- BGG rank
- BGG #2,417
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Dr. Eureka
- 2–4 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,300
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Ka-Boom
2013
Rules assistance for Ka-Boom
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 30 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Ka-Boom
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ka-Boom is a board game released in 2013 for 2–5 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Roberto Fraga and Florence Fraga and its main mechanics are Pattern Building.
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About the game
The towers go up, the towers go down – that's the flow of the game in Ka-Boom, and whether you want the towers to stand or not depends on whether you're the master builder for the round or a saboteur aiming to cause destruction. At the start of the game, players lay out the 26 tower tiles, with one large tile in the center of the playing area and the remaining tiles placed randomly around it. Each tile depicts a stacked arrangement of blocks as well as a point value. On a turn, the master builder takes the sixteen tower blocks, flips the sand timer, then starts building whichever towers he wishes, with each tower being built on the tile that depicts it. Each other player is a saboteur and has 2-10 ammunition dice that she tries to shoot at the towers with her catapult (which is more like a tiny teeter-totter really). If she knocks over a tower, great! No points for the master builder, although he can use the fallen blocks to rebuild if time remains. If an ammunition die lands on a tower tile, the builder can't build on this tile; if he's started building on this tile but hasn't finished, he must stop and move elsewhere. If an ammunition die lands with the "Ka-Boom" symbol face-up, nothing happens. However, if a second die shows this symbol, the player who shot this die gets to slam her fist on the table once; if the ensuing earthquake knocks over towers, too bad for the builder. One player has a giant ammunition die, and this can cause an earthquake all on its own, but saboteurs can't cause more than one earthquake a round. [Note: The Blue Orange version of the game removes the earthquake mechanic and giant ammunition die.] When the sand timer runs out, the master builder claims any tiles on which he has correctly built a tower that still stands. The next player in clockwise order then becomes the new master builder. As soon as a player reaches 16 points, the game ends and he wins!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Broadway Toys LTD
- HUCH!
- Blue Orange Games
- Asterion Press
- IELLO
- Mancalamaro
Questions and answers
Ka-Boom supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Ka-Boom is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Ka-Boom for ages 6 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Ka-Boom has a complexity rating of 1.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Ka-Boom belongs to these categories: Children's Game, Action / Dexterity, and Real-time. Its main mechanics are Pattern Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Ka-Boom are: Roberto Fraga and Florence Fraga. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Ka-Boom as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.