How to play
WIREBURN , System Manual
Simple or Advanced. Switching versions starts that track from the beginning.
This version: full system, One at a Time, and Red Shift.
The goal is to be the first player to empty your hand and shout SYSTEM CLEAR! Each player receives nine cards, the remaining cards form a draw pile, and three colored Docks - Teal, Purple, and Orange - are placed in the center. The youngest player starts.
Initialize one empty dock per turn with a card matching that Dock’s marker colour, or NULL. Play cards using ±1 math logic to build the stack. Match colors to step up or down. Match the number exactly to switch the dock's color (HIJACK / ECHO). Grey cards pivot onto any color at ±1 or an exact match, and open the dock to any color. Modifiers only play attached to a Grey card.
Reaching 10 [Tripwire] or 1 [Defuse] clears the stack and adds +1 damage to the hit dealt to the next player when your turn ends. Playing [Stasis] sets the dock to value 5 and also adds +1 damage, but you continue - and the dock stays open at 5: chain a 4, 5, or 6 (any colour), another STASIS, or a NULL straight onto it. Damage is dealt all at once when your turn ends - the next player draws that many cards and skips. Use NULL cards to shield against penalties out of turn.
Upon reaching zero cards, announce SYSTEM CLEAR to enter Firewall state. Survive until the start of your next turn without taking damage to win.
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.
(Plus 3x marker cards for the Docks).
Shuffle all 59 cards. Deal 9 cards face-down to each player (supports 2 to 6 players). Place the remaining deck face-down in the centre to form the Draw Pile. Leave space beside it for a face-up Discard 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.
Play and chain AS MANY valid cards as you like across any active Docks in a single turn.
You may only open one new empty Dock per turn.
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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 - you cannot draw again this turn, but you may continue chaining valid cards from your hand.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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NULL is a universal wild. Played on your turn, it opens the Dock to any colour. 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 may continue to play on other active docks during this turn, but you cannot open a new dock within the same turn.
- STASIS (5): Plays on 4, 5, or 6. Sets the stack to 5 and the dock stays open - keep playing onto it (4/5/6 in any colour, another STASIS, or a NULL; stack as many STASIS as you hold) and on other active docks. A VOLT can never be played onto a STASIS, and you cannot open a new dock this turn.
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.
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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.
Aggression System: All damage from all players automatically targets the player(s) in Firewall. (If multiple players are in Firewall, the attacker nominates which Firewall player takes the hit).
Positional Skip Logic: When hit, draw the required penalty cards. If you are the immediate next player in turn order, you skip your turn. If you are not next in line, you draw the cards but the actual next player plays as normal - the skip penalty is voided.
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.
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SYSTEM CLEAR
- 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.
PLAY: Chain AS MANY valid cards as you like.
NULL SHIELD: Out of turn. Deflects damage.
STUCK: Draw 1, 2, or 3. 3rd must be played if legal.
WIN: Empty hand → SYSTEM CLEAR → survive Firewall until your next turn.