Man, it's too bad Homeworlds is perfect strategy. I liked the idea of there being secret alliances on top of everything else. But in a two player game, what secrets can you keep?

I present to you, Homeworlds variant number eight: Decoy Homeworlds.

For 2 players: Set up the bank as you would for a 4-player game, with 5 trios of each color. Each player builds *two* homeworlds, marking the real one with a face card and the decoy with a number card. Whichever homeworld you build second will get a medium ship instead of a large one. No repeat stars, if your first homeworld has a g2 star in it then your second homeworld may not also have a g2 star.

If a homeworld would be captured or destroyed, reveal its identity. Last player with their real homeworld intact wins.

I have not tested this. If you convince someone to play it, please let me know how it goes!

Site update: posted a draft of the rules to Graph Zendo, the version you can play on a whiteboard. GNU Kory Heath.

https://nycki.net/zendo/

updated my wedsbite

https://nycki.net/pyramids/

I should really write this up properly on my blog later, but as a quick fix, here's an update to the origami icehouse construction, originally invented by Bill Adams [1]. This improved method removes the center crease that would normally be visible at the end. It was submitted anonymously by an icehouse fan.

To begin, fold the square into four corner-squares, with the good side inside. Unfold once so you have a rectangle.

Fold the corners to the middle, creating a right triangle.

Fold each acute corner across the middle, in such a way that it divides the hypotenuse into thirds. I've marked it here but you can eyeball it.

Fold each of those thirds in half, giving you six wedges, three on each corner.

You have now constructed the 'guide folds' from Bill's method, but without the diagonal center crease. Continue from his 11th step.

1: https://web.archive.org/web/20050521082358/http://www.iglou.com/biladams/IceHouse/

why yes, I am designing my own Looney Pyramids [www.looneylabs.com] in OpenSCAD. These game pieces are used in a variety of (mostly abstract strategy) games, and can be placed on top of each other in "trees" or "nests"

There are multiple designs on thingiverse & printables, including an OpenSCAD design.

I've printed several other designs and, unavoidably, thought "can I do this better?" My WIP has two features I didn't spot in any of the 3 designs I looked most closely at, to improve taking apart the pieces after they've been nested (a kind of stack where the 1-pip is under/inside the 2-pip, the 2-pip is under/inside the 3-pip, or both).

First, the bottom part of the pyramidal shape is replaced with a vertical surface right at the build plate, to try to ensure that elephant foot doesn't make the parts as-printed interfere when shoved together.

Second, there's an interior feature to dig a fingernail into when trying to separate a pair of pyramids.

I don't have any official pyramids but my pieces don't quite match the geometry of any of the other sets I've printed.

If I end up satisfied with the design I'll post it up on printables.

The strangest record in my collection.

https://www.discogs.com/release/7132344-Icehouse-Man-Of-Colours

In honour of an unhappy sick Iva Davies, tell me what is your favourite Icehouse song? And have you ever seen Icehouse live? Tell me about your experience about seeing the band live (especially as we are missing out this weekend in Brisbane, Queensland) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOBd0PwQouE #music #Icehouse #Ivadavies #Greatsouthernland