Operation

1 Game Overview

Operation is the classic dexterity game where players act as surgeons removing cartoon ailments from a patient named Cavity Sam. Use metal tweezers to remove plastic pieces from slots without touching the metal edges - if you touch the sides, the buzzer sounds and Sam's red nose lights up!

Great for developing fine motor skills and steady-hand coordination in a fun, silly way.

2 What You Need

• 1 Operation game board (Cavity Sam)
• Metal tweezers
• Plastic ailment pieces (funny bone, spare ribs, wrenched ankle, etc.)
• Play money
• Specialist cards
• Battery (usually AA, not included)

3 Setup

1. Install batteries in the game board.
2. Place each ailment piece in its matching cavity on the board.
3. Shuffle Specialist cards and place face-down. Distribute $1,000 in play money to each player.
4. Youngest player goes first.

4 How to Play

1. On your turn, draw the top Specialist card. It shows which ailment to remove and the fee you'll collect if successful.
2. Use the metal tweezers to carefully remove the named ailment from its cavity without touching the metal sides of the board.
3. Success: Collect the dollar amount shown on the card from the bank. Place the ailment aside.
4. Buzzer! If you touch the sides (buzz/nose lights up), you collect nothing. Put the card at the bottom of the deck - that ailment stays on the board for later.
5. Next player draws a Specialist card and tries.
6. If the named ailment has already been removed, draw another card.

5 Winning

The game ends when all ailments are removed. The player with the most money wins. If you want a simpler version for young kids: just take turns trying to remove pieces without keeping score.

6 Tips

• Slow and steady wins. Move the tweezers slowly and deliberately. Rushing causes shaking.
• Brace your hand. Rest your wrist on the board edge to stabilize your hand before making the pick.
• Grip near the tips. Hold the tweezers closer to the tips for more precision, not near the handles.
• Target high-value ailments. The harder removals pay more money. Go for the big ones if you have steady hands.