01Goal
Empty your hand and enter Final Firewall. You do not win immediately. Win when your next turn begins if your hand is still empty.
NULL received as an opponent’s Firewall penalty wins instantly.
How to play
WIREBURN · Rules
Read the rule, then follow the card example. Tap any card to enlarge.
Find a rule
Quick reference cards
Core rules
02Contents and setup
WIREBURN is for 2–6 players. The deck contains 59 playing cards, plus three Dock markers:
- 30 coloured numbers: Teal, Purple and Orange, numbered 1–10. Each 1 is Defuse; each 10 is Tripwire.
- 14 Grey numbers: two each of 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
- 6 modifiers: three [+] and three [−].
- 9 Green cards: three VOLT, three STASIS and three NULL.
Place the Teal, Purple and Orange Dock markers in the centre. All three Docks start empty. Keep the markers out of the deck.
Shuffle the 59 playing cards and deal 9 cards face down to each player. Put the rest face down as the Draw Pile. Leave space beside it for the face-up Discard Pile.
The youngest player starts. Play continues clockwise.
03Your turn
You may play several cards during your turn. Play them one at a time, checking that each card legally follows the current top card. You may move between active Docks and change a run’s direction.
You may open only one empty Dock per turn. Adding cards to an active Dock does not use this allowance.
Deliver each attack’s penalty as soon as you play it. Tripwire and Defuse clear their stack and immediately end your turn. Otherwise, continue playing or end your turn when you choose. Any VOLT stack clears at turn end.
Each card follows the card just played. Check colour and number again after every play.
or
or04Drawing: The Dig
Before playing, you may draw up to three cards, one at a time, if you want or need to, even if you could play.
If you draw a playable card, you may play it. Playing any card ends your voluntary drawing for that turn. You may then continue making legal plays under Core rules.
After three draws with nothing to play, keep the drawn cards and pass your turn.
Penalty cards are separate from The Dig. Receiving a penalty does not give you an immediate play or start your turn.
05Playing on Docks
A Dock is a shared place to play cards. Its stack is the cards played there. Follow the top card’s colour and number, including any modifiers.
Open an empty Dock: play a card matching its marker’s colour, or play NULL. Grey, modifiers, VOLT and STASIS cannot open a Core Dock.
Same colour: play one higher or one lower. Teal 6 accepts Teal 5 or Teal 7.
Same number: match the number to change colour. After Teal 6 → Orange 6, the stack is Orange. Orange 7 can follow; the Teal marker does not restore the old colour.
Grey: play the same number or ±1 on any Core colour. Any colour may then follow at the same number or ±1.
Open colour does not remove the number requirement. STASIS sets 5. NULL keeps the value beneath it. Numbers do not wrap between 10 and 1.
After VOLT, the Dock accepts 1, 10, VOLT or NULL.
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06Grey cards and modifiers
Grey must fit using its printed number. It cannot open an empty Dock. Once Grey is on top, any colour may follow at the same number or ±1.
[+] adds 1 and [−] subtracts 1 from a Grey value already on a Dock. This changes the value itself; it is not the normal step rule. Use the changed value for the next play.
Play Grey legally first, then play modifiers onto it. A numbered card made Grey by NULL can also be modified.
Never combine Grey and modifiers in your hand to make a card fit. Teal 8 cannot accept Grey 6 with [+], because Grey 6 must fit before you can modify it.
Wash: during normal play, discard one [+] and one [−] together. They cancel each other and count as one play. The Dock stays unchanged.
On DockValue 7Value 5The Grey 6 is already in play. Choose one modifier to change its value by 1.
07NULL
NULL can be played on a full or empty Dock, including after VOLT. Play it during your own turn.
On a stack, the value beneath NULL still counts, but the colour becomes Grey / Open. For example, Purple 6 → NULL allows any colour at 5, 6 or 7.
On an empty Dock, NULL has no number or colour beneath it. The next card sets both. Opening this way uses your one Dock opening for the turn.
NULL received as an opponent’s Firewall penalty wins instantly.
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08Attack cards
Each attack deals one damage immediately. Take one card from the Draw Pile without looking and pass it face down immediately to the opponent receiving damage.
Tripwire (10) / Defuse (1): play legally, deliver the penalty, move the stack to discard and end your turn immediately.
VOLT: play on 1, 2, 9 or 10. The Dock then accepts 1, 10, VOLT or NULL. You may continue playing on available Docks. Clear the VOLT stack at the end of your turn.
STASIS: play on 4, 5 or 6. It sets the stack to 5 / Open, so any colour at 4, 5 or 6 may follow. You may continue playing, including another legal STASIS.
VOLT and STASIS each deliver their own immediate penalty. They do not grant another Dock opening. An ordinary number 5 is not STASIS.
Face downIMMEDIATELY
09Damage and skips
One damage means one penalty card. Take the card from the Draw Pile and pass it face down immediately to the opponent receiving damage.
Normally, damage goes to the next player clockwise. If opponents are in Firewall, choose one of them to receive the full penalty. Firewall damage cannot be split between players.
Taking damage skips a player only if they were next to play. A player farther around the table receives the penalty but keeps their upcoming turn.
Example: A → B → C → D. If A attacks C in Firewall, C takes a card, but B still plays next.
Resolve each attack before your next play. The illustrated attacks must still be connected by legal plays or made on different active Docks.
10Final Firewall
Playing your last card puts you in Final Firewall. You must stay empty-handed until your next turn begins to win.
While an opponent is in Firewall, normal damage targets a Firewall opponent. If several qualify, choose one to receive the full penalty. Firewall damage cannot be split.
If you take a penalty, add those cards to your hand and leave Firewall. You must empty your hand again to re-enter. NULL received as an opponent’s Firewall penalty wins instantly.
You skip only if you were next to play after the attacker. Otherwise, you receive the cards and keep your upcoming turn.
11Clearing and recycling
When a stack clears, move its played cards to the Discard Pile and leave the original Dock marker in place.
Tripwire and Defuse clear immediately. VOLT clears at turn end. A washed [+]/[−] pair goes straight to discard.
When the Draw Pile runs out, shuffle the Discard Pile to make a new Draw Pile, then continue drawing.
Never shuffle the active Docks or their stacks.
Leave Docks in playNever shuffle active Docks or their stacks.✓Quick check
- Open only one empty Dock per turn.
- The Dig is optional: draw before playing if you want or need to.
- Modify Grey only after it is legally on a Dock.
- Pass each attack penalty immediately, face down.
- Skip the hit player only if they were next to play.
- Survive Firewall until your next turn to win.
- NULL received as an opponent’s Firewall penalty wins instantly.
Find a rule
One at a Time
Use the Core rules, with the changes below. Keep the same deck, setup and nine-card deal.
01One play per turn
Play one card, then end your turn unless that card earns a Green bonus.
Grey and modifiers remain separate plays. Without a Green bonus, play Grey on one turn and add a modifier on a later turn. Washing one [+]/[−] pair counts as one play.
Without a Green bonus, Grey and its modifier are played on separate turns.
02Green bonuses
Playing VOLT, STASIS or NULL earns one bonus card play in the same turn. Playing another Green card earns another bonus.
Use a bonus on any active Dock. A bonus cannot open another Dock or restart your drawing allowance. You cannot save it for a later turn or pass it to another player.
Stop if you cannot or choose not to use the bonus. Tripwire and Defuse end the turn immediately. VOLT clears at turn end.
03Drawing, damage and winning
You may choose to use The Dig before your first play, as in Core. An ordinary card ends your turn. A Green card drawn during The Dig still earns a bonus, but that bonus must use a card already in your hand. You cannot draw again to find one.
Deliver every attack penalty immediately, including bonus attacks. Core rules for recipients, skips, NULL and Firewall still apply. A bonus play continues the same turn; it does not begin a new turn for a Firewall win.
Red Shift
Red Shift locked
Enter the last 6 digits of the barcode on the original full Wireburn box to unlock Red Shift.
Find a rule
All Core rules apply unless changed below. Red Shift adds a fourth suit and three extra Dock spaces.
01Deck and setup
Add these 21 cards to the Core deck, making 80 playing cards:
- 3 RED DOCK cards.
- 3 extra STASIS and 3 extra NULL, making six of each.
- 3 PING cards.
- Red 1 (VENT), 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (SURGE).
There is no Red 5. Shuffle RED DOCK cards into the deck rather than placing them as starting markers.
Keep the three Core Dock markers and leave three empty spaces below them for Red Docks. Deal nine cards each and play clockwise.
You still have one Dock opening per turn, shared across all six positions.
02RED DOCK
A RED DOCK card has two uses:
Activate a lower space: play it in an unused Red space. This RED DOCK stays in play after its stack clears.
Slam a loaded Core Dock: place RED DOCK over the existing stack. Leave the old cards locked underneath and build the Red stack above it. Do not discard anything yet.
When a slammed stack clears, discard RED DOCK and the played cards above and below it. Leave the original coloured Dock marker ready for a later opening.
An available RED DOCK accepts any first Red number. If you already opened another Dock that turn, you may place RED DOCK but cannot play onto it until a later turn.
NULL may open an empty space using your normal opening allowance. With no number beneath it, any first colour and value may follow.
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The old cards stay underneath until clearing. Then discard RED DOCK and both stacks, leaving the original marker.
03Playing Red numbers
On an available RED DOCK, play a Red number, then match or step ±1 in Red. Runs may change direction.
Red numbers cannot open a bare space. They need RED DOCK, or a legal opening through STASIS or NULL on a stack. Follow the value shown.
Grey and standard colours cannot directly cover bare Red, even at the same number. Once STASIS or NULL has opened the colour, follow the new top card using Core rules.
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✕04Bridging the missing 5
Red 4 cannot step directly to Red 6 because there is no Red 5. Use STASIS on 4, 5 or 6 instead.
Deliver STASIS’s penalty immediately and set 5 / Open. Any colour at 4, 5 or 6 may follow.
Example: Red 4 → STASIS → Orange 6. Normal Core play then resumes from Orange 6. STASIS does not grant another opening.
STASIS sets the stack to 5. Orange 6 can follow, then normal Core play resumes.
05VENT and SURGE
VENT (Red 1) / SURGE (Red 10) play by a legal Red step or match, through a suitable Open colour, or onto exposed VOLT.
Deliver one normal penalty immediately. Also choose an opponent to receive one extra card, passed face down from the Draw Pile. You never receive your own attack. One opponent may receive both penalties.
Normal damage follows Core Firewall targeting and skip rules. The extra chosen-opponent card causes no skip.
Then clear the stack and end your turn. A lower RED DOCK stays in place. A slammed RED DOCK leaves with its stack and buried cards.
06PING
Play PING on Red. Every opponent immediately receives one card, passed face down from the Draw Pile. You receive none, and PING causes no skip.
You may continue playing. Any Red number may follow PING, regardless of the previous value. Normal Red sequencing resumes after that number.
You may play another legal PING. This is still the same turn, with no fresh draws or extra Dock opening. Other cards keep their normal entry rules.
Each opponent, at any player count.
07Opening Red to other colours
STASIS: play at 4, 5 or 6, deliver one penalty immediately and set the stack to 5 / Open.
NULL: make the number beneath Grey / Open without changing its value. For example, Red 8 → NULL allows any colour at 7, 8 or 9. NULL can follow VOLT and does not block damage.
Grey: cannot directly cover bare Red. Use normal Grey rules after the colour has opened through STASIS, NULL or a legal standard-colour takeover.
VOLT: enters bare Red at 9 or 10. After a legal colour opening, use Core entry values. Deliver one penalty immediately; the Dock accepts 1, 10, VOLT or NULL. Clear its stack at turn end.
Always follow the current top card, not the buried RED DOCK.
→08Damage, clearing and Firewall
Resolve every attack immediately. Use Core targeting for normal damage, and resolve PING and the extra VENT / SURGE card as their own effects describe.
A lower RED DOCK stays when its stack clears. A slammed RED DOCK and the buried cards go to discard, leaving the original marker.
Firewall follows Core rules: empty your hand and survive to your next turn. Normal Firewall damage cannot be split between players. NULL received as an opponent’s Firewall penalty wins instantly.