Looking for specific rules for Bamboozled? | Setup | Playing the Game | Accept the Number | Challenge the Number | Ranking Scores | Winning the Game | Action Cards | Variant Games |
Setup
- Separate the action cards (has Bamboozled on the back) from the strike cards (has strike on both sides).
- Shuffle all of the action cards and deal one card face down to each player. You can look at your own card, but you can’t show it to the other players. Place the rest of the action cards face down on the table.
- Place the strike cards next to the action cards.
- The player who got out of bed the earliest today starts the game. Play moves clockwise to start the game.
How to Play Bamboozled
Each round begins with the current player rolling both of the dice inside the cup. They should make sure none of the other players can see what was rolled on the dice.
The player then decides how they want to score the two dice. Basically you get to decide the order of the two dice. For example you roll a three and a five. You can either count your roll as a 35 or a 53.
After you have decided the order of the dice, you will tell the next player in turn order (clockwise to start the game) what you rolled. You can either tell them the score you chose from the dice you rolled, or you can make up any score.
The next player in turn order then either has to accept the number you told them, or they can challenge you.
Accept the Number
Should the next player accept the number given by the previous player, they will look at the dice to see if the player was telling the truth. If they told the truth, play continues normally.
If the player lied/bluffed, the previous player gets to take an action card from the center pile. They will add the card to their hand. If they now have three cards, they have to choose one of the cards from their hand to discard. Should the action card deck ever runs out of cards, you will shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile.
If the player accepts the roll of the previous player, they will roll the dice and choose the score from the dice they rolled. Their score must be equal to or higher than what the previous player declared. If they cannot create a score higher than the previous roll, they must bluff by giving a higher score than the previous roll even though they didn’t roll the number. See the Ranking Scores section below for details on how to determine how to rank different scores.
The next player in turn order then has to decide whether they will accept or challenge the number given by the most recent player.
Challenge the Number
When a player thinks the previous player lied about their score, they can choose to challenge. In this case the player reveals the dice to show whether they where telling the truth or bluffing.
If the player was telling the truth about their score, the challenging player has to draw a strike card. For example player two thought player one was lying about what they rolled. It turns out that player one was telling the truth. Player two has to draw a strike card because they incorrectly challenged player one.
Should the player be caught bluffing, the player who bluffed has to draw a strike card. For example player two challenged player one. Player one was bluffing, so they have to draw the strike card.
No matter the outcome of the challenge, the current score is reset to zero. The player that had to draw the strike card begins the next round by rolling the dice and declaring a score.
When a player receives their third strike card, they are eliminated from the game. Since the player is out of the game, the next player in turn order starts the next round.
Ranking Scores
When determining what score to declare and figuring out whether you should challenge, you need to consult the ranking of different scores in Bamboozled.
The lowest rank of dice rolls are two numbers that don’t match. These include any score where the two numbers are different. When comparing two non-matching scores, scores with a higher value beat lower value scores. For example a roll of 56 beats a roll of 25.
Ranking above every non-matching score are doubles scores (both numbers are the same). These scores always beat non-matching scores. For example 11 beats a score of 65. When comparing two doubles scores, the double score with higher numbers is ranked higher. For example 33 is higher than 22 and 11.
The highest score in Bamboozled is a Jackpot. A Jackpot is a score of 21. Whenever you roll a one and two, you should score it as a 21. No score beats a Jackpot. The only roll that matches it is another Jackpot.
Winning Bamboozled
When a player receives their third strike card, they are eliminated from the game.
Players will keep playing until only one player remains. The last remaining player wins the game.
Action Cards
To begin the game each player receives one action card. You can acquire additional action cards during the game by bamboozling other players. Basically whenever you lie about your score and the next player doesn’t challenge you, you get to take an action card. You can only have two action cards at a time. If you draw another action card when you already have two in your hand, you must choose one of the three cards to discard.
There are two different types of action cards. The cards differ in when you can play them. Some of the cards can only be played after you roll the dice while others have to be played before you roll the dice.
Action Cards Played After Roll
These cards are only played after you roll the dice. You will not reveal the card unless a player challenges the score you declare.
If you bluff with the intention of using one of these cards, and the next player doesn’t challenge you, you will not reveal the card. You can then use the card on a future turn. You also get to draw another action card because you bamboozled the player.
Should a player challenge you, you have to reveal and discard the corresponding action card. Instead of having to draw a strike card, the challenging player has to continue playing based on the score you declared.
Double
The Double card allows you to look at the two numbers that you rolled. You can change one of the numbers you rolled to the other number that you rolled. This creates a Doubles which you can use for your score.
If the next player challenges you, you play the card and change one of the dice to match the score that you declared. The next player then has to play their turn based on the value you declared.
If the next player does not challenge your score, you don’t use the card. You can then use it on a future turn.
Jackpot
When you have the Jackpot card in your hand, you can declare that you rolled a Jackpot even if you didn’t roll one. If a player challenges you, you can play the Jackpot card and turn the dice to 21. If the next player doesn’t challenge you, you don’t have to use the Jackpot card.
To beat the Jackpot the next player either needs to roll their own Jackpot or use another action card. They can use a My Bad or Fresh Start card to reset the total to zero, or they can play a Skip or Reverse card to force another player to deal with the Jackpot.
Up/Down
With the Up/Down card you can choose one of the numbers you rolled and either increase or decrease its value by one. You can then declare a score based on the number you rolled and the die you changed by one. You can only use the card to increase/decrease a number between one and six. For example if you rolled a six, you cannot use this card to make it a seven. It also doesn’t roll over into a one. It will stay a six. Should you use the card on a one, you can increase it to a two or keep the die as a one.
If the next player challenges you, you will play the Up/Down card and then turn one of the dice so it matches the score you declared. The next player then has to continue play using the score you declared.
Should the next player not challenge you, you can keep the card hidden.
Action Cards Played Before Roll
Fresh Start
If you don’t think you can beat the current score with the roll on your turn, you can choose to play a Fresh Start card. By playing this card you will reset the current score to zero. You will then roll the dice and can declare any score you want.
When a player plays a Fresh Start card, it doesn’t matter if the previous player was bluffing. They do not get to take an action card.
My Bad
If you think the previous player was bluffing, you can challenge them. If you were wrong and they were telling the truth, you can play a My Bad card in order to avoid having to take a strike card. When you play a My Bad card, the current score resets to zero. The player that played the My Bad card rolls the dice next.
Reverse
When you play the Reverse card, the direction of play reverses until the end of the current round or until another Reverse card is played. To begin each round play moves clockwise. The Reverse card changes the direction so play moves counterclockwise. You can only play Reverse cards on your own turn.
If there are only two players left, you will treat the Reverse card like a Skip card.
Revive
When you play a Revive card, you can return one of your strike cards to the middle of the table. If a player is about to receive their third strike card, they can use a Revive card in order to prevent themselves from drawing the third strike card.
Skip
When you don’t want to take your turn, you can play a Skip card to skip your own turn. The next player in turn order then either has to accept the previous player’s declared score, or they have to challenge. You can only use a Skip card to skip your own turn.
If there are only two players left and a Skip is played, the same player rolls two times in a row. If the player had bluffed on their previous turn, they do not get credit for bamboozling the player (they don’t get to draw an action card). They will have to play off their previous declared score even if they were bluffing.
Variant Games
There are a few variant games that you can play in Bamboozled in order to change up the gameplay.
No Bluffing
If you are playing with younger children or don’t want players to be able to bluff, you can choose to use this variant.
When playing Bamboozled in this way you can’t lie about what you roll on the dice. In fact you can roll the dice and let the other players see what you rolled. Each player must still beat the score rolled by the previous player. If they beat the previous score, the next player tries to roll a higher score.
If your score is lower than the last score, you have to take a strike card. The previous player also gets to take an action card. The action cards are used the same as the normal game, except you should not include the My Bad cards in the deck.
The rest of the game is played the same as normal Bamboozled.
More Strikes
If you want to play a longer game, you can increase the number of strikes that players need to get before they are eliminated. You can increase the amount of strikes to any number as long as all of the players agree to the new total before the game starts. If you are playing with larger groups, you may run out of strike cards. In this case you will have to keep track of player’s strikes on a piece of paper.
No Limits
You can choose to get rid of the limit on action cards that players can hold in their hand at a time. Should you choose to use this rule, players can keep and use as many action cards as they want each turn.
Components
- 2 dice
- Dice Cup
- 26 Action Cards
- 2 Double
- 4 Fresh Start
- 1 Jackpot
- 4 My Bad
- 4 Reverse
- 4 Revive
- 4 Skip
- 3 Up/Down
- 16 Strike Cards
- Instructions
Year: 2019 | Publisher: Blue Wasatch Games | Designer: Justin Martin | Artist: Justin Martin
Genres: Bluffing, Dice, Party
Ages: 8+ | Number of Players: 2-8 | Length of Game: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: High
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