Bombs Away

Contributed by Aviad Shani

Players: 2-5

Objective: Get rid of all opponent’s points

Cards: standard 52-card pack plus 1 joker (53 cards)

Rules of play

Each player starts with 30 points. 4 cards are dealt to each player, and players holds 4 cards throughout the game. Whenever a card is played, another is drawn from the face down stack of undealt cards to replace it.

In turn, and going clockwise, each player plays 1 card face up onto the play pile. The card takes effect as specified below according to value. Any card may be played on any card.

A player wins when he or she is the only player that has points.

If desired, multiple games may be played. If so, and if agreed by the rest of the group, the player who won the previous game starts the next game with 30 points plus the amount of points they had left at the end of the previous game.

Card Effects:

A. Draw 2 cards. Select one of them and keep it. Place the other at the bottom of the deck.

2. Skip the next player

3. Switch direction of play

4. Shuffle your hand into the deck and draw 4 cards

5. Look at the hand of one opponent of your choice. Place 1 of the cards at the bottom of the deck. Then the opponent draws 1 card.

6. Copy the effect of the top card on the played stack, both by number and effect.

7. Shuffle the top 5 cards in the played stack into the deck (including the 7). A 7 cannot be played if there are fewer than 5 cards in the play pile.

8. Declare a card (A-9). The next time a card of the selected type is played, the effect of that card does not apply.

9. The player who plays this card selects 1 other player. Each of those 2 players selects 1 card in the other's hand (without looking). The players then trade those cards.

10-K: If player A plays a 10-K, then the next player whose turn it is (player B) plays a card. Then player A plays 1 more card. If player A's second card has equal or higher value than player B's card, player A "deals damage" to a player (C) of his or her choice: this causes a number of points to be subtracted from player C's score equal to the value of the second card played by player B. For this purpose J, Q, K count 10 points and aces count 1 point. The turn then passes to whoever is due to play next after player B.

Joker: Select any card number A-9, and use its effect. If a 6 is played on a joker, it imitates the effect of the card the joker became, not the joker itself. For example if player A plays a Joker and makes it be an 8, and then player 2 plays a 6, the 6 imitates the 8.

If at any time a player holds more than one card with a value of 10, that player MUST shuffle all but one of those cards into the deck and draw replacements (in other words, a player may only hold one card with a value of 10 at a time)

Dealing damage

Playing a 10-K starts a 'Damaging Chain'.

If a player plays a 10-K, and after the next player plays any card, and the 1st plays another 10-K, that 2nd 10-K does NOT begin new damaging.

If a 10-K is played, the effects of 2's do not activate. With a 3, the direction DOES change, but the turn goes back to the one who played the 10-K. Other cards have their usual effect.

If a 7 is played on a 10-K, the damage chain is blocked, and a new damage chain needs to be activated.

If a player plays a 10-K and the next player does too, there are two damaging chains active; 1 for each of the players.

Examples of damaging chains:

1. (Successful damaging chain) Player 1 plays the Jack of Diamonds. Player 2 then plays a 5. The effect of the 5 acts as usual. Then, player one plays an 8. So player 1 may damage any player for 8 damage. (Failed damaging chain) Player 1 plays the King of Spades. Player 2 then plays an 8. The effect of the 8 acts as usual. Then, if player 1 does not have a card equal to or higher than the 8, player one plays a card, but does not inflict any damage to any player.
2. (Damaging chain within damaging chain) Player 1 plays the queen of hearts and draws a card. Player 2 then plays the 10 of clubs and draws a card. This begins a multi-part chain. Player one, in order to inflict damage, must play a 10-K to inflict damage. Since a player cannot hold more than one 10-point card, this is only possible if the replacement card drawn for the first 10-K played is another 10-K. If player 1 does play a second 10-K, player 1 then inflicts 10 damage to a player of his or her choice. If player 1 cannot, player 1 would not inflict damage. Then, if player 1 was successful in inflicting 10 damage in the chain, player 2 must also play a second 10-K to inflict damage. If player 1 did not, player 2, in order to inflict damage, must play a card with higher or equal number value to that player 1 last played. Otherwise, player 2 does not inflict any damage.
3. (Blocked damaging chains) Player 1 plays the queen of spades. Then, if player 2 wishes, he or she may play a 7. If it is done, the damage chain is blocked, and no damage is dealt.
4. (Damage chain with 6). Player 1 plays the king of clubs. Player 2 may play a 6. If so, the 6 becomes a King of Clubs, thus starting a damaging chain within damaging chain (see #3 above)