What Can I Play?

From Looney Pyramid Games Wiki


Interested in exploring the wider world of Pyramid games? With games currently recorded on this wiki, it can sometimes be difficult and overwhelming to figure out what to try next. This page is intended to serve as a navigational chart to help players, new and old alike, find quality games. It has been carefully compiled and curated by experienced Starship Captains over the last 17 years. Not all of the games may be a good fit for your particular group, but each is notable in its own way. So, regardless of whether you have the opulent Pyramid Arcade, an older IceDice bag, or even some of the venerable Treehouse tubes, hopefully you will find something below that can give you hours (or at least minutes) of enjoyment.

Further Resources[edit | edit source]

Ready to dive a little deeper? Visit the Browse games page to find up-to-date lists of all games based on a variety of search criteria such as complexity, number of players, or equipment required.

Interested in seeing the most recent games? Check out these Games Released in the Past Five Years

Feeling bold and adventurous? Want to try something wild and weird? There are many games in development that could use comments or playtesting.

Looking for more detailed reviews and comments? Have a read through our links to reviews found on the web.

Using These Lists[edit | edit source]

The most useful unit for counting pyramids is the "Trio" (one pyramid of each size, all of the same color). Most of the lists below are organized by how many trios are required per color. Most of the time, you can expand the number of games you can play with your collection by grouping trios from two similar colors and treating them as if they were a single color. This works particularly well for abstract games in which color does not have any meaning beyond player ownership.

Recommended color pairs
Red - Orange
Yellow - Clear
Green - Cyan
Blue - Purple
Black - White

Many of the older game rules still refer to "Icehouse stashes", "Treehouse sets", or "Rainbow/Xeno stashes". These are all remnants of how the pyramids were packaged for sale by Looney Labs at the time the rules were written. In all cases, a "stash" means 5 trios in either a single color (Icehouse or monochrome) or five different colors (Treehouse, Rainbow, or Xeno).

Only representative games are listed in each section. Please see the additional links in each section for more related games.

Legend


Any Color of Trios[edit | edit source]

Color does not actually matter in these games. As long as you have the right number of trios, you can play them.

ArmadaP: 2p, 5 trios, Miniature wargame
Cardinal Connections: 2-4p, 4 trios, Orientation control
Epicycle: 2p, 5 trios, Shared pieces
IceSickleP: 2p, 5 trios, Jumping & capturing
Martian ChessA, P, SDG: 2-4p, 3 trios per player, Abstract strategy
HijinksP: 2p, 3 trios, Quick pattern forming
RotationaryP: 1p, 5 trios, Solitaire puzzle
Thin IceP: 2-10p, 5 trios per player, Light dexterity
Tic Tac Doh!P: 2p, 5 trios, Shared n-in-a-row
TreehouseA, P: 2-4p, 1 trio per player + 1 extra, Pattern matching

Variable Number of Trios per Color[edit | edit source]

These games require a variable number of trios, usually based on the number of players.

Homeworlds (Non-Binary)P, SDG: 3-6p, 1 trio per player + 1, 4 colors, Space chess chaos
IceDiceP: 2-3p, 1 trio per player in 5 colors, Push-your-luck set collection
Plutonian Poker: 2-6p, 1 trio per player + 1 in 5 colors, Stack building
PikemenP, SDG:, 2-4p, 5, 4, or 3 trios (for 2, 3, or 4 players), 1 color per player, Abstract strategy
Quintazone: 2-5p, 1 color per player with 5, 3, or 2 trios (for 2, 3, or 4-5 players), Card laying with hidden goals
RAMbotsP: 2-4p, 1 trio per player + 1 in 4 colors, Simultaneous programming
Virus Fight: 2-5p, 1 trio per player in 5 colors, Strategy programs

One Trio per Color[edit | edit source]

3-High: 1-4p, 5 colors, Cooperative
ApophisA: 1-4p, 5 colors, Real-time cooperative
Crosswalk: 2p, 5 colors, Abstract race
Gleebs and Grues: 2p, 5 colors, Quick abstract
Looney LudoP: 2-6p, 1 color per player, Dynamic race
Nothing Beats a LargeP: 2-5p, 5 colors, RPS with hidden goals
Penguin SoccerSDG: 2p, 3 colors, Abstract strategy
PharaohP: 2-4p, 1 color per player, Area control
Twin WinP: 2-3p, 5 colors, Hidden goals
Zamboni Wars: 2-4p, 1 color per player, Maze battle


Two Trios per Color[edit | edit source]

Folio: 2p, 4 colors, N-in-a-row restriction
Freeze TagA: 2-4p, 1 color per player, Racing
Ice Dao: 2p, 2 colors, Shifting n-in-a-row
Landing Zone: 2-5p, 1 color per player, Simple dexterity
Martian 12sA: 2-5p, 5 colors, Gambling
MundialitoA: 2p, 5 colors, Abstract soccer
Timelock: 1-2p, 5 colors, Pattern matching

Three Trios per Color[edit | edit source]

Black ICEP: 2p, 5 colors, Hidden information
Dectana: 2-5p, 1 color per player, Territory control
Homeworlds (Binary)P, SDG: 2p, 4 colors, Space chess
Homeworlds Settlers: 2p, 4 colors, Territorial and chess-like
IceTowersP: 2-6p, 1 color per player, Real-time strategy
PyrinoesA: 2p, 5 colors, Hybrid dominoes
Skurðir: 2-5p, 5 colors, Route building
Volcano (Pyramid Arcade)P: 2-3p, 10 colors, Competitive puzzle
World War 5P: 2-4p, 1 color per player, Area control
Zark CityP: 2-5p, 1 color per player, Area control

Four Trios per Color[edit | edit source]

Infiltrate: 2p, 2 colors, Abstract strategy
Moscow Ice: 2-4p, 1 per player, Similar to Chinese Checkers


Five Trios per Color[edit | edit source]

Alien CityA, SDG: 2p, 3 colors, City building
AmbushA: 2p, 2 colors, Capturing
Blam!SDG: 2-4p, 1 color per player, Quick abstract
BlockadeP: 2p, 6 colors, 2D race
Branches & Twigs & ThornsP, SDG: 2-4p, 1 color per player, Go-like abstract
CrackeD IceP: 3-5p, 1 color per player, Dexterity
Edges: 2p, 2 colors, Abstract placement
Extinction: 2p, 2 colors, Abstract strategy
GnosticaP: 3-6p, 1 color per player, Territory control
Hextris: 2-3p, 1 color per player, Pattern building
IcehouseP: 3-5p, 1 color per player, Real-time strategy
Kotra: 2 or 4p, 1 color per player, Inspired by Backgammon
Krump: 2p, 1 color per player, Abstract strategy
Logger: 2-4p, 5 colors + 2 opaque trios, Growing & chopping
Mandala: 2-5p, 5 colors, Set collection
Martian BackgammonP: 2p, 2 colors, Inspired by Backgammon
Mega VolcanoP, SDG: 1-4p, 9 colors, Competitive puzzle
Nile: 2p, 5 colors, Worker placement
PylonA: 2p, 2 colors, Placement & stacking
QuicksandA: 2p, 2 colors, Capture & rotation
SprawlA: 3-8p, 1 color per player, Building & blocking
Stack Control: 2-5p, 5 colors, Stacking & elimination
Subdivision: 2-4p, 1 color per player, Restricted placement
Synapse-Ice: 2p, 2 colors, Placement restriction
TorpedoA: 2-5p, 1 per player, Real-time strategy
UndercutA, 3-5p, 5 colors, Reverse auction
Volcano (Classic)P, SDG: 1-4p, 5 colors (plus caps)
ZagamiP: 4p, 4 colors, Engine building
ZarcanaP: 2-4p, 1 color per player, Territory control
ZendoA, P, SDG: 3-7p, 4 colors, Inductive reasoning

Six Trios per Color or More[edit | edit source]

CalderaP: 2-3p, 5 colors, Competitive puzzle

Number of Players[edit | edit source]

Choose the number of players you have on hand to play:

12345 678910

games for play groups that can be any size

Other Languages[edit | edit source]

Czech

Esperanto

French (Francaise)

German (Deutsch)

Polish (Polski)

Slovak

Spanish (Español)


Online Play[edit | edit source]

Online implementations of various games at: