TowerBrix Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Materials
• For New Players: The Intro Variant
  • Goal
  • Game Setup
  • Gameplay
  • 1. Prepare the Round
  • 2. Build the Tower
    • What counts as a tower?
    • Example "Build the Tower" phase
  • 3. Evaluate the Tower
  • 4. Clean Up
  • End of the Game
• For Experienced Players: The Base Game
  • Goal
  • Game Setup
  • Gameplay
  • 1. Prepare the Round
  • 2. Build the Tower
  • 3. Evaluate the Tower
  • 4. Clean Up
  • End of the Game
  • Tips and Tricks
• For Those Who Work Alone: The Solo Game
  • Goal
  • Game Setup
  • Gameplay
  • End of the Game
• For Creatives: The Challenges
  • Goal
  • Game Setup
  • Gameplay
  • Challenges

Game Materials

• 9 Bricks (2 each of yellow, purple, red, blue, plus 1 gray)
• 110 Cards:
  • 50 Green condition cards (28 two-point cards, 22 three-point cards)
  • 55 Pink condition cards (32 two-point cards, 23 three-point cards)
  • 5 Overview cards

Important: The sketches on the condition cards are only examples intended to illustrate the condition. You do not have to arrange the bricks exactly like them.

For New Players: The Intro Variant

Play the intro variant to quickly learn the rules of the game.

Goal

In each round, work together to build a tower that fulfills all of the condition cards dealt out in as few attempts as possible. Can you fulfill one additional condition in each new round?

Game Setup

1. Take the 28 two-point green cards out of the box. Shuffle the cards and place them in a stack at the edge of the playing area. Leave space for a discard pile. Place the "Intro Variant Overview" card next to it. You do not need the remaining cards for this variant.
2. Place two yellow, two purple, two red and two blue bricks in the middle of the playing area. You do not need the gray brick for this variant.

Intro Variant Overview card: Materials needed: Bricks: 2x yellow, 2x purple, 2x red, 2x blue; Cards: Green 2-point cards. Goal: Finish 3 rounds with as few attempts as possible! Deal the following number of cards for each round: Round 1: 1 card per person; Round 2: 1 card per person + 1 extra card; Round 3: 1 card per person + 2 extra cards. Assessment: Are all the bricks in use? Are all conditions fulfilled? Yes: Super! You've successfully completed the round. No: Repeat the same round with the same number of cards.

Gameplay

A game consists of three rounds, each with the following four phases:

1. Prepare the Round
2. Build the Tower
3. Evaluate the Tower
4. Clean Up

1. Prepare the Round

Each of you now receives cards face down from the stack. Each card has a condition on it that your tower must fulfill in the end. You are not allowed to read out or describe the conditions on your cards to the others! In each new round, you as a team receive one additional card.

• Round 1: Number of cards = Number of players
• Round 2: Number of cards = Number of players + 1
• Round 3: Number of cards = Number of players + 2

Divide the cards as evenly as possible amongst all players. In Round 1, everyone gets one card each. From Round 2 onwards, some of you will get multiple cards.

Example: There are five of you and you have just played your first round with five cards. You have successfully completed the round and are now starting the second round. For this, you draw six new cards. You divide the cards evenly (everyone now has one card face down in front of them, one card remains). You decide together who gets a second card.

If there are not enough cards left in the draw stack, shuffle the discard pile and place it as a new stack.

2. Build the Tower

You must now attempt to build one tower that fulfills the conditions of all the cards that have been dealt. While doing so, follow these guidelines:

• Read carefully: Read your card(s) thoroughly. You may refer to them again at any point during the building process.
• Don't reveal anything: You may not share any specific information on your card(s) while building. You may not show the other players your condition card(s), read them out loud, or describe them.
• Use every brick: All eight of the bricks you set out must be used in the tower.
• Just go for it: There's no set turn order. You all work on building the tower at the same time. Any player can step in whenever they feel they need to partly or completely rebuild the tower.
  • Tip: It helps for one player to begin by building the tower according to their card condition(s), and then the other players can modify it.
• Thumbs up: When all of the conditions on your cards are met, you can signal this to the other players with a thumbs up. If the conditions are no longer met, take back the thumbs up and keep building until everyone is satisfied with the result.
  • Tip: If another player places a brick in a way that violates one of your conditions, you can tell them, for instance by saying "no," as long as you don't share details.
• Build it stably: The tower must be able to stand freely. This means that you cannot support it with your hands or any other materials.

When everyone has given a thumbs up to signal that their conditions are met, the build phase ends. Place your cards face up on the table.

What counts as a tower?

A construction counts as a tower when all of the bricks are connected. (Illustrated with allowed and not allowed examples.)

Example "Build the Tower" phase

The following green condition cards were dealt face down:

• At least one red brick only touches one other brick.
• At least three bricks are horizontal.
• At least two bricks are diagonal.
• No blue brick touches the playing surface.
• The highest brick is purple or red. (If multiple bricks are equally high, they must all be purple or red.)

Three example towers are shown.

Note on example tower 2: Although the purple and yellow bricks are both at the top of this tower, the purple brick counts as the "highest brick" because its highest point is higher than the yellow one.

Note on example tower 3: Since the purple and red bricks are the same height, both count as the "highest bricks." However, both do not necessarily have to be the same color, since the condition only states that the highest brick must be purple or red.

3. Evaluate the Tower

Have you used all the bricks and has everyone finished making adjustments? Then check whether the tower really fulfills all the condition cards that were dealt. To do this, read each card out loud and check that the conditions are really met. Now there are two possibilities:

• All conditions are fulfilled: Congratulations, you did it!
• One or more conditions are not fulfilled: Unfortunately, you were not successful. Try the round again the same way with new cards.

4. Clean Up

• Place the condition cards you just used on the discard pile.
• Dismantle the current tower and place all bricks back in the middle of the playing area.
• Now start again with Phase 1, "prepare the round."

Important: Did you successfully build the tower? Then play the next round with one additional condition card. If not, repeat the current round and deal the same number of cards in Phase 1 as before. In this case, the new attempt does not count as a new round.

End of the Game

The game ends after three rounds. How many attempts did you need to complete all three rounds?

Now you know the principle of the game and can continue with the base game.

For Experienced Players: The Base Game

Goal

In each round, build a tower together that fulfills all the condition cards dealt. Score as many points as possible over the course of three rounds!

Game Setup

1. Choose one of the two decks of cards: the green cards are a little easier, the pink cards are a little more challenging. Put the other deck aside, you won't need it.
2. The cards are marked with a 2 or 3 on the back. Sort the cards into two stacks according to the number on their backs, so that you have one stack of 2s and one stack of 3s. Shuffle both stacks separately and place them at the edge of the playing area. Leave space next to each stack for the corresponding discard pile.
3. Prepare the required bricks and overview cards according to your choice of deck.
   • If you're playing with the green cards: Set out 2 bricks of each color (2x yellow, 2x purple, 2x red, 2x blue). You don't need the gray brick. Place the "Base Game Overview (green)" card face up.
   • If you're playing with the pink cards: Set out all of the bricks (2x yellow, 2x purple, 2x red, 2x blue, 1x gray). Place the "Base Game Overview (pink)" card face up.
4. Also have a pen and paper ready for scoring (not included with the game).

Overview cards summary: Goal: Earn the most possible points in 3 rounds! For each round, choose a difficulty level, then deal out cards with a total value of: Easy: 12 or less; Medium: 13-19; Hard: 20 or more. Assessment: (green) Are all the bricks in use? / (pink) Is at least one brick of each color in use? Are all the conditions fulfilled? If yes, calculate points: value of the card backs; +3 points: tower higher than the long box side; +1 point: tower higher than the short box side; +2 points: max. 2 bricks touch the surface.

Gameplay

A game consists of three rounds, each with the following four phases: 1. Prepare the Round, 2. Build the Tower, 3. Evaluate the Tower, 4. Clean Up.

1. Prepare the Round

For each round, decide the difficulty level at which you'd like to play (total card point value):

Difficulty Level	Easy	Medium	Hard
Total card value	12 or less	13 - 19	20 or more

Now, draw as many face-down cards from the stack of two- and/or three-point cards as you need so that the total value of the cards corresponds to the difficulty level you have chosen. Divide these cards as evenly as possible among yourselves. If you cannot distribute the cards evenly, decide as a group who gets the extra card(s).

Example: You want to play at the medium difficulty level, so you draw three three-point cards and two two-point cards. Your cards then have a total value of 13 (3x3 + 2x2 = 13). Since there are four of you playing, each of you receives one card. You decide together who will receive the fifth card (and therefore have two cards).

If there are not enough cards left in a deck, shuffle the corresponding discard pile and place it as a new draw stack.

2. Build the Tower

1. Each card has a condition that your tower must fulfill in the end. Read your cards carefully. You may not show your condition cards to anyone, nor tell anyone about your conditions.
2. Now build a tower together as described in the Intro Variant (Build the Tower).

Special rules for playing with pink cards: Unlike the game with green cards, not all bricks must be used, but at least one brick of each color must be included in the tower. If you do not use all nine bricks in a tower, the conditions only apply to the bricks used in the tower.

Example: The condition "Every blue brick touches at least one red brick" would mean that every blue brick in the tower must touch at least one red brick in the tower. It does not mean that both blue bricks must be used.

3. As soon as everyone has signaled that the tower fulfills the conditions on their cards, the "Build the Tower" phase ends. Now lay your cards face up in front of you.

3. Evaluate the Tower

Are all the bricks placed according to the rules of the deck color you chose (green: all bricks are used; pink: at least one brick of each color is used)? Then check whether the tower really fulfills all the condition cards dealt. To do this, read each card out loud and check that the conditions are really met. Now there are two possibilities.

• All conditions are fulfilled: Congratulations, you did it! Now add up the numbers on the back of your cards: +2 points for every two-point card, +3 points for every three-point card.
• One or more conditions are not fulfilled: Unfortunately, you were not successful. Try again with new cards and a lower total point value.

Bonus points: You get bonus points if the tower fulfills the following:

• +3 points: Tower is higher than the long side of the box, or +1 point: Tower is higher than the short side of the box
• +2 points: Two or fewer bricks touch the playing surface

Note your points on a sheet of paper.

Evaluation example 1: All of the conditions on these cards have been fulfilled, so the points on their backs are added up. B9: 3 points, B28: 2 points, B34: 3 points, B35: 2 points, B40: 2 points = 12 points. There are also five bonus points because the tower is higher than the long side of the box (3 points) and only two bricks touch the playing surface (2 points). = 17 points.

Evaluation example 2: Let's say that in addition to the cards above, card B48 ("No red bricks touch any horizontal bricks.") is also in play. You have not fulfilled card B48 and therefore have not completed the round. In this case, you would repeat the round and draw new cards for a lower difficulty level than before.

4. Clean Up

• Place the condition cards you just used on the discard pile.
• Dismantle the current tower and place all bricks back on the playing surface.
• Start a new round (see "Prepare the Round").

End of the Game

The game ends after three rounds. Add up the points from these three rounds for the final score. You can evaluate how well you did with the table below:

Score	Rating
39 or fewer	The foundation has been laid, but you could build better and higher!
40-49	Your Intro to Architecture professor is satisfied with your work.
50-59	Sturdy and reliable.
60-69	True architectural art!
70-79	Your towers soar to the heavens.
80 or more	Who would have thought it possible?

Tips and Tricks

• If your tower falls over during the "Build the Tower" phase, you can simply rebuild it. If your tower falls over during the "Evaluate the Tower" phase, you have to repeat the round.
• Are you stuck? Sometimes it helps to knock the tower down and start again.
• The difficulty of building a suitable tower depends on various factors. The total value of the cards drawn is a good guide. However, the combination of the cards, the placement of the first bricks, the distribution of the cards and the number of players also play a major role. Sometimes, a high total value of cards can be solved easily or vice versa.
• If the table surface is slippery, try building on a rougher surface, such as a tablecloth or a sheet of paper.
• Does a card combination seem unsolvable? Reveal your cards and try to find a solution together using face-up cards. The round will be counted as unsuccessful, but it's still a great way to learn!

Note: In extremely rare cases with many cards in play, it could happen that conditions contradict each other. In this case, simply start over with new cards. This does not count as an unsuccessful round.

For Those Who Work Alone: The Solo Game

Goal

Build a tower that fulfills all the face-up condition cards. Score as many points as possible in three rounds!

Game Setup

Setup is the same as the base game.

Gameplay

Like the base game, the game consists of three rounds. Each round also consists of four phases:

1. Prepare the Round: Before each new round, choose the difficulty level and draw cards with a corresponding total value (see the base game). Place the drawn cards face up in front of you.
2. Build the Tower: You can rebuild the tower as many times as you like until you find the right solution. The same building rules apply as in the base game.
3. Evaluate the Tower: Check again carefully whether the tower fulfills all the conditions shown. Then add up your points as in the base game.
4. Clean Up: Prepare a new round.

End of the Game

The game ends after three rounds. Add up the points from these three rounds for the final score, and check the scoring table to see how you did.

For Creatives: The Challenges

(Also playable by a single player.)

Goal

Build a tower that fulfills all of the condition cards dealt as well as the challenge condition(s)!

Game Setup

1. Prepare the round as described in the base game and choose one of the challenges below.
2. Choose the difficulty level. At the beginning of each challenge, draw cards with the following total value:

Difficulty Level	Easy	Medium	Hard
Total card value	12	15	18

Example: You draw three two-point cards and two three-point cards. This gives you a total value of 12.

3. Divide these cards as evenly as possible among yourselves. If you cannot distribute the cards evenly, decide as a group who gets more cards.

Gameplay

For each challenge play through the "Build the Tower" and "Evaluate the Tower" phases. In these phases, the rules of the base game apply. If this is not the case, it will be noted in the challenge description. You will not add up the points in the "Evaluate the Tower" phase. Instead, if your tower fulfills all the conditions and you have followed the instructions of the challenge, then you have succeeded.

Challenges

1. Small Footprint: No more than two bricks can touch the playing surface.
2. Time Pressure: You have limited time for the "Building the tower" phase. Can you do it in less than 2.5 minutes? Use a timer (e.g., on your cell phone) to limit your time.
3. Trade Secret: You are not allowed to talk during the entire build phase, but only communicate with each other through gestures.
4. Custom Built: Exactly two bricks must touch the playing surface. In addition, the tower must be exactly as high as four bricks standing vertically on top of each other. However, not all bricks in the tower need to be vertical.
5. Shoddy Construction: No more than three bricks may touch the playing surface. The tower must also be unstable enough that it collapses if one of you hits the table next to the tower with the palm of your hand. Note: Complete the "Evaluate the Tower" phase, before knocking down the tower. The tower counts as collapsed if at least six bricks touch the playing surface after you hit the table.
6. Masterpiece: The tower must have mirror symmetry. This means that the tower looks the same on the right side as it does on the left. The colors of the bricks do not matter.
7. Budget Cuts: A maximum of three bricks from the tower may touch the playing surface. Then carry out the "Evaluate the Tower" phase. Now remove a brick that touches at least three other bricks and the surface. You may not touch any other brick with your hand. The tower must remain standing.
8. Staffing Shortage: Once you place a brick during the "Building the Tower" phase, it cannot be moved. Think carefully about where you place each brick.
9. One Brick Wonder: Only one brick can touch the playing surface. Note: During the "Building the tower" phase, decide together on one condition card that does not have to be fulfilled. Of course, you need to do this without reading any of the cards out loud or describing their contents.