Bombastic
Designed by: Robert Hovakimyan
Bombastic is a two-player game inspired by Noughts & Crosses/Tic Tac Toe. As with the traditional game, the goal is to have a line of three. The difference here is the noughts and crosses are face-down tiles, and you need to flip the correct three over to win…
Inside the box are nine tiles: four noughts, four crosses and a Bomb. These are placed face-down and shuffled, before organising them into a 3×3 grid. The other component is a deck of cards: these are also shuffled and two are revealed face-up. Decide who is X and who is O.
Play is simple: on your turn, you can do one of two things. The first option is choosing one of the cards and doing what it says. It might offer you peeking (look at the other side of the tile secretly) showing (reveal it to both you and your opponent) swapping and shuffling. What you’re trying to do with this option is figure out where ‘your’ tiles are, arrange them in a line, and run interference against your adversary.
The second option is to Go For It: flip three tiles in a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) face up, hoping or trusting that all three will yours. If you succeed, you win. If you reveal an opponent’s tile, you failed and the game continues. If you reveal the Bomb, you lose!
Sam says
A fun little thing that can take five minutes or 5 seconds, depending on how outrageously lucky someone might be feeling. Four of the nine tiles are yours, so you could just go for it on your first turn… but I wouldn’t advise it. Most of the fun is the jiggery pokery of the tiles shifting around and trying to be aware of where yours are (and where the bomb is). Is it a great game? I wouldn’t say that. The cards have a bit of variation but I’m not sure the game would stand up to lots of play without feeling that repetition. But it’s wonderfully accessible, lovingly produced, and all tucks into a neat little carry case. I can imagine it going down very well on camping trips.
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Take That!
None, unless you count your tiles being moved about
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Fidget Factor!
Extremely low
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Brain Burn!
The rules are extremely simple. What brain-burning there is here is more about memory, which plays a significant part
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Again Again!
Bombastic isn't really going all-in for variety, but it's short and speedy
