Ice-Turn

From Looney Pyramid Games Wiki
Ice-Turn
Luci Bracegirdle
Pyramid version of Q-Turn.
:Players Players: 2 - 4
:Time Length: Medium
:Complexity Complexity: Simple
Trios per color: 1
Number of colors: 5
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:
Five-color sets: 1
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
1 Q-Turn set, Goal tiles, Treehouse die, 1d6
Setup time: 10 min
Playing time: 10 min - 30 min
Strategy depth: Low
Random chance: Medium
Game mechanics: Race, Stacking
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BGG Link:
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2987


What You Need[edit | edit source]

A Q-Turn Set
We suggest printing the tiles pretty large, so you can fit the pyramids on them lying down.

Goal Tiles (any flat marker that can be made unique to each player - Twin Win goal cards would be ideal)
One monochrome trio per player
A Treehouse die
A normal die.

About the Game[edit | edit source]

Ice-Turn is a variation on Q-Turn, in which players try to move their pyramids from their initial setup of a tree in one corner of the board to a nest on their goal tile in the opposite corner.

Starting the Game[edit | edit source]

Deal out the Q-Turn tiles equally.
Each player places a tile in turn in a 4x4 grid.
The Q-Turners must be placed such that there is only one in each row or column.
Every tile must have at least one arrow pointing at another tile, i.e. the single arrows must not point off the board. Tiles may point in any direction otherwise.
Place each player's goal at the opposite corner to them, and put their tree on the goal tile nearest them.

Steps of the Turn[edit | edit source]

On each player's turn, there are two phases. The movement and treehouse phase, and the reactionary turning phase.

Treehouse die actions[edit | edit source]

Tip- Totally Increase Points to 7
Aim- Freely rotate as many tiles as you wish. This will also rotate any pieces on it.
Swap- Swap two adjacent tiles with the pieces on them.
Hop- A standing piece hops as far as the end of a row in any direction.
Dig- A lying down piece digs down and stands up. It can only dig in the direction it is pointing, as far as the end of a row.
Wild- Your choice of the other actions.
The treehouse die action can be used before, during or after the movement.

Moving[edit | edit source]

The normal dice roll gives your movement points. A standing piece cannot be moved, but also cannot be turned by reactionary turning. To tip a standing piece costs 1 point, and to turn a lying down piece costs 1 point. Moving a piece one tile costs the same as its pip count (Pawns cost 1 point, Drones cost 2 points, Queens cost 3 points). Pieces can only move in the direction that they are pointing, and cannot move diagonally.


If a piece moves into the same tile as another piece, they stand up and stack. If the piece digs onto the tile, it goes at the bottom of the stack, if it hops it goes to the top of the stack, and if a normal move moves pieces into the same tile, that player chooses stack position. To separate the stack, a player tips it. The bottom of the stack stays on that tile, and the rest spreads over adjacent tiles in the direction they were tipped. Eg. A two piece stack is tipped, the bottom piece is now lying down on that tile, and the top piece is now lying down on the next adjacent tile. Both pieces now point in the direction they were tipped. If tipping a stack causes a piece to land in a tile with a piece already on it, the active player decides stack order.

Reactionary Turning[edit | edit source]

After the movement phase comes reactionary turning. Any tiles you have ended your turn on with a lying down piece can cause a piece on a tile the arrow is pointing at to move. Any pieces turned by reactionary turning can be turned to face any direction, even off the board. This is encouraged, as it means your opponent will have to spend movement points to point in the right direction. Only lying down pieces can turn and be turned. Standing pieces cannot turn or be turned.

Tile types:[edit | edit source]

The single arrow. This tile can only cause a piece to turn on the single tile the arrow is pointed at.
The double arrow. This tile can cause pieces to turn on any tile on the row or column the arrows are pointed at.
The Q-Turner. This tile can cause movement on any tile in any of the four directions the tile is pointed at.

2 Player Variant[edit | edit source]

This variant plays the same way as the four player, the goal cards are placed in one set of diagonally opposite corners instead of every corner.

Thanks to initial play testers, Orcy Dave and Andy King.