Pass the Bomb

Shout a word with the right letters before the ticking bomb in your hand goes off, then pass it on.

Designers: Los Rodriguez, Juan Rodriguez, Sylvie Barc, Roger Heyworth
Published by: Anvol
Editions by: asmodee, Ravensburger, Giochi Uniti, Piatnik, Jumbo, Goliath Games, Gibsons, Pressman Toy Corp., danspil, Zygomatic, Kod Kod, Peliko Oy, Venice Connection, AS Company, Week End Games, Ludolux, Grand V

A ticking electronic bomb, a short string of letters and a table full of people who suddenly cannot spell. In Pass the Bomb (1994) you must say a word containing the required letters before the bomb in your hand goes off. Only when you produce a word may you pass the bomb to the next player, and your neighbor decides whether your creative spelling gets away with it. The timer is variable, so nobody knows how long they have, and the pressure does the comedy for you. It is a loud, short word game in which the bomb eventually lands in someone's lap, and the Danish jury liked it enough to name it Family Game of the Year in 1996.

Ticking electronic bomb with a variable timerSay a word with the given letters, then passYour neighbor judges creative spelling

Who it's for

You are six to eight people with a few minutes to spare and want a loud word game where laughing at someone's blank mind is the point.

Not for you if…

You dislike time pressure or arguing over what counts as a word. The bomb makes every pause feel long.

Vibe's take

Frantic and noisy. Your brain goes blank the second the bomb lands in your hands, which is exactly why everyone else is laughing.