House Of DecksGame rules
Bombazo
Be the last one standing: never draw a bomb without a Defuse to stop it.
Deck
Bombazo deck: bombs, Defuses, action cards and animals (it grows with the table)
Players
2 to 8 players
Setup
Every player gets one Defuse and seven more cards. The draw pile gets one bomb fewer than there are players, plus one or two spare Defuses, so a game always ends with a single survivor.
The deck is sized to the table: with more players it carries more of every card, so an eight-player game does not run dry halfway through.
Your turn
On your turn you may play as many cards as you like, one at a time, or none at all. You end it by drawing the top card of the deck. Drawing is compulsory: it is the only thing that ends a turn, except for the cards that let you avoid it.
If you draw a bomb and hold a Defuse, it is used automatically and you survive. You then choose where in the deck the bomb goes back: on top (the next player draws it), at any depth you like, or at the bottom. Nobody else sees where you put it.
If you draw a bomb without a Defuse, you blow up: you are out of the game and your cards are discarded.
The cards
Attack: end your turn without drawing, and the next player has to take two turns in a row. If someone who was attacked attacks in turn, the next player takes the turns they still had left plus two.
Skip: end one turn without drawing. If you were attacked, it only takes one of the two off.
Draw from the bottom: end your turn by drawing the bottom card of the deck instead of the top one.
See the future: secretly look at the top three cards of the deck. The table keeps showing them to you for as long as they are still true.
Shuffle: the deck is shuffled. Whatever anyone knew about it no longer holds.
Favor: pick a player, and they choose which card to give you.
Animals (hen, frog, hedgehog, octopus and raccoon): on their own they do nothing. Two of a kind are a pair: steal a random card from anyone you choose. Three of a kind: name a card, and if that player has it, they must hand it over.
The No!
Whenever someone plays a card (or a pair, or three of a kind), the whole table gets a few seconds to throw a No! and cancel it. It does not matter whose turn it is: a No! can be played at any moment.
A No! can itself be cancelled by another No!, and so on: with an odd number of No! cards the play is cancelled; with an even number, it is back on. Each No! restarts the countdown.
What cannot be cancelled is drawing a bomb or using a Defuse.
Ending
The last player who has not blown up wins. Everyone else is ranked by the order in which they exploded: the first to go is last.
Tips and strategy
Count the bombs
The table tells you how many bombs are left and what share of the deck they make up. Early on, drawing is almost free; with ten cards and two bombs, every draw is a 20% chance. Keep the cards that let you avoid drawing (Skip, Attack, Draw from the bottom) for that endgame instead of spending them in the first round.
See the future gets more valuable as the deck shrinks: with few cards left, knowing the top three is knowing nearly everything.
Where to hide the bomb
Right on top is the cruellest play: the next player draws it. But if everyone knows they hold a Defuse (the table marks it with 🧯), you only strip their shield and they send the bomb back your way.
If you still owe turns (you were attacked), do not put it on top: you would be the one drawing it.
A position only you know is information nobody else has: count the draws and you will know when it is getting close.
A No! is a shield, not a weapon
The best use of a No! is stopping a Favor, a pair or three of a kind aimed at you, especially when it would take your Defuse. Spending it on someone else's play that does not affect you leaves you bare when it matters.
If someone cancels your escape when you know a bomb is on top, answering with your own No! is the only thing that saves you.
The animals
Three of a kind asking for a Defuse from the player everyone knows holds one is the strongest play in the game: keep the third animal if you can instead of cashing the pair in straight away.
Steal from whoever holds the most cards: that is where you are most likely to find something useful.
Frequently asked questions
How many bombs are there?
Always one fewer than the players still alive. When someone blows up, their bomb leaves the game with them.
Can I avoid drawing?
Only by playing a card that ends your turn without drawing: Skip, Attack or Draw from the bottom (which still draws, but from the bottom). Otherwise your turn ends with a draw.
What if I am attacked twice?
Attacks stack: if you owe two turns and attack, the next player takes the turns you had left plus two.
Can a No! be cancelled?
Yes, with another No!. If the total number of No! cards is odd, the play is cancelled; if it is even, it is back on.
How long does a game take?
Between five and twelve minutes depending on the table: every player who blows up brings the end closer.
Bombazo, against the computer
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