Boom Bokken
Boom Bokken Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 56 game cards
- 24 basic cards
- 24 "Flash" cards
- 8 "Timeout" cards
- 9 Character cards
- 56 tokens
- Bokken tokens
- Gold, silver, bronze and clay coins
Setting Up the Game
Teams
Depending on the number of players, take groups of cards of the same colour from the Character pack as follows:
- 4 players: Two teams of 2 players. Use two pairs of cards of the same colour.
- 5 players: One team of 2 players against one team of 3 players.
- 6 players: Three teams of 2 players OR two teams of 3 players.
- 7 players: Two teams of 2 players and one team of 3 players, OR one team of three players against one team of 4 players.
- 8 players: Four teams of 2 players, OR two teams of 4 players.
- 9 players: Three teams of 2 players and one team of 3 players, OR three teams of 3 players.
For the first few games, it is preferable to form teams of two players.
Shuffle the selected Character cards and deal one to each player. The players then place their card in front of them. The remaining cards are put back in the box.
Expert Mode
If you use the character roles, choose each team's cards according to this priority rule depending on the number of players in the team:
- 2 players: closed-fist icon + open-hand icon
- 3 players: foot icon
- 4 players: closed-fist icon
Note: the printed priority rule shows these three role icons only as pictograms; the rulebook does not print a name beside each icon. The icon-to-role mapping is therefore not stated in the text and should be checked against the Character card artwork.
Shuffle the Game Cards
Shuffle the game cards and deal 7 to each player.
Only deal six cards when there are 7, 8 or 9 players.
Place the Tokens
Place the tokens where everyone can reach them.
The game is played in three rounds. The youngest player starts the first round.
How to Play
To start the round, the first player takes a card from their hand and places it in the centre of the table, indicates another player while calling "higher" or "lower" (or "up" and "down"). The indicated player must then, as instructed, play a card of higher or lower value than the one just played. Cards of identical value can be played.
If the indicated player can play a card, it is placed on top of the previous one and it is now this player's turn to select a player and make a call as to whether the next card must be higher or lower than the one just played, and so on.
BOOM!
If a player cannot play a higher or lower card, as called, the bomb explodes! The player is out of the game for the rest of the round.
- The cards played are turned over and placed at the bottom of the deck.
- The player who made the call causing the bomb to explode takes a Bokken token. This is worth 2 points at the end of the game.
- The player who has just dropped the bomb places their cards on their character card, and designates the player who will restart the game. The designated player puts down a card, indicates another player and calls "higher" or "lower", etc.
FLASH!
"Flash" cards can be played as normal cards in response to a call, or can also be played at any time by any player on top of a card of the same value. The player playing a Flash card calls "Flash!" and then takes control by designating a player and making a call ("higher" or "lower" than the Flash card just played).
Several Flash cards can be played in succession, but only by different players (a player cannot play a Flash card on top of a card they have just put down).
TIMEOUT!
A "Timeout" card can be played at any time by any player, except on top of another Timeout card. The game stops instantly, and the player playing the Timeout card:
- turns over the pile of played cards and places them at the bottom of the deck,
- draws a card from the deck and adds it to their hand,
- restarts the game by playing a card of their choice, designating a player and making a "higher" or "lower" call.
Getting Home Safe
When a player has played all of the cards in their hand, they are considered "safe" for the rest of the round. They can no longer be passed the bomb.
The first player to "get home safe" in the round places their character card next to the deck. Following players getting home safe place their character card on top of the first one, next to the deck. This is done so that, at the end of the round, there is a record of the order in which players got home safe and the corresponding rewards can be made.
Example
The example in the rulebook shows a round in which the first player to get home safe is a yellow player. Both players in the yellow team therefore win a gold coin. The second team to get home safe is the green team, so each green player wins a silver coin. Third is the purple team, so the purple players each win a bronze coin. Finally, the last team to have got one of its players home safe is the red team, while the other red player dropped the bomb. The red player who got home safe wins a clay coin, but the player who dropped the bomb does not score any points.
End of the Round
When only one player (or several players from the same team) are left in the game, they are declared safe and place their character card on top of those of the players who are already home safe. It is now time to reward the teams.
To do this, the pile of character cards is turned over in the centre of the table to reveal in which order the players got home safe. The first team to have got a player home safe wins a gold coin for each safe member of the team. The team getting home safe in second place wins silver coins, the following team bronze coins and, finally, the last team wins clay coins.
Any player who exploded does not win any points.
Before starting the next round, the player with fewest points shuffles the Character cards and deals them out again to the players, to change the composition of the teams. The same player then deals a new hand to the players and plays the first card. If several players are tied, the youngest player begins.
End of the Game
The game ends when three rounds have been played.
Each player earns a number of points according to the coins won: a Gold coin is worth 4 points, a Silver coin 3 points, a Bronze coin 2 points and a Clay coin 1 point. A Bokken token is worth 2 points.
The player with the highest total is declared the overall winner. If two or more players have the same number of points, the one with the most Bokken tokens wins. If two or more players also have the same number of Bokken tokens, a tie is declared.
Expert Mode
Each character card represents a role: Guardian, Hitter or Runner. Each one has a special power, indicated in play by making a call.
Guardian
Guardians can at any time take the turn of one of their partners by calling "Taking!", followed by a new call ("higher" or "lower"). The Guardian's card must nonetheless be higher or lower than the previous card as called.
Hitter
When a Hitter plays a basic card, they can call "Hitting!" (or "Draw!"), followed by a new call ("higher" or "lower"). The targeted player must then firstly draw a card from the deck, before playing a higher or lower card as called.
A player targeted by the Hitter must draw a card from the deck in all cases, even if the card played by the previous caller is covered by another card: a Flash card, a Timeout or a card played by a Guardian.
Runner
If a Runner has several cards of the same value, they can play them all at the same time by calling "Running!". Runners can also, at any time, play several Flash cards of the same value by calling "Flash! Running!".
Example (Expert Mode)
The rulebook gives this example of a moment in a 4-player game: the Red team is playing against the Green team. Arnaud plays a 5, chooses Xavier and calls "Higher!". Xavier plays a 7, chooses Emmanuel and calls "Higher!", but Henri plays a 7 and calls "Flash!". He indicates his partner, Xavier, and calls "Lower!" to help him empty his hand. Xavier plays a 3 and calls "More!" (as printed; the call is presumably "Higher"), choosing Henri in return, but Emmanuel plays a 3 while calling "Flash!". He chooses Henri too, but he calls "Lower!". As he sees his partner embarrassed by this call, Xavier plays a "Timeout". He puts the cards already played under the drawing pile, draws a card, and restarts the game.