Board Games
How to play Operation
Remove the indicated ailment without touching the metal rim, and collect the highest total card value. This guide uses the 2021 B2176 card-passing rules.
What you need
Operation B2176 board with wired tweezers, 12 ailments including the rubber band, 12 ailment cards and two AA batteries
Set up the game
- An adult prepares the board and batteries. Fit each ailment into its matching cavity and place the rubber band between the leg pegs.
- Shuffle the cards money-side up. The youngest player starts; play passes left.
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Playing Operation
- Flip the top card and try to lift that ailment with the tweezers without touching a metal side.
- If successful, keep the ailment and its card. The next player draws a new card.
- If buzzed, leave the ailment and pass its card left for another attempt. If everyone fails once, put that card beneath the deck and draw a new one.
- After all ailments are removed, total card values. Most money wins; collecting the most pieces does not necessarily win.
More pieces can still mean less money
Suppose one player collects cards worth 100 and 200 while another collects a single 500 card. The first player has two pieces but only 300; the second leads with 500. These are illustrative amounts: use the values printed on your cards.
Practice without a contest
Before dealing, let a new player try an empty cavity to understand the buzzer. Put every piece back before the scored game. A quiet practice attempt makes the electrical boundary easier to understand than repeatedly warning someone to be careful.
Beginner decisions
- Approach a narrow opening from directly above. Check where the tweezer tips will move as you lift, rather than looking only at the piece.
Common rule mix-ups
- Choosing any convenient piece instead of the one on the card.
Questions about this game
What about specialist cards?
They belong to other editions; this rules sheet uses ailment cards passed after failures.
Sources and edition notes
Hasbro B2176 downloadable sheet marked ©2021, with 12 ailments and 12 cards. The linked product landing page describes a different component mix; the PDF governs this guide.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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