Martian Tic-Tac-Toe

From Looney Pyramid Games Wiki
Martian Tic-Tac-Toe
Chris Goodwin
Tic-Tac-Toe with Icehouse pieces
:Players Players: 2
:Time Length: Fast
:Complexity Complexity: Low
Trios per color: 3
Number of colors: 2
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:
Five-color sets: 3
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
Three-by-three grid (or part of a chessboard)
Setup time: 2 minutes
Playing time: 5 - 15 minutes
Strategy depth: Medium
Random chance: None
Game mechanics: Placement
Theme: The wikipage input value is empty (e.g. <code>SomeProperty::, [[]]</code>) and therefore it cannot be used as a name or as part of a query condition.
BGG Link: Martian Tic-Tac-Toe
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2000


An Icehouse game designed by Chris Goodwin.

For two players

What you need[edit | edit source]

Two stashes of Icehouse pieces, each consisting of three pieces of each size of one color. Three Treehouse sets will get you the pieces you need.

Additional Equipment: A three-by-three tic-tac-toe grid. Make sure it is big enough to hold the large pieces.

Playing Time[edit | edit source]

5-15 minutes

Overview[edit | edit source]

This is Tic-Tac-Toe as it might have been played thousands of years ago on Mars.

Setup[edit | edit source]

Each player starts with a stash consisting of three small pieces, three medium pieces, and three large pieces, all of one color.

Playing the game[edit | edit source]

Players take turns making moves. On each player's first turn, that player must place a small piece into a square. After that, on his or her turn, each player may make one of the following moves:

Place a small piece from your stash into an empty square.

Swap one of your pieces in play with a piece from your stash (up to one size larger or any size smaller). Put the swapped-out piece back in your stash.

Capture an opponent's piece. Replace one of your opponent's pieces in play with a piece from your stash. The capturing piece must be exactly one size larger (no more, no less) than the captured piece. Return the captured piece to the opponent's stash.

Winning[edit | edit source]

A player wins when he or she has three pieces in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (forming a straight line) of the same size and of his or her color.

Variations[edit | edit source]

Use a larger board. Try a four-by-four, five-by-five, or eight-by-eight (chessboard) grid. If using a four-by-four grid, use four pieces of each size per color, and win with four in a row of one size of your color; on a five-by-five grid or larger, use all five pieces of each size per color, and win with five in a row of one size of your color.

Multiplayer. Play this on a checkers or chess board. Martian Tic-Tac-Toe can be played with three or four players. It is suggested to use all of the pieces of each color on a larger board.

Designed by Chris Goodwin. Playtested (so far) by Chris and Lisa Goodwin, Dan and Marsha Brussee. Blindtested by Kory Heath and friends.

License[edit | edit source]

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.