Piecepack Expansions

A piecepack can be expanded in many ways. Different designers have

• changed something about the piecepack
• or added something to it
• or combined more than one in various ways
• or created a new game system that is strongly or loosely related to it.

Some of these are or were commercially available ($). Others are only available as a Print and Play version (PnP). Only a few have games invented for them (⚄).

Piecepack variants

These are full piecepacks which differ from a standard piecepack in some way. They were historically called "expansions".

Alternative piecepacks with standard structure

These are piecepacks that have different suits, colours or sizes. You can play any game with them that you can play with a standard piecepack. These don’t change the gameplay but add thematic variety.

• Playing cards ($⚄): French playing card suits (either red hearts and diamonds and black spades and clubs or the same colours as a standard piecepack)
• Four seasons ($⚄): suits for the four seasons with different colours than a standard piecepack
• Elemental ($⚄): suits for the four elements (earth, water, air, fire)
• Other suits (⚄): IcePack Games created their own "Piecepack Expanded" ($), Blue Panther created a "War & Piecepack" version with war suits ($), lots of PnP variants exist for other suits, e.g. dingbats, animals, etc.
• Other ranks: Some PnP piecepacks use non-standard ranks such as chess symbols.
• Mini piecepack (⚄): half the size of a standard piecepack

Piecepacks with a different structure

These have either more suits or more ranks. A different structure changes the gameplay.

• 5th suit: some elemental ($) and playing card piecepacks have a 5th suit
• 7th rank: some PnP variants include a 7th rank, a “6”
• Zodiac (a HoardPack) ($): 12 Zodiac sign suits, 3 suits per colour
• Chinese Zodiac: 12 Chinese Zodiac sign ranks per 5 suits
• Rainbow Deck: 6 suits in 2 shades each (= 12 suits)
• Nine Suit Piecepack: 9 suits and 8 ranks (see SensibleExpansions for its history)
• Packtet: 4 standard suits plus 11 more that are all combinations of the 4 suits (= 15 suits)

Extra components

Historically called "accessories".

• Piecepack pyramids ($⚄): sizes A-F of stackable pyramids per suit
• Pawn saucers ($⚄): 1 saucer per suit can either add direction to pawns or be an extra token
• Piecepack matchsticks (⚄): 6 sticks per 6 ranks/lengths per 4 suits (= 144 pieces)
• Piecepack dice cards: playing cards with all piecepack rank and suit combinations and more, alternative to using dice, see also paper dice
• suit die ($): die with all 4 suits, an ace and a null
• suit/rank die (⚄): take a suit die and add ranks 2-5 to the 4 suit faces so that each roll of the die can be interpreted as either a random suit or a random rank. There are more games that need a fifth die with six ranks then need a suit die.
• star coins ($): a coin with a star per suit
• tokens and money (⚄): generic game components that help count points and more, some versions exist that match piecepack designs

Combinations of piecepacks and other concepts

• SixPack (⚄): combination of a playing card and half a standard piecepack to form a piecepack with 3 red and 3 black suits
• DualPiecepacks (⚄): 2 piecepacks designed in a way which can be used as 2 piecepacks with 4 suits as well as 1 piecepack with 8 suits
• HoardPack: combination of 3 piecepacks with different suits but the same colours
• StackPack: combination of two piecepacks of various sizes so that the 4 tiles of one fit onto 1 tile of the other
• SensibleExpansions: thoughts on how to expand a piecepack with more suits and ranks and extra components

Related game systems

• Looney Pyramids, aka Icehouse Pieces ($⚄): 4 large Looney Pyramids fit onto 1 piecepack tile
• Deck of Playing Cards ($⚄): synergises well with a piecepack with playing card suits
• Mystique Deck ($⚄): playing cards in the 4 piecepack suits, in 3 colours and 5 ranks each
• Hexpack ($⚄): 24 hexagon tiles with the same suits and ranks as a piecepack, including some of the same alternative suits
• Rainbow Deck ($): an extended set of playing cards with 6 suits in 2 shades each (= 12 suits), 1 PnP piecepack matches those suits
• Dominoes ($⚄): standard dominoes are about 2" by 1" which fits well with 2" by 2" piecepack tiles