OBJECTIVE OF EXPLODING MINIONS: To be the last player in the game
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 – 5 players
CONTENTS: 72 cards, Instruction Booklet
TYPE OF GAME: Party Card Game
AUDIENCE: Ages 7+
INTRODUCTION OF EXPLODING MINIONS
Exploding Minions is a retheming of the extremely popular Exploding Kittens. In this game, players are trying not to explode. At the end of every turn, players will have to draw a card. If that card is an exploding Minion, they are out of the game. However, players will have special action cards that can help them survive. Exploding Minions can be defused, and players can manipulate the deck or force their opponents to take multiple turns. As exploding Minions are drawn, players will be eliminated from the game. The last player remaining wins.
THE DECK
The deck is composed of 72 cards.
There are four Exploding Minions. These are the cards that will eliminate players from the game.
The 7 Defuse cards are used to keep a player from exploding. Defuse cards are the only thing that can stop an exploding Minion.
There are 5 Attack cards that force a player to take two turns instead of one.
The 7 Nope cards can be used to cancel an action at any time. The only cards that cannot be Noped are the Exploding Minions and the Defuse cards.
There are 7 See the Future cards that allow a player to look at the top three cards of the deck. They must be left in the same order.
The 6 Skip cards allow a player to immediately end their turn.
There are 4 Shuffle cards that allow a player to shuffle the entire deck.
5 Draw from the Bottom cards allow a player to do just that – draw from the bottom rather than the top.
The 8 Minion Character cards give a player the power to steal one card from an opponent’s hand.
And special to this edition, the 3 Clone cards allow a player to copy the previously played card. These clone cards are very powerful, and can be used to defuse an exploding Minion.
SETUP
Setup depends on the number of players.
Remove all of the Exploding Minions and Defuse cards from the deck.
A two player game only uses the cards that have a Gru Tech symbol on them.
A game with 3 players uses only the cards without a Gru Tech symbol.
A game with 4 or 5 players uses the entire deck.
Give each player one Defuse card. The Defuse cards that are remaining are shuffled back into the deck. Remember to only use the cards that are meant for the player count. Shuffle the deck and deal 7 cards to each player. Now, each player will have an 8 card hand.
Insert a number of Exploding Minions back into the deck equal to one fewer than the number of players. For example, include three Minions for a four player game.
Shuffle the deck well and place it face down in the center of the table.
THE PLAY
Each player’s turn is made up of two phases: play cards and draw.
PLAY CARDS
A player does not have to play any cards. If they do not want to play (or cannot play) any cards, they go straight to drawing. If the player does want to play cards, they start by choosing which one they want to play first. That card is placed face up on the discard pile. The card’s action is completed. Once that card is resolved, the player may play another card (unless the previous card ended their turn). When a player is done playing cards, they draw.
DRAW
The player ends their turn by taking the top card from the draw pile. If it is an Exploding Minion, they immediately place that card face up on the table. They must defuse it or they are out of the game. If they defuse it, they may place the Exploding Minion anywhere back in the deck, and the Defuse card is placed on the discard pile. They get to choose where the Exploding Minion goes. If they cannot defuse, they are out of the game, and the Exploding Minion is removed from play. It, along with the cards in the player’s hand, is placed face up in front of the player.
If the card drawn is not an Exploding Minion, play passes left.
WINNING
As play continues, players will be eliminated from the game. The last player remaining is the winner.
This game is hilarious, but here are other super funny card games you should check out!
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021