Balancing Aliens Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
  • Preparing the game
• Balancing Aliens
  • Game board
  • Goal of the game
  • How the game is played
  • Phase 1: Sending the Aliens to work
  • Phase 2: The Aliens return to their command post
  • The spaceship crashes
  • The winner

Setup

Preparing the game

1. Write the players' names on a sheet of paper to keep score.
2. Decide which game you want to play: Balancing Aliens or The Alien's Dance.
3. Use a smooth, flat surface, such as a table, to place the spaceship.
4. Insert the round podium with the orange Alien into the black disc of the spaceship, so that the Alien supervises the game you have chosen and the round part of the spaceship is on the table.

Hold the bottom of the podium and screw the board onto it several times in the direction of the clock hands, to fix the two parts together. The difficulty level of the game is set by the number of times you have turned the board. The higher the Alien is, the easier the game will be.

To determine the level for the first game, place the podium on the table where you want to play, so that the podium supports the spaceship well. Tilt the edge of the game board toward the table. Balance the spaceship by turning it clockwise or counter-clockwise until it stays upright on its own.

When you have found the height that suits you best, you may keep a note of how far you can place one or more Aliens. You will then be able to balance the board at the same height for the next game.

5. Remove all the Aliens from the board and make sure nothing is under the spaceship.
6. Roll a die to determine each player's turn. The player with the highest number begins, and the player with the lowest number plays last.
7. Refer to the rules of the game you have chosen.

Balancing Aliens

Game board

For the game Balancing Aliens, the spaceship is divided into four sectors. The sectors are determined by four different dice. The rings are numbered so that the points can be counted.

Goal of the game

Score points by placing Aliens on the outer rings of the spaceship without making the spaceship tip over. The player with the most points wins!

How the game is played

The game is played in two phases. Points are counted during both phases.

Phase 1: Sending the Aliens to work

Players take turns by rolling the die and receive their instructions from the chief of the Aliens.

• Die 1: send one Alien to work in sector 1.
• Die 2: send one Alien to work in sector 2.
• Die 3: send one Alien to work in sector 3.
• Die 4: send one Alien to work in sector 4.
• Die 5: pass your turn.
• Die 6: place one Alien on any sector, then roll the die again for new instructions.

The instructions concern ONLY the sectors, not the rings of the spaceship. The numbers on the rings show how many points a player scores by placing an Alien on those rings. The closer your Alien is to the outer edge of a ring, the more points you score.

Aliens must not be placed on the numbered spaces that divide the sectors. It is permitted to place an Alien on the white lines. However, if an Alien is on a white line between two rings, the player scores the points of the ring with the lower number.

Count the points for each Alien you have placed.

Phase 2: The Aliens return to their command post

When all the Aliens have been placed on the spaceship, it is time to bring them back to their "command post", which is the bag.

Each time you roll a 1, 2, 3 or 4, take one Alien from that sector. Put this Alien back in the bag and note the points of the ring where the Alien was placed.

When a sector is empty, you cannot take an Alien back. Instead, you must add an Alien from the command post to any other sector that still contains Aliens. In this case, note the points corresponding to the ring where you placed the Alien. (When all the Aliens are working, pass your turn.)

When you roll a 5, you pass your turn. When you roll a 6, you must take one Alien back and roll again. During the second phase, you may not use a 6 to add an Alien.

The spaceship crashes

Two points are taken away from you for each Alien you make fall from the spaceship. If you have no points, your points stay at zero.

The winner

The game ends when all the Aliens have been removed from the spaceship, or when they have fallen, or when all 10 Aliens are in a single sector. The player with the highest score has won.

To make the next game harder or faster, lift the spaceship and turn it counter-clockwise while holding the podium. For an easier game, turn the spaceship clockwise.

Have fun!