From IcehouseOrg

Flags (Vlajky) Jan Divecky Move upper pyramid to create a flag :Players Players: 2 - 4 :Time Length: unknown :Complexity Complexity: Medium Trios per color: 1 Number of colors: 10 Pyramid trios: Monochr. stashes: Five-color sets: 2 - - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - - goal cards Setup time: 1 minute Playing time: Strategy depth: Random chance: Some Game mechanics: Theme: Flags of nations BGG Link: Pyramids and Flags Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2010 For more details, visit the author's page













What is the game about?

Pyramids and Flags is a game for 2 to 4 players. It is an RX game; you will need one Rainbow and one Xeno set of Treehouse pyramids to play it. Out of these pyramids, players put together flags of specific countries from all over the world. Apart from the pyramids and goal cards, you will not need anything else.

You play with pyramids of ten colors. Flags are created out of black, white, yellow, blue, green and red pieces; purple, clear, orange and cyan pyramids are scoring pieces. Pyramids come in three sizes: small, medium and large. These sizes are indicated by one, two or three pips respectively. The size of pyramids matters!

Educative Game.





The Rules

The Goal Cards

The basic pack comes with 36 goal cards. We will use Czech Republic (Česko) as an example. Each card contains the following:

Country name in Czech (Česko)

Capital city name in Czech (Praha)

the country’s flag

picture showing what the flag looks like when made up of pyramids. (Given our example card, we can see a large blue pyramid on the bottom, on the top of it a medium red one, and on the very top a small white piece).

a simple map showing its position in the world

Country name in English (Czech Republic)

Some goal cards contain symbols representing inclusion in certain categories (EU membership).

Each of these facts is assigned a value in the form of a pyramid of a certain size:

ORANGE: Highest point of altitude above sea level (1602 m)

PURPLE: Number of Inhabitants (10.5 mil.)

CYAN: Average Annual Temperature (8°C)

CLEAR: GDP per Capita (USD $25,100)

Considering the Czech Republic example card, the Highest Point as well as the Number of Inhabitants is of an average size (medium pyramid each), Annual Temperature is below the average (small pyramid) and GDP is above the average (large pyramid).

How to Win the Game

You win the game instantly if you:

create your fifth flag

create your third flag from one group of states (EU, Africa, Caribbean, Oil Exporting countries)

have eight points worth of scoring pyramids

Before the Game

Place the black, white, blue, green, yellow and red pyramids in nests on the table or any other playing surface.

The remaining pyramids (cyan, orange, purple and clear) will be used later used for scoring. Place them in a separate bank off to the side.

Shuffle the goal cards and deal each player four of them. Goal cards may not be shown to anyone.

The owner of the goal cards goes first. Players take turns clockwise, one after another.

On Your Turn

On your turn, you must move one single pyramid from the table or one or more topmost pyramids of a tower. The pyramid(s) can be placed directly on the table or on the top of any other pyramid or pyramid tower. But:

You cannot place a pyramid on top of a smaller pyramid. (When moving more pyramids, the bottom pyramid sets the size.)

You cannot move the very same piece(s) that has just been moved by player during the previous turn. (F.e. if he or she moved a single pyramid, you can still move it as part of a tower. Or if he or she moved let´s say two pyramids, you can still move the top piece alone.)

You can use your turn to change one of your goal cards, instead of moving pyramids.

How to Create a Flag

If you assemble a flag depicted on one of your goal cards, put this card face-up on the table and announce that you have completed it. (Even if your flag is completed by someone else by chance, it counts as “mission accomplished” and you still complete the goal out of turn.)

It is not necessary for a tower to consist only of the pieces making up your flag.

It does not matter if there are other pieces under (or above) the pyramids that make up your flag.

It is crucial, though, that the pieces your flag consists of the sizes and colors required.

It is not allowed for any other pieces to interrupt the flag.

When you complete a goal, you may either capture two scoring pyramids out of the bank or capture one of your opponent's scoring pyramids. In both cases, you can only capture pyramids of the exact color and size indicated on the goal card. As the flag creator, you choose which pyramids to capture, and where to capture them from. (For example, after having created the Czech flag, you may capture one of the following pyramids from an opponent of your choice: a medium orange, medium purple, small cyan or large clear piece. You may also capture any two (or just one) of these pieces from they Bank, if they are still there.)

After you make a capture, draw a new goal card.

End of the Game

The game ends instantly when one player meets any one of the winning conditions. (Memo: 3+5=8 > three cards from one group, 5 cards, 8 points - see scoring)

Scoring

Each scoring pyramid represents one point. If you can create a tree out of your scoring pyramids, each tree counts for five points (instead of three). A single-color tree has the value of seven points. (This is the same scoring method used in Volcano.)

Advanced rules for more experienced players

Actions

No flag consists of three same-color pyramids in the shape of a tree. If you manage to build such a tower, you are entitled to an extra action; the character of this action depends on the color of the tree you created.

RED TREE: (Destroy) Disassemble any number of towers you please into single pyramids.

BLUE TREE: (Trade) Swap one scoring pyramid with one of your opponents. (You choose both pyramids being swapped.)

GREEN TREE: (Grow) Draw two more goal cards to your hand and keep them.

YELLOW TREE: (New start) Gather up all goal cards from hands of all players. Shuffle them up, and deal them out evenly, starting by yourself.

BLACK TREE: (Pirate) Steal one goal card from hands of one of your opponents.

WHITE TREE: (Wild) Choose one of Actions stated above.

Development of rules

Replacement of cards - a player can use his turn to exchange one of his goal-cards for new one. (Put the old card to the bottom of the deck.)

New goal and end of the game set by 3+5=8 rule

Draw 4 cards in the beginning of the game.

Put scoring pyramids into neutral bank in the beginning of the game.

New Actions (for creating single color tree)

No limit of how many topmost pyramids in a tower you can move.

Do not disassemble created flag into single pyramid pieces.

Take 2 scoring pyramids from neutral bank or 1 scoring pyramid from you opponent after creating a flag.

Credits

Thanks to Ryan Hackel for playtesting and help in developing rules.