Pyrinoes

Pyrinoes
Andy Bond
Dominoes, with extra pyramids
:Players	Players:	2 - 2
:Time	Length:	unknown
:Complexity	Complexity:	Low
Trios per color:		3
Number of colors:		5
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:		5
Five-color sets:		3
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
A set of double-6 dominoes, a bit of space and something to keep score
Setup time:		1 minute
Playing time:
Strategy depth:		Medium-Low
Random chance:		High
Game mechanics:		Placement
Theme:		Abstract
BGG Link:		Pyrinoes
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2010

Pyrinoes is a two-player game for pyramids and dominoes.

The Game

Pyrinoes is a game of block dominoes, where players are trying to get rid of as many dominoes and pyramids from their hand as possible by building pyrinoes (dominoes made from pyramids), whilst trying to block your opponent from doing the same.

Equipment

To play this game you will need a 3House Set, a set of double-six dominoes a reasonable amount of flat horizontal space to act as a playing surface, and something to keep score with.

(These rules are written with reference to Rainbow colours. If using Xeno colours, one player, air, uses white and clear pyramids, while the other player, water, uses cyan and purple. The communal 'blank' colour is orange.)

Definitions

One player is known as fire. They will use the red and yellow pyramids. The other player is known as ice. They will use the blue and black pyramids.

A domino consists of two ends, each with an associated spot count, from 0 (also referred to as 'blank') to 6. The sum of the spot counts of both ends of a domino will be referred to as the weight of that domino. Dominoes will be referred to by the spot count of each end separated by a dash, for example the domino with five spots at one end, and three at the other end would be referred to as the 5-3 or 3-5 domino. A domino which has the same spot count at both ends is called a double (e.g. the 3-3 domino is also known as the double-three).

A pyrino is like a domino, but made out of pyramids. Each end is made up of either a solitary pyramid or two pyramids of the same colour in a stack. In the case of it being two pyramids of different size, the small pyramid should be stacked on top of the larger so that the size of each pyramid is clear. The two ends of the pyrino should always be touching, so as to easily identify it. The spot count of an end of a pyrino is equal to the pip count of the pyramid or pyramids comprising that end. (Unless it is a green pyramid, see below.) The two ends of a player's pyrino should be made up of the two colours that a player is playing with. A pyrino must not have the same colour at both ends.

A player may also create a pyrino made up of a single green pyramid as one end, with the other end as either a solitary pyramid or two pyramids the same colour, as per usual. A green pyramid is always associated with a spot count of 0 (blank), regardless of the size of the pyramid.

Note that the only domino that cannot be represented by a pyrino is the double-blank (0-0).

The line of connected dominoes and pyrinoes that have been played to the surface is known as the line of play. The two ends of the line of play which are not connected to other dominoes or pyrinoes are called the open ends.

Examples of Pyrinoes

Fire could make a 3-1 pyrino with:

• A large red next to a small yellow:

• A small yellow on a medium yellow next to a small red:

• Either of the above with the colours interchanged

Ice could make a 4-2 pyrino with:

• A small black on a large black next to a medium blue:

• A small blue on a large blue next to two small blacks, one on top of the other:

• Two medium blues, one on top the other, next to a medium black:

• Two medium blues, one on top the other, next to two small blacks, one on top of the other:

• Any of the above, with the colours interchanged

Ice could make a 5-0 pyrino with:

• A medium black on a large black next to a green pyramid of any size:

• A medium blue on a large blue next to a green pyramid of any size:

Fire could make a 6-6 (double 6) pyrino with:

• Two large reds, one on top of the other, next to two large yellows, one on top of the other:

Setup

The very start of the game

Decide (by any means) which player will be fire (red & yellow), and which player will be ice (blue & black). Before the first round, each player should pick a domino at random. Whoever picks the domino with the largest weight plays first in the first round. If they have the same weight, players draw another. This continues until a player is selected to start. (Or you can decide via a different method of your choosing.)

Before each round

At the start of each round, each player should take all the pieces of their colours and place them in front of them (which shall be referred to as their supply). This will leave one player with three red and three yellow trios, and the other player with three black and three blue trios. Place the remaining three green trios between the players, to one side, in such a way that it is clear what pyramids are there (e.g. in trees, or stacks of all same sizes, or each pyramid standing individually).

Now place all the dominoes face down, and shuffle them around. Each player should take nine dominoes from this pool (which shall be referred to as their hand), and place them in front of them, slightly separate from their pyramids, and so that only they may see which dominoes they possess (e.g. by standing them up on their side). Take one of the remaining ten dominoes and place it face up in the middle of the playing surface. This is the initial line of play, with both of its ends becoming the open ends.

Place the remaining nine dominoes face down to one side to form a boneyard, next to the green pyramids.

Gameplay

The player who went second in the previous round gets to have the first turn this round. (Unless it's the first round, in which case whichever player was decided to play first gets the first turn.)

On their turn a player may choose to either:

• Play a domino or pyrino from their hand

OR

• Build a pyrino using pyramids from their supply and add it to their hand

If playing a domino or pyrino to the line of play, a player must place it so that one of its ends is adjacent to one of the open ends, so that the spot count of the open end is the same as the spot count of the end of the pyrino/domino played adjacent to it. The other end of the domino/pyrino then becomes the new open end. Doubles may be played as any other domino/pyrino, or they may be placed at right angles as is traditional in domino games. However, they still only have one open end, dominoes and pyrinoes may not be played off the sides of doubles. At any stage of a round there will be precisely two open ends.

When playing a pyrino next to another pyrino, it is advisable to leave a small space between them, to more easily distinguish which pyramids belong to which pyrino.

If building a pyrino, a player must construct a pyrino from the pyramids left in their supply, and possibly the communal green pyramids. They must place the newly constructed pyrino with any remaining dominoes, clearly separated from their supply. Care should be taken to ensure that it can clearly be seen which pyramids are part of which of the unplayed pyrinoes in a players hand. Once constructed a pyrino cannot be altered. A player's supply and constructed pyrinoes should be visible to the other player at all times, as should the number of dominoes left in their hand (although not the values of these dominoes).

If using a green pyramid, any size available may be used. Playing larger pyramids gets more points, but unplayed pyramids in the hand receive a penalty at the end of a round related to size.

If on their turn a player cannot play a domino or pyrino from their hand to the line of play, they are obliged to construct a pyrino if they can. Note that this means if a player has only one colour left in their supply, they are obliged to make a move that pairs up at least one remaining pyramid with a communal green pyramid (assuming any remain).

If a player cannot play a domino or pyrino from their hand or construct any pyrino, but have not met the conditions for ending the round, they must select a domino at random from the boneyard and add it to their hand. This counts as their turn. If the boneyard is empty, the player must pass, and this is the only occasion on which a player may pass.

Players alternate turns until one of them has met the conditions for ending the round, or if neither player can make a move.

Ending the Round and Bonuses

The round ends after a player's turn when either:

• That player has no more pyramids, either in their supply or as unplayed pyrinoes in their hand
  • The player receives a bonus of 5 points
• That player has no more dominoes in their hand, and has only pyramids of a single colour left, both in their supply and as unplayed pyramids in their hand
  • The player receives a bonus of 5 points
• That player has no more dominoes or pyramids in their hand or supply.
  • The player receives a bonus of 10 points
    • (Note that this condition can only be met by playing a pyrino as the final move)
• That player passes, with the previous turn having been the other player passing
  • No bonuses are recieved

Scoring

After the round has ended, the score for that round is calculated. Each player calculates a hand total by adding up the weights of all unplayed dominoes in their hand (if any), and adding to this the pip count of all pyramids they have left unplayed (if any), both in their supply and in their hand as pyrinoes. This includes the pip count of any unplayed green pyramids a player may have in their hand.

The player with the lower hand total scores the difference between the two hand totals. The player that played last receives bonus points as outlined in Ending the Round and Bonuses. These may or may not be the same player.

In addition, the pip total of all green pyramids played to the line of play by each player is added to their score. It should be clear which played green pyramids belong to which player, as they will be adjacent to a pyramid of their colour.

The scores for the round just played are added to scores from previous rounds.

Winning

The winner of a game is the first player to score one hundred points, the winning threshold. A different winning threshold can be played to, but this should be agreed upon before the game.

After scoring:

• If neither player has passed the winning threshold, another round is played
• If just one player has crossed the winning threshold, that player is the winner of the game
• If both players have crossed the winning threshold, the player with the higher score is the winner of the game
• If both players have crossed the winning threshold and their scores are tied, another round is played

External Links

Spanish Rules: http://www.labsk.net/index.php?topic=83241.0 (by Wkr)