Im 7 Himmel
In 7th Heaven

Translated by Alan How
Distributed from The Rules Bank by Mike Siggins

For 2-6 players

Aim of the Game

The winner is the player who is the first to reach 7th Heaven with a partner figure - assuming that he is also in possession of the same colour Partner card.

Contents

Preparation

The following rules apply tp the 4-6 player game. Special rules for 2-3 players are at the end of these rules.

All 6 partner figures are placed on the start space with the Garden Party. The spaces that follow show the different steps and events of a relationship, right up to 7th Heaven.

The 6 partner cards are shuffled and dealt out. Each player receives one card and places this face up in front of him. Any remaining partner cards are placed face up next to the board; they come into play later - see "exchanging".

On each partner card there are two heads illustrated. A man should opt for a female partner and a woman for a male partner, with whom to enter 7th Heaven. Is that logical or now? (Example : Klaus has the red card with Vanessa Vamp and now has the red wooden piece as partner; Katja has the blue card with Charlie Charmeur and so has the blue wooden piece as partner, etc.)

Each player places his partner card face up in front of him - so immediately one sees who will land in 7th Heaven with whom.

Important: Partners are not the fellow players at the table, but the chosen partner card with the same colour as the wooden piece.

The Sympathy Cards

These are the driving force of the game. They are shuffled and dealt our face down. Each player receives 12 cards into his hand, which he arranges according to colour and keeps hidden from the other players. The remaining cards are placed face down in a deck next to the board.

The cards show for which partners you have sympathy. A player always plays a sympathy card on his turn. With this card he can either move or exchange a partner figure.

Moving the Partner

The 72 sympathy cards with coloured numbers are used in movement points for the same colour playing pieces. So the pieces can be moved 1,2,3,4,5 spaces forward or 1 or 2 spaces backwards. The cannot be moved backwards behind the start space.

The 12 sympathy cards with the white numbers are used to move any playing piece - they are kind of joker.

The 7 sympathy cards with arrows move the same colour piece or any piece (white arrow) forwards to the space on which the next partner figure stands.

The 8 sympathy cards with text are played just as any other card (not in addition). The instructions on the card are carried out immediately.

Exchanging Partners

Sympathy cards with coloured numbers or coloured arrows can alternatively be played to swap your partner. In this case no partner piece is moved.

To do this, the player plays a sympathy card with a coloured number or coloured arrow and simply takes the same coloured partner card in a swap for his own.

It makes no difference whether the partner card belongs to a player or (with 2,4 and 5 players) lies ownerless next to the Board. It is then the next players turn. (Note that there must have been no moving of a piece.)

Example: Klaus has the grey card with Steffi Styling. Katja has the blue card with Charlie Charmeur/Klara Klinker. Klaus plays a sympathy card with a blue number and swaps his grey card with Katja's blue card.

Naturally one can swap back partners at any time provided it is your turn. It is particularly exciting shortly before the finish when each swapping limits the movement possibilities with this piece.

A further chance to swap partners occurs on the spaces 4, 8 and 14. This saves a lot of movement points.

It All Begins at the Garden Party

The youngest player begins. He plays face up any sympathy card with 1,2,3,4 or 5 movement points and moves the same colour partner figure forward the corresponding number of spaces. More than one piece can stand on the same space.

Any player can move any Partner figure provided he has the corresponding sympathy card. Played cards are put on a discard pile. It is now the next player's (clockwise) turn.

The 6 exciting spotson the journey to7th Heaven

Each player who lands on one of the 6 spaces with any Partner piece must carry out immediately the actions described below. These are marked with small green symbols.

Space 2 - The First Kiss

Move this piece forward onto space 5 immediately.

Space 4 - The Dance in the Disco

You must swap your partner for any other of your choice.

Space 6 - Montmartre

You spend a weekend in Paris. Move this piece immediately to space 9.

Space 8 - The Carnival

You can swap your partner for any other of your choice, but you do not have to.

Space 13 - The First Quarrel

Move this piece back onto space 10.

Space 14 - The Unlikely Pair

You can swap your partner for any other of your choice, but you do not have to.

In 7th Heaven

The winner is the player who is the first to reach 7th Heaven with his partner. Any surplus movement points are disregarded. It makes no difference which player moves the piece onto 7th Heaven - the important factor is who has the same colour partner card. Logically, then, one should attempt it with the figure for which one also has the relevant partner card.

The Next Places

The next places can also be played for. Sympathy cards for partner pieces which are already in 7th Heaven have no significance. You can no longer swap the partner card and you can no longer move up to it with the arrow. Players who are already in 7th Heaven take no further part in the game.

If No One Lands in 7th Heaven

In such a case the game ends when the last sympathy card is played. The winner is the payer who is the nearest with his partner piece, to 7th Heaven.

Special Rule with 2 or 3 Players

Each should play with 2 pieces. The rules are different on 3 points.

Each player receives 2 partner cards. Play with all 6 partner pieces. With 2 players the remaining 2 partner cards are placed face up next to the board.

After playing a sympathy card the players replenish their cards back to 12 and continue to do so until the first partner piece reaches 7th Heaven. The player who has done this in his turn can re-stock his hand just one more time - but he is the last to do so. The game then proceeds as normal - that is the remaining cards remain next to the board.

If a player swaps his a partner, he can choose which if his two partner cards he hands over.

The winner is the player who is the first to get 2 partners into 7th Heaven, If no one is successful in this, the winner is the one who was the first to reach 7th Heaven with one of his pieces.

The 8 Special Sympathy Cards

Symbol : Heart
You take another partner figure
Symbol : Mushroom
You take 1-4 sympathy cards from the face down deck.
Symbol : 3 cards
Everybody discards 3 sympathy cards and takes 3 new ones from the deck. If you haven't got 3 cards to discard, discard all remaining ones and receive 3 cards from the deck.
Symbol : Pepper pot
Move the past Partner figure forward 3 squares. If there is more than one Partner figure on the last square, they all move forward 3 spaces.
Symbol : Snail
Take the first Partner figure and move it back 2 spaces. If there is more than one Partner figure on the first square, they all move backward 2 spaces.
Symbol : Foot
Take the first partner figure and move it forward 1-3 spaces in the direction of 7th Heaven.
Symbol : Cloud
Take the first Partner figure and move it back 3 spaces. If there is more than one Partner figure on the first square, they all move backward 3 spaces.
Symbol : Finger
Move your partner figure forward until you meet another partner figure. If you are already at a square with another partner, do not move.

The Game Cabinet - editor@gamecabinet.com - Ken Tidwell