A fun drinking game created for those rare three-person drinking nights, Flux revolves around a central playing surface. Upon first or even second play, it may seem complicated, but comes naturally shortly after.
To start, the cards are spread in the center for th “War Round” and the first person (designated “The Dealer”) draws a card along with the person to his left (let’s call him “Doc”). The Dealer and Doc lay their cards down face up. The lower of these two cards (Ace valued as 14, King as 13, Queen 12, Jack 11 and down to 2) drinks the difference. For instance, if Doc draws a 3 to The Dealer’s King, Doc drinks 10. Next, the step is repeated, only with Doc and the third player (how about “Marty”) each drawing and laying a card. After the difference is consumed, Marty and The Dealer each draw a card, with low-man drinking the difference, then the cycle repeats until each player has four cards. At this point, a 3-man War is declared and all three players draw and play a card, with each of the two lower players drinking the difference between their respective card and the high card played.
As an aside, if at any point during this “War Round” two players should draw both draw in the same turn equal cards (ex: Doc and Marty each draw and flip a Queen at the same time), the player who first yells out “Great Scott!” is the winner of the turn and the losing player must drink the added amount of each card (24 drinks, using the Queen example). During 3-man war, the “Great Scott rule” comes into effect only if there is a draw-tie for high card.
During the “War Round,” the players should line up their exposed cards from left to right, starting with their first card drawn and ending with their last. The draw pile is removed and these three rows are pushed together to form a triangle, with each player behind his or her line. Inside the circle, four cards are dealt by The Dealer, face down –on at each of the corners and one in the center. This is the “Flux! Round” because it was at this point that Flux! gained it’s name since, if done right, the layout looks like that of Back to the Future’s Flux Capacitor. The Dealer then flips the corner card directly opposite his row. If the card matches any card in his row, he gives out the amount listed; if not, he drinks the amount. This portion continues with Doc an Marty doing the same with the cards directly opposing their rows. Once all three corner cards are turned, the center card is revealed. If any player has a matching card in his row, he may divy out the added amount from the corner cards (if the corner cards are Ace, 3, 9, the center a Queen, and Doc has a Queen, he gives out 26 drinks…14+3+9).
Next a “Suicide Round” is dealt with one card on each of the outside corners of the triangle. Again, the player draws the card opposite his own line but this time, if he has a matching card, he drinks the amount. If he doesn’t have a match, it’s simply a free round.
At this point, the system repeats itself, only in the second “War Round” the five cards are dealt face down to each player, underneath their row of face-up cards.
The “War Round” proceeds again, followed by a 3-man war. There are two differences from the first war round, however. If a player should draw a card and that card match his already exposed card directly above it, he has met his former-self, and must drink the doubled amount of his drawn card (if Marty, on his second draw, turns a 9 and his second draw in the first War round also yielded a 9, he would drink 18, on top of any differential penalties if he should also lose the war round). If however, a player draws an 8 on top of another 8 (like drawing an 8 in his third draw of each round) he has successfully reached 88 miles per hour, must say “Let’s see if you bastards can do 90!” then hand out a combined 90 drinks to one or both opponents. And yes, the “Great Scott!” rule is still in effect.
Another “Flux! Round” is dealt much the same way as the first. However, in this round, a player’s second draw-row counts for double drinks. So, if Marty draws a 4 as his corner card, and has a 4 in both his first and second row, he would give out twelve…4 + (4*2). Again, after all three corner cards are turned over, the center card is turned. This can get someone very drunk if it plays out correctly. As we know, if you can match the center card, you give out the added amount of the three corner cards. Furthermore, if you can match it from your second row, you give out double that amount. FURTHERMORE, if you have multiple matches (say, perhaps, three 7s in your second row, with the fourth 7 in the center) you would give out three times two times the sum of the three corner cards. Theoretically, if in the second “Flux! Round!” it worked out so that each corner card were an Ace, and for the hell of it, the two was the center card and you had three 2s in your second row, you would disperse 252 drinks!…42 (Ace*3) times 2 (because all matches are in the second row) times 3 (because you have three matches) equals 252. This etremely rare instance would be the equivalent of “disrupting the space-tiem continuum.
After this, another “Suicide Round” is dealt…ALSO AA CARD IS DEALT FACE DOWN IN THE CENTER OF THE TRIANGLE. Again, in the “Suicide Round” nothing happens if you don’t match the card opposite your rows, and if you do match, you drink the amount…times two if it matches in your second row.
The final card to be drawn, dealt to the center at the beginning of the second “Suicide Round” is THE FLUX! CARD. This is simply a social card, in order to bring the game to a friendly close, that each of the three players must partake of. The Dealer exposes the card…he, Doc and Marty raise their respective glasses/cans/fish bowls, say “One-point-Twenty-One Gigawatts!” and drink the amount designated by THE FLUX! CARD.
Fun drinking game, fairly quick, get you drunk game. Flux!
(Thanks Kevin)