Laminate game pages only when they will not change. In a printed bomb manual, the edgework appendix and the glossary stay the same on every rule seed, so they are worth sealing. The module pages and the opening page change with the seed, so keep those on plain paper and reprint them when the number changes.
Which game pages are worth laminating?
The pages worth laminating are the ones a group handles every round and never needs to replace. In the Bomb Appétit manual, that means the edgework appendix and the glossary, plus a blank sheet for noting edgework. One module page, Discharge Lever, also qualifies, because it holds no seed rules.
The edgework appendix is the manual's most handled page. It explains the labels on the bomb's casing: a six-character serial number, zero to four battery holders, three-letter indicators that are lit or unlit, and six kinds of port, each with a description of how to recognise it. None of that depends on the seed.
The glossary is similar. It defines seven terms in one line each: Defuser, Expert, module, needy module, strike, edgework and rule seed. A laminated glossary on the table helps new players and survives being passed around.
Discharge Lever is a needy module, one that cannot be solved and needs attention now and then. Its manual page has no table and no seed rules: it simply tells the Expert the Defuser can handle it alone by holding the lever while the meter drains. That page reads the same on every seed.
Everything else changes when the seed changes. Here is a keep-or-reprint table for each part of the manual:
| Part of the manual | Stays valid across seeds? | Laminate or reprint |
|---|---|---|
| Opening page | No: it states the seed | Reprint with each new seed |
| Wires to Passcode (11 pages) | No: rules come from the seed | Reprint with each new seed |
| Pressure Vent | No: its answers table changes | Reprint with each new seed |
| Discharge Lever | Yes: no seed rules | Laminate |
| Dial Alignment | No: its table changes | Reprint with each new seed |
| Appendix: edgework | Yes | Laminate |
| Glossary | Yes | Laminate |
Do laminated game pages survive a new rule seed?
Most laminated module pages do not survive a new rule seed. The rule seed is the number that generates every rule in the manual, and a new number rewrites the lists and tables on each module page. A sealed page cannot be updated, so laminating a module page ties it to one seed for good.
The layout of a module page stays the same across seeds, which is what makes this easy to miss. The opening explanation at the top of each page, the shape of its lists and the column headings stay put. What moves is the content inside: which condition a line checks, which wire it names, which answer a table gives. The breakdown of what stays the same across seeds and what changes shows this on the Wires page.
A laminated page from the wrong seed is worse than a paper one. It looks permanent and official, so a group is more likely to trust it. If you do laminate module pages for seed 1, mark the seed on every sheet in large digits before sealing it. The steps for keeping a second seed's pages apart from the first apply to sealed pages too.
How often a group changes seed decides whether sealing module pages makes sense. Groups that stay on seed 1 for months can laminate freely. Groups that switch once the answers feel memorized should not. The advice on when a group should switch to a new seed helps decide which kind of group you are. The wider case for games with random rules and a seeded manual explains why the seed exists at all.
A wipeable edgework sheet next to the laminated pages
A wipeable edgework sheet is a laminated blank form that an Expert fills in with a dry-erase marker at the start of each round, then wipes clean. The manual tells the Experts to ask for all the edgework once and write it down. A reusable sheet saves scrap paper and keeps the notes in one place.
A simple layout, as an example:
- Serial number: six boxes, one per character.
- Batteries: a box for the battery count and one for holders, since rules count batteries unless they say holders.
- Indicators: a few rows, each with three letters and a lit or unlit tick.
- Ports: six tick boxes, one per port type in the appendix.
Put it in the middle of the table where every Expert can read it. The Defuser reads the edgework aloud, one Expert writes, and the others check. At the end of the round, wipe it before the next bomb, since each bomb's edgework is different.
When not to laminate game pages: the first few rounds
Do not laminate anything before the first few rounds. A new group does not yet know which pages it uses, which seed it will settle on, or whether the game will become a regular night. Play on plain paper first, then laminate the steady pages once the habit sticks.
The first missions use only a few modules. First bite puts a single Wires module on the bomb, and the other early missions draw from Wires, Big Button and Glyph Keypad. Sealing all seventeen sections on night one spends time and film on pages that may sit in a folder for weeks.
Early rounds also show how the group handles paper. Some tables prefer phones for the Experts and only print the edgework appendix. The comparison of printed manual vs screen for Experts covers when each one suits a table. Start from the standard manual on plain paper and decide after a few nights.