BoardGameArchiveOperation
Use the tweezers to remove Cavity Sam’s funny ailments without touching the metal sides and triggering the buzzer.
Use the tweezers to remove Cavity Sam’s funny ailments without touching the metal sides and triggering the buzzer.
Hasbro B2176 is the classic electronic Operation format: doctor cards identify ailments, players use wired tweezers to remove them and contact with the metal edge triggers the buzzer and Sam’s red nose.
Why it matters
Operation has several editions with different ailments and scoring. This hub is scoped to B2176 so buzzer, doctor-card and solo rules do not get mixed with newer easy-grab versions.
Game at a Glance
Remove Ailments
Lift the required piece cleanly from its opening.
Clean Removal
A successful operation earns the card’s reward.
Avoid the Sides
Touching the metal edge triggers the buzzer and nose.
Solo or Group
The B2176 game supports one or more players.
What happens on a turn?
In the Hasbro B2176 classic game, a doctor card identifies an ailment in Cavity Sam. Use the wired tweezers to lift the matching piece from its opening without touching the metal edge. Touching the edge activates the buzzer and red nose. Successful operations collect the card’s money; at the end of the group game, the player with the most money wins. You can also practice removing ailments alone.
Practical approach to the tray
Before touching a piece, look at its shape and the clearance around its opening. Hold the tweezers near the end that gives you control, lift slowly and keep the piece level while moving through the narrowest section. If it starts to catch, pause and change angle instead of pulling harder. This is a hand-control challenge, so a good attempt does not depend on guessing what a card means or memorizing an optimal sequence.
When teaching younger players, demonstrate a single removal and let them hear what happens on a buzzer before starting a scored round. For solo practice, repeat an awkward opening without treating that exercise as the multiplayer money game. If the buzzer does not work, check the battery setup and the game’s power instructions before changing any game rule.
Buying or checking a used copy
Hasbro lists 12 plastic ailments, including a rubber band, with the gameboard, tweezers and guide. This B2176 edition uses doctor cards and requires two 1.5V AA alkaline batteries; the product page notes that demo batteries are included. Count the ailments and check that the tweezers, wire, buzzer and board are present when evaluating a used set. Newer Operation versions can have different ailment shapes and ways to grip them, so the product code matters for replacement instructions.
What kind of game is it?
Operation works as a family dexterity game or a solo steady-hand exercise. The money scoring gives a group game a winner, while the real repeat challenge is extracting each awkward piece without setting off the buzzer. It is a better fit for players who enjoy physical precision than for a group looking for long-term tactical decisions.
Learn Operation in depth
Focused Operation rules
Related games
Publisher sources & scope
Hasbro Operation B2176 instructions. Facts checked October 2, 2026 against Hasbro’s B2176 product information; consult the linked sheet for exact doctor-card and scoring cases.