Blast-Off! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components Not Used
• Preparation
• Object of the Game
• Rules for Play
• Planet Check List
• Planet Points Variant

Components Not Used

Please Note: The following items are not needed for this version – 4 Control Panels, 1 Master Control Panel and the 10 Thruster-Rocket Cards.

Preparation

01] Each player takes a 1D6 and or uses the die available from the game.

02] Each player takes a capsule and satellite of matching colour and joins them together. This is their combined spacecraft playing piece.

03] Place the spacecraft on the Earth.

04] Place the Moon on the blue dot located (nearest Planet is Venus) between orbits 7 & 8.

05] To know which Planets have been visited by a player, please use pencil/pen and paper to keep track, if you wish. (This maybe helpful for younger players).

Object of the Game

01] Be the first player to land on/visit each Planet in order – Venus, Mercury, Mars Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

02] The first player to do so wins the game.

Optional Rule: After a player visits all the Planets he/she must head back to Earth, to win the game.

Rules for Play

01] All movement is in the same direction – clockwise, except for blast off.

02] Spacecraft may pass over each other, but only one (1) craft can be on any one (1) space at any one time.

03] If a player's spacecraft, through the roll of the die makes him/her land on an occupied space, then that player's spacecraft stays put (does not move) and must miss his/her turn, so as to move next turn.

Optional Rule: Collision Course – A player can crash his/her spacecraft into another player's spacecraft, if movement allows, occupying the same space. If done, both spacecraft are damaged and must return to Earth, to blast off again.

04] All movements in orbit (around the solar system) are of exact die roll, except when landing on a Planet and or Moon.

05] To move into a higher orbit, just roll the die, and move that number, but if the player's spacecraft is heading towards a Planet or the to land on it (i.e. in a straight/parallel path) no exact die roll is needed.

Example: A spacecraft is in orbit 8 and is directly adjacent/parallel and or facing Mars (orbit 11 & 12). The player rolls a four (4) and moves his/her spacecraft onto space orbit 9, then 10, then lands on Mars in orbit 11.

[Diagram: the yellow player's spacecraft in orbit 8 is adjacent/parallel to the planet Mars. The yellow player rolls a 4, and moves his/her spacecraft 3 spaces (orbit 11) to land on the planet Mars.]

Please Note that this applies to the Moon as well, if you wish to land on it.

Optional Rule: Turning Manoeuvre – If a spacecraft is adjacent/parallel to a Planet or the Moon, it must turn towards it. No roll on the die is required as this is considered a movement turn. The player must await his/her next turn to move his/her spacecraft to land on a Planet.

Example: [Diagram: the yellow player's spacecraft in orbit 8 is adjacent/parallel to the planet Mars. The yellow player uses the Turning Manoeuvre to face the planet Mars. The player's turn is now over.]

On the yellow player's next turn, he/she rolls a 4, and moves his/her spacecraft 3 spaces (orbit 11) to land on the planet Mars.

06] A player does not need the exact die roll to land on a Planet or the Moon.

07] If a player lands his/her spacecraft on the Moon, he/she has another extra turn.

Optional Rule: Moon Hop – A player can stay on the Moon, if he/she likes; and still rolls his/her die, if the optional rule 6/60 is in player. Otherwise move the Moon, one (1) space as directed. The player can stay on the Moon for a maximum of two (2) turns, then on he/she must leave the Moon.

08] Orbits 7 & 8 are considered ordinary /normal orbits; to land on the Moon, a player's spacecraft is either in an adjacent orbit (beside the Moon); or behind the Moon in the Moon's orbital path. If the spacecraft is in front of the Moon, that spacecraft must travel clockwise (going around the Moon's orbital path) to catch up to the Moon to land on it.

09] Spacecraft can never move anti-clockwise (backwards).

10] The Moon's orbital path between orbits 7 & 8, can be used by spacecraft, to try to land on the moon and or to get to the other Planets.

11] If the Moon is moved and a spacecraft just happens to be in that space where the Moon has to be; then that player's spacecraft has landed on the Moon. Then that player gets to have an extra turn, that is, two (2) turns straight away. (Even if it is not that player's designated turn).

Optional Rule: Crush Landing – If the Moon moves onto a space occupied by a spacecraft, that player's spacecraft has crash landed onto the moon, and must return to Earth to blast off again.

12] If a player's spacecraft is on a Planet, the two (2) spaces that the Planet occupies can be occupied in turn by another player's spacecraft, perhaps awaiting to land on that same Planet. Important to note that there are four (4) possible space areas beside the Planet.

Remember: The Planets Venus, Mercury, Mars and Neptune only have two (2) spaces, while the Planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto have four (4) spaces.

Example: [Diagram: The red player is in orbit 10, in a space next to the Planet Venus, so next turn, will land on it. The planet Venus only has for two spaces, for two spacecraft. The yellow player is on the planet Uranus, and must leave it to allow either the blue or green player to land on it. The planet Uranus has four spaces, for four spacecraft.]

If the blue player is next to land, the green player, can wait his/her turn, and is said to be in 'Orbit'.

13] Any spacecraft can wait their turn to land on a Planet or the Moon, by staying put (not roll the die). If this is the case, the spacecraft are said to be in 'Orbit', awaiting to land. (There is no penalty).

14] The Moon must be moved forward one (1) space at the end of every player's turn.

Optional Rule: 6/60 – On a roll of a six (6) during any player's turn the Moon must move one (1) extra space first, before the player moves his/her spacecraft.

Planet Check List

Print/photocopy this simple checklist to record the planets visited.

BLAST OFF! - PLANET CHECK LIST

1. VENUS
2. MERCURY
3. MARS
4. JUPITER
5. SATURN
6. URANUS
7. NEPTUNE
8. PLUTO

Planet Points Variant

Herewith is another way to play the game by adding the Planet Points Variant.

Landing on a Planet, will earn a player some Planet Points. When the game ends, all players add up their Planet Points, to see who has the most.

Please note that a player can re-land on the same Planet to gain extra points, if they wish. But a Planet can only be visited/landed/re-landed on by any player a maximum four times. After the fourth landing by any player, that Planet cannot be landed on again.

Example: Player A has visited Venus, first/third landing, (6pts), Player B has visited Venus, second landing, (3pts), Player C has visited Venus, fourth landing, (1pt). Thus Player D cannot visit Venus because there are no more points to collect, the Planet has been visited four times.

If this is the case, then the same player can re-land only a maximum three times. But these re-landings can not be in consecutive turns. Once a player lands to get Planet Points, that player must blast off.

A player can only re-land on the same planet to gain extra points if he/she has visited a different Planet first. Only then can that player go back to get more Planet Points.

The player that has the most points wins the game.

BLAST OFF! - PLANET POINTS

Planet	First Landing	Second Landing	Third Landing	Fourth Landing
VENUS	4 points	3 points	2 points	1 point
MERCURY	5 points	4 points	3 points	2 points
MARS	5 points	4 points	3 points	2 points
JUPITER	6 points	5 points	4 points	3 points
SATURN	6 points	5 points	4 points	3 points