Top 38 · #8 of 19 in Co-op
Bomb Busters
A cooperative deduction game where you disarm a bomb by silently inferring your teammates' cable numbers. Designed by Hisashi Hayashi, it won the 2025 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year). What you're allowed to say out loud is strictly limited, creating a unique tension that forces you to cooperate through honest information alone.
Rules
A cooperative deduction game where what you may say out loud is strictly limited. Each player sees only their own rack of cables, points at a teammate's cable and guesses its value — guess right and you both cut it together, guess wrong and the detonator ticks one step closer.
Components
| Component | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board (with rotating pointer) | 1 | Doubles as the detonator track and the 1–12 reference track |
| Cable tiles | 70 (48 blue, 11 red, 11 yellow) | Blue: values 1–12, 4 copies each. Red/yellow: decimal values (1.5–11.5, 1.1–11.1), 1 each — used only for initial sorting; afterward only their color matters |
| Cable racks | 5 | Stand your own cables up so only you can see their values |
| Cards | 25 (12 equipment, 5 character, 8 mission) | One character card is the 'Captain'. Mission cards: front = setup for that mission, back = new permanent rules (missions 1–8) or rules unique to that one mission (9+) |
| Markers | 40 (26 info, 12 confirmation, 1 '=', 1 '≠') | Info markers reveal a cable's value; confirmation markers show that all 4 cables of a value have been resolved |
| Red/yellow wooden pegs | 7 (3 red, 4 yellow) | Placed on the reference track to show which values the red/yellow cables in play hold this mission (face with '?' up if uncertain) |
| Surprise boxes | 5 | Sealed boxes unlocked by progressing through missions — the backbone of the campaign structure |
The printed numbers on red and yellow cables only matter for sorting during setup. Once the game starts, those cables have no number — their value is simply the color 'red' or 'yellow' itself.
Setup
- 1Choose 1 mission card. The rulebook recommends playing in ascending order — each mission introduces a new rule and gets progressively harder.
- 2Whoever most recently 'went up in smoke' over something becomes Captain for mission 1 and takes the Captain character card. Everyone else gets a random character card. The Captain role passes clockwise each new mission.
- 3The Captain reads the mission card aloud. The front shows setup specific to that mission; the back shows permanent new rules for missions 1–8, or rules unique to that one mission from mission 9 onward.
- 4Take cable racks by team size: 2 players take 2 each, 3 players — only the Captain takes 2, the rest take 1, 4 or 5 players take 1 each.
- 5Shuffle the blue, red, and yellow cables the mission specifies and deal them face down as evenly as possible across all racks.
- 6Arrange your own rack's cables in ascending order, hidden from everyone else. With 2 racks, sort each independently (you may not move a cable between the two), but together they count as one 'hand'.
- 7Starting with the Captain and going clockwise, each player places 1 info marker of their choice in front of 1 cable in their hand showing its value, visible to everyone (you may not choose a yellow marker at this step).
From Mission 3 on, equipment cards are set up too
Shuffle the equipment cards, draw one per teammate, and place them on the board's equipment spaces with the green checkmark hidden. That means no equipment is usable yet, since no value has been cut.
A turn — 1 of 3 actions
| Action | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Duo-cut | Always available | Point at a teammate's cable and guess its value. If right, cut it along with 1 matching cable of your own |
| Solo-cut | You hold all 4 blue cables of one value, or 2 of them with the other 2 already cut | Cut all the cables of that value (2 or 4) at once |
| Secure red cables | From Mission 3, only when only red cables remain in your hand | Lay out all your remaining red cables safely, face up |
- 1Starting with the Captain and going clockwise, each player performs exactly 1 of the 3 actions above on their turn.
- 2Play passes to the next player regardless of success or failure.
- 3A player with no cables left in hand is skipped — they take no more actions but may still take part in conversation.
Duo-cut — guessing, success, and failure
- 1Point at 1 cable in a teammate's hand and say its value aloud (e.g., "That's a 9"). You may only guess a value you hold yourself — without revealing which of your own cables it is.
- 2Success: the teammate lays out exactly the cable you pointed to, face up (even if they hold others of that value). You also lay out 1 cable of that value from your own hand. Both cables now count as cut.
- 3Failure — wrong value: if the pointed cable has a different (non-red) value, turn the detonator pointer forward 1 space. If it reaches the last space, you lose immediately. Otherwise, the teammate places an info marker showing the real value in front of that cable, if possible.
- 4Failure — red cable: if the pointed cable is red, the bomb explodes immediately and you lose, regardless of the detonator's position.
- 5You must never give any hint about which of your own cables you intended to cut.
Yellow cables are guessed only as 'yellow'
All yellow cables share one value regardless of their printed number. To duo-cut a yellow cable you must say "That's yellow." A wrong guess on a yellow cable uses the dedicated yellow info marker.
The detonator and mission failure
- 1During setup, the detonator pointer is set to the space matching your team size (fewer players means less room for error before danger starts).
- 2Every non-red wrong duo-cut guess advances the pointer 1 space clockwise.
- 3The mission fails immediately if the pointer reaches the last space, or if anyone wrongly points at and triggers a red cable.
- 4On failure, pass the Captain role to the next player, redistribute the other character cards, and restart the same mission from the beginning.
The Stabilizer equipment can block an advance
Flip the 'Stabilizer' equipment card over before a duo-cut, and regardless of the outcome, the pointer does not advance and the bomb does not explode. A wrong guess still gets a normal info marker, though.
Equipment cards and confirmation markers
- 1Each equipment card shows a value from 1 to 12. Once 2 cables of that value have been cut, the whole team may use that equipment (reveal the green checkmark).
- 2Each equipment may be used once per mission, then is flipped face down. Using equipment doesn't count as your action, but it can change one.
- 3The bottom of the card states when it may be used — most say 'anytime', meaning even on another player's turn. Multiple equipment cards may be used back to back.
- 4Every character card also grants a personal 'Double-Detector' equipment, usable once per mission — during a duo-cut, you may point at 2 cables on the same rack (not necessarily adjacent) while still giving only 1 guess (yellow may not be guessed this way). If at least one matches, the action succeeds; the teammate still lays out only 1 of the 2, choosing which, without revealing whether both matched. If neither matches, it fails as normal, and the teammate places only 1 info marker — in front of the non-red cable, without revealing if a red cable was among the two.
- 5Whenever all 4 cables of one value have been cut, the Captain places a confirmation marker on that value's space on the reference track, showing at a glance which values are no longer a danger.
Restricted communication
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Forbidden | Talking about or hinting at the cables in your own hand or their values. Repeating a guess or information from an earlier turn. Saying your own deductions or conclusions out loud |
| Allowed | Discussing special rules or general strategy, such as when to use equipment — e.g. suggesting a teammate use their Double-Detector, or asking whether to use a piece of equipment on your turn |
This restriction is the whole point of the game. Loosen it and the tension of the deduction disappears.
Winning and losing a mission
| Outcome | Condition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Win | No one has any cables left on their rack | Move on to the next mission |
| Lose | A red cable is wrongly triggered, or the detonator reaches its last space | Pass the Captain role, redistribute character cards, and restart the same mission from the beginning |
Missions 1–8 are the training arc
Missions 1 through 8 add one rule at a time (yellow cables, equipment cards, the secure-red-cables action, and cables with uncertain values all appear in turn). Clearing Mission 8 — the final exam — unlocks the first surprise box, containing missions 9–19. To avoid spoilers, this guide does not describe what's inside that box or later ones.
Strategy tips
- Since you may only guess values you hold yourself, what you do NOT guess is itself information to your teammates. Read silence and reactions as much as what's said.
- A solo-cut is available even with only 2 matching cables in hand, as long as the other 2 have already been cut elsewhere — check the reference track's confirmation markers each turn so you don't miss the chance.
- Equipment like the Double- or Triple-Detector lets you point at 2 or 3 cables at once for more information, but only once per mission — saving it until you're more confident can pay off.
- If only red cables remain in your hand, don't hesitate to use 'secure red cables' — holding onto them longer only risks being pointed at by mistake.
Player-count differences and the mission campaign
| Players | Racks | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 each | The rulebook states that from Mission 4 onward, 2-player-specific changes appear on the bottom of mission cards (the specifics live only on those cards and were not confirmed here) |
| 3 | Captain takes 2, others 1 | A player with 2 racks still treats them as a single combined hand |
| 4 or 5 | 1 each | Standard setup |
A campaign built from surprise boxes
The box contains 5 sealed surprise boxes, opened in order as your team clears missions. A win/loss log on the back of the box lets your team track progress. This guide covers only the publicly documented structure of Missions 1–8; later boxes' specific contents are left out to avoid spoilers.
Frequently confused rules
Q. Does the same player get another turn after a successful duo-cut?
No. Win or lose, play always passes to the next player after an action. There is no rule for taking consecutive turns.
Q. Can I guess a value I don't hold myself?
No. A duo-cut guess must be a value you also hold, though you never reveal which of your own cables matches it.
Q. If the pointed cable is red but the guess itself was wrong, does only the detonator advance?
No. If the pointed cable is red, the bomb explodes immediately regardless of what was guessed — a loss. The detonator only advances when the pointed cable is non-red and simply has a different value.
Q. What happens if both cables pointed at with the Double-Detector are correct?
The teammate still lays out only one of the two. They choose which, and must never reveal that both matched.
Q. Can I guess a yellow cable by its printed number?
No. All yellow cables share a single value, 'yellow'. The printed number only matters for sorting during setup and has no meaning afterward.
Q. Can equipment only be used on my own turn?
It depends on the card. Most equipment confirmed in the rulebook is marked 'anytime', usable even on someone else's turn. Follow the timing printed at the bottom of each card.
History and editions
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Designer | Hisashi Hayashi (confirmed both via Wikipedia and the German rulebook's credits) |
| Original publication | 2024, Cocktail Games (France); illustrations by Dom2D (per the German rulebook's credits) |
| German edition | Published by Pegasus Spiele GmbH under license from Cocktail Games. © 2024/2025, v1.1 (confirmed in the rulebook) |
| Major awards | 2025 Spiel des Jahres winner (wiki cross-check); 3rd place in the same year's Deutscher Spielpreis (wiki cross-check) |
| Korean release | Not confirmed — no Korean rulebook or distributor was found (2026-10-10) |
English Wikipedia's Spiel des Jahres article lists Bomb Busters as the 2025 winner along with its designer and publishers (Pegasus Games / Cocktail Games). Namuwiki searches under both plausible Korean transliterations of the title returned zero results, so a Korean release or official Korean title could not be confirmed in this research.
Sources
For reference — Pegasus Spiele's official German rulebook (2024/2025, v1.1) — does not fill the ko/en slot; used to research this guide's contentWiki cross-check — English Wikipedia: Spiel des Jahres (2025 winner entry)Wiki cross-check — Namuwiki: 0 search results for the Korean transliterations tried, no dedicated article found (2026-10-10)Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-10-10
💡 Master tip
The key is reading the room — since you can only guess values you hold yourself, what your teammates stay silent about (or how they react) becomes information in itself. Rather than guessing rashly on an uncertain value, gathering everyone's reactions to narrow down the odds raises your chance of disarming the bomb safely.
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