Design by: Jean Vanaise
Published by: Mayfair Games
2 – 16 Players, 5 – 10 minutes
Review by: Greg J. Schloesser

I don’t speak French, but I believe that “Le Boomb!” translates to “The Bomb” in English. Le Boomb! is also the name of a new release by Mayfair Games and designer Jean Vanaise. However, please don’t confuse the name with the modern use of the word “bomb”, which apparently means “excellent” or “superb”. Example: “That meal was the bomb.” That means the meal was excellent. Feel free, however, to equate it with the opposite usage of the word: terrible or horrific. Example: “That movie was a bomb.” That means the movie wasn’t worth going see. That’s more like it.

Le Boomb! is a very close relative of the immensely popular, yet completely inane LCR (Left-Center-Right). Players roll a die, hoping to pass along the tiny bomb and not have it in their possession when an explosion occurs. Last man standing wins. That’s it.

The game is tiny and comes packaged in a reusable clear plastic container. The contents are extremely simple: a die and a small plastic bomb. The rules, which consist of nine lines of print, are printed on the cardboard packaging. The bomb twists apart and can accommodate the die, but not the instructions. So, unless you want to keep the game in its original packaging, which is an easy thing to do, you will have to re-type the rules on regular paper and fold them to fit them inside the bomb.

Game play is exceedingly simple and mindless. The bomb is placed in the center of the table. Players take turns rolling the die, and performing the action indicated by the symbol rolled. If a “fuse” is rolled, the bomb stays put. If a “bomb” is rolled, the player takes the bomb. If an “explosion” is rolled, the bomb explodes and the player currently possessing it is out of the game. The die is passed to the next player and the rolling continues. The last player surviving is victorious.

As with LCR, there are absolutely NO decisions to be made. Roll the die and take the corresponding action. That’s it. It is one of those games – an activity really – that might have amused you as a very small child, but will likely hold no interest whatsoever for you now. Well, that would be my assessment, but as mentioned, LCR is immensely popular, so perhaps this version of the game could be met with enthusiasm in some circles. Of course, I’m dumbfounded by LCR’s popularity, as there is nothing there even remotely interesting to me or just about anyone I know.

Perhaps the game could be used as a time-killer while waiting for your food at a restaurant, or, as some have suggested, be used to determine the start player for a more substantial game. It might even be a convenient and inexpensive stocking- stuffer. I can see these applications, but not many others. If you are ever in a position to play Le Boomb!, please don’t approach it as anything other than a silly dice-rolling exercise. That’s all it is.