Chaos Tiles
Chaos Tiles Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
General Rules
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The larger tile is called a VEK (it's convex). The smaller tile is called a KAY (it's concave). There are 50 Veks and 40 Kays in the set of 90 Chaos Tiles. At the start of a game, all of these tiles are face down (no color pips showing) in the BONEYARD. For a smaller game, eliminate one or two colors.
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Each person starts a game drawing 'five' tiles from the boneyard. This is the player's HAND. The pieces are kept secret from the other players. In terms of hand size only, a vek is considered one tile and a kay is considered half a tile. A player could start with five veks, or ten kays, or four veks + two kays. When a player finishes a turn, they redraw to 'five' tiles. Less experienced players can hold more than five tiles in their hand, as a handicap.
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The youngest starts the game by first playing a random single piece from the boneyard (Move Zero), then taking a normal turn. This is the start of the BLOB, which will grow each move. Play passes counterclockwise.
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A normal move consists of applicable free moves, then playing a single piece anywhere, then making more applicable free moves. Pieces must be played with full side to side contact with another piece in the Blob. They do not need to match color. Holes in the blob are legal. Unfillable regions (such as two adjacent 120 degree angles) are legal. A play which makes a 20 degree angle is illegal.
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A player may forfeit their turn in order to exchange any number of tiles from the boneyard. When finished, they should have 'five' tiles in their hand (see rule 2).
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A CLUMP is a connected group of pips having the same color.
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The game ends when the Boneyard runs out of either Kays or Veks.
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FREE MOVE. Three Sides Rule. During their turn, a player may make an AUXILIARY move by playing a piece from their hand that will touch on three sides. In the sample game (illustrated on the original page), all of the moves with an 'a' are auxiliary moves. If the setup allows, a player may keep making auxiliary moves until their hand is empty.
Game One -- Chaos Omelet
On their turn, a player may add a single piece anywhere that touches the Blob. A player may also make any number of Auxiliary Moves (see rule 9). If any Clumps grow in size, the player gains a score equal to the product of the sizes of those Clumps. Thus, if a player grows clumps of size 2, 3, and 5 during their turn, they would score 30 points. Whoever has the highest total score at the end of the game, wins.
Game Two -- Tiles Transfer
On their turn, a player may add a single piece anywhere that touches the Blob. A player may also make any number of Auxiliary moves (see Rule 9) or Transfer Moves (see rule 10), if available. During their turn, a player may also claim a color for the rest of the game. No-one else may claim that color thereafter. If only two people are playing, then each player may claim two colors. Whoever has the biggest Clump of their color at the end of the game wins.
In the sample game on the original page, the second player claims Yellow on turn 4.
The original page also poses a position in which the opponent has just claimed red, and asks what the best move is (answer shown by clicking the image on the page). The position is an image and is not reproduced here.
Game Three -- Scorer's Solitaire
Play the game Tiles Transfer alone. To win, every color must have a clump of size twelve or larger.
Game Four -- Go Asunder
Make a figure with some number of the tiles, then play the game of Go on the tiles.
Game Five -- Cruel Duos
If you ignore the dots and sides, there are 97 ways to put two tiles together (if you don't ignore them, there are 186 ways to put two tiles together). Print out the list. Play a Kay or Vek each turn, ignoring dots. As you play any duos on the list, in any orientation, claim it with your initials. When the tiles are exhausted, whoever has claimed the most duos wins.
Game Six -- Micropentagons
In this game, you receive a point each time you make a clump of five spots of any color. Use the standard rules, with transfers and auxiliary moves. Once a clump of five is made, no more points can be made from that particular clump.
Puzzles and Further Questions
Many puzzles can be made and solved with Chaos Tiles. Though they each contain a slightly different flavor, they also contain aspects of both skill and luck of the draw. Many games, such as Yahtzee or those found at a casino online also contain this blend of strategy and luck.
The designer poses these open questions:
- How many different convex shapes are possible?
- How many of the 97 two tile combinations can be made simultaneously with the 90 tile set?
- In the game Tiles Transfer, what is the maximum possible total score for all five players?
- Can the pieces be put in the holding tray so that no colors match?
- What is the hidden puzzle on this page?
- What puzzles and games can you come up with?