Pip•Pip
Pip•Pip is a strategic board game of conversion and compromise. It is inspired in equal parts by Sudoku and Triple Triad. The game usually comes down to the wire, with the winner achieving victory by the skin of his teeth. I hope you enjoy it!
Setup
There are two players, both with a handful of six-sided dice. One player has light dice, the other has dark dice. Determine randomly who goes first.
Play
The Store
After you roll, if you don’t like the result, you can set that die aside and keep it in your store. Then you roll another die and place it on the board or put that one in your store too. You may only keep up to three dice in your store in this manner.
When you have dice in your store, you may either roll a die on your turn as normal or instead pull a die from the store and place it on the board.
The store must be empty by the end of the game, so that means if you have three dice in the store, your last three moves must be spent using dice that you have previously discarded and which your opponent has expected you to use eventually.
Conversion
If you place the die in a space horizontally or vertically adjacent to an opponent’s die, check the numbers on the two dice that are facing each other. Not the numbers on top of the dice, but rather the numbers on the sides of the dice that are adjacent to each other.
If your number is equal to or lower than your opponent’s number, nothing happens. If the number on your die is greater, your opponent’s die is converted to your color. Conversion only occurs between dice that are horizontally or vertically adjacent to one another, not diagonal.
When an opponent’s piece is converted, replace it with a die of your color, making sure that it has the same number facing up and the same orientation that your opponent’s die had.
In the example above, the blue die is placed next to a yellow die. The blue die has a 6 facing the yellow's 5, meaning the yellow die is converted to blue.
Victory
Continue placing dice and converting die colors in this manner until all the spaces in the 4×4 area are filled. Once this occurs, the game is over and the players tally their scores.
The light player counts numbers on top of the light dice that are on the light spaces and adds them up for their final score.
The dark player counts numbers on top of the dark dice that are on the dark spaces and adds them up for their final score.
Whoever has the highest total wins.
I miss Lunchacabra for exactly this kind of thing. I love how you try out tiny systems.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm a fan of little games. I'm going to keep it up when I have time. I want to get more disciplined about updating the old Luchacabra games and posting new ones.
ReplyDeleteLooks Really cool, Daniel. I must try it out soon.
ReplyDeleteQ
I hope it works out, Quentin. :D
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried Pips out yet, but I was just reviewing the rules and I have a question.
ReplyDeleteIs this possible: You place a die adjacent to two other extant dice. For one extant die, the placed die has an adjacent face that is of greater value, but for the second extant die, the placed die has an adjacent face that is of lesser value.
Assuming that's possible, which die gets converted? Should there be some sort of iterative process, and if so, what are the priorities?
Ah, thank you for point that out. Yes, it is possible, but I neglected to write the rules for this situation in this post.
ReplyDeleteThe way we've resolved it at home is that the play favors you. In this situation, the extant die of lesser value is converted. Your die is not, even though there is an extant die with an adjacent face of greater value.
Perhaps I'm missing something, but these quotes seem to contradict each other:
ReplyDelete'If your number is equal to or lower than your opponent’s number, nothing happens.'
' Your die is not, even though there is an extant die with an adjacent face of greater value.'
Can your die be converted as you place it or not?
For example, there is a single die on the board. You a die orthogonally adjacent to it, with a 1 facing it, and a 6 facing you. Does your die get converted?
From my interpretation of the rules it doesn't seem like
'You place a die adjacent to two other extant dice. For one extant die, the placed die has an adjacent face that is of greater value, but for the second extant die, the placed die has an adjacent face that is of lesser value.'
is a problem, since extant dice can't convert dice- only the die just placed.
Am I right?
Whoops, you know, I think you're right. I must have misunderstood Quentin's question. Let's put it another way.
ReplyDeleteNew dice always have priority over old dice. So, even if you place a die with a face lesser than the face next to it, your die will not be converted because it is new.
This is a confusing game to put into proper words, isn't it? :P
Perhaps I'm missing something, but these quotes seem to contradict each other:
ReplyDelete'If your number is equal to or lower than your opponent’s number, nothing happens.'
' Your die is not, even though there is an extant die with an adjacent face of greater value.'
Can your die be converted as you place it or not?
For example, there is a single die on the board. You a die orthogonally adjacent to it, with a 1 facing it, and a 6 facing you. Does your die get converted?
From my interpretation of the rules it doesn't seem like
'You place a die adjacent to two other extant dice. For one extant die, the placed die has an adjacent face that is of greater value, but for the second extant die, the placed die has an adjacent face that is of lesser value.'
is a problem, since extant dice can't convert dice- only the die just placed.
Am I right?
I miss Lunchacabra for exactly this kind of thing. I love how you try out tiny systems.
ReplyDelete