Components

• 168 card
• Instructions.

Object of the Game

In Eyeball Boxing, you pit a duo of eyeballs in the ring against other players.

The goal? Deliver the KO punch and be the last eye standing or make 3 perfect hotdogs.

Setup

Start by going through the deck and 1 removing the 3 Bell cards and all of the Eyeball cards. Shuffle the deck.

Each player chooses a character--Bruiser, Gripes, Scraps, Spork, or Stigg and takes the character's 4 color-coded cards. If there are extra characters, leave them out of the game.

Deal 7 cards from the deck to each player.

Once the cards are dealt, insert the 3 Bell cards back into the deck, one at about 1/3rd from the top, the second at about 2/3rds, and the 3rd near the bottom of the deck.

Put the deck in the middle of the table as a draw pile. Players pick up their hands and look at their cards. The player with the best smack-talking insult goes first.

Eyeball Cards

Eyeball Boxing is all about pitting your eyeballs against other players in the arena. All players start the game by choosing an eyeball character. Each character set consists of 4 cards, divided into 2 identical pairs.

These double-sided cards represent different stages of damage an eyeball takes before becoming blacked out. Start the game by placing your Eyeball card pairs on the table in 2 2-card stacks.

Place your two Eyeball stacks with the fully healed state on top and the blacked-out state on the bottom. As eyeballs take damage, you will turn the cards over to reflect 4 states of increasing damage, from Good to Go, to Woozy, to Punchy, to Blacked Out.

The Contenders

Bruiser

Pass the pain please. When it comes to getting into the action, Bruiser leads the pack.

But it's not about how much he can deal out as much as how much he can take. Need a volunteer whipping boy? Bruiser has his hand up for the job.

Scraps

Voted most likely to run to the hills when trouble comes a-'knocking, Scraps is motivated by one thing: fear.

Some may call raw, unadulterated terror a weakness. But try telling that to the eyeball who has to chase Scraps around the ring.

Spork

Everybody loves Spork. What's not to love? Sp asks for nothing and never causes any trouble.

Many question the dangers of getting into the eyeball arena; not Spork. Heck, Spork doesn't know where he is most of the time anyways.

Gripes

With a default raw disposition to begin with, once in the ring, Gripes starts at mildly irritated and quickly spins to full-on whacked-out fuming-crazy angry.

Most legends about Gripes's temper tantrums are true. But it is also true that Gripes has no friends.

Stigg

Some would say Stigg is more mouth than eye with his constant smack-talking and insults. But unrelenting verbal abuse alone can't stand up to the unyielding pounding of leather-gloved fists against eyeball tissue.

However, as a contender, Stigg is no palooka when it comes to going toe-to-toe on the mat.

Game Play

During your turn, you may play 1 card from your hand and draw 1 replacement card from the draw pile. Depending on the card you play, other players may throw cards on the table to affect your turn.

Even after playing a card during another player's turn, you must instantly draw 1 replacement card.

After making a complete hotdog (discussed later) by laying all three ingredient cards on the table, immediately draw 3 replacement cards from the draw pile into your hand.

Although you will start the game with 7 cards in your hand, the number of cards may change. Don't sweat it. If your hand ever has more than 7 cards, just play down to 7 then continue to draw a card whenever you play a card and everything will be groovy.

Eyeball boxing is a brutal sport. Although there are referees at hand who try to keep it by the book, it is normal for eyeball boxers to break the rules.

During your turn, you may play a legal or an illegal move. Should you attempt an illegal move, you run the risk of another player throwing a referee card to stop you.

Here are the moves. Lets start with the above-the-board, good sportsmanship legal moves.

Legal Moves (Green Cards)

Punch

Play Punch cards on opposing eyeball characters to inflict damage.

Each time an eyeball is punched, the player turns the defending Eyeball card to reflect the damage. A Punch card may be stopped with a Block or a Block and Knock card.

Block Cards

Play Block cards to stop attacks with Punch, Jab and Grab, Shakedown, and Block and Knock cards.

Jab and Grab

Play a Jab and Grab card on any eyeball in play. Jab and Grab cards inflict damage like Punch cards.

But the defending character must give up one hotdog ingredient card (Dawg, Bun, or Condiments, defenders choice) to the attacker, without showing the Ingredient card to other players.

A Jab and Grab card can be defended with a Block or a Block and Knock card.

Shakedown

Play a Shakedown card on any Eyeball character to inflict damage and to request a specific hotdog ingredient (Dawg, Bun, Condiments) from the defending player.

If the defending player does not have the requested ingredient, he or she does not have to give up a Hotdog Ingredient card.

A Shakedown card may be blocked with a Block or a Block and Knock.

Block and Knock

Play a Block and Knock card to block an incoming attack from a Punch, Jab and Grab, Shakedown, or another Block and Knock card. Block and Knock is a one-two combo, allowing you to counter-punch the attacker after blocking the incoming blow.

It is possible for several Block and Knock exchanges to happen all at once. Just remember to draw a card after playing a card to keep your options open.

Block and Knock cards block any incoming attack but counters that attack only with a standard Punch.

For example a player may Block and Knock an incoming Shakedown attack, but may only punch the attacker back. The defender may not shakedown the attacker even if a shakedown card was initially used.

Patch and Stitch

Play a Patch and Stitch card to heal one of your eyes by one level. You may not play a Patch and Stitch card to heal your opponents.

You may not heal a fully knocked out eyeball.

Safety First

Play a Safety First card in front of your eyeballs to make them immune to 1 attack from a Punch, Jab and Grab, Shakedown, Block and Knock, Swarm, Eye Fry, or Nap Time card.

After any attack, you must remove the Safety First card, making your eyeballs once again vulnerable to incoming attacks.

Build a Dog

Use Hotdog Ingredient cards to make hotdogs. You can get Hotdog Ingredient cards by either drawing them from the draw pile or, for even more fun, stealing them from opponents with Jab and Grab, Shakedown, and Steal cards.

You may make a hotdog instantly when you have all 3 ingredients even if both of your eyeballs are blacked out. Just take the ingredient cards from your hand and place them in a stack on the table in front of you.

A completed hotdog must have one of each Ingredient card: Dawg, Condiments, and Bun cards. Remember to draw your hand back up to 7 cards after making a hotdog.

Illegal Moves (Purple Cards)

Steal

Play Steal cards when a Hotdog Ingredient card changes hands as the result of a Shakedown card. You may throw a Steal card and take the ingredient into your own hand even if the Hotdog Ingredient card is being exchanged between other players.

Any player can throw steal card, no matter whose turn it is. Players may play a additional Steal cards to Steal a stolen hotdog ingredient.

You may only play Steal cards as the result of a Shakedown card. You may not play a Steal card as the result of a Jab and Grab card.

Swarm

Play a Swarm card in front of any opponent's eyeballs. The defender may not attack (Punch, Jab and Grab, Shakedown) or block (Block, Block and Knock) during his or her next turn.

The defending player may discard the Swarm card after finishing his or her next turn.

Eye Fry

Play an Eye Fry card in front of any opponent's eyeballs.

The defending player may not use a Patch and Stitch card to heal his eyeballs until he gets rid of the Eye Fry card with an additional Patch and Stitch card.

Players affected with Eye Fry, may attack, steal, and foul normally, but may not heal.

Nap Time

Play a Nap Time card in front of any opponent's eyeball characters.

The defending player may discard the Nap Time card on his next turn but may not take any other action.

Foul (neutral Card)

Throw a Foul card to stop the effects of any illegal move (purple cards).

Any player can throw a foul card on any illegal move, no matter whose turn it is.

Illegal moves include: Swarm, Eye Fry, Steal and Nap Time cards.

Multiple Illegal Moves

You may play multiple types of illegal cards on opponents, hence, an Eye Fry and a Swarm card on the same opponent. You may not play multiple illegal moves of the same type on the same opponent.

Hence, you may not play an Eye Fry card on a player who already has and Eye Fry card in front of his or her eyeballs.

Saved by the Bell

As players draw cards from the draw pile, it becomes more likely that one of the 3 Bell cards (placed into the deck at about 3rds before the game) will come up.

Should a player draw a Bell card, he or she must immediately pause the game by throwing the card on the table and saying: "ding-ding-ding-ding". Once the bell rings, all players may use a Patch and Stitch card (if they have one in their hands) to heal a single eyeball up one level.

Drawing a Bell card is not considered part of a player's turn. After drawing a Bell card and pausing the game for Patching and Stitching, the player who drew the Bell card resumes his or her turn.

End of the Game

You can win Eyeball Boxing in 1 of 2 ways, either by being the last eyeball standing with all other eyeballs on the table blacked out, or by building 3 hotdogs.

If both of your eyeballs are blacked out, you may still win by completing 3 hotdogs. If either of these circumstances are met, the game instantly ends and you are free to gloat.

Alternative Rule

For more interaction, when an illegal move is played (Steal, Swarm, Eye Fry, or Nap Time) you might consider allowing players to foul foul cards.

Hence, the last Foul card thrown determines the final ruling on whether an illegal move is blocked or permitted.

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