Exploding Git Commits^*

^*If you like this game, check out Exploding Kittens!

How it Works

This game is about Exploding Git Commits and how to avoid them.

You play the game by placing the stack of cards face down and taking turns drawing cards until someone draws an Exploding Git Commit.

When you draw an Exploding Git Commit, you explode. You lost and are out of the game.

This keeps going until all players except for one exploded. The last person standing wins the game.

The more cards you draw, the greater your chances of getting an Exploding Git Commit.

All of the other cards will help you avoid getting exploded.

Here's an example

You could use a Peek into the Future Card to sneak a peek at the top 3 cards in the Draw Stack. If that reveals an Exploding Git Commit, you could then play a Skip Card to end your turn without drawing it.

Getting Started

1
Before you start, take all the Exploding Git Commits (4x) and Mitigate Cards (6x) out of the card deck.
2
Shuffle the remaining cards and deal 4 cards face down to each player.
3
Give each player 1 Mitigate Card. Everyone should now have a hand of 5 cards in total (including the Mitigate Card).

Mitigate Cards

Each player starts with a Mitigate Card. These are the only cards that can save you from Exploding Git Commits. If you draw an Exploding Git Commit, you can use the Mitigate Card to avoid exploding. You can then put the Exploding Git Commit back into the Draw Stack where you want, without showing the other players.

The more Mitigate Cards you have, the better your chances at winning the came.

4

Insert any extra Mitigate Cards back in the deck.

Two player variant

If you're playing the game with two players, only reinsert 2 of the extra Mitigate Cards in the deck. Remove the other 2 cards from the game.

5
Put the right number of Exploding Git Commits back into the deck: the deck should contain 1 fewer than the number of players. Remove any extra Exploding Git Commits from the game.

Example

With 4 players, insert 3 Exploding Git Commits.
With 3 players, insert 2 Exploding Git Commits.

This ensures that everyone eventually explodes except for 1 person.

6

Shuffle the deck, and put it face down in the middle of the table. This is your Draw Stack.
7

Pick a player to go first. (Some typical stupid criteria: highest number of shots of coffee yesterday, speaks the most languages (computer or human), shortest time at the company, fastest to apply security updates, etc.)

Taking Your Turn

1
Gather all 5 of your cards in your hand and take a look at what you have. Choose between your two options:

Pass

Play no cards. Don't use any of the cards in your hand to influence your chances of drawing an Exploding Git Commit.

OR

Play

Play a card by placing it FACE UP on top of the Discard Stack and following the instructions on the card.

After following the instructions, you can keep playing more cards. You can play as many cards as you want in each turn.

CARDS WITH NO INSTRUCTIONS ON THEM

Some cards don’t have any instructions on them (Code Cards). You can collect these cards to play them as matching Pairs.

Playing a matching Pair of Code Cards allows you to pick another player and steal a random card from their hand.

2
Finish your turn by drawing a card from the top of the Draw Stack without showing the other players. Finger crossed that it’s not an Exploding Git Commit! (Note that this is different from most games: you END your turn by drawing a card.)

Now it's the next player's turn.

The game continues clockwise around the table. (Or counterclockwise if you prefer to confuse everyone at the table.)

Remember

Play as many or as few cards as you want
(between none and all of your cards),
then end your turn by drawing a card.

Ending the Game

Every player who draws an Exploding Git Commit is dead and out of the game, unless they play a Mitigate Card of course.
The last player standing who hasn't exploded wins the game.

You will not run out of cards in the Draw Stack, as you inserted just the right number of Exploding Git Commits to kill all but 1 player.

Three More Things

1
It's probably smart to save your cards early in the game, when your chance of exploding is low.
2
You are allowed to count the cards left in the Draw Stack to figure out the odds of exploding.
3
There is no maximum or minimum hand size. If you run out of cards in your hand, you can just keep playing. You will draw at least 1 more card on your next turn, and if you're lucky it won't explode in your face.

A Git Hiker's Guide to the Cards

Exploding Git Commit 4 Cards

You have to reveal this card immediately. Unless you have a Mitigate Card, it's game over for you. Discard all of your cards, including the Exploding Git Commit.

Mitigate 6 Cards

If you just drew an Exploding Git Commit, you can use a Mitigate Card instead of dying. Place your Mitigate Card on the Discard Stack.

Then take the Exploding Git Commit, and secretly put it back in the Draw Stack. You can place it anywhere you’d like. Do not reorder or view the other cards though!

Feel like screwing over the player right after you? Put the Exploding Git Commit right on top of the Draw Stack. You can hold the deck under the table so that no one else can see where you placed it.

Your turn is over after playing this card.

Nope 5 Cards

With this card, you can stop any action except for an Exploding Git Commit or a Mitigate Card. Imagine that any card (or Pair of Code Cards or Special Combo) beneath a Nope Card no longer exists.

You can also play a Nope on another Nope to negate it and create a Yup, and so on.

Nope Cards can be played at any time before an action has begun, even if it’s not your turn. Any cards that have been noped are lost and stay in the Discard Stack. You can also play a Nope on a SPECIAL COMBO (see below).

Bail 2x 4 Cards

This card immediately ends your turn(s). You don't have to draw a card and you force the next player to take 2 turns in a row. The victim of this card takes a turn as normal (pass-or-play then draw). When they have finished their first turn, it’s their turn again.

(The victim of a Bail Card can also play a Bail Card. In that case, their turns are immediately over, and the next player has to take any remaining turns plus 2 more; e.g. 4 turns, then 6 turns, and so on.)

THE N00B VERSION:
This card immediately ends your turn(s). You don't have to draw a card and you force the next player to take 2 turns in a row. The victim of this card takes a turn as normal (pass-or-play then draw). When they have finished their first turn, it’s their turn again. (The victim of a Bail Card can also play a Bail Card. In that case, their turns are immediately over, and the next player has to take 2 turns.)

Skip 4 Cards

This card immediately ends your turn without drawing a card. (If you play a Skip Card as a defense to a Bail Card, it only ends 1 of the 2 turns. If you play 2 Skip Cards, you can end both turns.)

Ask for Help 4 Cards

Politely ask any other player to give you 1 card from their hand. You choose the player, they choose which card to give you. They have to obey your request, so don't take no for an answer.

Shuffle 4 Cards

Shake things up a bit and shuffle the Draw Stack without viewing the cards until told to stop. (This could be a good move when you know there’s an Exploding Git Commit coming.)

Peek into the Future 3x 5 Cards

Sneak a peek at the top 3 cards of the Draw Stack and put them back without changing the order. Don’t show the cards to the other players, this.

Code Cards 4 of Each Type

These cards are pretty useless on their own, but if you collect 2 matching Code Cards, you can play them as a Pair to steal a random card from the other player.

They can also be used in Special Combos.

~ Special Combos ~
(Read this after you've played your first game)

Two of a Kind

Playing matching Pairs of Code Cards (where you get to steal a random card from another player) no longer only applies to Code Cards only, it now applies to ANY cards in the deck with the same title (a pair of Nope Cards, a pair of Bail Cards, etc).

Three of a Kind

This combo works exactly the same as Two of a Kind, but there's a twist. You can now name the card you want from the other player. If they have it, they have to give it to you. If they don't, you get nothing. Booo.

Rainbow Combo 5 different cards

If you play 5 different cards (any 5 cards with different titles), you are allowed browse through the Discard Stack and take any single card you want. (Be quick to grab the Stack to choose your card, so the other players don’t have time to "Nope" you!)

If you play a special combo with other cards than the Code Cards, ignore the instructions on the cards.

Exploding Git Commits*