CrackeD ICE

An Icehouse game that you play on a CD

Designed by Andrew Plotkin, Elliott Evans, Daniel Efran

What you need

Players: 3 to 5
Time: 10-25 minutes
Pieces: One stash per player, plus one large piece
Extra: A compact disc (CD)

Setup

Place the additional large Icehouse piece in the middle of the table. Balance the disc on the it, silvery side up, so that the point of the pyramid goes through the hole in the center of the disc, and the disc is level.

How to play

Choose a player to start the first round. Take turns placing one piece from your stash on the disc. You may not touch the disc or any pieces other than the one you are playing. You should not move any of the pieces that have already been placed. Play all pieces upright. You may not place a piece so that it is resting on or covering any pieces that have already been played. You may not place a piece over the tip of the piece that supports the disc. Even if the disk seems full, you must still attempt to place a piece.

If you place a piece and "the ice does not crack", play passes to the next player. "The ice cracks" if the edge of the disc touches the table, any piece on the disc touches the table, or any piece falls or slides off the disc onto the table.

If you place a piece and the ice cracks, you have lost the round. Take back all of the pieces you have placed this round. Remove the other players' pieces from play. They remain safe for the rest of the game. You start the next round. If you crack the ice playing the first piece in a round, you may either try again (with that piece or another) or pass to the next player.

If you place your last piece without cracking the ice, you win!

Credits

Hashing out the rules: Andrew Plotkin, Elliott Evans, Daniel Efran
Beta-testing: Becca Stallings, Paul Mazaitis
Photography: Elliott Evans
Computer effects: Andrew Plotkin
Compact disc supplier: America Online

Sample round

(or, Zarf messes around with Bryce)

The setup. (That's a large white piece in the center, but only the tip is visible.)

Red leads with a small piece.

Green plays a small piece too.

Blue plays a medium.

Red daringly plays a large.
Green plays a small.

Blue plays large, at the very edge of the disc.
Red plays a medium.
Green (the wimp) plays a small in back.

Red plays another large piece, and cracks the disk. Unfortunately, the resulting energy release destroyed our cameras before the play could be recorded. Green and Blue remove their pieces from the game, and (after treatment for radiation poisoning) Red begins the next round.

Playing CrackeD ICE on an antimatter planet is recommended for experienced players only.

Last updated July 11, 2002.

Zarfhome (map) (down)