Ice Tiddly Winks
| Ice Tiddly Winks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Designed by Karl von Laudermann | ||
| A quick dexterity game with simultaneous play | ||
| Players: | 1 - 6 | |
| Length: | Fast | |
| Complexity: | Easy | |
| Trios per color: | 5 | |
| Number of colors: | 1 per player | |
| - - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - - | ||
| Good size playing surface | ||
| Setup time: | 2 minutes | |
| Playing time: | 2 - 5 | |
| Random chance: | High | |
| Game mechanics: | Dexterity | |
| Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2001 | ||
Overview[edit | edit source]
Ice Tiddly Winks is a light-hearted dexterity game with simultaneous play.
Materials[edit | edit source]
One stash in a distinctive color for each player.
Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6
Setup[edit | edit source]
The players all sit around a table, and each player takes a complete set of 15 Icehouse pieces of one color. In front of each player is an imaginary line called the start line. See Figure 1. This line can be designated by using Icehouse pieces of an unused color to mark the ends, or any other suitable means. The line can also be completely imaginary, as long as everyone is within agreement about where it would reasonably lie. After all, this is a light, friendly game.
 | |
| Setup for 4 players on a square table | Setup for 4 players on a square table |
Each player then puts the selected stash of pieces between the start line and the edge of the table. Then all players pick up one of their large sized pieces, which is henceforth designated as the "launcher." The remaining 14 pieces are the "missiles." After each player loads a missile of their choice onto the launcher (by stacking it on top), the game is ready to begin.
| ← The missile | |
| ← The launcher |
Play[edit | edit source]
Players will be launching pyramids onto the table. A launch consists of the following.
- Hold the launcher upright between the thumb and index and middle fingers of one hand.
- Stack another piece, a missile, on top of the launcher.
- Using your free hand, flick the base of the launcher, sending the missile flying in an upwards arc. If done properly, the missile should land somewhere near the center of the table.
Once all players are holding their loaded launchers, the game begins. All of the players play simultaneously. The players all launch each of their 14 missiles, one at a time, into the center of the table. The game ends when all players have finished doing so.
When launching a piece, the launcher is held above the stash area, i.e. the space between the edge of the table and the player's own starting line. The missile piece must land on the other side of the player's starting line in order to be legal. If a launched piece lands within the player's stash area, or goes completely off the table, it is simply returned to the player to use again. There is no penalty for a miss.
Each starting line is relevant only to the player to whom it belongs. If a launched piece lands on a part of the table that is in an opponent's stash area, it is a legal play and the piece may not be retrieved for re-use.
Scoring[edit | edit source]
When all the missiles have been launched, players score their own colors.
- Lying-down pyramids are worth nothing.
- Upright pyramids are worth their pip value.
- Leaning pyramids (pyramids with their bases leaning against lying-down pieces) score 'double their pip value.
History[edit | edit source]
This game was invented in the Looney Labs room at Origins in 2001 and playtested with three other gamers there. An external copy of the rules can be found here.