CLOUD 9® • Stock #6789 • Suggested Retail Price $24.99 OFFICIAL RULES Download a pdf version of these rules Note: This color pdf will print at full size on four letter-sized sheets of paper. It will print in shades of grey on a black and white printer. Updated 12/24/08 Note: The rules on this page reflect the most current version available, and may differ slightly from previously printed rules. What's in the Box 72 Balloon Cards: 18 each of green, purple, red, and yellow 6 tall, wooden Passenger Tokens: one each of black, blue, green, orange, red, and yellow 6 short, wooden Scoring Markers: one each of black, blue, green, orange, red, and yellow Elevated Hot Air Balloon Basket 4 Wild Cards 4 Cloud 9 Dice Game Board Quick Play Rules   The Object of Cloud 9 In Cloud 9, players earn points by daring to stay in the basket of a hot air balloon as it rises. Points increase as the balloon climbs from cloud to cloud, but so does the risk of the balloon falling. Jump out at the right time and earn valuable points. The player with the most points wins Cloud 9.   Setting Up 1. Open and place the game board in the center of the table. The nine clouds form the balloon path, and the fifty numbered spaces are used to track the score.   More than one player may occupy a numbered space on the scoring track at one time. If a player accumulates more than 50 points, he or she just continues around the scoring track. 2. Insert the legs into the bottom of the Balloon Basket, as shown to the right, and place it over the lowest cloud. 3. Each player selects a Passenger Token and a Scoring Marker of the same color. Passenger Tokens are placed in the Balloon Basket and Scoring Markers are placed on the space marked “Start” on the scoring track. 4. Shuffle all of the cards together and deal six to each player to form a hand. Players may look at their cards. Place the remaining cards, face down, to form a draw pile. 5. Select a player to be the first balloon pilot.       Playing the Game Cloud 9 consists of a series of balloon trips. A balloon trip lasts as long as the balloon continues to rise. Players take turns piloting the balloon each time it rises from one cloud level to the next. When the balloon finally falls, that trip is over. 1. The job of the balloon pilot is to make the balloon rise to the next cloud level. The pilot starts by rolling the number of dice shown on the cloud where the Balloon Basket is located. The dice roll determines the color, and the number, of Balloon Cards the pilot must have in his or her hand in order to make the balloon rise. When the blank side of a die is rolled, no card is needed to match that die. Example: One red balloon and two green balloons are rolled. The pilot will need to play a red Balloon Card and two green Balloon Cards, or a single Wild Card, in order to make the balloon rise. Example: One green balloon and one blank side are rolled. The pilot will only need to play one green Balloon Card, or a single Wild Card, in order to make the balloon rise.   After rolling the dice, the pilot waits to see what the other players will do in Step 2, below, before revealing whether he or she will make the balloon rise. 2. Starting with the player to the left of the balloon pilot, each player in the basket, except the pilot, must decide to jump out or stay in the Balloon Basket. Each player's decision is based on whether he or she believes the pilot will make the balloon rise to the next cloud level.   Jumping out of the Balloon Basket — If a player believes that the pilot will not make the balloon rise, he or she may jump out and that player's Passenger Token is removed from the Balloon Basket. The Scoring Marker for that player is moved on the scoring track the number of spaces indicated on the cloud where the Balloon Basket is located. Once a player jumps out, he or she may not play again until the balloon falls and a new balloon trip begins.   The pilot can not jump out of the Balloon Basket unless he or she is Flying Solo. See Flying Solo.   Staying in the Balloon Basket — If a player believes that the pilot will make the balloon rise, he or she may stay in the Balloon Basket. If the pilot makes the balloon rise, all players staying in will rise with the basket to the next cloud level. However, if the pilot does not make the balloon rise, the balloon will fall and players still in the Balloon Basket earn no points for that trip. 3. After players have decided whether they will jump out or stay in the Balloon Basket, the balloon pilot must decide what he or she will do:   If the pilot has the Balloon Card(s) that match the dice roll, he or she is required to make the balloon rise by playing those cards, or by playing a Wild Card. See Wild Cards. If the pilot does not have the Balloon Card(s) that match the dice roll, or a Wild Card, the balloon will fall. If the pilot does not have the Balloon Card(s) that match the dice roll, but has a Wild Card, he or she has the option of playing the Wild Card to make the balloon rise, or keeping it and letting the balloon fall.   When the balloon rises, the Balloon Basket is moved up to the next cloud level and the turn ends.   The player to the left of the current pilot becomes the new pilot for the next turn. If the player to the left of the pilot is not in the basket, the role of pilot skips that player and moves to the left until reaching a player still in the basket. Steps 1–3 are repeated with each new pilot, however, only players with Passenger Tokens still in the Balloon Basket may continue this trip. Other players must wait for the next balloon trip.   If everyone, except the pilot, has jumped out of the Balloon Basket, the pilot continues the trip alone. See Flying Solo. If the balloon reaches the highest cloud level, players remaining in the Balloon Basket, including the pilot, automatically earn 25 points and a new balloon trip begins. All cards used to make the balloon rise must be shown and then discarded.   When the balloon falls the balloon trip ends.   Players, including the pilot, with Passenger Tokens still in the Balloon Basket when the balloon falls do not earn any points for this trip. Go to Step 4, below. 4. Set up for the next balloon trip.   The Balloon Basket is moved down to the lowest cloud. The player to the left of the last pilot becomes the first pilot for this new balloon trip. All Passenger Tokens, including those removed during the last balloon trip, are placed in the Balloon Basket. Each player draws one new card and a new balloon trip begins.   If the draw pile becomes depleted, simply reshuffle the discards and create a new draw pile.     Winning the Game   The game is over after the balloon falls and at least one player has accumulated 50 points, or more. The player with the most points wins. If players have the same number of points, the player with the most cards in his or her hand wins Cloud 9.     Wild Cards A single Wild Card may be played in place of all the Balloon Cards required by the dice roll to make the balloon rise — regardless of how many Balloon Cards are needed. The pilot always has the option of keeping the Wild Card to use in a later turn. Flying Solo If the pilot is able to make the balloon rise to the next cloud level, and is the only one in the Balloon Basket after it rises, the pilot now decides if he or she wants to jump out or stay in and continue the trip alone. The pilot must decide before rolling the dice. Jumping out of the Balloon Basket — The pilot records the number of points shown on the cloud where the Balloon Basket is located and the balloon falls to the first cloud level and a new trip begins. Go to Step 4, above. Staying in the Balloon Basket — The pilot rolls the number of dice shown on the cloud where the Balloon Basket is located and decides what he or she will do. Go to Step 3, above. Each time the balloon rises, the pilot decides whether to jump out or stay in the Balloon Basket.