Archives

Q: If we have Play All But 1 in effect, and someone qualifies for the Rich Bonus and they play all their cards, but their last play gets them more cards, how many cards do they play?

To refresh: the Rich Bonus lets you play 1 extra card on your turn if you have the most Keepers in play (no ties). This means, as the questioner has noted, that the person who is the “Rich” player, during Play All But 1 has the option to Play All, since Play All But 1 +1 = Play All.

In this case, the questioner’s opponent had 3 cards in hand, played 2, and then, for their third play (one extra because of the Rich Bonus) they increased the Draw, which then put cards back into their hand. The question here is… do they play until they have just one card left, because they “already used up the Rich Bonus” or do they Play All because the rules for them are still effectively Play All But 1 +1 = Play All.

A: As with other Bonuses which apply a formulaic increase to the Draw or Play rule, this is not something that can be “used up.” After much discussion between Andy and myself (Alison) The Rich Bonus should be rewritten as below. This will make it more clear that it’s a formulaic modifier to the Play rule AND is no longer optional, bringing it more in-line with other Bonus cards.

“If one player has more Keepers in play than any other player, the number of cards played by this player is increased by 1.”

So, for the purposes of this question, specifically, the Rich player would need to keep playing until they had Played All

Q: Do Poor Bonus and Rich Bonus contradict each other, such that only one can be in play at a time?

A: No, they do not contradict one another, though they’re guaranteed not to apply to the same player at any given time. One person might have the fewest Keepers, and take that Bonus, while another player has the most, and takes that Bonus.

It IS possible, however, for one’s status as Richest or Poorest player to change during one’s turn such that one may start as the Poorest player, get to take the Poor Bonus (drawing 1 extra) then subsequently during one’s turn, play enough Keepers to become the Richest player, thereby getting to take the Rich Bonus (an extra play). One might also lose Keepers and switch status the other way, though under most circumstances you wouldn’t be able to actually utilize the Rich Bonus if you moved that direction.

Also keep in mind that in the case of ties, no-one gets the bonus.

It’s totally reasonable and possible for them to be in play together without contradicting.

Q: If there is a Rule (or Keeper) in play that adds to the Draw/Play, and then I increase the Draw/Play, does that added Draw/Play count against the new Draw/Play total?

The situation was there was a Rule in place that required us to draw an extra card and play an extra card. On the second play, a draw 4 rule was implemented, which increased the Draw from 1 to 4. There was a disagreement as to whether the extra draw counted towards the new Draw total. Should I have gotten to draw 3 extra, as if I’d increased from 1 to 4, or would it only be 2 extra, since I’d drawn 1 plus the extra draw?

A: Essentially, when you have a Rule in play that changes the draw and play by a formula (you get 1 extra draw and 1 extra play per turn, for example) that formula is still in effect on the increased Draw.

If you had Draw 1 and increased to Draw 4, then you draw 3 more cards.
If you had Draw 1 (+ 1) and increased to Draw 4 (+ 1), then you draw 3 more cards.
You can see how that formulaic increase does not affect the number of cards you’ll get to draw on an increase of the base Draw Rule.

See also what happens when you play the special Rule first: What happens if I play a Rule or Keeper that’s not a Draw or a Play, but increases…

Q: If I play a New Rule or Keeper that’s not a Draw or Play, but increases my Draw or Play, do I do that immediately?

A: Rules that increase your Draw or Play based on a formula (Doom, or what Keepers or Creepers are in play in front of you or elsewhere) as well as Keepers that change the way the rules work for you personally, should be treated as you would an increase in the actual Draw or Play Rules, so the total number of draws or plays you get on your turn increases:

If you had Draw 1 and played a card that made it Draw 1 (+1), then it’s just like you have gone from Draw 1 to Draw 2, and you draw 1.
If you had Draw 4 and played a card that made it Draw 4 (+1), then it’s just like you have gone from Draw 4 to Draw 5, and you draw 1.

Likewise, if such a card is already in play, increasing the Draw rule results in the exact same draw increase as though the formula were not in place.
See If there’s a Rule (or Keeper) in play that adds to the Draw…

Contrast this with Actions that give you extra draws on a one-time basis. If I play an Action or use a “Free Action” that lets me draw cards…

Q: How does Inflation interact with cards that say you “may” play (or draw 1) extra?

When a card states that you “may” play 1 extra card (e.g., Rich Bonus or Party Bonus), and Inflation is in play, it is treated as you may play 2 extra cards. Does this mean that you have to choose between playing 0 and playing 2, or can you also play only 1?

See this answer in a video!
Little Answers

A: It’s either zero or two. There is no one.

Adventure Time includes the Inflation analogue, Mathematical! Inflation is also available as a promo card to add to any Fluxx deck.