What is a PiecePack


The piecepack is a set of game parts that can be used to design and play a wide variety of games. The piecepack is to board games what an ordinary deck of playing cards is to card games, add rules and you have games. There are hundreds of rule sets available now, and more are being introduced all the time. Authors everywhere are invited to come up with their own rule sets to add to this growing collection
Blending all of the ingredients of flexibility, availability, classicism, a nod to playing cards, acknowledgment of board game necessities, some ideas come into play: tiles that are able to be configured into a multitude of boards, suits and values, tokens, dice, and pawns. From these raw materials, the piecepack has been forged. it is the first set of components, that has been designed specifically as a universal boardgame set.

PPE

Look at the Rule Sets from IcePack Games.

What is in a piecepack?

The basic piecepack consists of

  • 24 tiles: One tile per suit/value pair.  Suits are Suns (red), Moons (black), Crowns (yellow), Shields (blue). Values are null, ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. Faces have suit/value combination, backs are marked with checkerboards.
  • 24 coins: One coin per suit/value pair. Suits are Suns (red), Moons (black), Crowns (yellow), Shields (blue). Values are null, ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. Faces have value in black, backs are maked with suit, both sides have a direction mark.
  • 4 dice: One die per suit. Suits are Suns (red), Moons (black), Crowns (yellow), Shields (blue). Values are null, ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. Faces have suit/value combination and a direction mark.
  • 4 pawns: one pawn per color. Colors are red, black, yellow, blue.

What is the Piecepack Expanded?

The Piecepack Expanded includes the original 4 suits (moons, suns, crowns, arms) and 4 new suits (Swords, Arrows, Axes, Maces). Piecepack Pyramids for all 8 suits, 2 suit dice, and a carrying bag. Also included are a piecepack select rule book and a FREE rules cd-rom with over 100 rules sets.
It's over 150 pieces in nice a bag.

are there other piecepacks?

We have several varieties of piecepacks for you.

  • Card Suits - 4 suit set in 2 colors (hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs)
  • Seasons - 4 suit set in 4 colors (spring, summer, fall, winter)
  • Elemental - 5 suit set in 5 colors (earth, air, fire, water, electricity)
  • Zodiak - 12 suit set in 4 colors (zodiak symbols)

Common piecepack terms.

ace
n. a special value used on coins, tiles, and dice; the default numerical equivalent for an ace is 1, but rulesets often ascribe special meaning to the ace; an ace is represented by a suit symbol on tiles and dice, and by a swirl or spiral symbol on coins

arms
n. one of the four standard piecepack suits; the suit of arms is represented by the color blue and the shield symbol

coin
n. a disk-shaped token marked with a suit symbol (in associated color) on one side and a value (in black) on the other; there is one coin for each value and suit combination in a piecepack, for a total of 24 coins

crowns
n. one of the four standard piecepack suits; the suit of crowns is represented by either the color yellow and by a crown-shaped symbol

die
n. a cube with each side marked with one of the standard piecepack values; a piecepack has one die for each suit and the values on a die are marked in the color associated with its suit

face-down
adj. when referring to a tile, face-down indicates that the tile's value and suit are hidden; when referring to a coin, face-down indicates that the coin's value is hidden

face-up
adj. when referring to a tile, face-up indicates that the tile's value and suit are visible; when referring to a coin, face-up indicates that the coin's value is visible

facing
n. the direction indicated on a coin or tile by its pip

flick
v. to move a coin or other component using one's finger; to flick properly, the tip of the finger should begin on the table, and the motion of the finger should cause the fingernail to strike the edge of the coin

flip
v. to turn over a tile or coin so that the side previously hidden is now visible, and vice-versa

moons
n. one of the four standard piecepack suits; the suit of moons is represented by the color black and a quarter-moon symbol

null
n. a special value used on coins, tiles, and dice; the default numerical equivalent for a null is 0, but rulesets often ascribe special meaning to the null; a null is represented by the absence of a number or symbol

obverse
n. the side of a coin showing the value

pawn
n. a game token often used to represent a player's position on a game board; a piecepack contains one pawn for each suit, for a total of four pawns; a pawn is marked in the color associated with its suit and, ideally, is marked with the suit symbol as well

piecepack
1) n. a simple, flexible, public domain standard for abstract board games
2) n. a set of game components built for compatability with the piecepack standard; a piecepack consists of 24 tiles, 24 coins, 4 dice, and 4 pawns
3) adj. of or having to do with a piecepack

pip
1) n. a dot, small line, or other suitable symbol marked near the edge of a coin, which can be used to indicate facing
2) n. the suit symbol in the corner of a tile, which can be used to indicate facing

reverse
n. the side of a coin showing the suit

ruleset
n. a set of instructions for playing a game using a piecepack (possibly in conjunction with other components)

shake
v. to mix coins by agitating them so as to create a random distribution (in an opaque cup, an opaque bag, or an enclosure created with two hands cupped together)

shuffle
v. to mix face-down tiles so as to create a random distribution

suit
n. an arbitrary division or categorization of components; there are four standard piecepack suits: (in default order from highest to lowest) suns, moons, crowns, and arms

suns
n. one of the four standard piecepack suits; the suit of suns is represented by the color red and a sun-shaped symbol

tile
n. a square component marked with suit and value (in color associated with the suit) on one side and a two by two grid on the other; a piecepack contains one tile for each combination of suit and value, for a total of 24 tiles

value
n. the ordinal rank of a coin, tile, or die roll; there are six standard values for piecepack components: (in default order from lowest to highest) null, ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5