Bounce It!
Bounce It! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 box bottom (with hole and surrounding platform)
- 4 balls (3 orange balls in three sizes and 1 blue ball)
- 35 point chips (7 x values 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20)
- 2 trays (for storing the chips)
Object of the Game
Bounce balls towards the hole and collect the highest chip you can. Whenever a ball goes in, you may either end your turn and take the current chip, or keep playing and try to win a higher one. However, if your last ball misses, you get nothing, and the next player can try to win the chip you left behind.
The first to reach 42 points wins the game.
Setup
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Place the box bottom in the center of the table where it stays for the whole game. The box bottom consists of a hole and its surrounding platform.
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Stand around the table so everyone is roughly the same distance from the box bottom and can reach it easily.
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Fill one tray with as many chips as is indicated for your player count (see the chart on the right or the sides of the box bottom). Place the tray on the table as the supply. Put the excess chips in the second tray and remove it from the table unused.
Number of chips per value:
| Number of players | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | 5 |
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Place one 1-point chip from the supply onto the platform—this is the current chip.
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Place the 4 balls on the table and appoint a starting player.
Playing the Game
The starting player takes the first turn; play then proceeds clockwise with players taking turns until the game ends.
Taking Your Turn
Step 1: Balls Please!
On your turn, gather all balls and check how many of them you may use:
- If anyone has fewer points than you, you may only use the 3 orange balls this turn.
- If no one has fewer points than you, you may use all 4 balls this turn. (Since everyone starts with 0 points, each player has all 4 balls on their first turn.)
Step 2: Bounce It!
Stand in a comfortable spot at an agreed distance from the box bottom.
Choose one of your balls and try to score a hit by bouncing it into the hole. To count as a hit, the ball must bounce exactly once on the tabletop and then come to rest in the hole (it doesn't matter how many times it touches the box). Otherwise it is a miss.
If you miss and have any balls left, leave the ball where it is and keep playing as described in Step 2. If you have no balls left, leave the current chip on the platform and the player to your left takes their turn.
If you score a hit and have balls left, decide either to continue or stop:
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If you continue, say "Raise!" aloud. Then raise the value of the current chip by returning it to the supply and replacing it with a chip of the next-higher available value. Leave the scoring ball in the hole and continue with your next ball as described in Step 2.
Example: After a hit, you still have one ball left. You call "Raise!" and swap the current 1-point chip for a 2-point chip from the supply (if there are no 2-point chips left, you swap it for a 5-point chip instead, and so on). Then you continue with your last ball.
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If you stop after a hit (either voluntarily or because you have no balls left), you win the current chip. Place it in front of you. (Make sure to keep your scored chips clearly visible.) Then take the lowest available chip from the supply and put it onto the platform as the new current chip. Then, the player to your left takes their turn.
Example: After a hit, you stop and so win the current 5-point chip by placing it in front of you. Then, you place a 1-point chip from the supply onto the platform for the next player (if there are no 1-point chips left, you place a 2-point chip instead, and so on).
Note: As the point supply shrinks, low-value chips may run out, so raising will jump to higher values faster. 20-point chips cannot be raised further.
End of the Game
The first player with at least 42 points wins the game immediately.
Challenges
- You can increase the difficulty by coming up with challenges. For example, you could elevate the box bottom (e.g., place it on the box lid) or add obstacles the balls must clear. Let your imagination run free. Maybe you'd like to share those challenges with us online by posting pictures and videos?
- Extra chips are provided. You can add some to the supply during setup to lengthen the game. Feel free to experiment with different totals.
- If everyone agrees, you can also apply these two additional handicap rules: Players with 21 points or more may not use the blue ball in any case, and experienced players may not use the blue ball on their first turn.