I have a ridiculous love of games you can play with simple rules, especially if you can play it with a drink or two.
For me, Fluxx fills that niche and is a game I have a tendency to forget I own. We just pulled out our well loved copy and taught my niece and her boyfriend how to play. Many laughs were had, even if the win got stolen from me in one game.
The premise is simple: the game starts with the basic rules of draw a card and play a card. As the game progresses, new Rules can be added to change how the game is played. New Goals are laid out for players to reach for. Keepers are placed in front of you in the hopes you can match the Goal. Sometimes you win the game just because no one was paying attention to what was already out on the table, sometimes it's because you steal your sister-in-law's hand (you know who you are).
Over the years, more skins have been placed over the game, including my favorite: Oz Fluxx. Creepers were added to place another layer to the game. They can either win you the game or keep you from completing Goals.
My favorite card in the game is one I will never add to my deck: Andy Looney. He counts as the Brain Keeper. The reason I will never place him in my deck is that it is an autographed copy I got at a retailer convention years ago when Oz FLuxx was in production. I got a chance to playtest a couple versions of Fluxx and listen to their theories on game design, something I will always cherish.
While I don't dust it off very often because we have other games in the cabinet that hide the tiny box, when I do pull it out, I'm reminded why I love Fluxx so much.
What's your favorite tiny boxed game that falls into the dark recesses of your game cabinet? Let me know!