player may swoop in to interrupt a planned victory to keep the game going.
