Turning Points
| Turning Points | ||
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Kisenwether | ||
| Pyramids spin like interconnected gears as each new piece is added | ||
| Players: | 1 - 6 | |
| Length: | Short | |
| Complexity: | Low | |
| Trios per color: | 1 | |
| Number of colors: | 4 | |
| Setup time: | 1 min | |
| Playing time: | 5 - 10 | |
| Strategy depth: | Medium | |
| Random chance: | None | |
| Game mechanics: | Reactions | |
| Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2004 | ||
Overview[edit | edit source]
Turning Points is a puzzle-strategy game where the pieces on the board react like cogs in a machine to each new piece that is added. Players try to get the most pyramids to be pointing at themselves by the end of the game.
Materials[edit | edit source]
9-25 pyramids in any sizes/colors and a grid
| Players | Pyramids Needed | Grid |
|---|---|---|
| 1 player | 20 pyramids in 4 different colors | 4×4 square grid |
| 2 players | 16 pyramids in any colors | 4×4 square grid |
| 3 players | 9 pyramids in any colors | 3×3 hex grid |
| 4 players | 25 pyramids in any colors | 5×5 square grid |
| 5 players | 16 pyramids in any colors | 4×4 hex grid |
| 6 players | 16 pyramids in any colors | 4×4 hex grid |
Play[edit | edit source]
- Randomly select a start player.
- Each turn consists of placing one pyramid lying down in an empty grid space, pointing at another grid space or at the edge of the board.
- If the grid space that the pyramid is pointing to has a piece in it, that piece turns clockwise.
- This newly-rotated pyramid may point to another piece, which will in turn rotate clockwise and may consequently rotate another piece, and so on.
- The turn is over when all affected pieces have been rotated. An empty space breaks the chain.
Example turn: A 4-player game is in progress. The pyramids are arranged as shown.
The current player places the black pyramid.
The black pyramid causes yellow to rotate 90 degrees,
which causes the blue pyramid to rotate 90 degrees,
which causes the purple pyramid to rotate 90 degrees,
which causes the green pyramid to rotate 90 degrees,
which causes the red pyramid to rotate 90 degrees.
The chain reaction stops when red points at an empty space. Note that it doesn't matter that red is pointing at yellow across a gap; yellow does not get affected because it is not in the square directly adjacent to red.
Game End[edit | edit source]
Game end is triggered when the last space on the board is filled and the last rotation action has been performed as a result. The winner is the person with the most pyramids pointing at him- or herself.
Solo Variant[edit | edit source]
For the solo game, the goal is still to have the most pyramids pointing toward yourself, but in this case, colors matter. You will need five pyramids in four colors. Use a 4×4 grid and place one pyramid on the table next to each side. These pyramids serve to give each side of the board a color designation.
| ul | ur | ||||
| lr | ll | ||||
- Place the other 16 pyramids in a draw-bag.
- Each side of the grid now has a designated color. Every time you draw a pyramid, you must place it such that it points toward its own color's side. (So all yellow pyramids must be placed such that they point west, toward the yellow side, and all blue pyramids must be placed pointing north.)
- It is only the initial placement that is restricted like this; pyramids already on the board will later be rotated in other directions, which is fine.
- As in the multiplayer games, each pyramid pointing toward you at the end of the game counts for one point.
| Solo Game Scorecard | |
|---|---|
| Points | Result |
| 0–3 points | You’re sitting on the wrong side of the table. |
| 4–7 points | You’re not even trying, are you? |
| 8–11 points | Not bad, but you can do better. |
| 13–15 points | Excellent! |
| 16 points | Admit it! You cheated! |
Though it is technically possible to achieve a score of 16 points in the solo game, you must draw pieces in exactly the right order.
Credits[edit | edit source]
Turning Points was designed by Joseph Kisenwether, 2004.
External Links[edit | edit source]
- The rules to Turning Points are available online.
- Turning Points on BoardGameGeek
| Entered in the Icehouse Game Design Competition, Summer 2004 |
|---|
| Winner: Sprawl 2nd: Missile Command 3rd: Turning Points 4th: Moscow Ice |
| 5th: Breakthrough 6th (tie): Martian Shogi and Venusian Bowling |
| 8th: Antshouse 9th: Limn 10th (tie): Arena and the Icehouse Null Game |