Ice Tiddly Winks

Introduction

Ice Tiddly Winks is a 1-6 player game that that is played using Icehouse pieces. I invented this game while at the Looney Labs room at Origins 2001, and playtested it with 3 other people. (Because I am bad with names, I would appreciate it if those with whom I playtested this would email me and let me know your names, so I can give you due credit.)

Setup

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.

Figure 1. Setup For 4 Players On A Round And A Square Table

Each player then puts his/her stash of pieces between the start line and the edge of the table. Then he/she picks up one of the 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 Basics

The basic maneuver in Ice Tiddly Winks is the launch. In fact, it's the only maneuver in Ice Tiddly Winks. It is excecuted thusly:

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. See Figure 2.

Figure 2. Flick The Base Of The Launcher To Launch A Missile

The Rules

Once each player is holding his/her launcher, loaded with a missile and ready for launch, the game begins. Like some other Icehouse games, such as Ice Towers and Icehouse, Ice Tiddly Winks is turnless. 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 but not his/her own, it is a legal play and the piece may not be retrieved for re-use.

Objective and Scoring

The object of Ice Tiddly Winks is to score the most points. Points are earned based on upright pieces. At the end of the game, when all of the missiles belonging to all of the players have been launched, each player notes which pieces of his/her color are standing upright. For each of a player's upright pieces, that player scores points equal to the piece's pip count: 1 for a small piece, 2 for a medium piece, and 3 for a large piece. A piece that is standing with its base resting on a non-upright piece scores twice its normal amount. See Figure 3. The player with the most points wins.

Figure 3. A Leaning Piece Scores Double

This document was last modified on May 30, 2004
Please send all comments to karlvonl@rcn.com