Ballons
Ballons Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Contents: 44 cards: 20 balloon cards (4 each of 5 colors), 24 "event" cards.
Object of the Game
To have the most balloons at the end of the game.
Setup
Separate the balloon cards from the event cards. Shuffle the event cards and place them face-down in the center of the table as a draw pile. Shuffle the balloon cards and randomly deal 5 cards to each player. These cards are placed face-up in front of the player (balloon side up). Any extra balloon cards are put in a pile where all players can reach them.
Playing the Game
The youngest player begins. On your turn, flip over an event card from the draw pile and place it face-up next to the pile.
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If the color of the balloon on the event card matches one of the balloons in front of you, you must turn over your matching balloon. This balloon is now broken and you only have 4 balloons left!
Note: You only have to turn one matching balloon card over, even if you have 2 or more in front of you.
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If the color of the balloon on the event card does not match any of the balloons in front of you, you are safe. You do not have to turn over a card and you don't break any of your balloons.
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If you turn over a card which shows "Mom" holding a bunch of balloons, you are really lucky. You can take any one of the broken balloon cards in front of you and turn it back over face-up so it is whole again. If you don't have any broken balloon cards, then you can take another balloon card from the pile and put it in front of you.
Winning the Game
A player who loses all of his/her unbroken balloons is out of the game. Play continues. The winner is the player who is left with the most balloons after all the event cards have been played.
Variation of Play
Players must turn over ALL cards in front of them which match the color of the balloon of the event card in play. You may want to play this version when you have 4 players. Sometimes this game ends quickly, but sometimes it can be very suspenseful. The player who appears to be about to lose the game can actually win!
Note to Parents
The colorful balloon cards in this game are a great introduction to color matching. The "event" cards show different ways a balloon pops (these are common) and place experiences which players can share, inviting verbal interaction with lots of laughs.