Ipso
Ipso Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
96 cards, divided as follows:
90 cards numbered 1 to 90:
- 18 green cards
- 18 magenta cards
- 18 blue cards
- 18 yellow cards
- 18 orange cards
6 Star cards
Goal of the Game
Build rows of ascending numbers to score the most points possible!
Setup
Shuffle the number cards and deal each player 14 cards, face down.
Use your 14 cards to build a pyramid of 4 facedown rows: 5 cards, then 4, then 3, then 2.
Place 1 Star card at the top of your pyramid. You can use this card at the end of the game.
The remaining cards form the draw pile.
How to Play
Flip the top 2 cards of the draw pile and place them face up in the center of the table. Keep the rest of the draw pile to one side.
Take turns clockwise, starting with the youngest player.
On your turn:
- Choose 1 of the 2 face-up cards in the center to replace 1 of the facedown cards in your pyramid.
- Flip the card you have replaced face up and place it in the center.
NOTE: Your final score depends on the colors of your cards and whether they contain stars.
Play passes to the next player.
Continue in the same way until all players have revealed all the cards in their pyramids.
IMPORTANT: You may only replace the facedown cards in your pyramid. You cannot replace a card you have added into your pyramid.
Final Round: Using Your Star Card
When all players have only face-up cards in their pyramids, return the 2 cards in the center to the bottom of the draw pile.
Next, each player chooses one of these two options:
- If you are happy with your pyramid: Keep your Star card to score yourself 3 extra points at the end of the game.
OR
- If you'd like to improve your pyramid: Discard your Star card to play 1 extra turn. If you do, draw the top card of the draw pile. You may swap it for a face-up card in your pyramid to improve one of your rows. If you do not wish to use the new card, discard it.
NOTE: You must discard your Star card, whether you keep the new card or not.
The game ends once all players have played this final turn.
End of the Game
You only score points for rows of ascending numbers. Discard any rows of cards that are not in ascending numerical order.
Count up your scores:
- A row of ascending numbers that contains more than 1 color scores 1 point per card.
- A row of ascending numbers of the same color scores 2 points per card.
- Score 1 point for each star in your valid rows.
- If you still have your Star card at the top of your pyramid, score an extra 3 points.
Scoring Example: 3 + 4 + 9 + 10 = 26 points
- A row scores 3 points.
- A row of the numbers 16, 32 scores 4 points (1 point per card + 2 points for stars).
- A row of the green numbers 13, 28, 73 scores 9 points (2 points per green card + 3 points for stars).
- A row of the numbers 1, 27, 20, 40 is discarded: not in ascending numerical order.
- A row of the numbers 9, 17, 59, 64, 85 scores 10 points (1 point per card + 5 points for stars).
The winner is the player who scores the most points. In case of a tie, the winner is the player with the most stars on their number cards. Still tied? You'll have to play again!
Variants
Odd and Even Rows
Follow the rules as normal. Once you have counted your points in the usual way, add 1 point per card for any rows that contain all odd or all even numbers.
Tournament Mode
Play 4 games, changing the direction of play each time. After the 4 games, count up your total points to determine the winner!
Credits
"A massive thank you to the fantastic team at Gigamic for their attentive ears and super work. Massive thanks also go to Fabienne Guillot, my family and friends, and to all the past, present and future players of IPSO!"
Game Designer: Alexandre Droit Illustrations: Pierre Bourgain Development & Copywriting: Caroline Ansel Head of Publishing: Alain Mihranyan
® & © GIGAMIC 2025