Overview

Bomb Busters is a cooperative deduction game where players are bomb disposal experts working together to defuse bombs by cutting wires. Each player holds wire tiles on a stand visible only to them, and must deduce which wires are safe to cut by exchanging information through limited communication. The bomb explodes if a red wire is cut or the detonator dial reaches the end. The game features 66 increasingly difficult missions across progressive difficulty tiers, with surprise boxes that unlock new rules and components.

Components

• 1 Board (with detonator dial)
• 48 Blue wire tiles (numbered 1-12, 4 of each)
• 11 Yellow wire tiles (numbered 1.1-11.1)
• 11 Red wire tiles (numbered 1.5-11.5)
• 5 Tile stands
• 26 Info tokens (including 2 yellow ones)
• 12 Validation tokens
• 12 Equipment cards
• 5 Character cards
• 8 Large Mission cards
• 40 Tokens
• 17 Cards
• 7 Markers (4 yellow, 3 red)
• 8 Resealable bags
• 5 Surprise boxes (unlocked by completing missions)
• 1 Bomb Busters standee
• 1 Set of rules

Setup

1. Select a Mission card (missions get progressively harder; recommended to play in order).
2. Designate a Captain (random for first mission, then rotate left). Captain takes the Captain character card; others choose a character card.
3. Captain reads the Mission card aloud and places it (flipped to back) at the bottom-left of the board so everyone sees the special rules.
4. Distribute tile stands based on player count:
   • 2 players: each player gets 2 stands
   • 3 players: Captain gets 2 stands, others get 1 each
   • 4-5 players: each player gets 1 stand
5. Prepare wire tiles per mission instructions:
   • Collect all 48 blue wire tiles (except for training missions 1-3).
   • Draw the number of red/yellow wires shown on the Mission card at random.
   • Place markers on the board to indicate which red/yellow values are in play (blank side up).
   • Shuffle all wire tiles (blue + red + yellow) together facedown.
6. Deal all wires facedown and as equally as possible among tile stands.
7. Each player places tiles on their stand facing themselves, sorted left-to-right in ascending order.
8. Set the detonator dial to the section matching the number of players. Place Equipment cards faceup over the checkmark (not yet usable). Place Info and Validation tokens on the board.
9. Starting with Captain clockwise, each player places 1 Info token pointing to one of the blue wires in their hand with the matching value (no yellow Info tokens during setup).

Turn Structure

Starting with the Captain and going clockwise, each player takes one turn. On their turn, the active player must perform exactly 1 of 3 actions:

1. Dual Cut Action

The active player chooses a value from a tile in their hand, then points to a specific teammate’s wire and guesses its value (e.g., “This wire is a 9”).

• Correct guess: Both matching wires are revealed and placed faceup in front of their respective stands.
• Incorrect guess (blue or yellow wire): The detonator dial advances 1 space. The teammate places an Info token showing the wire’s true value in front of it.
• Incorrect guess (red wire): The bomb explodes immediately; mission fails.

2. Solo Cut Action

If the last identical wires of a given value are all in the active player’s hand, they can cut them in pairs (2 or 4 at once). These are placed faceup in front of the stand.

3. Reveal Your Red Wires Action

If the active player’s only remaining uncut wires are all red, they reveal them and place them faceup.

Actions

Yellow Wires

Yellow wires are cut the same way as blue wires, but all yellow wires share the same value: “YELLOW.” To cut one, the active player must have a yellow wire in hand, point to a teammate’s wire, and say “This wire is yellow.” The decimal numbers on yellow wires are used only for sorting during setup.

Equipment Cards

• Equipment becomes usable when 2 wires of the value shown on the card’s top-left corner have been cut.
• Each equipment card can be used once (flip facedown after use).
• Most can be used by anyone at any time, even outside their turn.
• Equipment types include: X-ray, Y-ray, Double Detector, Triple Detector, Super Detector. X/Y ray can combine with Detector equipment.

Character Cards

Each character has 1 personal equipment ability usable once per mission.

• Double Detector: During a Dual Cut, point to 2 wires and state a value. If either matches, the action succeeds. If neither matches, the dial advances 1 and the teammate reveals info for one of the two wires.

Validation Tokens

When all 4 wires of the same value have been cut, place a Validation token on the matching number on the board as a reminder.

Communication Rules

• Forbidden: Talking about wires in hand, implying values, recalling previous turn information, sharing guesses aloud.
• Permitted: Discussing general tactics, equipment use, recalling special rules, reminding teammates about equipment.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Win: All tile stands are empty (all wires successfully cut).
• Loss: A red wire is cut, OR the detonator dial reaches the skull space.
• If the mission fails, change the Captain and restart the mission.

Mission Progression

• Training Missions 1-3 (Novice): Teach basics.
• Missions 4-7 (Intermediate): Teach advanced concepts.
• Mission 8 (Expert): Final exam; completing it unlocks Surprise Box 1 (Missions 9-19).
• Additional Surprise boxes unlock as missions are completed, adding new rules and components.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• 2-player setup: Each player uses 2 tile stands. Both stands together form one hand for purposes of equipment, Info tokens, and all rules.
• “1 out of 2/3” wire setup: When partially known wires are used, reveal the specified number, place markers with “?” side up, then randomly include only some of them facedown with the blue tiles.
• No More Wires: When a player’s stands are empty, their turn is skipped; play continues with remaining players.
• Detonator Dial: Different starting positions based on player count (more players = more room for error).
• Red wire pointed at incorrectly during Dual Cut: If a yellow wire is incorrectly guessed as something else, a yellow Info token is placed and the dial advances. A red wire that is incorrectly pointed at (teammate says it’s not the guessed value) does NOT explode — the bomb only explodes if the active player points at a red wire and the action would succeed (i.e., the teammate confirms it).
• Double Detector and red wires: If one of the 2 chosen wires is red and the other is not, the bomb does not explode. The teammate places an Info token in front of the non-red wire without revealing which was red.

Player Reference

Turn Summary:

1. Active player performs 1 action: Dual Cut, Solo Cut, or Reveal Red Wires
2. Play passes clockwise

Dual Cut Quick Reference:

• Choose a value, point to a teammate’s wire, guess its value
• Correct: both wires cut
• Wrong (blue/yellow): dial advances 1, Info token placed
• Wrong (red): bomb explodes

Wire Types:

Wire	Copies	Notes
Blue (1-12)	4 each (48 total)	Standard wires
Yellow	Up to 11	All share value “YELLOW”
Red	Up to 11	All share value “RED”; cutting one = explosion

Equipment Activation: Cut 2 wires of the value shown on the equipment card to unlock it.

Mission Difficulty: Novice (1-3) -> Intermediate (4-7) -> Expert (8) -> Surprise Boxes (9+)