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Telec

A 2-Player Abstract Race Game Using A Piecepack And Piecepack Pyramids

Version Number1
Version DateJune 2002
Number of Players2
Approximate Length of Game30 min.
Equipment Needed1 piecepack, piecepack pyramids
AuthorMichael Schoessow
Copyright
License Agreement

Introduction

Telic is an abstract race game involving both luck and strategy. It is played on a 4x5 gridded board constructed out of piecepack tiles, and takes about half an hour to play.

Required Components

From a standard piecepack:

Setup

First, construct the board. This will require the red, blue, and black piecepack tiles, suit side up, and the two coins. The two players sit on opposite sides of the playing table with the board placed between them (as in Chess, for example). The board is five tiles deep and four tiles wide from the players' points of view. One player is red and the other is blue. When constructing the board, orient the red tiles so the numbers are easily read by red and orient the blue tiles so they are easily read by blue. The board consists of 5 rows of 4 tiles each. The two middle spaces of row 3 don't have tiles (that is, there's a 1x2 hole in the board). Place the tiles in the following configuration:

Blue Player
red 5 blue null blue ace red 4
blue 2 black ace black 4 blue 3
black 2 hole hole black 3
red 3 black 5 black null red 2
blue 4 red ace red null blue 5
Red Player

Each tile comprises one space on the board, so the board contains eighteen spaces, not including the hole in the center.

Now take the two coins, oriented number side up, and place them within the hole in the board, one of them next to (touching) the black 2 tile and the other next to (touching) the black 3 tile. The coins should be centered between the tiles above and below them. The hole in the center of the board is called the Center Zone, and these two coins indicate the positions of the only two entrances into it. Think of the coins as "stepping stones" down into the Center Zone.

The red player takes the red die and the twelve red pyramids. and the blue player takes the blue die and the twelve blue pyramids. Players keep their dice and pyramids within easy reach on their own sides of the table.

Object Of The Game

Each player tries to move all of their pyramids into the Center Zone while obstructing their opponent. The first player to accomplish this wins the game.

Beginning The Game

Blue goes first, then players alternate turns. At the beginning of the game there are no pyramids on the board.

To start the game, blue rolls her die and moves one pyramid (player's choice as to which pyramid) onto the space indicated. Red then takes his first turn in the same way.

Following the first two turns of the game (one for blue and one for red), players usually have a choice at the beginning of each turn; they may either roll their die and try to move another pyramid onto the board, or they may forgo rolling and move one of their pyramids or stacks of pyramids already on the board.

Pyramids on the board should always be oriented so their suit icons face the player who owns them. Then from each player's point of view their own pyramids will show their colored suit icon while all of the other player's pyramids will not. This arrangement makes it easy for the players to keep track of which pieces they own.

Moving Pyramids Onto The Board

To move a pyramid onto the board, a player first rolls the die. This indicates which space the pyramid moves onto. One of four situations will arise:

1. The space indicated by the die is vacant.

Then a pyramid must be moved onto that space. The player chooses which size pyramid of his remaining stock (called his stash) to move onto the space.

2. The space is occupied by another of the player's pyramids or stacks of pyramids (that is, a friendly piece).

In this case, the player may move a pyramid onto the board by stacking it onto the top of the pyramid or Stack already there, but the new pyramid must be smaller than the one it is being stacked onto. If the player doesn't have a pyramid that satisfies this requirement in his stash, or decides not to make this play, then his turn is forfeit. Stacks may be built up to six high, provided that in all cases each pyramid in the Stack is smaller than the one below it.

3. The space is occupied by one of the other player's single pyramids (not a Stack).

If the player whose turn it is has a bigger pyramid in his stash, then he may Bump the other player's pyramid off the board and put his own pyramid in its place. The bumped pyramid is not permanently out of the game, but is instead returned to the other player who adds it to her stash of pyramids not yet on the board. If he does not have a bigger pyramid, or if he chooses not to make a move, then his turn is forfeit.

4. The space is occupied by a Stack of the other player's pyramids.

In this case, the current player's turn is forfeit.

The rules of stacking are as follows:

When a player no longer has any pyramids remaining in his stash, his turn must consist of moving a pyramid or Stack already on the board.

Movement Of Pyramids And Stacks Already On The Board

Following each player's first turn, they usually have a choice at the beginning of subsequent turns; either roll the die and try to move a pyramid onto the board, or forgo rolling and move a piece that is already on the board. The previous section described the rules for moving a pyramid onto the board; this section will describe the rules of movement for pyramids and Stacks already on the board.

The movement rule for all Singles and Stacks is, one space per turn, orthogonally. No diagonal moves are allowed. The four corner spaces of the board are special, however; opposite corners are considered "virtually adjacent". This means that a piece may move from the red 5 tile directly to the blue 5 tile (or vice versa) in one move. Similarly, pieces may move between the red 4 tile and the blue 4 tile in one move.

When moving Singles or Stacks, two related operations are allowed. These are Stacking and Bumping.

Stacking

A Single or a Stack may be moved onto a space already occupied by a friendly Single or Stack and the two stacked together to form a Stack containing all the pyramids of the original Singles and/or Stacks. However, this operation may only be performed if the rules of stacking (described in the previous section) are followed.

Bumping

When a piece is moved onto a space already occupied by an opposing piece of equal or lesser power, the opposing piece is Bumped off the board and returned to its owner to be added to their stash. The piece that did the Bumping takes over its space.

The power of pieces is as follows:

Movement of a piece into the Center Zone may only occur from the black 2 tile or the black 3 tile. This is indicated by the two coins. The Center Zone may not be entered from the black ace, 4, 5, or null tiles. As Singles and/or Stacks are moved into the Center Zone, they are removed from the board and are out of the game. Once a piece moves into the center zone, it may never be moved back out.

End Of Game And Winning

The first player to move all of their pyramids into the Center Zone wins the race and thus the game. Pyramids may be moved into the Center Zone in any form (as Singles or as Stacks of 2-6 pyramids) and in any order. When a piece is moved into the Center Zone, it is immediately removed from the game.