/kerblam

Kerblam is a card and dice war game in the spirit of RISK™

Kerblam!

Kerblam! is a card and dice war game in the spirit of RISK™, but for people who don't have a bazillion hours and want to have a clear winner and just be done with it stop hiding alll the way over there in Australia. Seriously.

Disclaimer: Kerblam is highly irreverent, ridiculous, historically inaccurate, and built on pop stereotypes. If you take all things literally, are uncomfortable playing war games like RISK, or would never be caught playing Cards Against Humanity, you will dislike this game very much. The authors of the game hate war, nuclear weapons, and nationalism.

Note: Please file issues if anything seems unclear or if you think there is an aspect of gameplay that could be improved or simplified. My goal is to play test this a bit more, collaborate with Amy on the final card set, and publish this game with her beautiful artwork. Mostly because what the heck. Why not?

Download the KerBLAM! Reference Sheet (PDF)

Object of the game

Your goal is to be the last player standing from an all-out global war. You win when all other players' armies are decimated.

Your deck represents the whole of your country's Civilians. The cards in your hand are your Armies, which are drafted from the deck of Civilians.

Players are eliminated when their entire Army and their Civilians are in the Graveyard. (The Graveyard is your discard pile where cards are laid face up.) The last nation standing wins.

What you need to play

  • 2–8 players
  • 5 dice: 3 red dice (attacking), 2 white dice (defending)
  • Cards: One card deck (including 2 jokers) per player

How the game works

Lettered cards (K/Q/J/A) are Officers and have Officer Points that determine who has the upper hand in battles.

Each player has in their deck the number of Nukes determined by the number of players in the game.

Spent Nukes (which cannot be recovered) are laid sideways underneath the Graveyard so other players can see.

Every player has one super-nuke called a Kerblam! which is immediately available once all of their Army is in the Graveyard. A Kerblam! is capable of having a dramatic, game-changing impact.

Cards

Deck setup

Your deck should be made of 30 cards:

  • 2 Kings
  • 2 Queens
  • 3 Jacks
  • 3 Aces
  • 20 numbered cards=

There should be an even number of black and red cards.

Additionally set aside one numbered card, which will be placed on the very bottom of the deck after shuffling. This will be your KerBLAM card.

Civilians

Civilians are cards that have not been drawn. They become part of your Army when they are drafted (drawn into your hand).

Army

All drafted Civilians are now in your Army—including officers and soldiers. Your Army is divided into 2 parts:

  • Front Line — Army cards laid down face up in front of you (red cards and spent Officer cards, plus Generals (K) either used to retreat or revived).
  • Covert Forces — Army cards hidden from opponents' view. (black cards and all Nukes) Once an officer from Covert Forces uses their special ability, they join the Front Line, turned sideways to indicate they are spent.

Soldiers

Non-officer, non-nuke cards are simply Soldiers. These are the first to die in battle, since you (usually) have a choice of which among your Army to send to the Graveyard. Soldiers are usually cards numbered 2-10.

Note: Be sure to keep an awareness of which of your Soldiers have been appropriated for Nukes in multiplayer scenarios.

Officer Cards

Officers each have Officer Point (OP) value associated with them and allow you to perform special feats of skill. Each Officer Card can be doubled for an Officer Combo (see Officer Combos).

Aside from Generals (K), which have abilities that can be used each round, each cards' abilities can only be used once per game, so turn them sideways and place them in your Front Line to show they are spent.

Officers can be resurrected (brought out of Graveyard) or reactivated (by using the Medic) and can once again be used.

General (K), 10 OP — Allows you to retreat anytime in a battle, discarding half your Army, rounding up. Must have at least a General and one other card to retreat. Only Generals can be used multiple times without reactivation.

Medic (Q), 5 OP — May instantly save a General from a successful snipe attempt. Medics cannot save any other card. May reactivate officers whose abilities have been used. In the event of a Nuke or a Kerblam, you may save one General for each unused Medic in your Army. (In this case, the Medic is discarded.)

Sniper (A), 5 OP — May attempt to snipe any card in opponent's Front Line or Covert Forces. Each party rolls two dice, if Sniper’s roll is higher or ties, the Snipe is successful. Can be used to snipe specific Covert Forces, but only if the Sniper’s Army has played a Spy this turn. (Otherwise, they may indicate which card from Covert Forces to snipe by pointing at its card back.)

Spy (Jack) - 5 OP — May be used to look one time at one opponent’s Covert Forces. May be used to assassinate an opponent's officer when their Army retreats by any means. May be used to draw a card from the War Chest.

Nuclear Weapons

Nukes

Jokers are Nuke cards. Nukes can be used at any point in the game, as long as it is your turn or someone has announced they are attacking you. (They merely need to state that they are attacking you for this option to be immediately available. These may be deployed on only one of your opponent's Armies.

When a Nuke is deployed:

  1. Play the Nuke. — lay down Nuke card and state who you are nuking.
  2. Determine countermeasures — If your opponent plays a Nuke to counter, the nukes do not eliminate each other. Both play out their consequences.
  3. Roll 2 dice. Outcome determined below:
  • 3 destroys your largest force (Covert Forces or Front Lines)
  • 4–6 destroys opponent's smallest force (Covert Forces or Front Lines)
  • 7–11 destroys opponent's largest force (Covert Forces or Front Lines)
  • 2 or 12 destroys opponent’s entire Army (not Civilians)
Kerblam! Nukes

A Kerblam! is a Super-Nuke that is only available to be played once a player has no Civilians left. The last card drawn becomes the KerBLAM and is set out in front of the Front Line. When drawing last card, players must call out “KerBLAM!” The Kerblam is not added to your Covert Forces or your Front Line. It cannot be played if your Army is destroyed.

When a Kerblam is deployed:

  1. Play the Kerblam! — State who to Kerblam!
  2. Determine Counter-Measures — Attacked player may counter only with their own Kerblam!
  3. Roll 2 dice. Outcome determined below:
  • 3–6 destroys all your remaining Armies
  • 7 destroys your opponent's largest force (Civilians / Covert Forces / Front Line)
  • 8–11 destroys all of your remaining Soldiers and half of opponent’s Armies and Civilians
  • 2 or 12 destroys all of opponent's Civilians and Armies

Getting Started

Roll to see who goes first. (Turns progress clock-wise.)

If you are playing with Kerblam! Nations, the person who would normally go last gets to choose their nation first, followed by the second-to-last, and so on. Once finished choosing countries, draw cards. Only one Nation Card per person.

Everyone draws 6 cards to begin with, laying down Front Line cards (red) and keeping Covert Forces (black and all nukes) in your hand, out of sight.

After everyone has drawn their cards, follow the "Turn Progression" below.

Keep in mind throughout the game that for any rounding of numbers that takes place in the game, always round up--this includes dice rolls divided, armies divided, etc.

Turn Progression

1. Draw cards.

  • Draw 2 cards.

2. Announce Officer Point (OP) totals and advantages

  • Have everyone playing count officer points in their Front Line and Covert Forces and announce them to the group.
  • Any players whose Armies have been obliterated (not retreated) since their last turn should announce they have the advantage.

3. Attack, if you wish.

  • Once engaged in battle, either party may use any cards, but must follow rules of engagement.
  • Any Officer Cards used must be put into Front Line. (This includes Generals used for retreat or saved by Medics.)
  • Acts of War: a defender is engaged in battle by a dice attack, or a Snipe Nuke, or Kerblam attempt, but is not engaged in battle by a Spy. Any other card (Nation Cards, etc) which do not cause damage to defenders are not Acts of War, but those which do cause damage are. If an attack is declared, Nukes and Kerblams are available for defenders to use before the first dice roll. (However, these may be played only one at a time.)

4. Attrition — If you choose not to attack this turn, roll one die. Discard that many from your Army.

5. Spoils of War:

  • Draw the 2 top Graveyard cards each time you obliterate an opponent's army.
  • Draw the 1 top Graveyard cards each time an opponent retreats.
  • If you obliterate an opponent's entire population (Armies and Civilians), draw the top 2 Graveyard cards for destroying their Army, plus draw from your Graveyard cards equal to the total number of remaining players.

6. Everyone Drafts Civilians:

  • Any player in the game who has less than 6 total cards in their entire Army must draw from their Civilian Deck until they do (or draw as many cards as you can, if you have less than 6 in your Civilian Deck). Whenever you draw any new cards in the game, put all non-nuke red cards on your Front Line and keep the other cards (black and all nukes) in your hand as Covert Forces.

7. End turn

  • Lay down all Front Line (non-Nuke red cards), end turn, pass dice.

Attacking

  • You must have an Officer in your Army in order to attack.
  • The player attacking gets three dice, the defender gets two dice.
  • Neither player can roll more dice than they have cards left to lose.
  • Match high dice to high dice. For each dice lost, discard that many from Army to Graveyard, starting with lowest OP (Soldiers) to highest.
  • The maximum number lost each dice roll is 2.
  • Dice ties go to player with Officer Advantage. If OP totals are equal, the tie goes to the attacker.
  • During battle, account for any changes in OP total.
  • Between each dice roll, attacker and defender may play other cards. First defender, then attacker.
  • Defender may play only one card or combo at a time in response to each Act of War. (This means, for example, the defender may not play a Spy, then immediately play a Sniper. The attacker, however, may play a Nation Card which does not cause damage to their opponent, then a Medic, then a Spy—all without the defender able to play any cards in response.)
  • The attacker can end the conflict at any point. Defenders must retreat, as outlined below.
  • You may attack as many opponents as you would like, so long as you still have an officer. If you obliterate an opponent's Armies or they retreat, you may not attack them again until your next turn.

Retreating

Defenders may retreat in one of three ways to end unwanted conflicts:

  1. Rolling doubles — If the defender rolls doubles, they have the option to retreat by discarding one officer, without any further losses. (No damage is caused or taken by this dice roll.)

  2. General Retreat — If the defender has a General and one other card, they may retreat, discarding half their Army, rounding up.

  3. Super-General Retreat — If the defender has two Generals, they may retreat without incurring any loss.

Advanced play options

Officer Point Budget

You have a budget of 60 OP, which will allow you to choose which balance of Officers you want, based on your preferred strategy. You may have no more than 4 of any officer type. Because some officers have higher OP value than others, you may fill in the remaining slots in your deck with Soldiers.

Officer Combos

For Officer Combos, most of the same rules apply as using Officer Cards, primarily that used cards must be turned sideways to show they are spent and any given card can only be used once (unless resurrected)

Super-General (2 K) The Super-General allows you to retreat anytime without taking losses in the present battle. This can only be used once then marked as spent. (Because Generals can be used each turn, they retain their individual powers for leading normal retreats.)

Super-Medic (2 Q) Resurrect the top 2 cards from your Graveyard.

Super-Sniper (2 A) Execute an irreversible Snipe of a General or a Nuke without needing to roll.

Super-Spy (2 J) Look at everyone’s Covert Forces and your next 5 Civilian cards.

Graverobber (Q + J) Combine with a Medic to pick any single card from your graveyard to resurrect.

Weapons Inspector (J + 2 A) Select one opponent to disable all nukes or their Kerblam!, if it is active. All 3 cards must be played simultaneously.

Disarmament (2 J + A) Disable any nukes presently held.

Weapons Thieves (3 J) Look at everyone's Covert Forces. Steal one Nuke from one opponent.

Kerblam! Nations

At the beginning of the game, during setup, each player chooses one nation. Selection happens in reverse order from the order of play (based on who has rolled to go first in the game).

Each country listed has a specific power, which, unless indicated, can be used only once in the game and can be used during your turn or while under attack.

The effects of these cards cannot be countered unless explicitly stated.

Afghanistan: Insurgents — Force all opponents to do an OfficerPoint check. If the Officer Points in their Covert Forces add up to more than the Officer Points in their Front Line, they must discard all officers in their Front Line. Draw one card from your Graveyard for every opposing Officer killed.

Canada: America's Hat — Draw 4 additional cards from your Civilian Deck, draw 2 cards from your Graveyard, and force everyone else to discard one Officer Card and three soldiers from their Army.

China: Population — Take 10 soldier cards from yourGraveyard and add them into your Civilian Deck at any time. Then shuffle your Civilian Deck twice. Draw 1 additional card every time you draw cards from your Civilian Deck from this point on.

Cuba: Communism — Choose one opponent of your choice and roll a die. 1-3: they must pare down their Army to the same size and officer point total as yours, discarding the rest into their graveyard. 4-5: they must pare down their Civilian deck count to equal yours. If you rolled a 6, they have to do both.

England: Empire — Choose two dice to roll separately from the others for as much as one entire round (including all opponents’ turns). Double the amount shown on the lowest die for all rolls. If used at the beginning of your turn, it is active until your next turn. If used in the middle of an opponent’s turn, it is active until the end of your turn.

France: Short Generals / Surrender — Instantly turn one regular soldier into a General (King). May be used a total of two times in the game. Two at a time is acceptable. Additionally, you have one free retreat that can be used without taking losses.

Germany: Blitzkrieg — Play only at the beginning of your turn. Do not roll to collect your cards. Draw the maximum 12cards from your Civilian Deck instead of regular card collecting.Additionally, you have the advantage in all battles for the rest of the round. No other nation cards can counter this advantage.

India: Reincarnation — Draw the top 8 cards from yourGraveyard anytime. Alternatively, you may draw 4 from your Graveyard at one time and 4 more at another point in the game.

Indonesia: Off the Radar — You may negate two attempts to spy. In addition for two consecutive rounds of your choosing, every card you draft from the Civilian Deck goes into your Covert Army.

Israel: Resilience — You have the advantage for all battles in two complete rounds of your choosing. These may be consecutive or separate rounds.

Japan: Kamikaze — Can only be played at the beginning of your turn or when attacked by another player. Discard your entire Front Line, except for any Generals. Choose one opponent and destroy either their Front Line or Covert Forces, except forNukes. If played during your turn, draw back up to the minimum Army size.

Netherlands: Sabotage — Force a skipped turn for one or all other players at the beginning or end of anyone’s turn.(This card can be used at the end of your turn so that you have two turns in a row.)

North Korea: Military ************ — All Generals count for 20 points for the duration of the game. (These Generals are still regarded as only one card, just valued at twice their typical point total.)

Russia: Bears — Choose one opponent of your choice who must roll two dice and then discard that many of their Army, starting with their Covert Forces first. If the total is either 2 or 12, they must discard their entire Army. Note: bears cannot eat nuclear weapons, so those cards remain regardless of roll.

South Africa: Reconciliation — Free retreat without taking losses. Can be used 4 times in the game. (Rotate this card clockwise one time per use to indicate number of times used in the game.)

Spain: Conquistadors — If, during your turn, you are no longer able to attack because all your opponents have been obliterated or retreated, you may force them to draft to the minimum 10 and again re-engage any or all of them. Any Generals used to retreat earlier in this round may not be used again to retreat.

Sweden: Burn & Pillage — Choose one opponent you would like to trade places with in the game. You and they roll one die each. If you beat their dice roll, change seats at the table with them, pillaging their nation and making it your own, while they take your place.

Switzerland: Neutrality & Banking — For the duration of the game, draw one card from your Graveyard whenever any player retreats by rolling doubles.

United States: Trade — Choose to strengthen either yourFront Line or Covert Forces by trade. Count the total number in your selected Army, draw that many from your Graveyard, then discard the same amount after selecting which to keep.