Tic Stack Boom Details

Tic Stack Boom is an exciting, family-friendly card game where the objective is to capture the most cards — by making triplets or playing special cards to outsmart your opponents. It's easy to learn, quick to set up, and guaranteed to get competitive.

What's in the Box

169 total playable cards, including:

• 144 Shape/Color Cards (4 of each combination)
• 8 Bomb Cards
• 6 Dynamite Cards
• 6 Weight Cards
• 3 Magnet Cards
• 3 Nova Cards

Plus 4 Reference Cards, 1 set of Rules, and 1 Sturdy Box.

The game features 6 unique shapes and colors and 5 types of specialty cards — each one designed to shake things up.

How to Play Tic Stack Boom

Initial Setup

Put 9 cards on the table in a 3x3 grid. Deal 5 cards to each player. Reserve a spot near you for your captured cards. Put the remaining cards in a draw pile.

Starting the Game

Choose who starts, but here are some ideas:

• Youngest or oldest player
• Shortest or tallest player
• Person who has been to the most countries
• First person to grab the snacks
• Get creative and come up with your own method!

Preparing the Play Area

Before each turn (except the very first), prepare the 3x3 grid:

1. If a player has captured cards, fill any empty spaces with cards from the draw pile (don't look at the cards before placing them). Ignore this step when initially setting up the play area.
2. If any triplets are on the board, including weight cards, take a card from the draw pile and place it over the middle card of the triplet. Repeat this process as needed until no more triplets remain in the play area.
3. If any bomb, dynamite, nova, or magnet cards are on the board, take a card from the draw pile and place it on top of that card.
4. If there are not enough cards in the draw pile to fill the empty spaces or place cards over the specialty cards, just fill as many spaces as possible and continue to the "End Game" section.

Game Play

Each turn consists of 4 steps:

Step 1: Play a card from your hand on another card in the play area. If playing a shape/color card, it must match the shape or the color of the card you are playing on. If you are playing a special card, see the "Special Cards" section. If you are unable to make a play, continue to the next player.

Step 2: If a triplet was made, capture all the cards in the stacks of cards that make up the triplet. It is possible to make more than one triplet when playing a single card. If you've played a special card, capture cards as outlined in the "Special Cards" section.

Step 3: Draw a new card from the draw pile.

Step 4: Follow the steps in the "Preparing the Play Area" section.

What's a triplet? Three cards of the same shape or the same color in any row, column, or diagonal across the 3x3 grid. You capture all cards in those stacks — not just the top cards.

Player's turn ends after step 4 and play continues clockwise. Go to the "End Game" section when the draw pile is empty.

Special Cards

These are the cards that really shake things up. Use them wisely — or chaotically. Your call.

Bomb

Place the bomb card on a single stack of cards to capture all cards in that stack.

Dynamite

Place the dynamite card on a single stack to capture 3 stacks of cards in any row or column where the dynamite card is played (not diagonally).

Nova

Place the Nova card in the center of the play area to capture the 5 stacks of cards that make the X in the play area.

Magnet

Play this card when another player is capturing cards. The player playing the magnet steals the cards the other player was about to capture and pulls them, along with the magnet card, into their captured cards pile. This card must be played before the captured cards reach the other player's captured cards pile. Do not draw another card after playing a magnet. Play the rest of the game with one fewer card in your hand. You cannot play a magnet on another player's magnet play. Play continues from the next player clockwise from the player whose cards were stolen.

Weight

Place a weight card on the top of any pile. While the weight is on top of a pile, no shape or color cards can be placed on top of the weight. Only a bomb, a dynamite, or the nova card can remove a weight card and any cards under it. Collect all cards as outlined for the "Special Cards" above including the weight. Note: If a weight card is placed and it makes a triplet of weight cards, collect the triplet and the cards underneath as you would with any other triplet.

End Game

(when the draw pile is empty)

• It is possible when filling in the spaces from cards taken that you can't cover a magnet, bomb, dynamite, nova card or the middle card of a triplet. Leave these cards in the play area — they can only be captured by playing a new card on them.
• Empty grid spaces can now be played in with any card from your hand. You must still match the color or shape when playing on a card in the play area.
• Keep playing until all cards are played from everyone's hand (note you will not be able to draw cards) — magnets played earlier may mean some players don't have cards to play. Skip that player's turn.
• Cards may remain in the play area after all cards have been played.
• If a player wants to take a chance and the final card he or she plays is a magnet, all remaining cards on the play area are captured.

Winning the Game

The player with the most captured cards wins. It's that simple — now shuffle up and play again!