Unocitta

From Looney Pyramid Games Wiki
Unocitta
Steve Beard
A Zark City variant using a deck of Uno™ cards
:Players Players: 2 - 5
:Time Length: Medium
:Complexity Complexity: Medium
Trios per color: 3
Number of colors: 5
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:
Five-color sets: 3
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
Uno deck
Setup time: 1 minute
Playing time: 10 minutes - 30 minutes
Strategy depth: Medium
Random chance: Some
Game mechanics:
Theme: Martian_theme
BGG Link: Unocitta
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2009

Unocitta is a 3HOUSE territory-based war game for 2-5 players using Icehouse™ pieces and a Uno™ deck.

The ever-changing gameboard is made up of Uno™ cards and is created by the players during the game.

Icehouse pyramids are used to indicate player card control.

Players complete for control of city blocks in the Martian city of Unocitta.

The goal is to completely control a connected trio of cards which are either Three-of-a-Kind or three consecutive numbers of the same suit, thereby gaining control of the city.


Setup[edit | edit source]

Each player starts with nine pyramids of one colour, known as the player’s Army.

Shuffle the deck and deal three cards to each player.

Each player secretly chooses a numbered card and places it face down.

Starting[edit | edit source]

Once each player has selected a card, the cards are all revealed.

The player with the highest numbered starter card goes first.

In the event of a tie, the tying player who first selected their starter card goes first.

First Round[edit | edit source]

During the first round, all players take the same action, known as Hatching.

The first player’s starting card is placed in the centre of the table, topped by a small pyramid from the player’s Army, representing a player-controlled city block.

Other players then take their turn in clockwise order, by adding their starter card at 90° to any previously played cards, topped with a small pyramid.

Turn Options[edit | edit source]

A player makes one of these options per turn:

Draw: Draw three cards, then discard until they have no more than six cards in their hands.

Grow: Replace one of their pieces with the next larger size.

Spawn: Add a small pyramid to a card they occupy.

Build: Add a number card from their hand to an empty spot on the board next to a card they occupy.

Move: Slide one of their pyramids onto an adjacent card.

Attack: The piece they are attacking must be on a card adjacent to (or the same as) a card they occupy. The attacking player must discard one Skip or Reverse card per pip of the pyramid being attacked. A Draw Two card counts for two pips. A Wild Draw Four card counts for three pips. The defeated piece is then either removed from the board or converted to the attacking colour by exchanging it for the same size pyramid or smaller from the attacker’s Stash.

Hatch: If a player has zero pyramids on the board, they may build a new card anywhere and place a small pyramid on top.

Power Blocks[edit | edit source]

Special trios of connected cards are called Power Blocks.

Suited Run: All three cards are of the same suit and are a consecutive sequence of numbers (The numbers are not required to be connected in order. E.g.: 3-5-4).

Three-of-a-Kind: All three cards have the same number.

Goal[edit | edit source]

A player wins if they are the only colour to occupy all three cards of a Power Block. This player then has control of the Martian city of Unocitta.

Notes[edit | edit source]

1. A player cannot Spawn or Grow a pyramid if they do not have that size available in their Army.

2. Skip, Reverse and Draw Two cards cannot be added to the board. They are used for attacking only.

3. Basic Wild cards can substitute for any card except Wild Draw Four cards. When used on the gameboard, the controlling player nominates the value and colour of the card. They may change this value at any time.

4. Wild Draw Four cards can be used like a Basic Wild card, but also as a three pip attacking card.

5. Every card that is added to the board is placed at 90° to adjoining cards.

6. If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and continue.

7. A Three-of-a-Kind Power Block may contain identical cards.

Variant[edit | edit source]

Unopolis: Power Blocks are either a ‘Four Card Suited Run’ or a ‘Four-of-a-Kind’.

Credits[edit | edit source]

Designer: Steve Beard (SB Designs)

Inspiration: Zark City by Andy Looney

Uno™ is a registered trademark of Mattel, Inc®.

External Links[edit | edit source]

To be continued...