Balloon Pop Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• Overview of a Round
  • 1. Choosing a Group of Balloons
  • 2. Balloon Release
  • 3. Scoring
    • Color Sets
    • Symbol Sets
  • 4. End of a Round
• End of the Game

Contents

1. 88 balloons (cubes): 20 of each color (red, green, blue and yellow) and 8 white (neutral), including 24 balloons bearing the symbol
2. 4 player boards (red, green, blue and yellow) with a 6 x 8 grid of spaces
3. 40 cards (4 sets of 10 colored cards numbered 1 to 10)
4. 8 markers (2 per player)
5. 1 score track
6. 1 bag
7. 1 First Player token

Setup

• (A) Place all the balloons (cubes) in the bag and mix them well. At the start of each round, you will draw a number of balloons from this bag (see page 2).
• (B) Each player chooses a color (red, green, blue or yellow) and takes the matching board, 10 cards and markers. Choose the marker you prefer to use on the score track (animal or balloon). Put the unused boards, cards and markers back in the box.
• (C) Each player takes all their cards in hand and places their marker on space 0 of the score track. Keep room near the score track for the balloon discard.
• (D) Choose the first player at random and give them the First Player token.

Overview of a Round

Each round, the players each take a group of balloons which they place on their player board, following the placement rules imposed by the card played. Then all balloons float up toward the top of the boards, and the balloons that form sets at that point pop and earn points.

1. Choosing a Group of Balloons

A) At the start of the round, the first player draws from the bag as many groups of 4 balloons as there are players. (If the bag is empty, put all the balloons from the discard back in it, mix the bag, then continue drawing.)

B) Place each group of balloons in the center of the table, leaving space between each group.

C) Starting with the first player, then continuing clockwise, each player plays 1 card from their hand, face up, on the table.

Variant for step C: To speed up the game, players may play their cards face down and reveal them all at the same time.

D) Once all players have laid down a card, whoever played the card of highest value chooses one of the groups of balloons. Then the others do the same, in descending order (according to the card values). If two cards have the same value, the direction of play (clockwise) determines priority.

2. Balloon Release

Next, each of you places your group of balloons on your board, starting with the first player, then continuing clockwise. Your group of balloons may be rotated up to 180 degrees, but it cannot be rearranged: the order in which the balloons touch each other must stay the same. Also, when you place them, groups of balloons must:

• have at least 1 balloon on the very bottom row of your board,
• fit entirely on your board without overhanging and without covering other balloons,
• respect the placement rules of the card you played.

Your cards indicate placement rules to follow, which vary according to their value:

• Cards 10 and 9: place the group of balloons vertically.
• Cards 8 and 7: place the group of balloons horizontally.
• Cards 6 and 5: place the group of balloons horizontally or vertically, your choice.
• Cards 4 and 3: place the group of balloons horizontally or vertically, your choice. Additionally, you may discard the 1st or the last balloon of your group if you wish.
• Cards 2 and 1: place the group of balloons horizontally or vertically, your choice. Additionally, you may discard the 2nd or the 3rd balloon of your group. If you do, bring the remaining balloons together to re-form a group of 3 adjacent balloons.

After placing your group, carry out the balloon release: each balloon of your group floats up its column until it reaches an obstacle (another balloon or the top of the grid), after which they stay in their new place.

Example: Once placed, your new balloons float up until they reach a balloon or the top of the grid.

3. Scoring

Important: A set of balloons is a sequence of adjacent balloons (vertically and/or horizontally) that earns points. There are 2 types: color sets (at least 4 adjacent balloons of the same color) and symbol sets (at least 2 adjacent balloons bearing a symbol).

After the balloon release, each in turn score the points of all your sets:

• Select any set of balloons.
• Move your marker on the score track according to the number of points scored.
• Discard the balloons of that set (Pop! They burst!). Discarded balloons are removed from your boards and set aside on the table.
• Balloons that are no longer blocked by an obstacle, if any, float up. At this step, new sets may form!
• Repeat the previous steps until you have no more sets on your board.

Sets earn points differently depending on whether they are color sets or symbol sets.

Color Sets

If you have 4 or more balloons adjacent (vertically and/or horizontally) and of the same color, you score a number of points equal to the number of balloons in that set - 2.

Neutral (white) balloons replace any color. If one of them is adjacent to a set, you must take it into account for scoring. Likewise, if a neutral balloon lets you form a set, you must take it into account and score that set.

Example: You have 1 neutral balloon adjacent to 3 red balloons. You must score this set of 4 balloons. It earns you 2 points (= 4 - 2).

Symbol Sets

If you have 2 or more balloons adjacent (vertically and/or horizontally) each bearing a symbol, you score a number of points equal to the number of balloons in that set - 1.

Neutral balloons do NOT have a symbol and therefore cannot complete this type of set.

Example: You have a set of 5 blue balloons (A), which lets you score 3 points. The balloons of this set pop and are discarded, after which the balloons that can rise do so, forming a new set of 2 balloons bearing a symbol (B). You score 1 point for this second set, then these 2 balloons pop in turn and are discarded.

Bonus Points variant (for experienced players): if you score points for several sets in the same round, each set scored after the first earns you 1 bonus point. In the example above, you scored points for 2 sets during this round: you therefore gain 1 bonus point. In total, you gain 3 (5 blue balloons) + 1 (2 balloons bearing a symbol) + 1 (bonus point) = 5 points for this round.

4. End of a Round

Once all players have chosen a group, placed it on their board and scored all the points they could with their sets, the round ends. Leave the cards previously played face up in front of you, so everyone can easily see them. The First Player token passes to the neighbor on the left. The next round can begin!

End of the Game

The game ends after 8 rounds. Everyone will then still have 2 cards in hand.

At the end of the game, you can earn points if you have managed to empty certain areas of your board:

• A: 1 point per entirely empty column on your board.
• B: 3 points per entirely empty row among the three at the very top of the board.

Whoever totals the most points wins the game. In case of a tie, the person with the fewest balloons on their board wins. If the tie persists, the players concerned share the victory.