iota! GREAT BIG GAME IN THE teeny-weeny TIN! GAMEWRIGHT Ages 8+ EXCELLENT COND!

Description

This game is entitled
iota
,
THE GREAT BIG GAME IN THE teeny-weeny TIN!
It is by the fantastic game company
GAMEWRIGHT
, who always puts out a super fun and challenging game. It is designed for ages 8+. This game is in
EXCELLENT CONDITION
and though it is not plastic wrapped, could be new.
Here's what boardgamegeek.com says:
iota
is a card game in which players score points by adding cards to a grid. The deck consists of 64 regular cards and two wild cards; each of the 64 cards contains three properties – color, shape and number – with each property coming in four different types. The two wild cards are identical and can be played in place of any other specific single card. They can also be recycled by a player who can replace a wild card with a card that works in that position.
To set up the game, each player is dealt a hand of four cards and one card – the "starter" – is placed face-up on the table. The remaining cards form a draw deck.
On a turn you can add 1-4 cards connected to the grid established by the starter card. All cards must be placed in the same line. A line consists of 2, 3 or 4 cards in a row in which each individual property (color, shape and number) is either the same on each card or different on each card. You can also choose to pass and place some, none or all of your cards on the bottom of the draw pile and take new ones.
Maximum line length is four cards. Cards needn't be placed right next to each other as long as they are in the same line, and some spaces on the grid will be impossible to fill.
To score a turn, add up the face values of cards in lines either created or extended on that turn. If any of those cards are part of two lines, they're counted twice. If on a turn a player completes a line that is four cards long, all points for the entire turn are doubled. Double again for any additional four card lines created. Double again if you play all four cards on a single turn. A four-card line is called a lot.
The game ends when the draw pile is depleted and one player plays his last card. Double points for that turn. The game is over. High score wins.
Here's a review from geekyhobbies.com:
For those of you who have played either Qwirkle or Set, the how to play section probably sounded quite familiar. It should since
iota
borrows significantly from both games. Iota takes elements from both games, adds them together to try and create a new game. From Qwirkle, Iota takes the “Domino” gameplay where cards are played in lines where elements on the cards have to either match or differ from one another. From Set, Iota takes the three element of color, shape and number. It also takes the idea of being able to create sets where the cards either all match or differ on the three different elements. Since I like both Qwirkle and
Set
I was excited to give Iota a chance. While still an average to an above average game, Iota doesn’t really improve on Set or Qwirkle. I had fun playing the game and I plan on keeping the game. I was just disappointed that more couldn’t have been done when combining the two games. By combining the two games, the creator ended up actually creating a more difficult game than both games individually. The game is harder than both games individually because there is so much to look at before being able to play any cards. There will be many times that you think you have your play lined up just to notice that one of the three elements are preventing you from playing. When you first see the tin for Iota you will probably be shocked by how small it actually is. The game even brags about its’ size by calling the game “the great big game in the teeny-weeny tin”. The teeny-weeny part is far from an exaggeration since the tin is actually only a couple inches tall. Space conscious board gamers will love this game since it will take up very little space on your shelf. You actually might have a bigger problem losing the game due to its’ small size.