Camping Fluxx - the Perfect Gift for Scouts and Camping Enthusiasts

I am a big fan of Fluxx, the ever-changing card game. In addition to the original, there are a lot of themed versions of Fluxx. My favorite so far is Across America Fluxx, but I'm really excited about the latest addition to the Fluxx family, Camping Fluxx. The folks at Looney Labs sent me an advance copy to review and I'm happy to say that I love it! This post contains affiliate links. 

Just like the many other versions of Fluxx, the winner of Camping Fluxx is the person who has the green Keeper cards that fulfill the pink Goal card. Of course, it's harder than it sounds, since the Goal can change many times during the game! In addition to Keeper and Goal cards, there are three other types of cards: yellow New Rule cards; blue Action cards; and black Creeper cards. 

The Keeper and Goal cards all have a fun camping theme... which makes this game absolutely perfect for Scouts! For example, the "Be Prepared" Goal requires you have the Bug Spray and Rain Gear Keepers. The "I Like 'Em Burned" Goal needs a Campfire and Marshmallows. 

Another reason you should immediately buy Camping Fluxx for all the Scouts in your life? These New Rule cards!

The Camping Bonus awards an extra draw and an extra play to all players who are on a camping trip. And the Scout Bonus give an extra draw to any Scout and two extra draws to an Eagle Scout! My Eagle loves that he and his fellow Eagles are recognized like this. Fun fact: Fluxx's creator, Andy Looney, became an Eagle Scout in 1981!

Creepers are the whammy cards of Fluxx. In Camping Fluxx, there are two: Rain and Mosquitos. Both can put a serious damper on a camping trip and both can prevent you from winning Fluxx.  

Camping Fluxx is great fun and a wonderful addition to the Fluxx family. It'll be coming along on all of our future camping trips!

Martian Chess

Remember last week when I said that Nomids was our new favorite board game? We still love it, but now it has some major competition with Martian Chess for the title! Both were provided to me as media samples. Affiliate links here and throughout the post. 

Both Nomids and Martian Chess are from one of my all-time favorite game companies, Looney Labs. Both use pyramids as game pieces, are easy to learn, and are super travel-friendly. While Nomids is a strategy game with a luck component, Martian Chess is pure strategy. So when Trevor beat me the first 8 times we played, I had nothing to blame but myself. I did beat him on Game #9 though! 

Martian Chess is simple in concept: There are three types of pieces, each with a certain way they can move (just like in regular chess). The largest pyramids, called Queens, can move any distance in any one direction. The medium pieces, called Drones, can move one or two spaces horizontally or vertically. The smallest, Pawns, can move one space diagonally. Unlike in regular chess, only the pieces on your side of the center dividing line (canal) are yours. Here, Steve is about to move a Drone across the canal. He's not in position to capture anything. Once he moves the Drone, it will become Trevor's. 

Since all the pieces are the same color and ownership of any one piece is constantly changing, the goal is not to be the last with your piece(s) on the board. Instead, the winner is whoever earns the most points by capturing Queens (3 pts), Drones (2 pts), and Pawns (1 pt). The game goes pretty quickly and really keeps you thinking!

Trevor has already decided he'll be bringing Martian Chess along on Scout trips once we've beaten this pandemic. The boys in his troop love regular chess and are huge fans of other Looney Labs games (particularly Fluxx) so it's a no-brainer that they'll love this too.

Our Latest Favorite Game: Nomids

The deRosiers love all sorts of board games and card games, so when the folks at Looney Labs offered me the chance to review some of their latest games, I happily agreed. When Nomids arrived (affiliate link here and throughout the post), we couldn't wait to open it up and check it out! I'm delighted to say that we absolutely love it. 

Nomids is played with 30 pyramids (10 colors, 3 different sizes) and a single die. The goal is to be the first to get rid of your pyramids - when you have no 'mids left, you are the winner. Nomids is very easy to learn, but involves plenty of strategy. And it's really fun!

Nomids can be played with 2-10 players. I love that flexibility! We've only played with 2 and 3 (because COVID), but when playing board games with other people is a thing, Nomids will be at the top of our must-play list. It's really travel-friendly, so this will surely come along on Scout trips, cabin visits, and other travels once travel is a thing again (sigh... COVID).  

Each player starts out with three pyramids, each a different color and size. On your turn, you roll the die to determine whether you take a pyramid from the middle or another player, give a pyramid to the middle or another player, or trade pyramids. When you have all three pyramids of one color, you return them to the center. If you don't have any pyramids left when you do this, you are the winner! Here's one of our three-person games in progress. 

Nomids is unique in that the game pieces can be used to play other games, including Pharaoh (a math strategy game), Pyramid-Sham-Bo (a party game), and Treehouse (a spatial skills strategy game). Nomids can also be used as an expansion pack for Looney Labs' Pyramid Arcade, which is a 22-in-1 game system. 

Nomids is a great choice for practically anyone on your gift list. It's recommended for ages 6+. If you are looking for other board game ideas, be sure to check out my Family Fun Gift Guide.