Ivy

(The domino matrix game)

Players: 2 - 6

Time: 5 - 15 minutes per round

Complexity: 4/10

Setup

• This game requires: all 210 numbered cubes and a pen and paper to note the scores.

  • • Discard the 6 wildcubes either before the game, or as they are dealt throughout the game, whichever is easier.

• Each player selects one of the 6 playing colours to use during this game.

• Deal 10 cubes to each player, leaving the rest in the bag.

• Each player should turn their cubes so that their playing colour is on the side facing them, so that the other players can’t see their numbers.

Aim of the game

• The winner of each round of Ivy is the first player to get rid of all of their cubes and they will get 0 points. 

• All other players add up the remaining numbers of their colour and add an extra one for each cube they still have in their hand. This is their score for the hand.

  • • For example, if a player was playing as Red and they had three cubes left, one with a Red 0, one with a Red 1, and one with a Red 8, their score would be 0 + 1 + 8 + 3 =12.

• Whoever has the lowest score after you’ve played the same number of hands as there are players playing wins the game.

How to play

• Players will take it in turns (clockwise) to place their pieces with their colour face up into a grid where the numbers increase by one the next cube up or the next cube to the right, and decrease by one the next cube down or the next cube to the left. 

• Decide who is going first, this player gets one extra cube to start the round.

• They then choose one of their cubes to place in the middle of the table, with their colour face up.

• The next player clockwise round the table, can place a cube with their colour face up next to this cube. Either:

  • • one number lower to the left of this cube

    • one number lower below this cube

    • one number higher to the right of this cube

    • one number higher above this cube

• If on a player’s go, they can not make a legal move, they must pick up a new piece and play moves to the next player.

• If a player gets three pieces of their colour in a row, either:

  • • Vertically

    • Horizontally

    • Diagonally, where all three numbers are the same

then the players either side of them at the table have to pick up a new cube from the bag (when playing two or three player Ivy, this means everyone else picks up!)

• Play then moves as usual to the next player clockwise around the table, even if they have just picked up.

• If a player gets five pieces of their colour in a row, they can discard one of their pieces into a discard pile.

  • • For seven in a row they can discard two

    • For nine in a row they can discard three

    • For eleven in a row they can discard four

    • And so on…

• Even numbers (two, four, six etc,) in a row have no effect. (*MAY REMOVE THIS PART* - Unless for example, making a four in a row creates a new three in a row that wasn’t there before, in which case, players either side would have to pick up one cube)

• If a player makes more than one line in a single move, the above applies for each line. For example, if a player places one cube which creates a 3 in a row and a separate 5 in a row, then they get to discard a cube, and the players either side of them also have to pick up a cube.

• Instead of a single go, a player can choose to discard one of their cubes and take two new ones from the bag. Play then moves on to the next player.

• Play continues with players taking it in turns to place cubes, attempting to make the other players pick up and be the first player to finish their cubes.

• Add up the scores of each player for that round and then play as many rounds as there are players so that everyone gets to go first once each. You can move one of the wildcubes around to signify the player who goes first clockwise after each round. (When playing with two players, the advised number of rounds to play is 4).

• The lowest total score after all of the rounds is the winner.

• In the case of a tie, keep playing an extra round until there is an outright winner.

Possible alternative rules

• If you would like to play a co-operative version of this game see Co-operative Ivy.

• If you would like to play a longer, more complex, version of this game where the cubes stay on the table after each round see Poison Ivy.

• You can play a knockout version where each round, the person with the highest score is out and the rest continue for the next round, until there is a final between the last remaining two, and the first to finish their cubes is the overall winner.

• Finished one game? Let the winner make a new rule and play again!

• And, as always, add any other rules you like to have more fun!