Ballonrennen (1977)

Overview

Players pilot their balloons -- represented by nice plastic devices capable of showing three different altitudes -- trying to deliver the mail! The wind changes randomly however each turn and may play havoc with the best of plans. Since the sequence of play is that a player first chooses altitude and then turns over a wind card to see how the speed and direction change, it can be almost maddening trying to get anywhere with certainty. And it is not simply a matter of crossing a line, but actually landing on a specific spot. Some nice ideas are the accurate reflection that stronger winds exist at higher altitudes and at least in some sense the interplay between gas and ballast in piloting.