An Introduction by Dr Cool

Greetings, Icers! Welcome to the premier issue of Hypothermia. Included in this issue are some variations and stuff. Hope you like them. Please feel free (even if you are not a current subscriber, and even if you don't have anything to say) to send letters. Lots-O-Letters. That way I won't have to write anything. As of this moment, I plan to divide the newsletter into several sections, including Meltdown, Strategies, Variations, Ask Dr Cool, and Stuff.

Meltdown is what you're reading now: a little intro/editorial from me, da editor, hastily written and badly edited. Hence the title.

The section entitled Strategies will concentrate on interesting and cool techniques of play that may reward the player who attempts said strategies with respect knowledge, and utter Pandemonium. Winning methods will also be discussed.

Variations will include new ideas for optional rules that provide exciting stress and variety to the basic game of Checkers. Just kidding. Icehouse. No, I don't mean you're in the icehouse; I was just correcting the sentence. Oh, but back to the original intent of this paragraph. If you send in a whacko variation, try to playtest it first, okay? I might not be able to playtest every game, and I don't want people blaming me for Ouija Icehouse upsetting dead relatives.

Questions will be gladly answered in the Ask Dr Cool column. If these questions are of a personal nature, don't expect them to be answered in the newsletter.

Stuff is a Hypothermic word meaning "miscellaneous". Don't let it upset you. I'll put all other interesting articles and, well -- stuff -- into that section.

Okay, so thanks for buying those numbered Icehouse sets. They sold well. and while we probably won't have more boxed sets available any time soon, it's good to see such a heavy demand for ice.

-- Dr Cool

P.S. - Prosecution of our Patent Application is coming along spectacularly. We have received a Notice of Allowance and are expecting to be granted a Patent within the next few months. Yay! More on this later.

The following questions are typical of those that I hear from beginning players. If you have any questions at all, please send them to me. No matter how silly or complicated the question is, if you have thought of it, chances are that someone else has, too.

A Really Big Wall

WORLD RECORDS

• First Icehouse game ever played in Europe - Greg Frock
• First Icehouse game ever played in Africa - Greg Frock
• First Icehouse game ever played in Costa Rica - Marilyn Spitz
• First Icehouse game ever played on the tray table of an airplane - Greg Frock

Here are a few simple strategies that might not be so obvious. Not all of these strategies are my own since I am, admittedly, a terrible player. (But a very cool loser). If these strategies seem a little common-sensish to you, you're learning quickly and will have to wait for more in-depth tactics in later issues Better yet, send some of your own, to be scrutinized and discussed. If it's a unique or unusual tactic, well refer to it by whatever you name it.

ICE LOW -- That is, attack with low value pieces that won't be so tempting to take as prisoners later on. So, ice a I point piece with two I pointers, a 2 with a 3, and a 3 with two 2's. Icing a Large piece with two large pieces is asking for trouble.

THE ICE TRAP -- Refer to the picture below. Put a 3 point standing piece into a niche. Wait for the attack, then block off any more attacks with another standing piece. If done correctly, you can build a fortress and squander someone's attack piece at the same time. (A single attack piece will not have enough points to successfully ice a three point piece.) This strategy takes a little practice and some guts, but it works.

The Ice Trap

TIMER ICEHOUSE

Set a timer for an agreed upon number of minutes (between 2 and 10 is good). Place the timer so that no one can see how much time is left. Play Icehouse. When the timer goes off, stop the game. Any points left in your stash pad don't count toward your score.

That's it. Try it -- it's a blast. In a five game match, lower the playing time by I or 2 minutes each successive game. The timer doesn't have to be typical. It can be the one on your microwave (warm up those sandwiches while you play), or a song on the radio (Musical Icehouse?), or the random appearance of a guest ("Let's play until Joe gets here").

ADVANCED ICEHOUSE

Do not attempt this variation until you have a good knowledge of Icehouse rules and strategies. It is called "Advanced" for two reasons: it is not intended for beginners, and it is an improvement on the basic game.

The improvements in the advanced game are four-fold: 1) It "cleans up" the placement rules in that attack and defense pieces can legally be placed anywhere on the field, 2) It presents a strategically richer and more difficult game, 3) It drastically reduces the benefits of "hoarding" to the point where it is no longer useful to keep pieces safe inside a stash pad, and 4) Advanced Icehouse works well with two players, without the need for mutual handicaps.

The setup and scoring rules remain unchanged. Placement of attack pieces and the end-game are, however, quite different. Read and discuss these rules thoroughly before attempting a game.

In Advanced Icehouse, the game is divided into two stages. The first stage, Stage 1, is basically normal Icehouse, but with slightly different rules for placing attack pieces. In the second stage, Stage II, players are allowed to move and replace certain types of attack pieces.

STAGE I: In Stage 1, normal rules are followed, with this exception: attack pieces can be placed anywhere on the board, pointing at anything or nothing. Ile reason why people might want to squander their own pieces will be discussed later. New terms for interpreting different kinds of attack pieces should be noted and used:

ACTIVE ATTACK PIECE

An attack piece which is: 1) attacking nothing (excluding the edge of the playing field); or 2) attacking an attack piece of another color.

FROZEN ATTACK PIECE

An attack piece which is: 1) attacking any standing piece; 2) attacking any piece of the same color (including other attack pieces); or 3) attacking the edge of the playing field. By "attacking", I mean pointing at, and within attack range (piece length), disregarding walls and pseudo-walls.

STAGE II: When all stash pads are clear (and all hands are empty) the game is not over. Stage II begins. During Stage II, active attack pieces can be picked up by the owner and replaced anywhere on the field, in a standing or attacking position. This is why it is sometimes advantageous to squander your own pieces. Active attack pieces may not be placed back in the owner's stash pad. They may, however, be placed in another active position, to be used later. Prisoners may still be taken and used, or stored in stash pads for later use. Crashed pieces may also be placed in stash pads. Frozen attack pieces may not be picked up, except when being captured by another player in an over-ice situation.

Stage II (and the game) ends when all players have voluntarily signified that they have finished playing. The traditional signal for this is removing your empty stash pad from the field, but players may agree on another common signal if they wish. After a player gives this signal, he may no longer participate in the game, other than to record his score. This includes moving active attack pieces, taking prisoners, calling Icehouse, etc. Therefore, each player should make damn sure he is ready to quit before removing his stash pad. Any part of the playing field which suddenly becomes open by the removal of a stash pad may be played into, if anyone is still in the game.

All other rules remain the same. "Icehouse" and "Meltdown" can be called at any time during either stage. When the game is over, the scores are tallied normally. Any pieces which are still active (and therefore not contributing to art ice) are, of course, not counted in the score.

If you understand all of this, but suspect it won't be very playable, then give it a try. It does work, though it ends up being a rather different game. Nevertheless, there will be questions dealing with this variation. Please call or write Icehouse Games so we can help you answer them. Again, we stress that Advanced Icehouse is not recommended for anyone who is not extremely familiar with Icehouse rules and strategies.

ICEHOUSE, ON THE ROCKS

Yes, what would any game be without a variation that includes alcoholic consumption as a rule? But before the "Just Say No" stormtroopers barge in, allow me to tell you that with just a few modifications, this variation can be played without drugs of any kind, while maintaining the same standards of morality (absolutely none). Just replace these words: "drink", "drinking", "drank", "drunk", with these: "strip", "stripping", "stripped", "nude".

The additional rules are simple (in order for completely inebriated people to understand). Play any version of Icehouse. Whenever you lose a piece due to a crash or a bad icehouse call, drink. Whenever someone takes one of your pieces prisoner, drink. The drinks should correspond proportionately to the size of piece lost (for example, one, two, or three shots for the same value piece). A player loses the match when he is so drunk that he can no longer recall what he's drinking. Continue playing until everyone loses. Scoring is optional.

DONE WITH MIRRORS...

If you have played Icehouse in enough places, you no doubt have run across the problem of "slippery ice". This is when the surface of the playing field is very slick. Crashing is inevitable. Games can get frustrating for those players who aren't familiar with the low mu of the field.

What playing fields are not so slippery? The standard plastic Icehouse pieces have a hard time staying still on polished wood, and Diner Icehouse on formica can be disastrous. I was lucky enough to get a felt covered tournament table which works nicely (except for the occasional time that a pushed pyramid catches itself on the fabric.) But one of the better mediums I have played on so far is glass.

William Cooper (who is my dad) discovered this when he laid a mirror flat on a table to display pieces. My first two thoughts, when he and my brother told me to try a mirror, were "Oh no! Slippery Ice!" and "Oh no! Mirror false images of pyramids confusing the hell outta me!" Wrong on both counts. On a glass plane, the pieces slide predictably and smoothly when pushed into place. They stay where they are put, even if the table is nudged a little. The mirror effect aids in "act placement of pieces, and also doubles the beauty of a finished game.

ICEHOUSE SIGNATURES

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL ICEHOUSE TOURNAMENT

The sun was shining bright and clear and warm on the morning of the first ever Icehouse tournament, held on May 28, 1989. The event was held at a hotel in New Carrollton, MD, where oddly enough, a Science Fiction convention was also taking place.

Five matching round Icehouse tables, each covered with black felt, were set up near the swimming pool that day, and as the participants arrived and checked in, they began practicing and warming up at the, tables. Each participant was given their Tournament T-shirt and an official number.

The first round began at just after 1:00 that afternoon. The competition was held with 2 rounds of elimination. In the first round, all participants played 3 games, moving to a new table after each game so that they'd be competing with a new group of opponents in each game. After each game, the referees would announce which participants (identified by number) would be playing at each table. The selection was random, but set up to guarantee that each player faced off against different opponents in all three games. All 5 games started at the same time on a signal from the referees. The scores were kept on a large chart on a blackboard.

After the first round, the totals from the first three games were tallied and the 8 highest Tanking players advanced to the second round. In the second round, as in the first, all players played 3 games, each with a different batch of opponents. At the end of the second round, the 4 highest ranking players moved on to the final round: a standard 5 game match.

The 4 finalists were Rob Dean, Charley Dickson, Robin Vinopal, and Joe Hertz. Unfortunately, since the tournament lasted a bit longer than everyone expected, Joe found himself unable to stay for the final round. Therefore, the next highest scoring player, Joyce Choat, moved into the final match.

The match was grueling. In the end, Joyce Choat emerged victorious. As champion, she received several fabulous prizes and awards, including a special version of the Tournament T-shirt that said, in big bold letters, "I WON", a 2 player icehouse set of prototype plastic pieces (the sets used in the tournament were painted wood), and the Icehouse Champion's Scepter. This last item is only hers for the year; in the years to come, it will be passed on from champion to champion. At the Second International Icehouse Tournament, in May 1990, we will see if she can keep her title or if she is forced to pass the Scepter on to her successor.

Another award was also presented, to the Tournament's "Coolest" player, the player who, in the estimation of the Referees, had most exemplified the spirit of Cool in playing Icehouse. The award, a Tournament shirt that said "Cooler than Ice" on the back, went to Robert Atwood. Incidentally, Robert Atwood came to the Tournament from Toronto, Canada, and thus truly made the event International.

It was a long day, too long, really. The players were exhausted even before the final round was over. Nevertheless, everyone agreed it was a complete success. Thanks to everyone who helped make it so.

Next year's tournament is tentatively scheduled for the 1990 Disclave Science Fiction Convention, held during the Memorial Day weekend. We may even become an official convention event (i.e. anyone out there who wants to talk to the Con Committee for us, or who at least knows who to talk to, please step forward). Next year, in order to make the event less grueling, we intend to run the semi-finals on the first day and

the final match on the second day. The final results of the Tournament are printed below. Scores that are highlighted denote the game winners. "I" denotes a player who was put in the Icehouse.