Launchpad 23
| Launchpad 23 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Looney | ||
| The challenge: Be the first to build a complete and balanced 5 stage rocket! The problem: Rocket parts roll out of the factory on a random schedule and are often misrouted to other launchpads! | ||
| Players: | 2 - 4 | |
| Length: | Fast | |
| Complexity: | Simple | |
| Trios per color: | 2 | |
| Number of colors: | 5 | |
| - - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - - | ||
| Pyramid die, Color die, 3x3 grid | ||
| Setup time: | 1 minute | |
| Playing time: | 15 minutes - 30 minutes | |
| Game mechanics: | IceDice | |
| BGG Link: | Launchpad 23 | |
| Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2011 | ||
Launchpad 23 is a pyramid game designed by Andrew Looney. It is packaged with IceDice.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: I'm confused about movement...
- A: When reading the rules, people sometimes jump to conclusions that lead to confusion (particularly when they've played a lot of other pyramid games, which often have similar but different rules). Here are some reminders & clarifications to clear up general confusion:
- You can move ANY piece in a tower, not just the topmost piece.
- All pieces move one space at a time, regardless of size.
- Only the four corner spots are Launchpads -- the board as a whole is called the Launch Complex.
- A: When reading the rules, people sometimes jump to conclusions that lead to confusion (particularly when they've played a lot of other pyramid games, which often have similar but different rules). Here are some reminders & clarifications to clear up general confusion:
- Q: The game seems like it's just a race to get right part on the dice. Whenever a piece we wanted popped up in the factory, it was moved two spaces to our launchpad (cause we always had two moves). Am I missing something?
- A: Yes. You have to be mean enough to also be shoving unwanted parts onto your opponent's launchpad.
- Q: The auto-sort stack is only for visual convenience, right?
- A: Yes. You can take any part out of the stack. Auto-sorting just makes all of the pieces within each tower visible at once, plus it makes all the towers look like little rockets.
- Q: Can I change the size of the rocket parts I'm trying to get with a total system failure?
- A: It is not required that your rocket must match the size of your starting piece. You can get rid of your starting piece by Total System Failure, or just by moving it off your launchpad.
- Q: If I roll something for which there were no pieces in the bank, and both are in the factory, so there's no one to steal from, can I reroll?
- A: Yes. But you only get one re-roll per turn. If you can't place a piece on your second roll, then you don't place a piece (but you still can make moves based on your second roll).
- Q: On my turn can I move multiple pieces?
- A: Yes.
The game uses a 3x3 custom board, one Treehouse set per player, and the pair of IceDice dice.
Links[edit | edit source]
| Featured in Pyramid Primer |
|---|
| IceDice · Treehouse · Pharaoh · Pikemen |
| Launchpad 23 · Black ICE · Zark City · Caldera |
| Martian Chess · Martian Coasters · World War 5 |
| IceTowers · Homeworlds |
| Featured in Pyramid Arcade |
|---|
| Black ICE · Color Wheel · Give or Take · Hijinks |
| Homeworlds · Ice Dice · Ice Towers · Launchpad 23 |
| Looney Ludo · Lunar Invaders · Martian Chess · Petal Battle |
| Petri Dish · Pharaoh · Powerhouse · Pyramid-Sham-Bo |
| Treehouse · Twin Win · Verticality · Volcano |
| World War 5 · Zark City |