Bomb Busters

In Bomb Busters the players are bomb disposal experts – well, amateurs, really – who must work together to defuse a series of bombs using limited information, logical deduction, and occasional Hail Marys to save the day.

Each game is a mission and the first training mission (there are 66 missions in total) is a matter of mixing a bunch of ‘wires’ (numbered 1-12, with four of each number) face-down and then everyone taking a number of them into their rack, where only you can see them. The goal is the successfully ‘cut’ the wires by matching the numbers: my seven, for example, with your seven. Fortunately, before the game begins we can identify one of our numbers – any one you like from your rack, but which you choose can transmit more than just the number itself, because it may show for example you have a lot of high or low numbers, or duplicate ones or twelves.

Then play begins with each player in turn attempting to ‘cut’ a wire, by matching one of your own (not revealing which one unless successful) with one of another players. If you’re successful, your turn ends. If not, then players lose a life – but, gain some information, as the incorrectly guessed tile is now identified by number – so losing a life can actually be helpful!

If you have two of the same number, you can snip both wires as long as the other pair have already been cut. If you have all four – it can happen! – then you’re allowed to snip them all as your turn. Successfully cut all the wires without running out of lives, and you win! Or you at least survive for the next mission…

And the missions DO get more complex! Very quickly additional elements are introduced that players must factor into their thinking – extra yellow wires that can muddle the picture, a red wire that can instantly end the game in catastrophe, and so on. On the other hand, successful snipping of wires on any mission – even the training missions – will make helpful tools available to you. Everyone has a double deduction card they can use once per game (giving you the option of matching with one of two wires, instead of gambling on one) but the extra tools can be even more powerful: we won’t list them exhaustively here, but suffice to say they can be the difference between winning and losing.