For the final game of September utilizing Looney Pyramids I’ve opted for a quirky little sport-themed game; Penguin Soccer.
The game was initially created by Avri Klemer in 2007 to utilize the pyramids, although subsequently a Penguin Soccer game with actual penguin-shaped pieces has been brought to market by Nestor Games.
If you have pyramids you are best to use them. While Penguin Soccer has its charm, and admittedly penguin pieces would perhaps add to that charm, the game is not one I’d invest to have a specific game set for. Using the pyramids on-hand however make this one an appealing one for occasional play.
So a bit of the fluff to start.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that everybody loves seeing penguins sliding around on the ice. And soccer is the world’s game, right? So take some cute families of penguins, give them an icy soccer field and a ball, and watch the slippery goodness that ensues,” notes https://sites.google.com/site/penguinsoccergame/ a site dedicated to the game complete with selling t-shirts.
“Penguin Soccer is a game in the tradition of Chess, Checkers and Go. There are no dice, no cards, no random elements - only the skill of the two players. But instead of stern soldiers marching about a battlefield, or abstract stones on a grid, Penguin Soccer is about two families of penguins sliding and spinning and chasing a soccer ball across a frozen field!”
Now while Penguin Soccer is an abstract strategy game which puts it in the same diverse family as Go and Chess, don’t expect a game near as deep, or brilliant. It even plays lighter than checkers for the most part. This one is about some simpler fun.
Still, I like this use of Looney Pyramids for a number of reasons, starting with it using a standard 8X8 board, something most people have from checkers or chess.
The ruleset is available to download at www.nestorgames.com, but here are the basics for readers.
The board is set at 45 degrees so it is a diamond between the players, with each sitting at a corner, opposite the other. Each player controls a family of three penguins, each in a unique colour. A family consist of a mama (biggest pyramid), a papa (medium) and a baby (small).
All penguins begin the game off the board.
“All penguins start off the board and may only enter the field of play by sliding from off the board into the Home square. Penguins off the board are considered upright, and can enter (sliding) their Home square facing the three directions leading “away” from that square. Therefore, a mama penguin’s first move will always end in the Home square, a papa’s in the second row and/or column, a baby’s in the third row and/or column.
No opposing penguin may ever enter another player’s Home, even if pushed there!
The red ball is placed on the intersection of the central 4 spaces. The first time a penguin reaches any of the four centre squares, the ball is collected in that square.
The game has a simple objective, score a single goal by getting the ball to the home square opposite. A ball placed in the Goal square always count as a goal, even if there is a penguin on that square.
As you might expect the three penguins have differing abilities. A mama can only slide (move) one square or kick three squares. A papa can slide two squares or kick two squares. A baby can slide three squares or kick one square.
From the Nestor Games site, “each turn a player must make a move with one of their penguins. A move consists of one of the following -- sliding, standing or kicking.
Sliding: from an upright position a penguin can lie down and slide in any of the eight directions.
For each square slid, a penguin’s orientation may be rotated 45 degrees. For papas and babies (who can move more than one square per turn) the direction of the slide continues in the original orientation.…
“A penguin who starts his turn lying on the ice and pointed in one of the eight directions may again slide in that direction, spinning or not spinning irrespective of any previous move.
A penguin with the ball may not slide. The ball can only be moved by kicking it.
“When a penguin reaches the square containing the ball, it immediately ends its slide and stands up (so the ball and the penguin are on the same square).”
Instead of sliding, a penguin (lying on the ice) that is oriented in any one of the eight directions may stand up. This ends the turn. But it does allow them on a subsequent turn to slide in a different direction. By the way the direction is easily noted with the pyramids using their point.
Kicking: only the penguin with the ball may kick.
To kick the ball, the upright penguin with the ball orients in its current square in one, and the ball travels in that direction, depending on the penguin doing the kicking.
“The ball never leaves the ice (webbed feet, you see) so cannot be kicked over penguins. If the ball is kicked to a square containing any penguin, that penguin immediately stands up with the ball and the kicking player’s turn ends,” note the rules.
“The tackled penguin is pushed one square in the direction the tackler was moving, and oriented in the direction of the push. This may result in a line of pushed and reoriented penguins, or even a penguin shoved off of the field entirely! Penguins who are shoved off the field may be played as usual from their home square on a subsequent turn.”
The rules are straight forward. The decisions not overly complicated, so mark Penguin soccer as light game fare, but on a winter’s afternoon, hey why not let the penguins play, and it is certainly more fun than watching real soccer on TV.
