How to play
WIREBURN , One at a Time
Simple or Advanced. Switching versions starts that track from the beginning.
This version: full system, One at a Time, and Red Shift.
This variant is now officially included as the One-At-A-Time (OAAT) Mode.
In this mode you play ONLY ONE card per turn - no chains. Every decision matters. Ideal for teaching new players, speed rounds, or a tighter, more thoughtful game.
In Standard Mode you may chain multiple cards per turn. OAAT Mode removes that.
| Rule | Standard | One at a Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cards per turn | Unlimited | One |
| Chain after play | Yes | No |
| Mid-turn dock switch | Yes | N/A |
| Continue after VOLT/STASIS | Yes | Yes (green bonus, no new dock) |
| Green wild bonus | - | Extra single-card turn |
| NULL shield | Out of turn | Unchanged |
Your goal is to be the first player to empty your hand. When you successfully play your very last card, announce "SYSTEM CLEAR!" and enter the Final Firewall state.
You do not win immediately. You must survive until the start of your next turn without taking any damage to win the game.
The deck contains 59 cards:
- Standard (30): 10 Teal, 10 Purple, 10 Orange (Values 1-10 - every 10 is a Tripwire, every 1 is a Defuse).
- Neutrals (20): 14 Grey cards (Values 2-9, excluding 5). 2 sets of 7. Play on any colour at ±1 or exact match; a Grey on top opens the dock to any colour. 3x [+] and 3x [-] Modifiers.
- Wilds (9): 3x VOLT, 3x STASIS, and 3x NULL.
Shuffle all 59 cards. Deal 9 cards face-down to each player. Place the remaining deck face-down in the centre to form the Draw Pile. Place the three marker cards (Teal, Purple, Orange) alongside the Draw Pile. All three Docks begin empty. The youngest player takes the first turn.
When you play any Green Card - VOLT, STASIS, or NULL - you immediately gain one extra single-card play in the same turn - a bonus play, not a new turn (and it cannot open a new dock).
- Play one more card from your hand.
- That card follows the rules - one card only.
- Your bonus action can be used on any active dock, but you cannot open a new dock within the same turn.
- If that card is also green, you get another extra turn. Chains of greens are legal.
- You cannot pass an extra turn to another player. Use it or draw.
If you cannot (or choose not to) play, you may elect to draw up to a maximum of 3 cards:
- Draw 1 card. You may play it if valid - or keep it and dig deeper...
- Draw a 2nd card. You may play it if valid - or keep it and dig once more...
- Draw a 3rd card (maximum limit). If it is playable, you MUST play it.
Still stuck? Keep all drawn cards in hand and pass your turn. Once you play any card, your draw phase ends immediately - and since you play one card per turn, so does your turn.
→
A Dock is the empty slot. A stack is the pile on it.
- Opening a Dock: Play a card matching that Dock’s marker colour, or NULL, only. (No greys, modifiers, Volt, or Stasis).
- Step: Play a card at ±1 in the same colour.
- GREY (the pivot): Plain and simple - a Grey plays onto ANY colour at ±1 or an exact value match. Once the Grey is on top, the dock is open to any colour (next card at ±1 or matching the Grey’s value). Greys chain onto Greys the same way.
- Hijack (Echo): Play the exact same number in any colour to switch the stack's colour.
- Grey, NULL, or STASIS on top: Stack is open - any colour can follow (at ±1 or an exact match of the value showing). VOLT on top: any colour, but only a 1, a 10, another VOLT, or a NULL.
Grey cards are colour-neutral pivots: a Grey plays onto any colour at ±1 or an exact value match - no colour rules apply to it. Once a Grey sits on top, the dock opens to any colour: the next card plays at ±1 or a match of the Grey’s value, in any colour.
Modifiers [+] and [-] attach ONLY to Grey cards to adjust their value (Min 1, Max 10). Modifiers may stack, and they clamp: a Grey at 10 with another [+] stays at 10, a Grey at 1 with another [-] stays at 1 (10 ++++ is still 10). A Grey pushed to 10 or 1 by modifiers is never a Tripwire or Defuse - it does not clear the stack or deal damage.
5
Wash Rule: You may play a [+] and a [-] from your hand together, straight to the Discard Pile, as one standard play action. They cancel out and never touch a stack.
+
=
NULL is a universal wild. Played on your turn, it opens the Dock to any colour and grants a bonus turn. It acts as a numeric pass-through: the next card played must numerically follow the card directly beneath the NULL. If the NULL opened an empty Dock there is no card beneath it - any value may follow.
Shield: When attacked, play a NULL out of turn to deflect the entire damage bundle - every penalty card dealt to you that turn. It bounces to the next player after you in turn order: they draw all the penalty cards and skip instead - unless they also deflect with a NULL. If deflections chain all the way back around to the attacker, the bundle boomerangs: the attacker absorbs their own damage. If you were due to play next, you now take your turn normally.
Boomerang Rule: If deflections chain back to the original attacker, they must absorb their own hit.
All attack cards deal +1 damage:
- Tripwire (10) & Defuse (1): Stack clears to discard. Your turn ends immediately.
- VOLT (1/10): Plays on 1, 2, 9, 10. Locks the dock - only a 1 (Defuse), a 10 (Tripwire), another VOLT, or a NULL can be played onto it. If nothing is played onto it, the stack clears to the discard at the end of your turn. You continue playing.
- STASIS (5): Plays on 4, 5, or 6. Dock becomes 5 and stays open - a 4/5/6, another STASIS, or a NULL may follow (never a VOLT). You continue playing.
Damage accumulates from all attack cards played during a turn. It is dealt all at once when the attacker's turn ends.
The targeted player must draw that many penalty cards from the Draw Pile and skip their entire turn (they cannot play any cards).
The skip only affects the immediate next player after the attacker.
+
SKIP TURN
When a player reaches zero they enter the Final Firewall. Survive until the start of your next turn untouched to win. Damage you successfully deflect with a NULL does not count as taking damage.
All damage from all players targets you whilst in Firewall. (If multiple players are in Firewall, the attacker nominates which Firewall player takes the hit).
When hit, draw the required penalty cards and await your turn to re-enter the game. Skip logic stays in place.
NULL Clause (Firewall players only): If you draw a NULL among your penalty cards, the breach backfires - you INSTANTLY WIN!
NOTE - 2-PLAYER DUAL FIREWALL: If your opponent plays their last card to deal damage to you while you are already in Firewall, they also enter Firewall state. Both players are now in Firewall. The damage forces you to skip your turn - play passes directly back to them. They are at zero cards, it is their turn, and no damage is pending against them: they INSTANTLY WIN! Your only defence is to play a NULL out of turn to deflect it and keep yourself at zero.
- Discard Pile (face-up): All cleared stacks, used NULLs and Modifiers go here.
- Recycling Protocol: When the Draw Pile is exhausted, immediately shuffle the Discard Pile to form a new Draw Pile. Never shuffle active Docks.
- Rare edge case: If both the Draw Pile and Discard Pile are empty, no penalty cards can be drawn; play continues from hands until a cleared stack refills the Discard Pile.
One at a Time mode transforms Wireburn from a chainable combo-driven game into a careful positioning game. Every turn is a single decision. Green cards become precious - they're the only way to chain. NULL becomes king. Strategy deepens, chaos reduces.
- Teaching new players
- Quick games and speed rounds
- Deep-strategy players
- Two-player duels
- Attack and defend dynamics
- Firewall win condition
- Full card interactions
- 2–6 player counts
PLAY: One card per turn. No chains.
GREEN CARD: Extra single-card turn. Chains of greens legal.
NULL SHIELD: Out of turn. Deflects damage. No bonus turn.
STUCK: Draw 1, 2, or 3. 3rd MUST be played if legal.
WIN: Empty hand → SYSTEM CLEAR → survive Firewall until your next turn.