Pyramid Pick
Icehouse, The Martian Chess Set
Published by Looney Laboratories, Inc.
Principal Designers: Andrew Looney, John Cooper, Dawn Petrlik, Zarf & Jake, Alison Frane, and Kristin Looney
60 plastic pyramids, three rule books, and two reference cards, $35.00
Icehouse, The Martian Chess Set is not a single game, but rather a set of playing pieces used for a number of abstract strategy games. The rules to four games are included, and nine more games are currently available at the Looney Labs website. Each of these games capitalizes on the unique nature of the Icehouse playing pieces to create unique and clever board games.The 60 plastic, square based, hollow pyramids that make up the set come in four different colors and in three different sizes. The sturdy pieces stand up solidly and stack efficiently. Unlike traditional strategy board game pieces, such as Chess or Go, these pieces have various qualities (color, size, standing or lying down, and alone or stacked) that provide a springboard for creative game design. Some games depend on stacking, others on colors, and some on position and direction. These variations make Icehouse and its games an unrivaled experience.
Of the five games described below, the first four come with the Icehouse set. The last game, the eponymous Icehouse, is the game for which the pieces were originally developed and is available on the Looney Labs website.
Martian Chess
Martian Chess provides the second half of the set's name and puts an ingenious . . .This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: January 7, 2000
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