3stica: Difference between revisions - Looney Pyramid Games Wiki

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<h3>REQUIRED EQUIPMENT</h3>

<li>Between two and five lifeforms, near-sentient or better -- opposable thumbs preferred

<li>Between two and five lifeforms, near-sentient or better — opposable thumbs preferred

<li>One turn marker, with two distinct sides (I use a large coin for this)

<li>A [https://www.icehousegames.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:3HOUSE 3House] set of Looney Pyramids (each player takes one color)†

<li>A deck of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot tarot]] or [http://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/gnostica Gnostica] cards (or 3stica cards: coming soon)‡

<li>A deck of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot tarot] or [http://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/gnostica Gnostica] cards (or 3stica cards: coming soon)‡

<li>Fudge/FATE dice (minimum three, but preferably three per player)₮

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<li>MAJOR -- Black cards, with individual names and unique powers. Valued 1-28. (all major arcana, when played with a tarot deck)

<li>MINOR -- White cards, with one of four generic powers (create, move, grow, or attack). Valued 1-14. (all four suits of minor arcana, when played with a tarot deck)

<li>VALUE -- Both Major and Minor cards have a value in the top center of the card. Major cards are always higher-valued than Minor cards.

<li>VALUE -- Both Major and Minor cards have a value in the top center of the card. Major cards are always higher-valued than Minor cards

<li>PYRAMID -- Nine Looney Pyramid game pieces, three of each size and all of one color, per player. Sometimes pyramids are called ~~‘minions.’~~

<li>PYRAMID -- Nine Looney Pyramid game pieces, three of each size and all of one color, per player. Sometimes pyramids are called ‘minions’

<li>MINION -- Any of your pyramids on a card which is activated, or any pyramid allowed to act via other game effects, is a 'minion' for the current turn.

<li>MINION -- Any of your pyramids on a card which is activated, or any pyramid allowed to act via other game effects, is a 'minion' for the current turn

<li>TERRITORY -- Any card currently in play on the board is a territory; only three pyramids are allowed per territory.

<li>TERRITORY -- Any card currently in play on the board is a territory; only three pyramids are allowed per territory

<li>ORIENTATION -- A minion may point (laying on its side) in any four of the cardinal directions, or straight up (targeting its own territory).

<li>ORIENTATION -- A minion may point (laying on its side) in any four of the cardinal directions, or straight up (targeting its own territory)

<li>TARGET -- The pyramid(s) or territory a minion is pointing to; a minion may only affect the pyramid/territory targeted, but a minion may always target itself, regardless of orientation.

<li>WASTELAND -- The space at the outside edge of the current gameboard, one card wide (i.e., blank spaces)

<li>VOID -- Any area more than a card's width away from the board. ~~Nothing~~ lives in the void.

<li>VOID -- Any area more than a card's width away from the board (that is, past the wasteland). Remember — nothing lives in the void.

<li>STASH -- The unplayed pyramids you have in reserve.

<li>PIP -- The little dots embossed into the lower left-hand side of each pyramid face

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<h2>MINOR CARD POWERS</h2>

<li>CREATE - Add one of your pawns to the target territory, but only if there are fewer than three pyramids -- of any ownership -- in that territory already. It may be placed in any orientation. If no pawn is available in your stash, you may not create a new one on the board.<br>

<h4>CREATE</h4>Add one of your pawns to the target territory, but only if there are fewer than three pyramids — of any ownership — in that territory already. It may be placed in any orientation. If no pawn is available in your stash, you may not create a new one on the board.<br>

Alternatively, create a territory by placing a Minor card from your hand into a targeted unoccupied (or friendly) wasteland. You may not create in the void - nothing lives in the void. Any pyramids on the target wasteland remain there in the same orientations, even though the territory under them has changed. If you don't have a Minor card in your hand, you cannot create a territory.

Alternatively, create a territory by placing a Minor card from your hand into a targeted unoccupied (or friendly) wasteland. You may not create in the void — nothing lives in the void. Any pyramids on the target wasteland remain there in the same orientations, even though the territory under them has changed. If you don't have a Minor card in your hand, you cannot create a territory.

<li>MOVE ~~- move~~ the minion in the direction the minion is pointing, or push a target enemy pyramid in that same direction. It may be moved or pushed at least one space, up to as many spaces as the minion has pips. The moved pyramid may never end in a territory with three or more pyramids in it, nor may it end in the void. If the pyramid moved is yours, you may orient it; enemy pyramids retain orientation. Note that a minion standing upright may not use a move action.<br>

<h4>MOVE</h4>Move the minion in the direction the minion is pointing, or push a target enemy pyramid in that same direction. It may be moved or pushed at least one space, up to as many spaces as the minion has pips. The moved pyramid may never end in a territory with three or more pyramids in it, nor may it end in the void. If the pyramid moved is yours, you may orient it; enemy pyramids retain orientation. Note that a minion standing upright may not use a move action.<br>

Alternatively, you may push a territory in the direction the minion is pointing, but only if the territory is not occupied by enemy pyramids. When a territory is pushed, all pyramids remain in their original space, with orientations intact. The territory may be pushed up to as many spaces as the minion has pips. The territory may be pushed through any space, but must land in an unoccupied (or friendly) wasteland. If a territory lands in a wasteland you control, place the territory under your pyramids. You may not push a territory into the void.

<li>GROW - The target pyramid is replaced by the next size up of the same color. If it is yours, you may orient it, but not otherwise. If there isn't a pyramid of the next size up in the appropriate stash, you cannot take this action.<br>

<h4>GROW</h4>The target pyramid is replaced by the next size up of the same color. If it is yours, you may orient it, but not otherwise. If there isn't a pyramid of the next size up in the appropriate stash, you cannot take this action.<br>

Alternatively, you may grow the target unoccupied (or friendly) territory. Discard it and replace with one from your hand worth more than the original territory; thus, a Minor card can be grown into a Major territory, while any card may be replaced with a higher-value card of the same type. Any pyramids on the targeted space remain there, in the same orientations, even though the territory under them has changed. If you don't have an appropriate card in your hand, you cannot grow that territory.

<li>ATTACK - Roll as many fudge/Fate dice as pips on the attacking and defending minion(s). If the defender's player rolls lower (each "+" is worth one, each "-" is worth negative one, and a blank side is worth nothing), they are reduced by the difference between rolls (if the attacker rolls 3, and the defender rolls 1, a queen would be reduced to a pawn). Any roll less than zero counts as zero, and if both rolls are equal, nothing happens. If the defender rolls a higher score than the attacker, they may shrink the attacker by one size; if any pyramid would be reduced below one pip, it is destroyed. If no pyramids of the correct size are in target player's stash, it shrinks to the next smaller one. Attacking pyramids roll one time per attack, and each defending pyramid rolls separately. Any minion may target itself without rolling and regardless of orientation; it may shrink itself by up to as many pips as it started the turn with. If you attack your pyramid in this manner, you may orient after shrinking. <br>

<h4>ATTACK</h4>Roll as many fudge/Fate dice as pips on the attacking and defending minion(s). If the defender's player rolls lower (each "+" is worth one, each "-" is worth negative one, and a blank side is worth nothing), they are reduced by the difference between rolls (if the attacker rolls 3, and the defender rolls 1, a queen would be reduced to a pawn). Any roll less than zero counts as zero, and if both rolls are equal, nothing happens. If the defender rolls a higher score than the attacker, they may shrink the attacker by one size; if any pyramid would be reduced below one pip, it is destroyed. If no pyramids of the correct size are in target player's stash, it shrinks to the next smaller one. Attacking pyramids roll one time per attack, and each defending pyramid rolls separately. Any minion may target itself without rolling and regardless of orientation; it may shrink itself by up to as many pips as it started the turn with. If you attack your pyramid in this manner, you may orient after shrinking. <br>

Alternatively, you may attack the target unoccupied (or friendly) territory. Discard the it and replace with one from your hand worth one less point than the original; thus, a Major card can be shrunk to a Minor territory and a Minor can be reduced to a wasteland. Any card may be replaced with a lower-value card of the same type. Any pyramids on the targeted space remain there, in the same orientations, even though the territory under them has changed, unless you destroy a territory and it leaves minions in the void (remember -- nothing lives in the Void). If you don't have an appropriate card in your hand, you cannot use this action.

Alternatively, you may attack the target unoccupied (or friendly) territory. Discard the it and replace with one from your hand worth one less point than the original; thus, a Major card can be shrunk to a Minor territory and a Minor can be reduced to a wasteland. Any card may be replaced with a lower-value card of the same type. Any pyramids on the targeted space remain there, in the same orientations, even though the territory under them has changed, unless you destroy a territory and it leaves minions in the void (remember — nothing lives in the Void). If you don't have an appropriate card in your hand, you cannot use this action.

<h2>MAJOR CARD POWERS</h2>

<p>When a Major card is played or activated, multiple actions may be taken by a single minion, or multiple minions may each take a single action. When playing Death, two different minions may attack, or one minion could attack twice; if Lovers is activated, one of your pyramids could move off of the Lovers and can still use Lovers' grow action, or a pyramid on Lovers could use move to push away one of your pyramids, and that minion could still use grow.<br>

<b align=center>Please note that you may not reverse the order of a Major card with two different powers -- the Hanged Man is always an attack followed by trading hands, and <i>never</i> the other way around!</b></p>

<b align=center>Please note that you may not reverse the order of a Major card with two different powers — the Hanged Man is always an attack followed by trading hands, and <i>never</i> the other way around!</b></p>

<li>Fool: Turn over the next card from the draw pile and play it. Repeat once. As with all actions, using the powers of these cards is optional.

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‡Originally, [http://www.ginohn.com/wunder201005/games/Gnostica/GnosticaRules.html Gnostica] was played with a Tarot deck; if playing 3stica with them, Cups = create, Rods/Wands = move, Discs/Coins/Pentacles = grow, and Swords = attack. My thanks to Andrew Looney for his Pyramids, John Cooper for his original Gnostica rules, and [http://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/gnostica this fine designer] for being the main inspiration behind this game.<br>

₮Fudge dice are six-sided dice with 1:3 odds of getting each symbol: a plus (+), a minus (-), and a blank face. Anything with identical odds - like a deck of cards with one suit removed, three chips in a bag, <i>et cetera</i> - may be substituted.</p>

₮Fudge dice are six-sided dice with 1:3 odds of getting each symbol: a plus (+), a minus (-), and a blank face. Anything with identical odds — like a deck of cards with one suit removed, three chips in a bag, <i>et cetera</i> — may be substituted.</p>

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[category:3-player]

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[category:4-player]

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[category:5-player]

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[category:3HOUSE]

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[category:Abstract]

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[category:3 stashes]

[[category:3 stashes]]

[category:Combat]

[[category:Combat]]

[category:Dice]

[[category:Dice]]

[category:FATE Dice]

[[category:FATE Dice]]

[category:Half hour]

[[category:Half hour]]

[category:Playing cards]

[[category:Playing cards]]

[category:Tarot deck]

[[category:Tarot deck]]

[category:Category:Games_Under_Development/Playtesting]

[[category:Category:Games_Under_Development/Playtesting]]