How to play
Everyone climbs into one hot-air balloon, which flies over nine ponds. Each pond pays more than the one before, and the first player to jump off at a pond gets a little extra.
Each leg, the pilot rolls the weather dice: one die for the first leg, up to four near the end. Storms, geese, fog and gusts are trouble; sunshine is fine. Before the pilot shows whether they can deal with it, everyone else on board decides in turn: stay aboard, or jump off and take the prize at the pond below. Once you jump, you’re out until the next flight.
Then the pilot must play a gear card for every bad die: an umbrella for each storm, a horn for each goose, a lantern for each fog and an anchor for each gust. If they can’t (or won’t), the balloon comes down and everyone still aboard gets nothing. If they can, it flies on and the next player aboard becomes pilot. A pilot left on their own can land and take the prize, or fly on alone. Reaching the last pond pays everyone still aboard.
After each flight everyone draws a gear card, and a new flight starts with the next pilot. Once someone has 30 points after a flight, the most points wins.
Tips
Count the pilot’s cards: a pilot with a big hand will usually get through two or three bad dice, one with two or three cards often won’t. As pilot, you can bring the balloon down on purpose when everyone else is still aboard and you’re behind.