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Ask Andy: Is Drawing First Required?
There's been a fascinating discussion on the Fluxx mailing list during the last few days, about this question:

Drawing before you Play is recommended -- but is it required?
One side of the argument contends that Drawing first is mandatory, since that's the stated sequence in the instructions. However, since it doesn't specifically say that Drawing first is required, this has become a point of contention. Some have said (loudly) that if I'd meant for the player to be able to Play before Drawing, I'd have said so explicitly, but others have argued that the rules really only require that you follow all of the Current Rules, and that the order you follow them in is technically optional.

And so it's up to me to make an official ruling on the subject. But this is actually a pretty tricky question. Those who've searched for a specific statement about Drawing first being mandatory can't find one because I've never officially said such a thing. But the fact that I've never said you CAN Play before you Draw doesn't mean I don't think you should be able to.

This question reminds me of our glorious Bill of Rights, specifically the Ninth Amendment: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." Just because I haven't said you can do something doesn't mean you can't.

For myself, I always urge people to draw first. But that's just good advice, not a requirement. Why decide what to do before you've considered all your options?

The truth is, I've never been forced to answer this question before, so I've never tried to settle it even in my own mind. As Carol observed, it's never mattered -- until now. But the case of the Zombie Quartet does create a scenario in which the shrewd player might care.

So, what's the answer? Bear with me, I'm getting there.

It's a basic principle of good game design that rules should be as short and succinct as possible while also being complete. Therefore I resist adding special rules like "You Must Draw First," if we don't really need such a rule. And what's the harm of someone playing before they draw, except to themselves?

One of the things that makes Fluxx so successful is the simple structure of the basic engine. Everything about the way a card works is explained right there on the card, and yet anything on any card can be invalidated by text on other cards. The cards are building blocks for a self-modifying system, and it works because some things are left unsaid and incomplete. Sometimes spaces are intentionally left blank.

Here's an interesting way to think about this. Suppose we wanted to create a New Rule card for this situation. (Not that I would, this is just a Thought Experiment.) Would it make more sense to create a New Rule that grants you the power ("Playing Before Drawing is OK") or one which takes it away ("Drawing First is Mandatory")? Which case should be the default?

Like I said, "always draw first" is a motto of mine. But when I think of how the Fluxx engine works, I have a hard time arguing with the logic which says you can follow the rules in whatever order you want just as long as you draw and play the total number of cards required during your turn.

But as they have done in so many other ways, the arrival of Zombies have changed everything. With regular Fluxx, it's always good to Draw more cards, since they could never hurt you before. But now, each time you Draw a card you risk the arrival of one or more Creepers.

So at the end of the day I think I have to say it's OK to tweak the sequence if that's what you really want. Just as you might change the rules from Play All to Play 2 to avoid playing a card you don't want to use, I think it makes sense for the shrewd player with a Rules Reset to be allowed to get rid of the Draw 5 before observing the Draw rule, and thus only Draw 1.

So I think the answer is no: drawing first is not required.