SLAMBO!

Overview

SLAMBO! is a fast-paced card game played in rounds called bouts. Players take turns adjusting a shared balance total—but push it too far and your opponent will shout SLAMBO!

Setup

1. Place the start card in the middle with the 0–10 side up
2. Place 1 shame card next to the start card
3. Set remaining shame cards aside as a supply
4. Give each player a player aid
5. Shuffle the number cards (only add special cards with 3+ players)
6. Deal each player a starting hand (see table above)
7. Set leftover cards facedown
8. Choose a random player to go first

Gameplay

Turn

• Players take turns playing 1 card face up onto the central pile
• Only the top card of the pile should be visible
• The starting balance total is 5

Each time you play a card:

• Adjust the balance total by the number on the card
  • Blue cards raise the total
  • Red cards lower the total
• Shout the new total

SLAMBO!

If the balance total goes:*Above 10

• Below 0

👉 Your opponent shouts SLAMBO! and you lose the bout

• The losing player takes all shame cards from the middle

Break

If both players run out of cards and no one is SLAMBO’d:

• The referee calls BREAK!
• No one takes shame cards
• Add 1 shame card next to the start card

Important: The next bout will be worth more shame

Again

If no player has 3 shame cards:

• Play another bout
• The loser of the last bout goes first

If the last bout ended in a break:*The player who went second goes first

Win Condition

If any player has 3 or more shame cards at the end of a bout:*That player loses

• The remaining player wins

3–4 Player Rules

• Shuffle the 6 special cards into the deck
• The game ends immediately when any player has 3 or more shame
• That player loses
• All other players win

Special Cards

• After adjusting the balance total, reverse the turn order
• If a player has no cards left, skip their turn

Special effects:

• Choose whether a card’s number is positive or negative
• Copy the last card played**If the last card copied something, copy that result

Expert Match (1–9)

For a more suspenseful game:

• Flip the start card to the 1–9 side

Now SLAMBO occurs if the balance total goes:

• Above 9
• Below 1

==Example==*Player 1 plays a blue 4 → “9!”

• Player 2 plays red -7 → “2!”

Later in the bout:

• Balance is 1
• Player 1 plays blue 2 → “3!”
• Player 2 plays red -5 → “-2!”
• Player 1 shouts: SLAMBO!

Components

• 1 Start Card (Hakkeyoi, Nokotta!)
• 9 Shame Cards (Haji!)
• 17 Number Cards (9 blue, 8 red)
• 6 Special Cards
• 4 Player Aids

Theme Note

Hakkeyoi! (“come on!”) and Nokotta! (“remaining!”) are traditional sumo referee calls used during matches.

Credits

• Design: Ryan “Boulder” Richford
• Illustration: Sai Beppu
• Graphic Design: Anca Gavril
• Development: Breeze Grigas, John Brieger, Brian McKay
• Rules Editing: Jeff Fraser
• 3D Artist: Filip Gavril