BALMY BALLOONISTS

Questions and Answers

  1. Do you have any suggestions for a shorter game?
    Here are two suggestions which do not need any rules changes: (1) Ask the players to use the time while others are taking their moves to plan their own and (2) when a player completes his turn, he should knock once on the table to let his neighbor know that he has finished.
  2. The board is large and there are a lot of cards and chips. Any suggestions for small tables?
    Yes, we gave all of our demonstrations at Essen on a rather small table actually. First, it is always the case that half of the board is of no particular interest. So use this area to store the card decks and discards. For example, at the start of the game, the Local Wind, Misfortune and Quadrant decks and discard piles may be safely placed in the Pacific Ocean area. As the balloons move forward, they may be shifted to the Atlantic when they are in the way. Also, the chips are stackable, which greatly reduces the amount of space needed.
  3. Can I play a Local Wind card with a Quadrant or a Misfortune symbol on it as a Wind card for me and then later, when I pick it up and play it, as a Quadrant or Misfortune for the opponent I play it on?
    Yes, this is correct.
  4. What if, due to Communications Difficulties or Fire cards, a player cannot play a card on his own balloon, but also has no face up card to play on another?
    In this case the player simply does not play a card at all on that turn.
  5. If a balloon is out of Fuel chips, may it still ascend to High altitude?
    Yes, this allowed, by spending Ballast, but the balloon will have to revert to Medium altitude during the fourth step in the Sequence of Play.
  6. Sometimes when there are multiple balloons in one space, it is difficult to tell which one is where. Any suggestions?
    You may consider removing the balloon and temporarily stacking just the altitude adjusters of the more recently arriving balloons under the balloon which is already in the space.
  7. What if my balloon is forced to land in an Exclusion Zone, but does not have sufficient Gas to do so?
    This is a very unlikely scenario, but if it should ever happen, the balloon lands without expending any chips.
  8. What if my balloon is the recipient of both the Communications Difficulties and the Fire Misfortune cards before my next turn?
    Whew, that is amazingly unlucky! In that case, your balloon would have to go 2 turns without being able to play a Local Wind card on is own behalf.
  9. Why are Local Wind cards played on turn 1 when the balloons are still grounded?
    This is an opportunity for players to improve their hands by getting rid of a redundant card or, alternatively, to get a card ready for playing on opponents.
  10. We find the storm (variant rule) too difficult to move. Any suggestions?
    We intended the storm to be somewhat difficult to move as its effects are potentially serious. However if you prefer to move it more easily, we suggest that you permit the storm to be moved by Medium altitude as well as High altitude winds.
  11. If a balloon's flight would take into the two spaces of an Exclusion Zone, in which space does it land?
    In the first Exclusion Zone space entered.
  12. Do you have any suggestions for organizing the game materials?
    Six plastic bags are provided. We suggest that you store one player's balloon pieces and full set of chips in each bag and empty them out prior to play. As players expend chips, they can simply place them back in their bags to indicate that they are no longer available.
February 28, 2001
Up and Away Games