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Rules for Playing Two Rooms and a Boom
Greetings! Are you ready to learn how to play Two Rooms and a Boom? Excellent! I’m here to guide you through the rules of this exciting game.
Just so you know, Two Rooms and a Boom is a team-based social deduction game. It’s played with a large group of people, usually at least 10. To win, you need to work together with your team to achieve your objective.
The Setup
Before we get started, we need to set up the game. Divide all the players into 2 groups. One group will be the Red Team, and the other will be the Blue Team. Each team will have a team leader known as the Big Cheese.
Next, select 2 rooms. One room will represent the President’s office, and the other will be the Bomber’s Den. Each room should have an equal number of players from both teams.
Now, let’s talk about the role cards. There are different roles in the game, and each player will be assigned a role card secretly. The most important roles are the President and the Bomber. The President’s goal is to survive and be in the same room as the Big Cheese at the end of the game. The Bomber, on the other hand, wants to be in a different room from the President at the end.
The Rounds
Two Rooms and a Boom is played over several rounds, each consisting of 3 phases: the Deal, Negotiation, and the Countdown.
In the Deal phase, players will exchange role cards with each other. This allows information to be shared and gives each player a chance to strategize.
During the Negotiation phase, players will talk to each other, trying to gather information and form alliances. You can make deals, share information, or even lie to confuse the other team.
When the Countdown starts, players will have a limited time to decide which room they want to go to. Remember, the goal of the Red Team is to have the President and the Big Cheese in the same room, while the Blue Team wants the President and the Bomber in separate rooms.
The Endgame
At the end of the countdown, everyone will gather in the rooms they chose. Now it’s time to find out who is who. The Big Cheese will announce their role, followed by the reveal of the Bomber. If the Bomber and the President are in the same room, the Blue Team wins. If they are in separate rooms, the Red Team wins.
That’s all there is to it! Remember, Two Rooms and a Boom is a game of deduction and strategy. Keep your cards close and your alliances closer. Good luck, and may the best team win!
Two Rooms and a Boom is a game that revolves around 2 teams and 2 rooms. These teams are the Blue Team and the Red Team. In the Blue Team, there’s a President, while the Red Team has a Bomber.
When we play this game, we start by dividing ourselves into different groups. Usually, we have two separate rooms. Next, we each get a card with a character on it. We don’t know what character we have because the card is face-down.
Now, it’s time to choose a leader for each room. We do this by saying what we want. The person who says the most convincing thing becomes the leader. The leader gets to pick which players will be sent to the other room as hostages at the end of the round.
What’s in the Box?
When you open the box, you’ll find several components that make up this exciting game:
- A rulebook to guide you through the game
- A character guide to help you understand each character
- Two leader cards
- 17 basic character cards
- 93 advanced character cards
- A timer to keep the game moving
The Objective
Now, let’s talk about what you’ll be trying to accomplish in this game. The game is divided into three rounds, and each round is shorter than the one before it. At the end of each round, the leaders will choose hostages to trade into opposing rooms. It’s a race against time to strategize, make decisions, and outsmart your opponents!
Hey there! Let me walk you through the end of the game. We’ve reached the point where the last hostage exchange happens and it’s time to reveal the cards. Here’s what you need to know: if the Red Team’s Bomber is in the same room as the President, the Red Team wins. But if they’re in different rooms, then the Blue Team is victorious instead.
Getting Started
1. Building the Character Deck
To start off, we need to create the character deck. It includes the President card, the Bomber card, and an equal number of Blue Team and Red Team cards. In this deck, there will be one character card for each player in the game.
If you have an odd number of players, don’t worry! Just add the Gambler card to the mix (you can find more about the Gambler card on page 10). Now, it’s time to shuffle the character deck like a pro!
2. Splitting into Two Rooms
Alright, players. It’s time to form two rooms. To keep things fair, we should separate ourselves randomly and evenly. We can achieve this by having a wall, a door, or even just two open areas that are a good distance apart. The choice is yours!
Who needs to see each other when playing a game? It’s not important! But what is important, is that players in different rooms can’t hear each other.
Step 3: Get Your Character Cards.
Each player gets a character card. These cards have secrets on them that can be revealed during the game. But remember, don’t peek at your card until the game starts!
Step 4: Let the Timer Begin.
The game begins with the first round. Round 1 lasts for 3 minutes, then round 2 is 2 minutes, and the last round is only 1 minute!
The 4 Basic Rules
Rule 1: Time is Public.
Anyone with a stopwatch can keep track of the time. There’s no secret about it. And everyone should know when a round is over.
Rule 2: Stay in Your Room.
You can’t just wander into another room whenever you feel like it. Stick to your own space and play by the rules.
Rule 3: No Talking Across Rooms.
When we’re playing a game, there are some rules I’d like to go over with you to make sure everything goes smoothly and everyone has a fair shot. First, I want to make it clear that we should avoid yelling anything to players in the other room. We want to keep things fair and not give any unfair advantages to anyone. It’s also important to refrain from eavesdropping on other players’ conversations. Even if we can see into the other room, no sign language is permitted.
4. Keep Your Card.
Now, let’s talk about the character cards. You’re free to do whatever you want with your card. You can show it to someone, everyone, or even nobody if you prefer to keep it a secret.
However, we have a couple of rules regarding the card swapping. First, no swapping character cards with another player. Everyone should stick to their original card throughout the game. And if you decide to show your card to someone, you have to show all of it. You can’t just reveal the color of your card and keep the rest hidden.
Now, I know I said there are only four basic rules, but let me tell you, there might be a few more rules to consider. We might not be the best at counting, but we’re definitely here to explain and clarify any additional rules for you.
Leaders & Hostages
Hey there! I wanted to talk to you about an important role in our game called “leader.” Are you ready to dive in?
So, the leader is the player who has the leader card and has the responsibility of choosing which hostages to let go at the end of each round. Interesting, right?
But here’s the thing: leaders themselves can’t be hostages. They have a different role to play.
Now, let’s talk about how the first leader of a room is chosen. It’s simple! Another player appoints the leader by pointing at them and saying, “I appoint you as leader!” It’s important to note that players cannot appoint themselves. Once appointed, the leader takes the leader card so everyone can see who they are. We don’t want leadership to be a secret – it’s a role worth recognizing!
The number of hostages a leader chooses to release at the end of the round depends on a couple of factors. The round number and the total number of players both come into play. You can find the specific number of hostages a leader can choose on the leader card and in the chart below.
| 6-10 Players | 1 Hostage | 1 Hostage | 1 Hostage |
| 11-21 Players | 2 Hostages | 1 Hostage | 1 Hostage |
| 22+ Players | 3 Hostages | 2 Hostages | 1 Hostage |
Important: Before we start, let’s check how many players are joining us. The number of players will determine the number of hostages we exchange at the end of each round.
Changing Leaders
Looking for a new leader? Don’t worry, there are two simple ways to make that happen!
1. The Leader Abandons Their Position
If you’re a leader and don’t want to be anymore (maybe because you want a break), you can simply pass the leader card to someone who is willing to take over. They can choose to accept or decline the role. If they accept, you won’t be able to become the leader again until the next round.
Now, let’s say you’re in the middle of a round and you want someone else to be the leader. Well, just raise one hand in the air and point with your other hand to the person you’d like to be the new leader. It’s important to make sure that everyone can see your attempt to usurp the position. You can even point to yourself if you think you’d make a great leader. Once more than half of the players in the room are pointing to the same player, that person becomes the new leader and gets the leader card.
Let’s move on to the end of a round. At this point, the leaders in the room need to follow these five steps:
1. The leader selects the hostages.
2. The leader determines the color of the defuser.
3. The leader shuffles the loyalty cards and gives one to each player.
4. The leader starts the timer.
5. The leader places the bomb in the middle of the table.
It’s important to be a good leader and make sure you follow these steps properly. Good luck!
Leaders’ Talk
Leaders Put a Countdown
Trade Prisoners
Go Back to Your Room
End of the Game
When we’re done trading hostages, the game is over. We all show our cards (but not when playing with the Gambler).
- If both the President and the Bomber are in the same room, the Red Team wins!
- If the President and the Bomber aren’t together, then the Blue Team wins!
Gambler
Hey there! So, when you’re playing with an odd number of players, just make sure to shuffle in the special grey Gambler card with the rest of the character cards. If you happen to be the Gambler, you can take a pause during the game to show everyone your card after the last hostage exchange. But don’t worry, everyone else should wait for you – it’s not a race or anything!
Now, here’s the fun part. Once you’ve shown your card, you gotta make a verbal announcement of who you think is going to win the game – either the Blue Team or the Red Team. If your prediction turns out to be correct, you win! So, no need to stress about anything else.
Just a quick reminder: The Gambler is part of the Grey Team and has their own individual objective, which is completely separate from everyone else. The Gambler can win or lose, just like all the other players.
For Those Who Want More Challenge
Hey there! Once you’ve mastered the Basic Game, give the Advanced Game a whirl. It’s got extra rounds, additional characters, and three new rules to amp up the fun!
1. Showing Colors
If you’ve got over ten players, you’re not limited to showing your whole card anymore. Instead, you can choose to reveal just part of it.
2. More Characters
In the Advanced Game, you can use special character cards that change up the basic rules. If an advanced character card goes against a basic rule, go with the advanced character’s rule.
3. More Rounds
If you have more than ten players, try adding a five-minute round and a four-minute round. But if you don’t have enough players, stick with the three rounds on your leader card.